Parties and Visitors

So I'm back. For another mish-mash update on life (and a rather uncreative one at that). For some reason I have been struggling to keep up with my posts. Life may be getting more busy....or less interesting. Let's opt for the first one.

Let's go over the past few weeks. In short, they have been eventful and rather fun...in a strangely normal way. I went to my friend Victoria's birthday party two weeks ago. She turned 21. Just for a snipet, Victoria is an amazing girl, and has made my transition into this new culture so much easier and happier. She is a wonderfully caring individual and I adore her. So happy way late birthday on the internet to my wifey!!! Anyway, it was a formal event so I had the opprotunity to wear my corset and get dolled up. I also met a lot of very nice people in the process, drank some yummy cocktails and had some really intelligent conversations.

A week later I was lucky enough to have a visitor from the states by the name of Mr. Owen KING! So that was strange. Not because it was Owen. On the contrary we had a nice time. Did a little bit of hiking on the national downhill mountain bike trails, watched some Lord of the Rings (I know I sound lame but it's pretty cool that we watched the movie here in NZ) and went to Hell (https://www.hell.co.nz/index.jsp?city=Christchurch). It was also really nice to get to talk to an American who has quite a lot of the same opinions I have. I say it was strange because, well, it's just like, he happened to be passing through...Christchurch...New Zealand. You know, 9000 miles away from the last place I saw him. It just seems strange that, well, the world is soooo small. But I've said that many times and there's really no need to say it again. Oops, too late.

So that brings us to this past weekend and the recent week. And this weekend basically sucked. Because in the matter of an hour, I seemed to have caught some mini-flu or something. One hour I was fine and out biking. The next I was home, relaxing and then BAM I get chills and a stuffy head and feel like I'm going to pretty much die. The night consisted of me lying cuddle up to Craig crying that I wanted my mommy. I'm independent yes, but there is nothing, NOTHING like having your mommy or daddy with you when you're sick. (Although Craig tried his best to fill in).

And this week...well I've been sending out job applications and resumes. I only have two weeks left at the Hubber Duckies and even though I'm saving my money, I'm going to need to get a job pronto. Although I've got some interviews, I'm kind of holding out for two jobs in particular. But we won't get into that too much, because it will be a pretty big embarassment for me to talk these jobs up and then...not get them. Then I'd have to come back and tell all of you readers how inept I am at pretty much everything other than swimming. At least, that's what everyone seems to think. Personally I know I'm quite capable of doing a lot of tasks unrelated to swimming...let's hope someone else notices that. In the end though, despite my anxiety over the potential of not having a steady job, I figured this...and tell me if I'm wrong: There is no point committing myself to a long-term job that I may hate just because I'm unsure of getting the jobs I want. I think it's best to wait for the one I want...and if I don't get it...I'll just temp for a little while until I finally get a job that I really do want. It's kind of like men I guess. A woman shouldn't settle for one just because she's worried the one she really wants will never come around. She should hold out for the one she wants...shop around a bit during the waiting period...and then when the right one comes along she'll be available. Haha.

So that's about it. I'm lazy and don't feel like putting pictures up because, let's face it, I've been in a pool for nearly 8 hours today. So you can all wait on the pictures.

If there is anything fun left for me to talk about, I'll be back. But for now I bid you aideu!

-NMK

Life Update

After a week or so of absence I'm back for more kiddies. You know you love it.

A lot has happened in the past week or so, a lot of emotions, a lot of questions. A lot of cold, crappy weather. But that's ok. The following is just a couple (or three or four) different ideas that have been running around my brain, getting all sweaty and going nowhere.

Irony. It is ironic when you pay for gas at 1.70 per litre and ten minutes later the sign is changed to 1.65. It is ironic when you go out for a bike ride in the freezing winds and two hours after returning, the sun is shining brightly.

It is ironic that I have come to one of the most beautiful and pristine countries in the world and I am living in...smog. Yes, smog. It is everywhere, in the air, in my HAIR. And it's still New Zealand. I guess nobody's perfect. But it is painful, for my lungs, and my nose. It makes my sinuses itch and it makes me stuffy. It's almost like being home in Binghamton, but worse. Because I've never actually been able to see it billowing below the streetlights or creeping in our open doorway like a monster in the mist. But here I can.

You see, we live between some very very high hills to our south and the Southern Alps, which are incidentally to our North. And because of these two barriers all the wood-burning fires in the winter, the car exhaust and well, any other air pollution is caught between them. And it sticks. They are actually starting to outlaw wood-burning fires in the city, with good reason. But I guess I should consider myself lucky, because the smog does discriminate. Some areas are just horrible. It's like swimming through some sort of liquid-solid mush. But where our house isn't so awful. We're nearer the outskirts of town, so it's only just average. And it is possible to get out of the dirty mist, by going to tops of the hills or out to the country. But alll in all, it's making my winter a sickly, nasty one. Just like my years before Hamilton.

So there's the smog. Then there's the job prospects. Or lack therof. Which I think could also be considered pretty ironic. It's not that this country doesn't have the jobs available. On the contrary New Zealand has a HUGE need for employees in nearly every industry. So while many of those official-like people are scratching their heads at how to fix this problem I've gone and figured it all out. So listen up Kiwi-land:

Something like 35% of all people with a University degree leave New Zealand. They are accompanied by numerous others without degrees who are leaving the country as well. Hell, my boyfriend and I are scheming about how to get him out of here. But my point is that there has to be some reason that people are leaving. I mean, they have a fantastic health system and an equally exceptional education system here, so that can't be it. They have great government programs to help people find equal opprotunity within the work force. So what on earth could it be? Let's examine, just a simple job vaccancy listing in this weekend's paper:

Café Opening
New café looking for barista, servers, dishwashers. Must have an outgoing personality, enjoy customer service and at least 5 years experience at the café level.

Quiz time: What wrong with that statement? Go on, think about it for a bit.

Answer: FIVE YEARS EXPERIENCE?!?! For a new café? For dishwashers! There is something wrong here and that something is at the root of New Zealand's stageringly high need for employees. And this may be a simple example, but it is everywhere. In nearly every industry, every type of job, a worker needs experience. At least two years here, or three years there. And every once in a while you get the ad that asks for something like five years experience, in cafe work nonetheless. No offense to people who love working in Cafes, but come on. Five years is a damn high demand for an industry of constant roster changes.

But I can understand, if you're a law firm looking for a new lawyer, why not look for someone with experience? Then you don't have to train them. But wait, didn't their education already give them the necessary training to be fully qualified to work with you? It's as if a degree just isn't enough in this country. And so many kids with great degrees end up working for peanuts, being told that they are lucky to be given the chance to get some experience; that it will pay off in the future.

And maybe it will. But over the pond, in Australia, those guys are just itching for newly graduated employees. Experience? Pishaw. Who needs experience? As long as you've got a degree and some determination, we'll take ya. And we'll pay you what you deserve. Not some pissant minimum wage to punish you for your lack of experience. Come on over and play with our kangaroos.

So the kiwis skip to Oz and leave their country needing workers. And then there are news excerps about how the New Zealand government is trying to recruit it's own citizens to come BACK to their home country to work. Right. It's a pretty sad day when a country has to beg it's own citizens to return. But I don't feel bad. Because I'd do the same thing. Besides, the New Zealand dollar can barely stand up to most foreign currencies. It simply crumbles beneath the pound. Then again, most currencies do. And now I'm straying from my point.

New Zealand employers need to get their acts together. There is too often the feeling that they "can't be bothered" to train someone new. That they don't have the time or want to go through all the mistakes that a new employee may make. That they don't care that someone has a 4 year degree in rocket science, because if they've never been in a rocket, they don't count for shit. These employers need to realize that sometimes you have to go out on a limb and train the people you employ. Not only will they give better and more acceptable service for you, but it'll also give them, well, a job. And maybe your citizens wouldn't be so quick to the ditch your country for the prospects of working in a more welcoming and financially rewarding place.

That in effect is what I've found...over the past few weeks of my job search.

I have more tales to tell. Of birthday parties, and kiwi gatherings. Of visiting Oregonians and bike rides in the rain. And I've still got more pictures to post from my father's visit. But on another day, at another time. My computer is going dead and I'm off to battle in the world of the experienced employee. In the end, if you can't get the job without experience, I guess you can just lie.

-NMK

Kiwi Fried Chicken

Winter has set in. Well, maybe not real winter, but in my books, it’s cold enough, dreary enough and simply icky enough to classify under the category of winter. But this ain’t no wonderland.

Ain’t?

I suppose if one had to actually put a definition on it, we could call this autumn. But it’s not like the autumns from back home, no sir. It’s colder. And wetter. And the leaves are just not the beautiful reds and yellows, oranges and near-purples that they are back home. It’s just much too dry. Yes maybe there are a few bright yellow trees and I think I saw a deep red oak or something the other day, but most of the trees are brown...and crispy. In fairness it’s not like that everywhere though. During our travels I saw spectacular colors down near Wanaka but...hey come to think of it, we just saw a horrible snow storm from somewhere down South on the news tonight. Maybe winter has come. Or is coming. Either way, it was sleeting this evening. Yum.

And for whatever reason I’m listening to country music. I usually entertain myself with these sort of songs during the summer. Maybe it’s because it SHOULD be coming into summer and my subconscious is telling me to play Brooks and Dunn. I mean, this is the first cold weather I have experienced in nearly a year. Maybe my heart just needs to be a bit warmed from the sounds of Texas twang.

So what does country music and a backwards autumn/winter mish-mash have to do with... anything?

I’m not too sure. But I’m bound to suss it out in this entry.

I still miss home...but not as much as I used to. I still miss my family, probably more than I used to. I do miss my friends, but my friendships here are finally becoming...more concrete. And I’m realizing that the world continues to move on back home, with or without me. So there is no point in me sitting back just waiting to get home to “life”. “This is life right now, you’re living it!!!” -Mommy Knapp

And life is kind of fun in this brilliant, gorgeous place. We’re watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy because Craig hasn’t seen them all. (Funny, I thought every Kiwi showed up for the premieres. Guess I was wrong.) And it’s strange to be watching them here, in the very place of their making And to be watching them in THEIR winter, when I usually saw them in OUR winter back home. I often find myself saying “Oh I was there...and there...and I’m going to go there...” It would be like watching a movie about, oh say, Hamilton College that was filmed at Hamilton College...oh wait. That’s been done. Ha.

Now there’s that...but what’s with the country music? Well, I think that no matter which you slice it, country music always has been and will always be inherently American. And when I hear it, I think of home. I think of the summers spent driving the back roads to work and singing the songs while sitting in the lifeguard chair. Dancing around my bedroom with all the windows open, sheer white curtains blowing slightly from the breeze, preparing for an evening of drinking and bbq. The warm nights with clear skies, bonfires behind the house, bike rides through the park and pretty much every other wonderful thing that we used to do when we were...younger. Eek. How dare I say that?!

So when I hear country music, no matter how many people may scoff at it, I just feel...home. And maybe that’s good. Or bad. But it tells me one thing for sure. There is no way I could ever live away from home. Not for forever at least. Two or three years, maybe even four. But despite the negative attitude placed on country music, the misconception that it represents all that is bad and conservative and republican in the United States....I don’t think I could ever live in a country that doesn’t have a country music station. That doesn’t have that horribly wonderful fried-chicken-southern-belle-texan-drawl attitude. I mean, I don’t have to have it...but it’s nice to know it’s there. Because, let’s face it, it’s part of our culture.

And I know that many of you are saying “it’s the crappy part of our culture” but I disagree. It’s just a different part. And every place you go is going to have something you don’t understand or agree with. New Zealand even has bits that could be paralleled with American’s country western lifestyle...but they don’t have the great, fun, summertime music to go along with it.

So yeah, country music, cold weather--In the end I think this entry really is just a jumble of thoughts and feelings with no cohesive ideas. But isn’t that a lot like life? Regardless I plan to listen to my country music in this winter of summers. And I’ll enjoy my time here with every bit of my person....

...but I’m still dreaming of home.

-NMK

ps while we’re on the subject of country music...Keith Urban (for all your fans out there) is actually from New Zealand, not Australia. And I went to his home town. But I didn’t know it until after I had left. So yeah. Poo on Australia.

Craig

It is raining right now, so hard that it almost looks like snow, and the wind is juddering the french doors against their lock. It is really one of the most horrible days I have seen here in a while, with sheets of water blowing nearly sideways, trees bending beneath the force of windy gusts, their leaves tearing from their branches without a fight. Topping it all off-it is so cold my fingers are going numb as I type this.

And my boyfriend is out on his bike.

Yes he's out training on his bike right now, completely putting me to shame. I just couldn't bring myself to get up before dawn and meander out into this dreadful weather. I used to think I was tough climbing up hills in little drizzles, going on four hour bunch rides bundled up like an eskimo, but clearly he wins the award for the most badass....something. Or the most insane, I suppose it's all a means of perception.

And although I am not out in this wretched weather getting soaked to the bone, there is something very special for ME seeing him out there getting soaked to the bone. It's actually very inspiring. And with so many people lately telling me that I've inspired them to do one thing or another, well, I've really needed a bit of inspiring myself. It's funny when you can't bring yourself to get off your ass and go running, then ten minutes later when your checking your emails and munching on some graham crackers you get people writing to tell you about completing their first triathlon, or getting really ripped over the summer. And then they thank you for inspiring them to do it. Or showing them the way. Or something like that. And that's when you nearly pull out your hair and think "um, i'm missing something here."

So I think this...this crazy Kiwi of mine...is kind of that inspiring little kick I've needed. I'm certainly not to the point he's at just yet, but I'm also not training to race internationally either. We'll start small with, let's say, the local 40k. But only on a nice weekend. ;-) And I'll continue to try and overcome what has become a very large comfort zone.

All in all, he really makes me proud--proud of him and proud to be with him. And he's shown me who I used to be and who I want to be again. I'm sure the transition won't happen overnight, but if there is anything he's reminded me of, it's that I can't be scared. To try anything. Be it in sports, careers, any aspect of life. If you're scared and you back down or you don't even try, you won't get your way. This all may seem very obvious but it's really really easy to fall into the trap of settling and believing there is nothing better, especially when everything is unfamiliar and overwhelming.

There you have it. That's Craig. A very inspiring person...and a very good chess player (who I will beat again someday).

-NMK

Moral Dilemma

So I may as well be out with it since previous posts suggest that I may be dealing drugs or something.

Basically the job I'm currently working has been fantastic. I've been able to choose my own hours, get time off whenever I want it, and I am, in essence, my own boss. The downsides however, are becoming a bit trying. And when I say 'a bit' I am so incredibly UNDERemphasizing how trying things have actually become. Yes, it is annoying driving nearly 45 minutes one way, many times in the dark and the rain, but that is only part of it. I am my own boss...because I am the only one working this job. Therefore my interaction with co-workers, normally a plentiful pool of potential friends, has been nil. I have also been made aware of some pay issues dealing with holiday pay, paid days off and whatnot that I am not entitled too...basically because the business does not have enough money to pay me. Which is normally not ok. But my employers have done a lot of nice things for me...I mean they gave me a bed for goodness sake. But in the end I suppose that's not the point here.

The point is that I almost quit two weeks into the term, which is definitely not ok. And many people have argued that it's definitely not OK for them to NOT pay me certain things that, by law, I am owed. But at the same time, it's not just about them and the money. It's about the kids and the parents that I made a committment to right? I told them I would be here for the next ten weeks and aren't I supposed to live up to that? I've had too many of my own coaches tell me they would be there for me and then POOF they're gone. I promised myself I wouldn't do that in return and I almost did.

So this is the moral debate...do I do what is right by law, give my two weeks and peace out. Shouldn't I be happy in my time here, however long it ends up being? Or do I stick it out for as long as I can (nearly six more weeks) dedicate myself to these people and go out gracefully and in good standing? Well, I'm either a sucker, or a guilty conscience can just play too much with my mind, so I've decided to stick it out for the next six weeks. "six weeks!" you say. "That isn't a long time!" but it is. It's a month and a half and with gas prices coming out my butt, it's going to be even harder to get out and back. But the point is really that I should do what I said I was going to do, even if others aren't living by that same mantra.

The only other dilemma that rests in this situation now is the job interview I have today with Allastair. I believe he is the head swim coach for a swim team that is, oh, about a seven second drive from my house. Well, maybe not a seven second drive, but I could definitely get to this place on my bike in about an eighth of the time it takes to get out to my current job. And it's a real coaching job. Not some piddly thing where I have to get in the water and hold the kids up and teach them one on one. It's a job with intervals, swim meets, tri-master in the morning. I would have basically the same athletic schedule that I had during college, except I'd be the one on the deck this time. Which is not such a bad thing. There were many mornings that I envied my coaches for their coffee and bundled up appearances. And this job just sounds promising. It's what I wanted to do when I moved here but there was nothing available. It's things I want to learn, so maybe I can use them later on in a coaching career or a side-job. It's an opportunity to be close to home, still have free time, but still be busy enough to feel useful. And since I'm going to be staying here a bit longer (i hope) it'll feel like a more forward moving career move rather than just some dead-end job out in the middle of nowhere.

But I'm nervous. If I do get the job, what if they want me to start in say, two weeks? Which I clearly cannot do, because that would totally go against my whole principle thing i talked about in the above paragraphs. But should I pass up pretty much the best opportunity I may have in this country to date to fulfill some stupid (non-contracted) job that I'm not enjoying nor am I getting paid properly for? How unfair would that be?

Like it says: Moral Dilemma.

So that is the situation now folks. I have my resume ready, and my interview outfit all laid out. I just hope and pray that whoever I am going to be talking to a) finds me interesting and capable and b) is understanding about my current situation.

-NMK