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Published: August 24th 2006
Busy Afternoon in Auckland
Looking North at Queen Street and Victoria Street.August 23rd
Observations of the day:
1. One can only go out to eat and site see so much during a day while traveling. This leaves a number of empty hours to fill especially in the evening. While television has its place one gets tired of spending time with the same people evening after evening, they seem mesmerized by whatever rubbish is being broadcast that night on free television and are not creative enough to do anything else.
While trying to pass the time this evening I found my way into the largest of the Borders Book Store in Auckland. The store is arranged in three main levels with a number of intermediate floor levels between. Rather than going up, the store goes down. A patron enters at street level, here one will find the registers, new releases, magazines, and a small section on New Zealand. The first sub grade floor holds the music, entertainment (dvd) and fiction sections, and finally the second sub grade floor contains all other book sections.
In the music (CD) section I found myself listening to the more recent releases with those handy little headphones supplied on the bins. As I worked my way through Rock, classic, jazz, Religious?, and country, I came to the section that I am so familiar with back in the states - “World Music.” The discovery of the World section was an “AH HA” moment that caused me great pause.
In my limited thinking back in the States, “World Music”, is music that doesn’t fit into the well know categories of rock, country, etc…. From my point of view there is Western Music (America) and World music that doesn’t fit into those American categories.
The thought of finding a “World Music” section outside of America stopped me in my feet. I am in the World, not the States. What is the purpose of a World music section? The discovery lead to my conclusion that the World to one person is not the same scope for another. More thought will need to be directed to this topic. I apologize if this explanation of my discovery is confusing. Come visit me and we will go to Borders and discuss the subject further.
2. The Cost of Imported Goods is CRAZY!
Having completed the last non tour guide book (Stephen Ambrose’s - Lewis and Clark book title Courage Undaunted) that I brought with me from the states I was getting desperate for reading material. I went to the aforementioned Borders on Monday to go book shopping.
I found that softbound books easily start at $28 and hardbound books starting at $45 to $50. CD’s $25 and up, popular CD won’t go for anything less than $30.
John - If you come to New Zealand I suggest you bring all your own reading material. You could spend a fortune on a library.
Before anyone comes over I may give you a shopping list of books/cd’s that I’d like from the States.
I did purchase the following books:
“The World is Flat” - Thomas Friedman (Thanks Bill J. for the suggestion, very good read)
“A year in the World” - travel stories from the woman that brought us “Under a Tuscan Sun”
A current affairs book on the growing strength of Chine, the name of the book eludes my mind perhaps “China the Balance Sheet……..”.
3. Services that can be provided here seem to be cheaper than in the states.
For example, I had my hair cut at a respectable shop, similar to Great Clips or Perfect Looks (Typically $15 American plus tip), for $10NZ which equates to something like $7American and no tip is expected. I did leave a tip which seemed to surprise the barber.
4. Last night in the hostel dinning room I met a professor (Andrew) from an Australian university (British expat) who is on sabbatical for the semester. We had a great conversation on a number of topics. I had been packing up my stuff for the evening at 11pm but when we wrapped up the conversation it was 11:45pm, yet the conversation seemed to last for just a few minutes. Most interesting was discussing the professors journey tracing the steps of Robert Louis Stevenson (author of such books as Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, etc…). I guess that Stevenson traveled the Pacific for a number of years and Andrew is retracing the journey, interviewing people on camera about Stevenson as he goes.
The professor also proposed a hypothesis for why it seems so many Ausi’s and Kiwi’s travel compared to others like Americans. His supposition is that because they are so isolated from the world they feel a need to travel to be part of it.
Enjoy your travels Andrew - what’s after Hawaii?
5. By the looks of it I’ll be employed within the next few days as a bonafide Graduate Quantity Surveyor in Auckland. I’ll keep you posted, second interview is on Friday.
Wish me Luck!!!!
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fern
non-member comment
hi
hi donavin- i am glad you are enjoying your time there. i hope you get that job and enjoy it. i start work on monday at a hoppital 15 min away. i am starting on the med/surg floor and then will be trained in pediatrics and possibly labor and delivery. i am excited. i love following your adventures like this i still cant believe that you jumped but i am glad you are still alive. :) take care and keep up the journal your sis fern