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Published: August 23rd 2009
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Airshow
Flying over the south pole How ya going guys?
Well it’s been a while I know, so this is just a bit of a update as to what has been happening since we left South America.
So since Iguazu Falls and it has been all go go go. We went back to Buenos Aires, which was great craic altogether this time round. Different hostel and different people. We left for Oz on 29th as we already had the flight booked, stupidly believing Visa First that we would have a visa by then.
The flight over was good with quantas, I drank a little too much though in an effort to calm my nerves, ended up spilling a drink on the woman next to me, then took some super strong sleepers and went a little crazy before falling asleep half hanging out of my seat. Apparently I thought I was still in the hostel. One really cool thing I do remember is that we flew over the South Pole and you could see all the crevasses in the ice packs. It was pretty amazing. Although thinking back me swinging out of the emergency door trying to look out the window in that state was probably not the
best idea.
Sydney was a bitter sweet experience for us. Great to be back but strange at the same time it was so familiar. Plus the weather is getting gorgeous over there so having to leave was hell. Conor put us up for the whole time. It really felt like we lived there at the end of the 10 days. But while we were there we did make some headway on our visa. We were able to actually call into the Immigration department and asked some questions.
As a result we have now dumped our agent and applied for a State sponsored visa for Victoria so if that successful (we should know by end the September) they will then process our Skilled Visa. But as a condition we have to live in Victoria for 2 years...so Melbourne will be the new Sydney. Sydney is so 2005!
Anyway as this is all going to take a few more months we are now in New Zealand since 10th Aug on a year working holidya visa. We flew into Christchurch a hungover painful flight but only for 3 hours thankfully. We had booked into a hostel called the Jailhouse which as the name
suggest used to be a Jail. They have kept all the features from heavy metal doors on the cells (your room) to the main staircase. It was really deadly, with super comfortable beds which thankfully they didn't keep from its incarceration days but bought them off some atheletes.
Jumping straight into finding work didn’t appeal...we like to take things easy...so we hits the slopes for 3 days and sussed out Queenstown as a possible place to live. Skiing was great, hard but great. The mountains there are big and wide and you can pretty much ski where ever you want. Good fun. Don’t think we improved much but the 18 month break hasn’t affected the skills at least.
After some well deserved reflecting in the mountains, we decided it made a lot more sense to base ourselves in Christchurch. It’s the biggest city on the beautiful south Island. There’s just under 400,000 people here, which means more work and opportunities and it isn’t too bad a place either, lots of bars and parks and a small little city centre square. The weather is getting a bit better here too, the worst of the winter is over anyway. I was under
the immpression that the weather here is the same as home but to our joy the locals have been telling us it gets to 25-32 degrees in the summer. I envisgae lots of drinking by the canal and BBQs.
So we got back to Christcurch last Sunday and started looking for an apartment which we moved into on Thursday. Like Oz practically all apartments here are unfurnished, so we had to kit the whole thing out as well. We did the whole thing for $600 which is under €300!! That’s for everything from bed to knives & forks to couch. Not bad eh?
So we are online now too, thanks to an amazing little Vodafone device. It basically a USB key that gives you dial up connection everywhere you can get a Vodafone signal. Fantastic...I could be writing to you from the top of a tree half way up a mountain if I wanted. I’m just sitting on the couch though. But maybe next time! The point is though we are online all the time. So will try skyping you all soon, once we invest in a camera.
Tomorrow is Monday and it really is back to reality, calling agencies
and looking for a job, so we can pay the rent next week! So wish us luck.
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Gar
non-member comment
G'day ya bloody mongrels
Hi de hi campers, how are yez settling into NZ? All good I hear. Was at Sineads pub quiz last Thursday (they got a really good crowd, happy days) and Mark was telling me you were working already Col? Nice one man. Darlene, hope your 2nd interview went well. Listen, big big thanks for the guitar strap - it's mega cool. I can't believe I got a gift that took 3 days to make. Wow. So cool. It's really lovely too. So a big thanks again : ) Getting all set for the electric picnic over here. It's gonna be a great weekend and the line-up is deadly! I'll have the pics uploaded onto facebook so check them out when yez aren't too busy throwing a few zingers on the barbie : ) Have fun, be good and talk soon, Love, Gar