Adult Under Construction: The Non-Routine Routine

My first week in Wellington saw plenty of positive progress. My job search yielded an interview within two days, and two more within five. Unlike my previous job hunts in Kingston and North Bay, I was able to stop handing out resumes within a week. I have accepted two positions - one as a casual employee of the retail services at Westpac Stadium (where Wellington's Rugby World Cup matches will be held), and one as a dishwasher at a café much like the one I worked at in my last year of university. Despite the pressure I felt to find work (see previous post), this job hunt was less stressful than any others I've undertaken. I think my previous experience prepared me for the number of rejections I was bound to hear, but the intimidation factor of unknown bosses is much lower here. In two of my interviews, the interviewers almost seemed apologetic that they couldn't pay me more or give me more hours. Maybe it's because I'm overqualified; maybe it's a Kiwi thing. Either way, finding a job was much less stressful than it has been in the past.

My search for housing has been less straightforward. Many people in Wellington live in the suburbs (which are more like neighborhoods separated by the mountains around town). Although many people still walk, it can be quite an adventure to find these places for the first time. While walking to the suburb of Hataitai, I found myself halfway up Mount Victoria when the road ended. Some friendly groundskeepers confirmed that I was headed the right direction geographically, but needed to walk through the Mount Victoria tunnel to get there. Another apartment in Wadestown literally required a hike. Many of the streets were pedestrian-only and consisted entirely of switchbacks. Needless to say, these kind of experiences have helped me focus my search on the nearer suburbs while allowing me some fantastic views of the area (see below). Although it would be quite a statement if I had to climb over a mountain - literally - to get home, I think I'd rather spare my legs a little. One of the rooms I recently looked at was in a house with a woman from (flat) Christchurch, who said she hadn't developed her "Wellington legs" yet.

Meanwhile, living at the hostel isn't the purgatory I might have assumed it to be. Many people are in my situation, which makes networking much easier than it was in my early days in Logroño, and ensures that there will always be people to talk to after dinner. Although wireless internet is not included, there is a nice TV which has allowed me to watch my beloved Boston Red Sox on two occasions. So while my housing search has not been as instantly successful as my job search, it is also far less urgent.