Life in Historical Howick

It is almost winter in New Zealand. At one point, the temperature dropped to a mind numbing +10 degrees celcius. Sometimes it rains and I usually have to wear long pants now. It is barely livable.

Ok, ok, I'll stop rubbing it in. I figure most of you who read this are entering into summer now anyways, so you shouldn't be too upset.

In all seriousness though, I am adjusting to the rain. I have been soaked two days in a row because I thought I could go for a nice walk only to discover that when the rain comes here, it comes hard and fast! I probably looked quite hilarious to all the Kiwi's walking back up the hill to our house totally soaked with my groceries. I could just hear them thinking to themselves, "What an idiot. Doesn't she know it's almost winter? You have to carry an umbrella." Anyways, we bought a lovely Rugby World Cup 2011 umbrella and it, along with the gortex jackets, now stay in the back of the car ready to be put into action.

I mentioned walking up the hill to our house - we have relocated to the East side of Auckland while Mark finishes his training and orientation at work. It's much closer to the office which means the drive is more manageable. I won't get into the traffic here - that's a whole other story. Let's just say it's a good thing we are moving out of Auckland, because Mark is not what you would call a "patient driver" and most Aucklanders are not what you would call "good drivers".

We are staying in a house on a street called Marine Parade in the community of Howick. It is the nicest street we will likely ever live on. The sea cliff is right across the road. It is really quite breathtaking. The house itself is old and a bit musty - we are renting from a lady who hasn't been living there for a while. So, I have worked my cleaning magic and now it's pretty good. And really, the view makes up for a lot!

Mark is enjoying work, but laments the fact that he has to go five days a week. You know him - his goal in life is to work from 12pm - 4pm, four days a week. He's not lazy - just has better things to do with his time :)

I am still not employed and likely won't be until we get to Tauranga. We only have about five weeks left in Auckland so even though I am very charming and highly skilled, not many employers like to hire people for five weeks. It is still nice to have no responsibilities, but I have to find things to keep me busy or else I get homesick. A few rough days so far, but I'm doing ok.

On the bright side, I did find myself a lovely volunteer opportunity at the Howick Historical Village. It's like Fort Edmonton Park or any other historical village. People dress up like they are from the olden days and you walk around and look at old buildings and learn stuff. I love that kind of thing because I am a bit of a dork. Anyways, I get to volunteer a couple days a week to help with the children's educational programs. Crafts, cooking, etc.

I don't know yet if I have to wear an outfit, but I secretly hope that I do...