November 2009 Archives

Saturday 28 November 2009, the weekend just before the final week of lectures and exams period. It also happens to be the time many essays and presentations are handed in. In addition, farewell parties being organised and held in hope of getting all the exchange students together before everyone flies off to travels around asia before heading back home.

Despite being near winter, Hong Kong does not go down as far as New Zealand in terms of temperature, nor does the weather change far from a mild breeze. Hell, it doesn't seem to get that cold at all.

However, there is constant reminder that I - along with many other exchange students - are nearing the end of the semester. And for many of us, this means that we are going back home. On the bright side, I have am going to come back with much more (and not just experience).

Holy Mackerel I can't believe it is already the 18th of November! It is my dad's birthday today, and as Canada is a day behind us here in NZ, I could call and wish him happy birthday from the future.

For me this period is kind of a strange waiting game. I have applied for a ridiculous amount of jobs, somewhere in the mid 50's neighborhood or so, with one unsuccessful interview... However there are still so many applications in the works that I am still hopeful... I also haven't gotten any marks back yet from my exams, although they should be coming soon. Ahh well it is summer!

My girlfriend Lisa got here on Sunday and that has been really sweet to see her again after a 4 month separation. Plus the new flat is wicked, with epic fooseball challenges being fought on a daily basis. All in all, not to bad of a start. Lets just hope it gets hotter. 

Here is the pictorial equivalent of a thousand words as a great summer reminder during this rain...

enjoy!

Hello All, I am proud to say that as of my last exam on Friday, I am officially finished half of my law degree!!! (Fingers crossed) I can’t believe that the school year is over! It feels to me like it just started, and yet this past weekend I packed up my room, cleaned the cottage and moved out.

I just recently spent a few nights at Lake Tarawera, just outside of Rotorua with a few mates and it was amazing. We left Hamilton after a mad cleaning session, stopped in Rotorua and bought, between the seven of us, about $150 dollars worth of food, the majority of which was sausages, patties, and cookies, and then took off for Tarawera where my mate has a Bach. First however we stopped at some jumping-rocks and got a little wet and cold. The next three days were a blast, with many highlights.

We went for a 20 km paddle in some kayaks out to a place called hot water beach, across the lake and around the corner from where we were staying. There we sat in a home-made pool of hot water caused by geothermal activity and ate some food. Then we spent a day on the beach, played some music, jumped off some more rocks, played ultimate Frisbee and table tennis, and had endless BBQ’s. It was mean, kiwi as. Another highlight of the trip included a late night bush stroll up to an old, dried up waterfall that is now inhabited by a large colony of glow worms.

Today however it is back to “work” and reality. I desperately need a summer job at this point, and so spent the day applying online for anything that turned up and looked half-reasonable. Tomorrow I plan to survey the city and hand out C.V.’s. Hopefully something, or a combination of something’s, turns up. However if nothing appears it will be back to Canada and a search there, but this is a last resort.  Not because I don’t want to go home, but because since I have set so many summer plans in motion, it will suck to have to leave so early for winter.

If that is the case however, I will not be the first summer job casualty. A mate of mine recently returned to Chile for the summer after also patrolling the city for jobs to no avail. Such is the fate of students in a recession I suppose, especially if the “what” you know outweighs the “who”, as is the case with many international students with no work experience in a foreign country. Not to fear though, many students have and do find jobs; I think success is there for those who seek it (I really wanted to throw that in there).

In summary, while the job market in New Zealand may not be bursting at the seams with vacancies, there are still many jobs available if you look for them. I get the impression from people at home that similar scenarios are playing themselves out all over the world, and thanks to the folks and SJS and others, I may be making money yet in the city of the future.

And so the search continues.

Until I buy internet again,

Cheers

D

P.S. I will upload pictures of my recent trip as soon as they become available. This picture isn't us (clearly), but its what I imagine we may or may not have looked like, if you replaced the pool with a lake and the board with a cliff.