Slow Roast or a Quick Nuke

Life has slowed down a fair bit for myself, due to my lack of respect to the sun down here.

As some of you may know, the ozone down here doesn't really exist. It's more of an urban legend you could say. And we all know (hopefully) that the ozone is kind of a big thing for us people down here on Earth.

If you don't know what the ozone does, and why we need it, I'll let you Google it.

When I first landed, and I was waiting for a mate of mine to pick me up from my hotel, I was sitting in the sun for about 10-15 minutes (during sunset) and it got me nice and red. A nice warm up for my pasty Scandinavian skin.

That wasn't enough though! I went on a walk the other day down to the beach and checked out the local walking route. I was nice and red afterwards, because I came down with a slight case of retardation and didn't use any sunscreen (FYI, locals use a minimum of 30 SPF) on this little adventure of mine.

Next day, I did the same thing, and boy was I burnt up nicely. I want to put up some funny Gordon Ramsey memes, but some of you may find it offensive, so, I'll just let you Google some of those yourself.

Any who, because of that, I've been trying to avoid the sun like the plague. I could put on some sunscreen, but the damage is done. With that my days have been going by quite slowly.

Fret not! On my second outing of turning myself into a crispy human, I checked out some different lodging options. Where I'm living right now is pretty mint, except for the fact that a) it takes an over an hour to walk down town; b) the bus goes every 30 minutes; c) it stops going into town around 18.00. Besides that, it's pretty good. Oh, internet is a bit shoddy, but I'm not here to surf the inter-mer-nets, so I can't complain all too much about it.

What did my little excursion find on my little outing? Basically, the student living standard down here is VERY different from back home. I mean...it is pretty shit.

This is comparing it to Sweden, so you need to take that into consideration. Sadly, I didn't take any photos of the places, but I went to a newly renovated house, and well...I couldn't tell that it had been renovated. It was done on a shoestring budget for sure.

I'm not going to go into all too much detail about the 3 locations, but I will give you this:

Option 1: A bit outside of town (approx 30 minute walk), cheap base rent, would have to share the flat with four other people, room is decently sized.

Option 2: Also a bit outside of town (approx 20 minute walk), debatable base rent, share with one other guy, big room, and flat is in good condition.

Option 3: Same area as 2 (like 30 meters away), smaller room, two floors, one bathroom, and 3 other tenants.

All of these have their pros and cons, as does everything, but I went with Option 2 for multiple reasons. I met the guy who I would be sharing it with, and talked for about an hour. We both got along with each other, and we have a few common interests. It was bromantic, or something like that. Also, he works for the landlord of the building, meaning he can't be a complete dick, he has too much responsibility, and has good deal going on to go and fuck it up. He's four years old than me, and he's done with all the partying, so I don't have to worry about him wanting to go and drink every night, and causing a ruckus. The area that the flat is located is a pretty quiet one, so that's also pretty comforting.

All of this does come with a premium, but nothing too extravagant. I'm not going to be talking numbers, because that's none of your business! :P

And also, rooms are disappearing quick right now, so my options are pretty limited.

As of next week, I'll be moving into the flat, and getting settled in over there! Woohoo!!!

Student life, here I come!!! YEAH!!!

Next week is going to be good as well: will have my bank account setup, and most likely my drivers license as well. But most importantly, my skin will be better, so I'll be able to go outside again, without too much worry of over cooking.

Also, my laptop is acting up more and more, so I might be leaving it in for service, hence the lack of possible entries within the next couple of days.

Cool beans guys!

Talk to you soon!

Getting Settled In

Moving to a new place, let alone new country, isn't as straight forward as you would think it is - or cheap!

I have a little list of what I need/want to setup while I'm down here: bank account, SIM card, driver's license, and forklift license.

All of these are important for me to earn some money while I'm down here, but like I said, it's not as straight forward as I would like (mind you though, what "troubles" arise, are negligible).

Bank Account
I had a bank account the last time I was here, but shut it down when I left the country. I figured it would be a simple, "Hey guys! I'm back! Let's open up this dusty old account, eh? Whad'ya say?" 

Well, it almost is like that, except I need to verify that I live where I live with a letter from the bank. Mind blown. Catch 22. Grey matter everywhere. Ok, I'm exaggerating! They're simply going to send me a letter to the address I'm living on, and then that will be a form of proof of residency. Once I receive that, I'll bring it with me to the bank, and be on my merry to using my old account.

SIM Card
No dramas here. I just messed up and asked for a nano card, when I need a micro. Want my phone number? Sure! It's 021-XXX-XXXX

For 29 NZD a month, I get: 1GB data, 4G, 200 minutes to both NZ and Oz phone numbers, and unlimited txt to NZ and Oz phone numbers. That's an alright deal by my standards! And the coverage is pretty good nation wide! FYI, it's Vodafone prepaid. I should ask for sponsorship if I right about them on my blog right? ;)

Driver's License
Everything was going smoothly converting my Swedish license to a NZ one, but then when I had to do an eye test (which was extremely basic, sitting on their counter top), I failed. Not terribly, but just not good. 

I'll try and draw you a picture of the device they have there (they said it's very basic, and doesn't set the standard). It looks like one the pieces you see in museums where you can look down into and see some old microscopic fossil, but when you look into it, you see numbers on the right, and 3 columns of letters (each column has 4-5 letters, don't remember) to the left. How did I fail, you ask? I only saw two columns. It's because of my astigmatism that I only saw two, and it doesn't disrupt my daily life.

So, now I need to get an eye exam done! YEAH!!!

Sigh...anyway, I see this as a security investment, in the sense that with this I won't have to carry around my passport as ID. And it'll help me pass off as local more. I don't have the accent, but I didn't have one either when I was working in Australia on a Navy base, and I could move around with out an escort, because I had my Australian drivers license! Mwuahahahhaha!!! I actually slept in my car while at the base actually. Easy access to a shower and toilet. Oh, and free food! Good times.

Forklift License
Here's my favorite! I have to redo the courses/tests!!! Woohoo!!! My 10+ years of driving experience, and multiple licenses doesn't mean jack!

This is an investment. Having a forklift license has helped me score a lot of well paying jobs, and that's all I'm looking for right now: money to fund my fun/life while down here. So, I'll just have to suck it up, and do it. Hopefully I'll be able to only do the tests, so I don't have to redo EVERYTHING.

First world problems, but serious student budget problems.

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All in all, it's not bad. I walked to and from town today, which was about 45 minutes both ways, and I did it in shorts and a t-shirt. So, yeah, at least I have that going for me!