Today was unexpectedly quite an eventful day.
I was dropped off this morning at the Westfield here. I figured I'd spend a couple hours, max, walking around and getting the things that I wanted. Ha! How wrong I was. I bought more stickers for the scrapbook, along with a sharpie, a mouse for my laptop since it currently hates the one that I have now, and bug spray for my insectophobic paranoia. I also tried to figure out how much it is to print photos. The "Kodak" store is ridiculously expensive. If only printing out 1-30 prints, its 99c. The cheapest price is 69c, when you print 100+ photos. Camera House is cheaper, but still pretty expensive: 59c a print for regular members, 39c if a gold member, and 29c if a gold member printing out 100+ photos. Hopefully The Warehouse will offer cheaper prices.
When I called the pastor to have him pick me up, he told me that Pastor Yang called so I should probably stop by his store, which is across the street from the mall. So I went over. Pastor Yang wasn't there, but his wifey was. Apparently Joseph, a guy from church, was going to come and meet me since Pastor Yang feels bad that I don't have any friends to go out with and so yelled at him to take me out somewhere. Joseph, however, apparently has no sense of time so he actually ended up coming over two hours after he was supposed to. I was going to just go back to the house and have lunch and apply for jobs, but nope. Ended up staying, having lunch when the pastor got back, and then getting a job.
Yes, you read correctly. A job. Well, a part time job. And I'm not keeping it.
What?! Yes, quite confusing, I know. It's working a cart-esque store in the mall that sells socks. The owner had asked Pastor Yang and his wife if they knew anyone who could work there, and the pastor's wife ended up bringing me over there. They want me to work from Mon-Wed until Christmas, and then Tues-Thurs afterwards. $9/hr in cash to start, eventually to go to $10. Apparently that's good money here. RIDICULOUS. I have realised, again and again, as I look through job ads and talk to people, that it is impossible to earn decent money in New Zealand. Job ads searching for marketing people with 3-5 years experience usually offer around $40-50K. Do you realise that $50,000 NZD is not even $37,000 USD?! For 3-5 years experience?! It boggles the mind.
Anyway, being incapable of saying no to older Korean people, I accepted the job. But I didn't want it. And after talking to my mum, I am definitely going to go back and say no. I feel really bad, but I can't take that job. Apart from transportation issues, It's quite a thankless job--sitting there by yourself for hours just watching to make sure no one steals anything. Not my cup of tea. Even if I am desperate for a job.
But I am grateful that I went over and talked to them, for I learned one quite important thing. I knew that the government didn't want people holding a Working Holiday Visa to work in one place for more than three months, but I thought it was just a.. strong suggestion. Apparently not. It's actually illegal for an employer to have a Working Holiday Visa holder work for them for over three months. NO WONDER no one wanted to hire me! I always thought it was weird. I know the visa's only good for 1-2 years, but I could always want to stay longer.. and the company could always get me a work visa later on. But now I get it. Why even look at a person who can only stay up to three months?! And they wouldn't give work visas to just anyone~
My mum told me to just give up. Not entirely, just my dream of finding a good job in New Zealand. Of making decent money while I'm here. To just let those dreams go. We have decided that I am instead going to find a temp agency to work for. Do temp jobs and travel in between jobs. Just make enough money to support my travels and adventures. So that is what I'm going to do.
She also wants me to return to LA in May, before students graduate from uni. So I can apply for jobs before the students take them all from me. Which is a good point. Except.. I don't know if I want go to work in LA so soon. My dreams here have shattered, but I am still entertaining thoughts of working in Korea. But then again.. who knows what I'll be thinking next year. My mind is in a whirl.
But anyway, today does not end there. After all that, Joseph finally kept his promise to take me to Mission Bay, which is something he was supposed to do a couple weekends ago. Mission Bay is really nice. It was sprinkling, so the weather wasn't very good, and the beach isn't actually all that nice, but I still really enjoyed it. I was feeling really shitty after that sock shop stuff, and going to Mission Bay helped. It was very refreshing. I felt like I could breathe again when I was there. It was nice ^^
Pictures, what few I took, will be uploaded later.. probably tomorrow. I'm still in a daze. I really hope things will finally start to work out.
I was dropped off this morning at the Westfield here. I figured I'd spend a couple hours, max, walking around and getting the things that I wanted. Ha! How wrong I was. I bought more stickers for the scrapbook, along with a sharpie, a mouse for my laptop since it currently hates the one that I have now, and bug spray for my insectophobic paranoia. I also tried to figure out how much it is to print photos. The "Kodak" store is ridiculously expensive. If only printing out 1-30 prints, its 99c. The cheapest price is 69c, when you print 100+ photos. Camera House is cheaper, but still pretty expensive: 59c a print for regular members, 39c if a gold member, and 29c if a gold member printing out 100+ photos. Hopefully The Warehouse will offer cheaper prices.
When I called the pastor to have him pick me up, he told me that Pastor Yang called so I should probably stop by his store, which is across the street from the mall. So I went over. Pastor Yang wasn't there, but his wifey was. Apparently Joseph, a guy from church, was going to come and meet me since Pastor Yang feels bad that I don't have any friends to go out with and so yelled at him to take me out somewhere. Joseph, however, apparently has no sense of time so he actually ended up coming over two hours after he was supposed to. I was going to just go back to the house and have lunch and apply for jobs, but nope. Ended up staying, having lunch when the pastor got back, and then getting a job.
Yes, you read correctly. A job. Well, a part time job. And I'm not keeping it.
What?! Yes, quite confusing, I know. It's working a cart-esque store in the mall that sells socks. The owner had asked Pastor Yang and his wife if they knew anyone who could work there, and the pastor's wife ended up bringing me over there. They want me to work from Mon-Wed until Christmas, and then Tues-Thurs afterwards. $9/hr in cash to start, eventually to go to $10. Apparently that's good money here. RIDICULOUS. I have realised, again and again, as I look through job ads and talk to people, that it is impossible to earn decent money in New Zealand. Job ads searching for marketing people with 3-5 years experience usually offer around $40-50K. Do you realise that $50,000 NZD is not even $37,000 USD?! For 3-5 years experience?! It boggles the mind.
Anyway, being incapable of saying no to older Korean people, I accepted the job. But I didn't want it. And after talking to my mum, I am definitely going to go back and say no. I feel really bad, but I can't take that job. Apart from transportation issues, It's quite a thankless job--sitting there by yourself for hours just watching to make sure no one steals anything. Not my cup of tea. Even if I am desperate for a job.
But I am grateful that I went over and talked to them, for I learned one quite important thing. I knew that the government didn't want people holding a Working Holiday Visa to work in one place for more than three months, but I thought it was just a.. strong suggestion. Apparently not. It's actually illegal for an employer to have a Working Holiday Visa holder work for them for over three months. NO WONDER no one wanted to hire me! I always thought it was weird. I know the visa's only good for 1-2 years, but I could always want to stay longer.. and the company could always get me a work visa later on. But now I get it. Why even look at a person who can only stay up to three months?! And they wouldn't give work visas to just anyone~
My mum told me to just give up. Not entirely, just my dream of finding a good job in New Zealand. Of making decent money while I'm here. To just let those dreams go. We have decided that I am instead going to find a temp agency to work for. Do temp jobs and travel in between jobs. Just make enough money to support my travels and adventures. So that is what I'm going to do.
She also wants me to return to LA in May, before students graduate from uni. So I can apply for jobs before the students take them all from me. Which is a good point. Except.. I don't know if I want go to work in LA so soon. My dreams here have shattered, but I am still entertaining thoughts of working in Korea. But then again.. who knows what I'll be thinking next year. My mind is in a whirl.
But anyway, today does not end there. After all that, Joseph finally kept his promise to take me to Mission Bay, which is something he was supposed to do a couple weekends ago. Mission Bay is really nice. It was sprinkling, so the weather wasn't very good, and the beach isn't actually all that nice, but I still really enjoyed it. I was feeling really shitty after that sock shop stuff, and going to Mission Bay helped. It was very refreshing. I felt like I could breathe again when I was there. It was nice ^^
Pictures, what few I took, will be uploaded later.. probably tomorrow. I'm still in a daze. I really hope things will finally start to work out.