Found a DELICIOUS Vegan Restaurant

Well, my visa came back in my passport last Tuesday, before noon, the day after it was approved online.  The speediest service anyone has heard of!  I have been applying to many jobs since then, but in the mean time, I responded to a recruiting company's ad about needing personal carers.  I met with the woman at the recruiting company Wednesday, who then passed on my CV (newly created in NZ format) to the North Harbour Health Trust, who called me today to schedule an interview with them directly and find out my availability.  The trust does in-home elder care as well as special needs care for children in the area.  So depending on what jobs are available, I could be doing a bit of both.   Most of the full-time jobs I have applied for only start in July, leaving June for all the hiring process.  This is more of an ideal start-date anyway, so I won't have to ask for time off for our trip to Cairns, Australia June 27-July 4.

Tuesday morning, I went down to Devonport to see Tessa dance at toddler toes and then we went to the cafe for a catch up (with Jess and Ariel) but Tessa has become so chatty she wanted all of my attention for conversation.  Apparently, she needs frequent encouragement to play with her little friend that is there as well.

Wednesday I had another Hilltop reunion!  I caught up with Anna, one of my counselors my very first year camp.  The last year I saw her was my CIT year, 2003.  She is from CO but married one of the Kiwi counselors and moved to NZ shortly after.  She was up staying in Albany for work so I brought her to Corelli's with the gang for dinner.  Now, I have to make a trip down to Palmerston North to see Craig and their 1-yr-old baby, Jessica.

Friday, Nikita, Courtney and I had a girls night catch up and dinner (which will turn into a monthly tradition).  Courtney's boyfriend, Jamie, is also doing PAS (professional accounting school) right now (what Jacques is doing) so he also has workshops one Friday night and Saturday every 4 weeks.  We ate at Elliot Stables, a sort of upscale food court, where you can order a meal from any of the restaurants but all sit together at the same table no matter when you've ordered from.  Courtney tried to eat mainly vegetarian, so we were both very excited to discover Basilicum!  It was fabulous! I had purple tofu (bbq style) and eggplant the same way.  Both the flavor and texture were really nice.  They even had vegan desserts, which I was very excited about!  I wanted to try the vegan chocolate cake, but it still had about 20 min of preparation to go, so instead I went for the vegan carrot cake.  It was also very delicious!  Now, I can't wait to go back and try the chocolate cake and more items off the strictly vegan/vegetarian menu!

Saturday we went to a "onesie" party, where many were wearing adult sized footed pjs.  Nice and cozy! I didn't have any, so I took that opportunity to wear my random one-piece fitted suit I purchased at the unclaimed baggage center.  I knew I'd get the chance to wear it someday!  Was nice to meet Nick's girlfriend Laura and some of her friends.

Sunday, we went out to Martha's Backyard (the American Store) full of overpriced items imported from the USA that you can't find here.  I was in search of Cream of Wheat, since nothing similar exists here, but didn't have any luck.  Instead, Jacques found 2 new pair of shoes from the shop next door, not only super discounted but buy 1, get 1 50% as well.  So it wasn't a wasted trip.  Because it was a nice sunny day, we decided to take a ride up Mt. Wellington, another one of Auckland's volcanos, and walk around the perimeter of the crater. It offered some very nice views from a different perspective in Auckland.  We also stopped at a beach near home to collect some sand for my yoga sandbags.  Mitre 10 would have made my buy 25 liters of sand.  When I asked the guy if I could just purchase the amount that I needed and said that it was for sandbags, he suggested my best bet would be to just go to the beach.  Yesterday, I bleached the sand and immediately upon pouring in the bleach many bugs surfaced and escaped.  Today was nice and sunny and in the 60s so I set the sand out to dry.  Hopefully soon I'll be able to load it into my sandbags.

I also went for my first run today, taking advantage of the nice weather and braving the hilly terrain.  It went surprisingly well and although I went at a slow pace, it felt pretty easy.

Our new mattress was collected and set up last week Wednesday night.  The story of how Eugene (Jacques' dad) and I retrieved it is a story for a separate blog post!  Quite an hour and a half of adventure.  It is amazing and soooo comfy! Great nights sleeps since then!  Also, after a suggestion from Dad on how to fix squeaky slats (felt between the frame and slats), and my handy work the next day, it is now a silent slat bed!

Excited for a sleep on the new bed!

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View from Mt. Wellington

Beach where my sand came from

Onesie/PJ party

Making Progress

Accomplishments so far:

1) Visa granted! :) From the average 25 day wait period, somehow I submitted it May 10, then needed to make the payment May 11 because somehow they couldn't get it off the credit card details section I filled out on the actual application, now Monday, May 14 I checked the status online and it had been approved through May 14, 2014!  I can work full-time for any employer in any occupation.  Strangely enough, I applied for my working holiday visa on May 10, 2010 and it was granted on May 14, 2010! I didn't even realize this until I saw it posted on my immigration status history.

2) Bed frame won on TradeMe (New Zealand version of ebay)! Now need to figure out how we will get it home...possibly part of tomorrow's adventures

3) New comfy "Black Diamond" mattress purchased! Also will be interesting getting it home!

4) Made our own almond milk using almonds soaked overnight, a blender (but from now on we'll be able to use the fancy new food processor that Felecia got for Mother's Day) a cheesecloth, a coffee filter and some water.  We also got a decent amount of leftover almond flour!  So 2 liters of almond milk (that actually tastes pretty good) and enough almond flour for baking with only cost us $4.50.  Buying one liter in the store is about $7 and it's loaded with sugar.

5) Caught up with friends and ate at Corelli's! They are willing to accommodate my vegan needs :)

Next step: Get a job!  I've been sending in some applications this week and now I will be able to tick the box that I have a work visa, so hopefully things will go a bit more smoothly!

It turned out last week, Jacques only had to be away Mon-Wed and they changed their flights and he surprised me when he walked in the door on Wednesday night! I had no idea and thought I was going to have to wait another 24 hours.  So that was a nice change of plans!

Saturday, we drove out west to look at some natural bed/futon places.  I felt like we had come across a bed farm...they place looked like a run down barn and we couldn't quite tell where people were living or working or what.  The woman coming to open the display room was about 10 minutes late and she just pulled out the key from underneath the porch to open the door.  Fortunately, we decided to consider other options besides futons and went looking at furniture stores right around the corner on Sunday afternoon after Mother's Day lunch.  That's where we found our Black Diamond and it was basically all decided right then and there.  Hopefully we'll be sleeping on it in the next couple of nights! Very excited!

All Settled In

For those of you who have not already heard, I landed safely in Auckland on Friday morning, May 4, at 5:20am, ahead of schedule.  That seemed to be the trend with all my flights on the trip over, fortunately.  Jacques had arrived at the airport for 5am so he was eagerly waiting when I came through through customs!  In fact, I think I managed to get more sleep than he did the previous night.  I had an entire row of 3 seats to myself on the plane, including the extra blankets and pillows.  I was either laying down or sleeping for about 8 hours of the 12 hour flight.  I also watched We Bought a Zoo and the Vow to keep me busy.  In LAX, I met a Swiss girl traveling to Hastings, NZ to work as an au pair for the first time.  I saw a girl by herself with a backpack and thought that looked familiar so I asked her where she was headed.  We went through security together and sat and chatted until I had to board the plane.  She ended up being on the flight that departed 45 minutes after mine.  When I headed over to my gate to see what seat numbers they called, I asked a girl who looked like she was wondering the same thing, and so we chatted and got in line together.  She was headed back to NZ for only a month to see her boyfriend down in Christchurch where they had been working on the their PhD's.  Then June 1st, she's off to Woods Hole on the Cape to complete her studies for her Marine Biology degree.  Crazy enough, she was in the seat across the isle from me, so I chose a good person to befriend before getting on the plane.  At least we both had someone to talk to when we were awake.

Friday morning, the I got to see the beautiful sunrise over the city as we drove home from the airport.  Luckily, Jacques' new job (where he had only worked 4 days) knew I was arriving and allowed him to come in late to work and even leave early!  So we had a little bit of time to relax before I had to get reacquainted with driving on the left side of the road to drop him at the bus.  Either from excitement of being back or have a decent sleep on the plane, I felt energized and like it was any other normal day.  I completely unpacked and moved in and then headed down to Devonport to see Jess and Ariel before the school pick-up.  I had a nice vegan green smoothie (with kale) call "Shrek".  Apparently there is only one supermarket in the country where you can buy kale, and fortunately it is on the North Shore (close-by).  The downside is that they don't always carry it!  Perhaps I need some seeds to grow my own!

On my way back north, I stopped in at the Clinton household to see the kids.  They were surprised, however Tessa has apparently been talking about me all day, knowing I was arriving in the country that day.  Then she played shy when she saw me! Had to hold Julia's hand and hide behind her.  It was pretty cute actually, but only lasted about 10 minutes until she was pulling on my hand to go play in her room.  Libby was her usual energetic self jumping all over me and running in and out of the room trying to make loud noises and surprise us.  Reuben took a minute from his play date and lego building to give me a hug.

As my phone was not working yet, I borrowed a phone to call Jacques and see if he wanted to be picked up from the bus.  Turns out he had gotten out of work early and was locked out of the house because I had his keys and no one was home so was waiting at the mall for someone to come home.  One thing I certainly did not miss is rush-hour traffic on the motorway.  It took much longer than usual to get up to the mall.  We got a few things including replacement hangers because I had raided the house of all spare ones I could find.  We ate dinner and had a quiet evening, watching the American Idol I had missed on Wed night on the plane.

Saturday, I woke up a bit earlier than I would have liked, but we got our errands done before Jacques had to be at CrossFit at noon.  Later we had a "bring a plate" dinner at Matt's so I could see Matt, Sam, Nick and Marc.  By the end of Saturday night, I really felt like I could have only been gone 8 days and not 8 months.  Everything is so familiar, it's almost like I'd never left.

Sunday, I got to see the views from Jacques' new office building! 37th floor of the 2nd tallest building in Auckland (next to the sky tower).  It was another nice sunny day so the views were very pretty.  Then we printed out all the documents we needed to prove our partnership so that I can submit my application for my work visa this week.  We also went grocery shopping to make sure I had some vegan food to eat in this household full of meat and egg eaters.  We discovered there is a MUCH smaller selection of all things but especially almond milk or rice milk.  Both are very expensive and also very sweet! I'm still looking for unsweetened versions!  So vegan eating will be a bit more difficult here, but I'm managing so far.

This morning I drove Jacques to the bus for 5:30am so he could catch it to the airport for his flight to Gisborne, where he will be until Thursday night for work.  Really not the best timing, but he had to learn the ropes down there and being only his 2nd week of work there really wasn't any way around it. At least he shouldn't have to go back for awhile.

My stuff....did a bit better with the packing this time

Obie trying to protest my leaving

My row on the plane :)

Nice sunny day to welcome me back :) View from the bedroom

Overall, I am very happy to be back.  I can't wait to catch up with other friends I still need to see in the next few weeks!  I also can't wait to see Tessa dancing at toddler toes tomorrow.  She and her friend Katerina are so adorable together!

NZ-Bound Once Again

Just 1 day 12 hours and 15 minutes to go until I am on my way back to Auckland!

We had a lovely departure picnic yesterday where I got to say goodbye to lots of family and friends, featuring many vegan dishes.  For those of you who did not know, Mom, Dad and I have been eating vegan since March and loving it, so planning on keeping it up in New Zealand!  

Since being home for about 8 1/2 months, I have:

• Taken Anatomy and Physiology I & II w/Lab online
• Taken Abnormal Psych online
• Worked as a substitute paraprofessional at Wildwood elementary school (from October to when Jacques arrived in December)
• Worked as a wrapper on the weekends at Yankee Candle from October-Dec
• Started working as a PCA and spending some awesome days with Damien Oct-April
• Traveled down the east coast and back up via Nashville with Jacques, showing him as much of the USA as possible in his 2 month visit.  
• Played indoor soccer and won the championship :)
• Became a dog-sitter

The next part of the plan...I am on the wait-list at Springfield College of the entry-level Master's of Occupational Therapy.  Chances are, I will end up studying to become and Occupational Therapist in NZ.  The next possible start-date for the program is in February.  Other options...nanny for awhile, hope to get a job in the Rehab and Occupational Studies department at AUT as a research assistant, APPLY for my work visa.  Fortunately, in NZ, because Jacques and I have been together over a year, and I will be living with him upon arrival, we qualify so that I can apply for a 2 year work permit as his partner, having the visa granted within 25 days.  However, there were a lot of things I needed to take care of before hand!  I had to get a chest x-ray, physical and blood work to prove I'm healthy, fill out an extensive application form, get police clearance, prove Jacques and I are not related, and also provide extensive proof of our relationship.  So that has been a project all in itself!  But it is just about complete! The only thing left to do is apply once I arrive....and cross our fingers that it's granted!

So let the next journey begin!! Although everyone at home will be greatly missed, I am excited to see what else New Zealand has to offer.  Since I had such an enjoyable first experience, I can't wait to see what the next one brings!

Rest assured that you can keep up with my on-goings as I live with the Kiwis once again.  

Journey and Arrival Home

I departed Auckland on Thursday afternoon, Sept 15th, exactly one year after I had arrived.  My visa was expiring on Friday.  I flew on Air Tahiti from Auckland to Tahiti (where I arrived at about 9pm Wednesday night, confusing even for the airline employee who checked me in).  I was greeted by the tropical guitar player and hula-like dancers before going back through security and waiting in the half indoor/outdoor lounge before boarding the plan again to fly to LAX.  I arrived in LA Wednesday morning at about 10am...a day and a couple of hours before I even left Auckland (technically).  There I had to collect my bags, go through customs and luckily only walk up the sidewalk a slight distance to check back in with American Airlines.  With my cart full of my 4 huge bags, I nearly rolled back down the slight incline I was trying to go up.  And it was HOT in LA....people were looking at me like I was crazy for wearing Ugg boots!

I had plenty of time once I checked in, so I got some chips and dip for the flight to Dallas.  When going to pay, I had to think twice about the price, forgetting that I had to add in the tax to what I was expected to pay.  Soon I was on my way to Dallas, where I had another short layover before continuing on to Hartford.  There I decided to have another snack, cinnamon sugar Auntie Annie's pretzel will vanilla icing. It was delicious!  Already, I was exciting about all the yummy food I'd get to eat when I got home.  Feeling pretty tired at this point, standing up to board the plane I thought I saw someone I recognized, but thought maybe I was just imaging the similarity... just to be sure I walked around the line to get a better look and sure enough, I had been in the country less than 12 hours and I was about to get on the same plane home as Rose, a girl I swim with in high school!  Even crazier...she was in the seat directly behind mine!  So I had someone to have a little chat with, though we would have needed way more than a plane ride to REALLY catch up since it have been about 6 years since we'd last seen each other!

Finally, I arrived in Hartford just after midnight.  In the car waiting for me was another snack, a chocolate cream-filled donut from Atkins! Yum Yum!  We got home just after 1am where I proceeded to unpack all my things searching for things to show my parents.  I was up until after 4am and then slept until about 2pm Friday.  I didn't jump right back in to settling in to the time difference.

Friday night, Dani came and tried the new Mexican restaurant at the end of our street with use.  It was PACKED so we ended up bringing it back to my house, but it was pretty delicious!

Saturday, we headed for Fenway Park with Greg and met Auntie Diane and Uncle Jim to watch the Red Sox.  A nice little homecoming outing (apart from the fact that they lost and continued to lose the rest of the month....).  It was a successful day in all though, since I had Chipotle, which I had been missing for quite some time!

The next week we spent at Cape Cod visiting with Jack and Sandra before they drove back to Florida.  Although, I spent the majority of the time catching up on my Anatomy and Physiology w/lab course online.  I had 3 weeks of material to learn for the exam that weekend.

Now, I am all caught up on sleep, studying, eating, laundry, organizing and starting an Abnormal Psych course as well.  Soon I'll probably start applying to Occupational Therapy Master's programs and continue searching for some money-making opportunities so I can save up for when Jacques arrives Dec 22nd!

Tahiti Welcome Crew