Sunburn

Alright so Sunday was long and awful, but one of the managers bought me a beer. So, yesterday I had the whole day off! Yippee! And...it was sunny! In the afternoon I just had to do one load of laundry (which took me about 4 hours) and so I grabbed my book and went and sat in the sun. A few minutes later one of the new girls, Lizzie, came out and sat down next to me. Within five more minutes we were both inside changing into our shorts. The rest of the afternoon we were joined by another 4 or 5 people and we all just sat outside talking and relaxing. It was fabulous! It was probably in the high 70s where we were sitting and considering how white I was, guess who went to bed with a mean farmer's tan/burn?

They also called me yesterday to come into work for 3 hours today. It was a good thing I came in because since it was sunny again today, the lunch time was quite busy and it was just me and one of the managers. I was so happy I only had to work 3 hours though! Oh, the time buzzed on the computer! Tomorrow's Halloween so I'll let you know if anything happens!

-Lisa

A lot of hours

Wow, so the last few days I've been putting in close to 10 hours a day at work. Ugh. The paycheck will be nice, but that's about it. One of the managers said to me last night, "You have a lot of energy, don't you?" Because I'm always smiling at people and always doing something. I just wanted to say, "Compare my tips with everyone else's and tell me I'm not doing a kickass job." Seriously though, if you appear happy and enthusiastic it will rub off on your customers who will want to come back or just buy more from you. Duh!

That said, Friday night I had a "tiff" with one of my colleagues. Of course, it was the guy that I had a problem with once before. I was having issues with one order since the salad that the girl ordered was a special and therefore not on the till. I had been back to the kitchen once and then talked to the manager again just so I could put one order through. I was finally trying to put it through when the colleague was standing there with another customer who wanted to pay. I said, hang on just a minute. Well, he couldn't wait so he just swiped his card through and cleared everything I had done so that he could get the customer's bill. I said, I was almost done! He said, The customer's right here. I was like, Seriously?! Then I stormed off to the other till, thoroughly annoyed. Well, of course when he was done he tried to talk at me 2 different times about what I did wrong and I just walked away from him. The manager asked what happened and I shrugged him off and said nothing. Another hour or so later I realized I would have to make things better so I apologized to the guy and he patted me on the shoulder and said, It's okay mate. He NEVER would have thought it was his problem because he has a bit of a sexist attitude that stems from his culture, I'm thinking. He already thinks he's smarter and somehow my teacher because he's a male and he's worked there a long time. Whatever, he totally screws up more orders than anyone on staff.

Whew, okay sorry about that little complaint. Yesterday went smoothly considering there weren't many people working. It got pretty busy last night and there were only 4 of us, but we totally handled it. I came back to the hostel to find some people had stayed up drinking white russians to see me when I got home! Yay!

Well I'm SUPER glad that I have the next two days off, so the only thing I have left to say is Go Devils!

Drama

Okay, sorry for leaving you hangin' on the last blog! I'll get right to the point: Morgan was kicked out of the hostel on Monday. Diana (the owner) watched the security camera tapes and found that Morgan went to the reception area and wrote down in the books that she had paid for the next week. Obviously she hadn't because she doesn't work there and she didn't give Diana or Beate the money. The shitty part is that Diana made Beate clean out Morgan's room without calling/getting ahold of Morgan first. Beate said her room was the messiest and dirtiest thing she's ever had to deal with, and Beate and Diana just felt so hurt that they couldn't trust Morgan. She's been staying there for months! Wierd. So it's Thursday and she still hasn't picked up her stuff. Plus, Vince told Diana that he was upset because of how she handled the situation and then Diana was upset all day yesterday because of it. So the dynamic is a bit tense in the hostel right now.

Moving on...Monday, Daniella and Vince and I went for a drive in Daniella's car out West to Muriwai. This is a beach and cliff side right on the ocean where there's a colony of Gannets (birds) that sit in this one little area where it's always very windy. Apparently they leave only once a year and fly up to Australia and then return to the same spot. This area is also popular with surfers because of the big waves. So you're going to be pissed when I tell you that I forgot my camera! Oops! Maybe I'll go back. Then we left and grabbed some Steinlager Pure (beer with no additives or preservatives--very good!) and went to another beach where I learned to open the beers with the end of Vince's lighter! Woohoo!

Yesterday was super boring at work. There was hardly anyone that came in during the day. I'm still sick but more with sinus pressure now versus the sore throat I had last week. Needless to say I was off, therefore I had four separate instances where I dropped something. I broke a large Leffe glass and it went EVERYWHERE! Then I dropped a little bowl of mayo and had to clean that up. Then I dropped some mussel shells with sauce on the floor. Finally, I dropped a Steinlager bottle and it hit the side of a table and shattered all over the place. Luckily I got to go home early! But one cool thing: Two ladies from Anchorage, Alaska came in for drinks and dinner! They're staying for 6 weeks! I told them my Aunt and Uncle lived up there and so we had a nice chat.

Okay so I don't have to work until 5 today, so I'm going to look for another job and go to the supermarket. I hope everyone's well!

-Lisa

The Rat

Wow, have I got a story for you guys! Yesterday in the first hour or two of work one of the the kitchen staff, Selena, saw the tail of rat that was hiding behind the deep fryer in the restaurant! They said it was trapped back there and it would probably come out after close. Well a good 45 minutes or so later I was in the hallway that's between the kitchen and the restaurant with a drink or something in my hand and I was trying to turn around or something and my feet were stuck on something like the carpet. So I looked down and here's the rat between my legs! I let out a short scream and it went scurrying in the direction of the restaurant!!! Holy shit! I was so freaked out it was unbelievable! David, one of the managers and Karam, one of the chefs came out and I was like, "The Rat!" (In a whisper of course since the customers would have totally freaked out). Anyway, we never found it!! So the rest of the day I was staring at the ground as I walked. I have now decided that I can take a spider any day, but a rat totally creeps me out! My heart was literally racing for another hour! Karam said that this is the time of year that the rats come into the old building so they have to watch out for them...yuck!

Whew, anyway there's some drama going on back at the hostel right now so I need to check and see what's happening. I'll give you the details later.

-Lisa

Ugh

Well it's Sunday at 11:15am and I'm super sorry I haven't written anything in the past couple of days! I'm still fighting a sore throat which is hard when I'm working because of all the talking I have to do! Yesterday was the LONGEST day of work ever! I worked from 4 to midnight and was helping out in the area blocked off for a private birthday party. They had a DJ and strobe light and everything. To top it off, I was seriously hungover from the night before when Beate, Vince, Morgan and I went out. Wow! I can't believe how crazy the four of us can get!

We had a private party on Friday night too that blocked off most of the restaurant, so the last couple of work days have been VERY busy! Tomorrow's Labour day here in New Zealand so a lot of people will be off work I'm sure, and I'm super glad to have some time off too! And with that said, I'll write more tomorrow when I have time!

Pictures of Ponsonby

Okay I feel bad for not taking any pictures recently so here's a few of where I'm staying and where I work!

Ponsonby

I promise I'll take more pictures soon!!!

A break

Alright so yesterday what happened? Well I worked most of the day and there were 3 Americans that came in! There was a couple--she was from Florida and he was from Arizona--that were very nice! I told him I just graduated from ASU and he said, I'm sorry! Ha, I said "Oh, you're from Tucson..." Anyway, he's a doctor and has a great job on the South Island and she's only been able to find a receptionist job so far. They're here for a year and they've got it made because they pretty much just get to house sit for other doctors that are travelling and use their cars and whatever else! The other girl was from Louisianna and not quite as nice as the couple.

I definitely had some people that were in seriously bad moods yesterday! There were some picky old ladies, a spoiled sulking teenage girl and a Russian family that started out bad, but ended in a $5 tip! The weather was also bad with a nasty wind and it was pretty cold.

I woke up this morning with a bit of a sore throat, so I've been drinking fluids all day. I took a nap this afternoon too (yay!). This morning I went to a test and interview with a temp agency here in Auckland for some added work. The test totally sucked because I'm a little rusty with some of my computer skills. I did fine, but I knew a lot of the answers but didn't get them right in the two chances I was given. Whatever! They told me it's a little slow right now, but as soon as something comes up they'll give me a call. The girl that interviewed me also told me outright that I should register with some other agencies as well so I have more options.

I got back to the hostel and found Beate so we could go have lunch. We agreed on this over the weekend since we don't get to see each other as much now with our working hours. Then we walked down to the supermarket and stocked up. She's making us Schnitzel tonight and I'm making taco salad tomorrow night! Luckily I found some El Paso seasoning packets and salsa because I could find any worchteshire (spelling?) sauce for putting on the meat (with ketchup and horseradish). Oh and get this, they don't have any plain tortilla chips in this country! They all have seasoning!! WTF? While I'm on this subject, the Kiwis also pronounce the "t" in fillet as well as the "ll" in Tortilla. Ha!

Thank goodness I have tomorrow off too so I can rest up! I also hope nobody watched that Seahawks game...

-Lisa

It's always worth it!

Okay so last night I worked from 6 to 10:30 and made over $32 in tips! Wiki let me go home early since I'm working today and Sunday and since things were dying down and there were enough staff to handle it. It was definitely busy yesterday and I had a fun time working. At about 10pm, right after Wiki said I'd be going home early, there was phone call at the bar for me. I was like, "Who the hell would call me?" It was Morgan asking if I was getting off early because Beate, Vince and her were going to go out later and wanted to know if I wanted to go too. Pretty much this phone call could have ended my job if I was working in the U.S. but here in New Zealand it was totally fine! I apologized to Wiki and she was like, What? I don't mind phone calls. Sweet!

I cleaned up the outside and left at 10:30. I got back to the hostel to find that they already left, but I changed really quick and texted Beate to find out where they had gone. The Crib of course! The night was absolutely fabulous and we didn't get back to the hostel until almost 4. And that was after we went through the drive-thru of McDonalds in a taxi because we were starved and that was the ONLY thing open! I told them that maybe the best thing about the U.S. is that there are a lot of late night/24 hour fast food places.

All that said, I've only had 5 hours of sleep and the first thing I saw this morning when I opened my eyes was the Frenchman's bare ass. Thank God I'm moving to another room today! Beate, Talka, Vince and I are moving into a different dorm since we all know each other. I'm getting a brand new mattress too! It's also Bernie's birthday today, and I lied about his age. Morgan told me he's about 40!

Anyway, I had better get back to the hostel and move my stuff. But the title of this post is in answer to Gary's questions the morning after going out (he doesn't drink at all).

-Lisa

Characters Part 2

So before I talk about the rest of the people at the hostel I want to say that I was given $9 in tips last night and a beer from one guy in this huge group of our neighbors that came in to celebrate yesterday. This group of guys racked up over $1000 in drinks!!! Can you believe it?

Anyway, on with the rest of the hostel dwellers...

Daniella - She's from Chile, but she came to New Zealand something like 12 or more years ago with her dad and has been here ever since. She works at a womens shelter and teaches classes about believing in yourself and appreciating your own body. She's probably in her mid 20s.

Vince - He's from France and the more I talk to him, the cooler he is. He's very funny and sarcastic and he can speak very good English. He had one girlfriend come and stay at the hostel for awhile and then she left and Beate says he's already got another...oh the French! Haha.

Melissa - She's very quiet and is "with" Bernie. She's German and must not be able to speak English very well because she hardly ever even talks to Bernie. She's nice though, but definitely young: 19 years old. And she always wears the same gray sweater.

Federico - He's Italian and is pretty quiet. He smokes alot and works at an Italian restaurant in Parnell. He pretty much only talks to the ladies...

Talka - This is his nickname because his real name is hard to pronounce. He's Japanese and works as a chef in an Italian restaurant now, but he worked in a sushi restaurant before. He's very friendly and he reads comics to learn better English.

There's an English couple outside in one of the little bunk houses, but they work late like me so I hardly see them or talk to them. Right now there is a French guy in the dorm room with Beate and I and when I first saw him I thought, Wow cute! Haha. I finally met him and he smiled and I almost completely lost it! It took all my strength not to laugh or gasp out loud because he's somewhere around my age and he's missing about 1/3 of his teeth! Aaaaah! It's seriously hilarious.

Okay, so that's everyone! Of course there are people that come in and out every few days, but these are the ones that are staying for awhile. Maybe I'll try and get pictures...

Characters

Sailing was great yesterday! It was the ladies league so there were about 7 of us girls on the boat and Tony was there just advising. We came in 3rd which was pretty amazing considering how many of us are pretty inexperienced. I was pulling up sails and pulling in sails and "jibe-ing" and all kinds of new stuff!

Today I got up and went to the internet cafe and pounded out about 7 more job applications. I can't handle having all this free time and hardly any intellectual stimulation so I applied for some Event Marketing and Personal Assistant desk jobs. I figured since all I'm really working now are evenings I could just continue with evenings and weekends at the Ponsonby and then work during the day somewhere else. If I don't get another job I will never be able to save any money with all the free time I have...that's pretty much what got me going this morning.

So now I come to the title of this posting: Characters. I really haven't discussed the wonderful people at the hostel so far so I realized I need to give you all a picture of the fabulous faces I see every day.

Beate - I've already told you about her a bit, but she's German and looks more Italian or Latin with darker skin and black hair. I'm really enjoying her friendship and we definitely have a blast together.

Morgan - A Kiwi girl that's 20 years old (but I thought she was older) . Her mom moved to Sydney a few months ago, and she would eventually like to move there but wants to finish University first. She's only working right now and is taking a break from her studies. She used to live in Ponsonby, and now likes the hostel enough to make her lazy in trying to find somewhere else to live.

Gary - Gary is from Scotland and is about 30 years old. He lives in the "Caravan", which is the Kiwi word for trailer outside the hostel. He loves American football--specifically the Miami Dolphins--and Judge Judy. Ha...

Bernie - He's a Kiwi and I have no idea how old he is...somewhere in his mid to late 30s? He's a marine engineer and is absolutely hilarious, especially when drunk. He can cook a mean steak on the BBQ too.

Oh the computer buzzed! More of the characters later!

Hungover

Okay so I'm going to make this short because I have one awful headache from too much vodka last night. So this weekend wasn't too exciting...I worked during the day on Saturday and then Beate and I went out that night. The crowd downtown seemed very young so we came back up to Ponsonby and there was hardly anyone out!

Sunday was dead quiet everywhere because the All Blacks (New Zealand Rugby team) lost and are now out of the world cup running. Every Kiwi was in a state of mourning.

I had yesterday and today off so I got some things like laundry and going to the supermarket done yesterday and today I'm just going to relax and rest up before going sailing with the women's racing league tonight!

I'll add more detail later, but I need a nap now.

Long day of work

It's Friday at about 2:15pm and I realized I haven't updated in the blog in a couple days! Oops! Tuesday I had the day off and ended up just walking around the city with Beate and then deciding not to see a movie but to rent one. We actually rented two: Being Jane (about Jane Austin) and We Are Marshall. The first was pretty slow and the second was like every other sports movie, but better than the first! It was a good thing we decided to rent movies because right after we got back to the hostel it started storming and continued off and on through the following day! I'm talking sheets of rain, thunder, lightning and even hail at times! CRAZY!

Wednesday I was having some breakfast and coffee with Beate at a cafe when Hardi (my polynesian boss) called to see if I could come into work early because one of the other workers wasn't feeling well. Of course I said yes and ended up working from 1:15pm to about 12:15am! My feet were KILLING me!!! That said, I did end up making $42.50 in tips! Woohoo!

Yesterday I looked at some sketchy flat with Lindsey and then pretty much relaxed for the rest of the day until I had to go to work at 5. Yesterday Wiki (the other main manager at The Ponsonby who is an excellent worker--she worked for McDonald's and Wendy's in the past and is one of those people that everyone wants because she works her ass off and helps her colleagues), told me that she was talking with Hardi and Riyat (the Balinese head chef) about how she might have finally met her match in me! Meaning that I was almost as hard a worker as her and that the customers like me as much as her! Awesome compliment huh?!

So today I slept in until 10:30am, which pretty much means I slept in until 8 but laid in bed until then. Beate and I went and got some coffee and then walked into a fair trade store where I bought myself a journal and then we continued walking around. We're back at the hostel now and I'm seriously contemplating taking a nap before work at 6. If I learn nothing else from this job, at least I have come to appreciate the fact that I got a degree and I won't have to work as a waitress and anticipate $1 raises for the rest of my life! Whew!

I hope everyone's doing well!

-Lisa

Exhausted

So it's Tuesday at about 11:36am and the guy over here at the internet cafe was trying to give me a hard time about coming in at 11: Did you just wake up? What if I did? It's my day off and I haven't been getting very much sleep for the last week, so I slept in until 10. That's the latest I've slept since leaving the U.S.!!! I've been known to sleep in until noon on the weekends like any other "active" 20 year old, so 10am is nothing!

Anyway, Sunday I worked from 5pm until closing. I left at about 11:20pm. I REALLY am not a fan of closing, but I understand that somebody's got to clean everything and just do it. One of the guys I work with, Anton, was showing me what to clean and how to clean it. I hate to be mean, but it's like he doesn't really have a life outside of the bar because he comes in on days he doesn't work and because he SLOWLY showed me one thing at a time to do! I was like, I just want to leave so let's hurry it up! But he was taking his sweet time.

At one point I was cleaning the tops of the tables and then putting the chairs up on top of the table. I accidently knocked the bottle of cleaner over and the spray cap wasn't on very tightly so it spilled everywhere. I ran and got some paper towels and wiped it up on the ground. Now here's the difference in cultures: In the U.S. you have to immediately wipe up the spill so that someone doesn't slip, break their neck and then turn around and sue the bar. In New Zealand this is what happened: I got up from mopping the mess up with the paper towels and the manager (a young guy) said, You don't have to mop the floor Lisa, we have people that come and clean. I told him what happened and he just walked away. Anton then said, "I heard you were mopping the floor" so I told him what happened and he just looked at me and said, "We have cleaners." So I seriously think that they would have left the spill! WTF!!!!!

Yesterday it poured down rain off and on in the afternoon. I caught up with my American friend Lindsey (from Texas) since she's back in town and we chatted about the differences between the Kiwis and Americans. Then we checked out a flat of a friend of hers in Ponsonby. It won't be ready to rent until December (so I'm not too sure why we looked now), but it was cute and right down the street from where I am now. Then we grabbed some food at a nearby cafe. I was excited when I found out it had Pitas and Shwarmas (Indian style) for about $9! Hell yes!

I only worked from 6-10pm last night because I was filling in for another girl who only works part-time. I was in charge of a large group so that was interesting and it kept my mind off one of the guys that I work with that is just a ______(instert word that starts with "D" here). I had a headache too, so I'm glad I only had to work the four hours. I even ordered pizza when I got back to the hostel, that's how tired I was.

So today I'm free to do whatever and am probably just going to take it easy and relax. I hope everyone had a great weekend and ASU won another game and are finally ranked! Woohoo!

-Lisa