at last! Employment!

During my 4 hour bus trip back to Auckland I recieved a phone call in regards to a job I had applied for a few days before. It's a housekeeping position in Franz Josef, which is on the south island on the west coast. This little town's claim to fame is a big 'ol glacier. Supposedly the town has a population of approximately 300. Eeeek! I will be working in a motel called 58 on Cron and living in a staff accomodation that sounds like it's seperate from the motel itself. I still have to pay rent but it's subsidized. I think the proprietor said there were 3 or 4 other girls living there that'd I'd be working with too. I only have to work 9am to 1pm each day so I can get another job in the afternoons/evenings if I want. I think I will. I was excited about it until the bus driver told me it's the STD capital of NZ! He also said it was a ghost town. That really killed my enthusiasm, but I think I will still go and give it a shot anyway. If it's lousy then I can always leave, and atleast I'll have a chance to settle for a bit and make some money. Plus, that guy had a much different personality than I do, what he hates I might not mind or may even enjoy (well, I don't think anyone is keen on STDs but I wasn't planning on shaking up anyways).

Speaking of shaking up - as many of you may remeber, I had a running half-joke before I left about meeting and falling in love with the rich, charming, handsome, fun kiwi bloke of my dreams, and getting married and living happily ever after. Well I haven't met him yet. In fact, there is a man shortage on this island and the south island for that matter. I'm told that statistically there is a 3 to 1 ratio of women to men in my age group. Fiddle sticks! So, I guess I'll have to settle for an Aussie... ha ha! just kidding (well, half-kidding). That actually works out well though. I've met quite a few people who are in relationships and either traveling without that person and wishing they were at home with them, or traveling with them and fighting/compromising all the time. I'd rather do my own thing and enjoy the places I'm at. I'm having a hard enough time doing that while I worry about money (not that I'm having any serious finacial crisis, I just am running low on the money that isn't my savings. I would like my savings to stay just that).

Thus, tomorrow I head over to IEP to organize some paper work, put some things in storage, and get help booking a cheap flight to the south and a bus to the west coast. We'll see how this all works out...