Makin' it Through the Rough

Pre post note: I apologize for not adding pictures to this post. When you read about internet in New Zealand in this post you will understand why. Please follow the links to your right to view all of our albums through my facebook page :)

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Queenstown is absolutely beautiful. We arrived last week with butterflies in our stomachs. We knew it was time to find jobs and a place to live, but somehow it didn’t sink in until we drove into town that day.

At first we were overwhelmed. For such a small town (population around 13,000) the downtown was bustling with tourists. It is hard to believe people when they said that things are really slow. There are restaurants, bars, and cafes every way you turn and somehow more outdoor adventure tour shops than anything. We found papers, job and housing boards, and listings and began our search.

Much to our surprise there were more than 30 rooms for rent that fit what we wanted. Evidently we came at a good time. Staying in holiday parks and hostels in a place this popular is expensive so we wanted to get into a place ASAP. Within a day we looked at four or five spots and found our new home. There were fancier rooms with amazing views and more modern designs, but most of them were houses we would be sharing with housemates who we did not meet. In the nicest place the modern, spacious kitchen had an obviously old layer of filth coating every surface exposed. Though the guy we would be living with wasn’t there it was very clear that cleanliness and respect for the home were not at the top of his priority list.

We found our current place a bit randomly. It is neither a house nor a hostel. It is more like a motel of sorts that advertises short or long-term housing. We kind of assumed we wouldn’t like it, but during the tour we saw a big communal kitchen that was clean. There is a six burner new gas stove and the manager explained to us that they are really strict about people keeping the communal area clean. They even have a surveillance camera in the kitchen. It sounds weird, but after the places we’ve seen the cleanliness was the deciding factor. It even turned out that they had a separate unit from the main building that was an add-on one bedroom apartment above the garage. It doesn’t have a real kitchen, but it is spacious and the skylights look out to the mountains and lake below. Plus we are just outside the door to the big kitchen.

One of the most difficult adjustments has been internet access. We liked that this place had broadband wireless internet included, which you share with all 12 units. We both assumed that meant they had unlimited high speed internet, but we all know what assuming does. As it turns out there really is no such thing as unlimited internet access in New Zealand. All broadband usage has a limit. For example, in our place once the broadband limit has been reached you can only get really slow internet and for that you have to go to the entry way, where they box is, and plug into the Ethernet. Things as common to many of us as Skype suck up broadband so we are asked to not use it on the house network. Of course it is difficult to limit people especially when many are only staying for a week or so. I usually do get ok coverage in our place except from around 5 to 8 or 9 pm when everyone else is online as well. And right when we moved in it was the end of the broadband cycle so I mostly had to plug directly into the modem. Getting your own internet is also incredibly expensive and very limiting so I am taking a deep breath and adjusting – transitioning from my always-connected blackberry to my flaky, sometimes functional New Zealand wifi.

On the job front we also jumped right into the search. Our first day in town we got mixed signals. Some gave the impression that jobs would be nearly impossible to find while others were more encouraging. We registered with a couple of the agencies on our list. At the first one the woman said she had call center / telemarketing work or nothing. When we declined she abruptly told us we wouldn’t find anything else and that there was no other work in town. The next woman wouldn’t let us leave when she heard what industry we were in. We also had dinner at a little Italian restaurant that had a “staff wanted” sign in the window so we gave our resumes to the owner.

We arrived last Wednesday afternoon and by Friday I had an interview that day, a trial shift at another place on Saturday, and Zach had a stage on Saturday (in restaurant speak that means you go in for a shift to see if you fit in the restaurant before they hire you) and another interview on Monday. Though you might think we were excited we both had sinking feelings about the whole thing. The jobs seemed very serious – all at some of the nicest, most well-known, spots in town. We came here to take a step back from our endlessly busy lives and get a chance to just be together and enjoy the world around us for a bit. At the same time we are, by nature, hard working people and always end up taking opportunities that are challenging and working a lot.

Naturally by Saturday night I had two job offers and Zach had one – only since he had yet to go to one interview. The restaurants we did trial shifts in on Saturday were owned by the same people so, even though we were at completely different places, it was also like we were trying out for the same people. By the end of my night they simply handed me a time sheet to fill out and told me to be back the next day at 4 pm and that I’d be taking tables by the end of that night. Both jobs I’d been offered were serving positions at “fine dining” restaurants. They expect you full-time, five nights a week, approximately eight hour shifts. The place I worked on Saturday we literally ironed the fresh white table cloths we replaced on each table when re-setting.

We went home that night, despite having had a good time drinking a beer with the crews from both restaurants, sad and discouraged. Is this what we came here for? Are we just going to end up on the opposite side of the world working more than full-time all over again not getting the chance to take a break? Why wouldn’t we just be making the money and working with the caliber of food that is in San Francisco if it was going to be the same lifestyle? We were sinking and sad.

Sunday morning we woke up gloomy, like a couple of Eeyores moping around our apartment. Finally we started talking again and we came to an agreement. We did not come here to get in that same rut all over again. We came here to be together, enjoy camping and hiking, and remember who we were outside of work. We even hope to begin strategizing a plan for our own café some day. In order to do that we need to consider where we want to live and how we could make what we want to do work. There is so much we have to talk and think about. If all we could do here was work then it really would not be worth it to be so far away from home. So, we decided to keep searching for more temporary, part-time employment. After a beautiful hour long walk to town we mustered up the courage to go to our new employers and turn down their offers. To our relief they took it incredibly well understanding that we were here to step back and couldn’t work at their places without sacrificing what we wanted. I’ll admit they fought a bit for Zach. Chefs are in demand like crazy here and I highly doubt they ever come across chefs that can actually cook. Still, they told him to come back and they would probably have shifts for him if he changed his mind.

Monday we went to a third temp agency where we found what we were looking for. At this place you get texts for available jobs with days and times and you simply say yes or no. There is no obligation; you can work as much or as little as you like. Zach’s position is the highest demand so there was work for him right away. I only currently have a shift coming up on Saturday, but I am hoping more will come soon. From what I heard from Zach today, on his break from his first temp shift, the work is simple and perhaps mundane, but we’re hoping it affords us the freedom we want outside of work. We’ll see how it all plays out. Our funds are lower than we want or need them to be and anxiety about how to make it all work is coursing through my veins, but I am standing strong in being here for a reason and sticking to it.

There have been feelings of frustration, home-sickness, and boredom on both our parts. All those things that you face when taking on an adventure like this are in our laps, now. We have little to do and no money to play with. The four channels on TV are boring us and streaming TV is out of the question. Zach, being the imaginative person he is, still is creating incredible meals out of the affordable ingredient options in the store. We are happy to be together, taking time to enjoy the simple beauty of the area and glad to be reminded of all the reasons we appreciate home. If nothing else we are sure having an experience!

If anyone feels like sending a letter snail mail our address is:

Jessie Malchik and Zach Farnes
The Lake House Loft 5
633 Frankton Rd.
Queenstown, New Zealand 9300