My new job

Oh! You are all so smart and have so many good questions!

For those who have asked, thank you for wanting to take the time to find out more about what I'm going to be doing! I am so excited to share...

The school I'll be at, Nagoya International School, is the only English-speaking school in Nagoya, the third largest city (population: 3 million) in Japan. NIS is an American school with American curriculum. I'll be speaking and teaching in English, as most students are fluent English speakers. To speak, teach, or know Japanese will not be a requirement for this contract.

The compensation package they provide is one of the highest in international schools. Although I've only taught two full-time years, they are still starting me at Step 4 on the salary scale. Although there are taxes to pay, they are low, and after taking those, medical, retirement, pension, and utilities each month, I'll still gross more take-home salary per month than I made in Waukee. My (furnished) housing is also provided, as well as, $1000 to ship anything I want from the States, and a $1500 relocation grant to take care of any purchases I make during my first two months of settling in. My salary the second year will be higher than the first, and will rise subsequently, should I choose to stay longer. In Japan, I'll be a millionaire, as my salary in yen will be more than 4 million. Which is pretty cool.

My contract starts mid-August and lasts two years (yikes! I know!). The school pays to fly me out of Des Moines to Japan and back at the beginning and end of my contract, and a round-trip home once a year, at any time of my choosing. I get two months off in the summer, three weeks at Christmas, a week during the spring, and many three-day weekends.

I'll have full medical and dental, 100% coverage including all perscriptions. I receive 10 paid bereavement days and a full paid trip home in the case of a serious illness or death in the family. I have 5 paid personal days and 10 sick days through the year as well. A health club membership is included in my salary, and there's a golf course nearby.

I'll also be given $1000 for professional development, which I will probably use to take overseas Masters courses in either Child Development or Pediatrics (yes, doctor stuff!).

Although there's probably more, that's all I know for now. Either way, though, I'm pretty pumped for what lies ahead.

Lastly, here is the website for the school: http://www.nagoyais.jp/nis/

Thoughts from May

As the month wraps up, please enjoy some random thoughts.

I think it's really really cool that the toilets in this country NEVER clog. Not once, NEVER, have I seen a clogged loo. Ever.

When I come home I'm going to take a BATH. I'm tired of 3X3, square, roofless, glass showers.

A few weeks ago I put my hand through a glass window in my flat. The shocking thing was that while I bled all over the floor, I just stood there,, more upset that I just broke the window and would likely have to pay for it (sooooo poor right now). Sheena came in and said, 'Wenz! Go wash it!' Although I had 6 severe cuts on my hands and feet, this little accident wasn't enough to warrant a free trip for my parents to be with me in the hospital, courtesy of my travel insurance. But if it didn't hurt so much, I'd do it again and REALLY hurt myself so that they'd have an excuse to come.

If you want to order a Sprite in New Zealand, make sure you ask for a lemonade. If you want a lemonade, make sure you ask for a fresh lemon juice. Available at most international food courts and worth a trip.

I STILL think it's really gross that people walk in and out of stores without shoes on. Especially food stores or cafes.

I would die (just DIE) for a cup of powder, push button, instant coffee from a gas station. In a giant cup. Here, the coffee is fresh made everywhere (even gas stations), and comes in one size only: small. I still have to go to Starbucks to satisfy my large coffee requirements. Keep your small-sized coffees, you silly fools! I'm American! I want a big damn coffee!

Yesterday I made the mistake of wearing my American Cancer Society t-shirt, the Cheeseball Liverfanny one, to school on the day when I ran cross country with the kids. The mistake is that a fanny in New Zealand isn't a rear end. A fanny is the front side of the rear end. Apparently pretty inappropriate for a school setting.

Winter is settling in here. I have a heater in my room at night, but when I leave the comfort of 70 degrees each morning and walk into the hall in my flat, I can see my breath. I will appreciate central air/heat when I come home. For sure.

Two weeks ago I bought a bed (a real bed!). So I'm off the floor again. I had the GREATEST sleep in it the first night I had it. Always thought I had been fine on the floor (and I was), but am so glad I finally made the purchase. Except now I am leaving in 5 weeks and need to sell it again. Know anyone who needs a bed?

Welcome June, welcome cold, welcome my last month in New Zealand.

Sheena

Sheena Estelle Papuni, how do I love thee?

Let me count the ways...

(it won't take long) ;)

Truly, though, I love Sheena.

Sheens is one of my closest buds, but we couldn't be more different if we wanted to.

She's 23, beautiful, looks amazing night and day with VERY little effort, and has an amazing (23-year old) body that is wonderfully complemented by a closet full of great, expensive clothes that she didn't pay a cent for (she gets $600 free each month as part of her manager contract at a local retail store).

It drives me crazy.

She loves drama, having drama, being dramatic, creating drama, which makes her a typical kiwi. Sometimes I think she has more problems than I have shoes (which is a lot).

It drives me crazy.

When she washes dishes she doesn't rinse them. Just sticks them from the soapy water right to the drying rack (I can hear your gasps of horror from home, really, I can).

She's an incredible dancer (the body and clothes help) and looks effortless doing moves that I (shocker...) look like a moron doing.

She won't be told to do anything by anybody, and if you ask her to turn the radio down, she'll turn it up.

It drives me CRAZY!

She is ABSOLUTELY the MOST unreliable person I have ever met. Her plans change from minute to minute, and I have come to learn to NEVER count on Sheen to do something with you unless it's spur-of-the-moment. Even if it's her idea, likely is that she'll be too tired or will 'hit a wall' before you can get there to do it.

As a person who likes to plan, this drives me crazy. Because we're such good friends, I know and expect and respect her for these choices. But it still drives me crazy.

And sometimes, she can be a real, grade-a bitch.

Which at the time, drives me the craziest.

But something that Sheens should be really proud of is her incredible confidence. Now, of course, she doesn't really count herself in as a confident person. But I see otherwise. She has a great sense of people and can speak to you as if she's lived ten wise lives. At bars, she loves to flirt and is good at it (confidence built on the fact that she never gets turned down. Ever.). Confidence above and beyond her 23 years, paired with a hot body and great hair makes for a big shadow to follow, no matter where we are(although I am learning to hold my own...).

She's pretty amazing, and it kinda drives me crazy.

But, she's helped me come out of my shell a little. I have learned to be more confident when going out. I buy more fun clothes and try to eat better (not because she convinces me to, but just so I can look good next to her in my bikini...). She'll be the one I get my third tattoo with, if we decided to do one before I go.

So, all and all, although she drives me crazy, my over-dramatic flattie is one of the greatest people I know.

I hope she's one of the five people I meet in heaven, cause that'll be a rockin' party.

I love you Sheens.

126 ova and out.

Lost in translation

Ah, texting. I sing it's praises time and time again. From being texted about relief work from my principal to my 'effing' dictionary, I can't speak enough about texting.

I've mentioned before that I never use the letter u to represent the word you, or the number 4 to represent the word for. I always, always, always make my sentences grammatically correct, with proper spelling and punctuation. The only thing I don't do is capital letters, same as many of my e-mails. A text from me would look like this:

hey nina! mareta and i are up for some wines at SPQR after school on friday and you're coming too! that way, we can all hang out, drink, and you can say that you've finally been!

But others aren't so keen to be correct with sentence structure or proper grammar. And sometimes, it's a real mission to figure out what they're saying. Take these actual texts, written exactly as I received them...

i sd it 2 him b4
----
Oh and whle i waz in telecm grabd a mag 4 u.
-----
no txtng babe felt strengthened n hotter by yr confirmation.Went out 4 drnks last nite bouncd out of bed bn 4 walk up th mauga n hvn chai latte up sym str lovit
-----
fank u xx
----
wot u up 2?
-----
haha whoop whoop im gd at livin rm with bellew watchn ruggas. wea u at america wat r ur coordinates ova.
----
sweet!thts us!
----
me comin in now. wana get a beer out front b4 shift?
----
Im so happy 4 u al!Wr al partying u go galfriend.Tim txt ths morn 2 wish gr8 time
----
Haha...gd nite watchn rugby...u stil at work? Buzi?
----

Child Endangerment Laws

I haven't written about school much lately, so I thought I was due. I reckoned it'd be interesting to speak about the child endangerment laws. Or the lack thereof, I guess. It's much different than America...

1. Last Thursday I was at school and it was my turn for lunch duty (which I have every Thursday). Two children had launched a paper airplane (this term's unit is flight) onto the sails that cover part of the playground. To try to retrieve the airplane, they were throwing shoes up at it in an effort to bounce it off. I allowed this, as I found it to be an inventive, creative way to get the item. As would be expected, though, a shoe ended up on the roof of the school. It was near the end of duty time, so I told the kids to go get Tu (the groundskeeper) and ask him to get it off the roof. I then went in the building go ring the bell, signaling the end of play.

When I came back, the ladder had been put next to the building and unattended children were climbing it, trying to get to the roof. Tu hadn't stayed to help, no teachers were present, just children climbing a ladder to try to get to the roof. I immediately went over to, a) take over the situation because the kids were too short to get to the roof, and b) take over the situation because really, were these kids climbing on to the roof without supervision?

I got on the roof and got the shoe, but got stuck (laughable, right?). So I asked Suzie Jo, a middle school teacher, to come help me get my feet back on the ladder. Once I was down, she said to me (in almost a scold), 'Next time, don't climb on the roof. One of the kids will do it.'

I'm sorry. What?

2. The following day there was a union meeting for all the teachers at school. The union meeting took place during the day, so after lunch, all the teachers left to go to the meeting, leaving a skeleton crew of 3 non-union teachers and 2 relievers (including me). Earlier that week the students had taken home a notice letting parents know that there would be a union meeting, and it was encouraged that parents find alternative care for their children for the afternoon of the union meeting. Being the good Ponsonby families they are, most kids were picked up at noon.

The interesting thing, though, is that no child signed out. The parents just rocked up and grabbed their kiddos. No telling teachers, no telling the office, just up and gone. Hayley my principal, was actually walking by me when a parent approached her and said, 'Do we need to sign them out?' to which she replied, 'Nope, they can just go. See you tomorrow.'

I'm sorry. What?

Also...

Kids aren't required to wear shoes. Anywhere.

The schools have no fences around them. Strangers can rock in and out at will, if wanted. Side doors (unwatched by office persons) are unlocked. Again, just come in and out if you want to, guys.

I'm allowed to touch children (gasp!)!

I never wear gloves when touching blood or (yes, I've had to) urine.

But, at the same time, kids are happy here. They are (for the most part) respectful and mature. They feel safe. The lack of fences has never caused a kiddo to go missing, through his own will or the will of another.

So although the practices still sometimes shock me, they sure are working.

(the picture is Hugo, one of my little cuties...)

日本

いとしい家族と友達　

私がちょうど日本の名古屋インターナショナル学校のポジションを受け入れた時であるあなたの全てが非常にすぐに日本で私を訪問しに来ることを考えること望む

恋人〔愛〕

(ウェンディ)

----------

ok, so I don't actually know all those little lines and stuff mean, but it's SUPPOSED to say:

Dear family and friends,

I hope you will all come and visit me soon in Japan, as I have just accepted a position at Nagoya International School.

Love,

Wendy

Betty

Betty Boombox, some call her.

Her real name is James.

She's a tranny, which is slang for transvestite. This means that he is a she is a he is a she.

Still with me?

Betty is a bartender at SPQR. She is very (and I mean VERY) cool.

It's no lie that I was initially shocked when meeting Betty. I guess this little girl from the Midwest wasn't ready for that kind of person. And I remember trying to not to picture the logistics of he is a she is a he in a visual way.

In reality, though, Betty is one of the kindest, most amazing souls I have ever met.

To be a tranny takes a lot of work. It's not just chop here and fold there. It's years of therapy, hormones, and for some, a loss of identity. Betty's takes a cocktail of pills each day. Depression pills to counter the effect of the pills that fight the testosterone and the pills for extra estrogen, pills for this, pills for that. I've seen them, man, and there's a lot.

Betty's house is nicknamed the Tranny Wonderland. It's a fifth-floor, downtown, high-rise apartment, and it's beautiful. It's full of Maori treasures from her ancestors, pictures of friends, and a huge, huge model train set. One night, in the funniest story I'll ever tell, I had a few too many with Betty and Nay Nay (who also lives there) and ended up making a last-minute decision to stay the night. I slept in Betty's bed (she insisted on sleeping on the couch), wore Betty's robe, and (gasp) even borrowed a pair of (brand-new) underwear that she had in her drawer. She had a riot telling everyone at work that we shared panties.

Oh, Betty.

But the most special thing about Betty was her recent gift to me. Pounamu, or Maori greenstone, is a gift that can only be bestowed on you (you can't buy it for yourself). It's a great honor to receive it from another person. My person was Betty.

I love Betty's beauty, inside and out, and my wish for her is to always be as happy as she makes others feel.

(good on ya, girl...)

11.5

(Instead of a card, my grandpa sent the following message this morning. I think he's quite clever, I especially like #7...).
-----
Happy Birthday!!!!!

Since I didn't get a card sent, I am going to make you a list. It is a list of the...

10 reasons we are happy Wendy is 26!

She's old enough to vote (but only if she comes back to her own country to do it).

She's old enough to drink (as long as she can recognize the difference between a straight and a gay bar)!!!! Sorry.

She's old enough to drive. (But can she re-learn to sit on the correct side of the car to steer - and refrain from "driving" while
on the right hand Passenger seat when she returns to the US?)

According to the old saying, "She's old enough to know better" but also knows better than to resist the great things in life such as chocolate and other sticky-gooey foods.

She's old enough to be on her own (a wonderful thing for parents in terms of money and the worst thing for parents in all other ways).

She's old enough to not wet or dirty her diapers (but do realize that may return someday - just with a new name)!!!

She's old enough to make her own decisions. (Yes, Dear, we know you have been doing that for 25-plus years - just not realizing you were not old enough to do it.)

It just adds one more year of things she does of which we are proud.

She's old enough to realize how much all of us love her!!!!

And, she's old enough to know we mean it when we say, "Have a really happy birthday and many, many more!!!!!"

I love you, Wendy

Grandpa D and Marvel

Three Simple Rules

When I was teaching at Waukee Elementary, my students once had an Earth Day activity to complete independently at station time. The job was to color and cut out a picture of the world, glue it to a second sheet, and write three things one could do to keep the earth beautiful.

One of my little cherubs, Jacob, hit the nail right on the head. In fact, he did such an amazing job on this project that I kept his work, framed it, and have it now hanging in my room. It's even one of the 4 prized possessions I would grab and take with me if the house was on fire...

Jacob's three simple rules for keeping Earth beautiful?

1. Help pick up trash.

2. Always keep it clean.

3. Make love and good friends.

Yup. That'll about do it, buddy.

Lessons Learned

By Wendy.

In a week I will transition from my early twenties to my late twenties.

Sigh.

The lessons I've learned since my last birthday are many. I could write a book, but that'd be boring. Instead, I'll just share a few...

I've learned that no matter where you go, there you are. You won't be different, but you will change.

I've learned that loss hurts. A lot.

I've learned that when things aren't going your way, it's o.k to ride the waves. Good days can be good, bad days can be bad. And whether it's a day, a week, or a month, this too shall pass.

I've learned that the best cure for a hangover is a trip to the toilet and a mince and cheese pie (though not at the same time). In fact, I look forward to the mince and cheese pie after a night of drinks. It's like a guilty indulgence.

I've learned that some nights, no matter how tired you are, you just don't sleep.

I've learned that it's o.k. to accept those nights.

I've learned that insecurities are a part of each and every one of us. They make up a big part of who we are.

I've learned to learn from every mistake I make.

I've learned firsthand that tattoos are cool, but that they hurt. A lot.

I've unfortunately learned that in general, most Americans typify why people hate Americans.

I've learned not to be one of those Americans.

I've learned that sometimes you have to be a better friend to others than they are to you, and although sometimes they make it hard, I've learned to treat others the way I want to be treated for that exact reason.

I've learned that I won't always get what I want.

I am learning to accept that I won't always get what I want.

I've learned that if you love something enough, you sometimes have to let it go. And if it comes back to you, it's o.k. to tell it to sod off.

I've learned that working hard for something, and I mean really, really hard, is worth it.

I think I've learned that being indecisive can be a good character trait sometimes.

I've learned to live my life to the fullest. I refuse to settle for mediocrity, and I hope my passion and zest for making the most of my life is contagious.

I've learned that living is easy with eyes closed.

I've learned to never say no to a friend.

I've learned that patience is a virtue (that I still don't possess).

I've learned that the time to be happy is now.

Lastly, I've learned that the most important thing I can do for the world is to be selfless. Good deeds done each day - giving your time and expecting nothing in return, smiling, being a role model, doing no wrong by others - truly work miracles. If everyone could do it, the world would be a better place. And since I know that it's not easy for everyone, I'll do my best to overcompensate by constantly being a better and better person each day.

Until next year... the end.

Doug

In honor of his birthday week, let me speak about my brownest flatmate, Doug.

When Joy moved out, Doug moved in. Julia didn't ask us if that was ok, she just made the executive decision on her own.

Unfortunately for her, we lucked out... she picked a good one.

Doug jokingly calls himself Duggie Damage, although I think Duggie Dreamer would be a better choice. The kid loves to have lots of things and has big dreams. He is one of the nicest, nicest guy I know, and one of the best flatmates I've ever had.

Doug has his own personal training business called Hot Body Fast. During the day he works for Trelise Cooper, the premier fashion designer in New Zealand. He gets to work with super cool people, and gets a few good perks for being a great employee (a few cool gears now and then).

But the best thing about Doug is his kind personality (most of the time). Doug likes to be seen with cool and beautiful people, and manages to do so very well by having a great positive outlook on life. He treats people well, and thinks of others. He has a great aura, and will be successful in whatever he does.

Doug Fresh... This shout out is for you.

Korea

(my mom loves this story...)

Oscar Wilde once said, "We [England] have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language."

Quotes like this are evident in everyday conversation for me.

Kids at school have a riot when I say 'awesome!'

At work, I've had to learn to say filet with a 't' sound on the end.

And I will never, ever call the kitchen counter the bench.

Consider the following conversation I had with my flattie Doug about three weeks ago. Although it was more of an accent issue, the humor of communication between myself and my flatties is always a source of laughter.

----

'Zzzzzzzzz,' (me sleeping one morning).

Knock, knock. (Doug at my door).

'Huuuuuuh,' I said, sleepily.

'You've got a package from Korea,' Doug said.

'Huh?' i say again.

'A package. From Korea.'

(getting up, opening door, answering tiredly) 'Who do I know in Korea?'

'No,' Doug says, 'A package from the Korea. You know. The mail
guy.'

'Oh! the courier!'

'Yah! that's what I said!'

(uh, no it's not, and frankly, sometimes I think you might as well be speaking in Korean...)

SPQR

Aunt Barb calls it 'the alphabet place.'

Nik once called it 'QSP'.

Mom just says 'the restaurant' (but is getting better).

Tera was the only one who said 'I know what that means!' (clever girl...).

I've decided it's time to offer you all a little free knowledge (because that's what teachers do, right?).

AND, from now on, when people in the restaurant ask what SPQR means, I am just going to send them here to my blog. Because since I talk so fast, they usually don't understand me anyway.

So now, with no further delay, please allow me to present you with today's (very brief) history lesson.

---

SPQR stands for Senatus Populusque Romanus. which translates into 'The Senate and the people of Rome.' It refers to the government of the ancient Roman Republic and the emperors, who considered themselves representatives of the people (even though the senate and most of the laws were made of the emperor's will).

When people at work ask, I pretend to get real excited and say 'Oh! I love that question.' and I then proceed to bore them with the ancient historical context of Rome, ending with this: 'SOOO, it basically means that the senate and the people worked together for the good of all of Rome.'

In Rome today, many public features, such as manhole covers, columns, and cement grates, still say SPQR on them.

For a recent connection, in the movie Gladiator, SPQR is the tattoo that you see Russell Crowe knifing off of his arm.

For a more detailed explanation, including the historical context and modern variants, please refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPQR, which is where I thieved the information for this short history lesson.

For a more detailed look at my restaurant, please refer to http://www.spqrnz.co.nz. The pictures are quite nice...

My Dictionary

In this country people love to text. Love to love to love to text.

When I ordered my mobile, I did not get a plan. instead, I pre-pay each week for credit for my phone. It's quite costly. I spend about $20 a week for the credit to be able to text and text and text my friends what could easily be said in 30 seconds of conversation.

Weekly, I use at least 98%, if not 100% of my credit on texts. I NEVER call.

When I got my new phone last month (the first was accidentally dropped in a glass of wine - oops!), I was relieved that the text feature was considerably faster than on my previous (dinosaur, cheapy model) phone. I was really excited.

I never, ever, ever use substitutes for words. I don't say 2 for to, or 4 for for, I don't write 2nite or gr8. Maybe that goes with being a primary grade school teacher...

But, to make texting easier, I use the T9 predictive text function. This function allows me to bring up words by typing each letter key once. The phone knows what word I am trying to use based on the letter combinations possible. For example, if I type 66, it comes up with on. If I want the word no, I just down scroll to the next word in the phone's dictionary.

As you can imagine, though, the phone doesn't necessarily recognize all of the words I want to use. Luckily, this phone comes with a feature called 'my dictionary,' where I can input my own personal words that the phone will remember when I want to use them again and again. This morning, as I was texting away, adding and using words from my dictionary, I thought it would be fun to share the list of words that most mobile phones don't come equipped with.

Because I have never been one to watch my language, please steer small children away from this list, as it does contain words not suitable for those under 18. I'll use discretion when possible...

My Dictionary (in the order in which each word was added):

flatties
flatty
Tessa
Garyls
didja (as in 'didja get my last text?')
ruggers (as in rugby, 'didja wanna catch the ruggers game tonight?)
dahling (the gay way to say darling)
NZ
marm (what I call my mum)
rex (my friend from New York)
Pons (for Ponsonby, because really, I can't be bothered to type it out)
effing (as the polite way to say f***ing)
yummy
arvo (afternoon)
bitch (not sure why this wasn't in the dictionary)
xxx (kisses)
occam (the local cafe on the corner)
FAVE (as in 'occam is my FAVE cafe!')
f**k (without the stars, when I don't feel polite enough to write effing)
ponsonby (for when I'm not feeling so lazy to type pons only)
chow (as in 'wanna go get some chow at Occam?')
aahhhh (as in 'it's bedtime, aahhhh')
bummer
heya
p*ss (without the star)
SPQR
wf (my sign-off)
Aroha (a girl I work with who is the constant subject of texts at work)
lippy (lip gloss)
sushi
wendy
muah (my friend Tera's way of kissing)
awww (as in 'awww, that's so nice')
tahi (a friend)
nina (a friend)
yikes
luff (another word for love, as in 'good morning luff!')
smartass
fellas
como (spanish for what)
hola (spanish for hello)
whitcoull,s (the local bookstore, as in 'wanna meet at whitcoull's in ten?)
cuppa (as in coffee, 'wanna meet for a cuppa at whitcoull's in ten?')
duh

Tessa

When I think about Tess and I being friends, I smile.

Because really, what is the chance that I would walk into a local food store in Auckland, New Zealand and find someone from the same state as I am? In my eight months here, I can say I've only done that once.

What are the chances?

Believe me, I've gone over the absurdity of it. If she wouldn't have been in the store at that moment with that (Grinnell Softball) t-shirt on, I would have passed her with no second thought. And to this day, I have never, ever run into Tessa at the store again. Wearing an Iowa shirt OR normal clothes.

She would have gone on living three blocks away, unbeknownst to me.

But luckily, I did run into her and we're now great friends. We get together for coffee, smoothies, sushi, or shopping a few times a week. We always have lots to talk about, and we go on, blah, blah. The humor of two Americans, sitting oblivious to the rest of the world (which is how we are when we get to talking), is pretty funny if you think of it.

Tessa lives with and loves her boyfriend George. They met last time she was here doing her outternship (evidently like an internship, but opposite) for culinary school. She cooked at the same restaurant that he was a waiter at. They dated very casually at first, and then realized that they really liked each other. But, when Tess left to go back to the States, she left George here.

After finishing culinary school, she decided to return, pursuing and securing a position at the Auckland Hilton. That's how she ended up back here, with George, and at my Foodtown (or was I at HER Foodtown?)

Although Tess and I are very different (she likes to work out, I've become allergic to exercise; she knows what all foods are, I thought a lentil was a 40 day religious fasting period) it's still super great to have someone with whom you can talk about home (and even though she doesn't know who the Nadas are, I've forgiven her). In fact, we agree on the following things:

We can't stand how unreliable kiwis are.
We agree that Girl Scout cookies kick Girl Guide cookie ass.
We think nothing beats a morning cup of tea at a local cafe.
We both think tennis shoes here cost WAY too much.
We can't stand the lack of choice at the supermarket.
We both think that soya is a dumb name for soy.

She'll also be with my when I get my next tattoo. Very soon.

Lucky me for wandering into Foodtown on that warm November night.

Option C

Been very, very busy.

Lots lately to occupy my time.

But have been thinking about option c, if a and b don't work...

If no teaching job, I might travel for a bit in a foriegn land before coming home. Maybe Asia or South America.

Does anyone want to come with?

In between

It's April.

Wow.

As of 6:40 am on Wednesday the the 4th (that's 1:40 p.m. Tuesday the 3rd, CST), I will have been in New Zealand for more than 7 months. It'll have been 30 weeks. 210 days. Or, to be MORE exact, 5,040 minutes. Which of course is 302,400 seconds.

Life hasn't changed much since my last update. I am still teaching during the day and working at SP at night. School holidays start next week, which will be nice for a break, but not for funds, as I have to work for three hours at SP to make what I do in one hour at school.

As for what's happening next, I just don't know. Well, actually I do. Kinda.

Last week, I had a phone interview with the American School in Milan. The interview went great, but I am now finding out that the position may no longer be available due to re-structuring of the lower school. For now, I'll keep on waiting for further details regarding that position.

I have also been offered interviews for schools in both India and Liberia, but have passed both up, as neither suits me geographically. I am having a hard time finding the excitement to commit to 2 years of teaching in either of these locations.

I continue to apply, though not as rigorously, at international schools in Europe, but also a few in Egypt, Mexico, and South Africa. Not being at the international recruiting fairs puts me at a gross disadvantage to other candidates, but I am doing the best I can to be thorough and persistent online and via e-mail. I am keeping my options open, trying to be flexible, and hoping for a position, most likely during a last-minute hiring frenzy this summer.

I will wait it out until August or early September, as my visa in New Zealand doesn't expire until then, and I figure that if I'm not teaching internationally somewhere else, I might as well be working and living here as long as I can for the experience that I'll never get again.

My backup plan, if no teaching job opens, is to come home in September and start grad school in the spring. The 5 schools who have a program that suits what I want to study are are at Tufts (MA), Penn, Columbia (NYC), Elliot-Pearson (Chicago), and Iowa. All five programs are very different, and I still need to research which one suits what I want to learn the best. I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind the deferment of my student loans as well... There'd be plenty of perks to being Stateside again, as prompted in my last entry. I'd love to be closer to family again, and would really enjoy having the opportunity to watch my favorite t.v. shows live. For free.

Doing that will mean taking another year off of teaching in order to come home, move, apply, and get started. I have researched US schools online and tried to search out positions in school districts near the institutions that I am looking at, but haven't found anything open. It's also a bit hard to comit to that job when I am waiting on overseas ones as well. I'd kick myself if I took a job in Massachusetts and were then offered a job in Germany. So, I can continue to be a sub, which I like doing, while getting settled.

Now of course, my my publicist requires me to add a disclaimer that any of this can change at any time...

Excitingly, I've just found out that one of my best Waukee teaching friends, Danielle, and her husband Eric, are expecting their first child at the end of this year. Just as exciting was finding out that my longtime friend and one time partner in crime, Jen Farrell, became engaged to her boyfriend Kyle, under the Eiffel Tower, during a trip to Europe in March. (boy - that paragraph had a lot of commas, huh?)

I have great friends and family at home who continue to send me care packages in the mail, which is always welcome and makes me smile. Both my mom and my friend Tera, after reading the horrifying story of the Girl Guide cookies, sent me boxes of Girl Scout cookies, which I am slowly rationing on a daily basis. My auntie sent me $20 this week, which was really neat to open up (and so foreign to look at!). Instead of spending it, I'm saving it - it's tacked to my wall. Coolest item in any package to date? My mom, who had all of the Super Bowl commercials put on a DVD for me (narrowly edging out the bacon that Aunt Barb's tried to send me last October - it was confiscated by customs, which is worth the story in itself).

During this 'in between' time, I am taking every day in New Zealand as it comes, and loving every moment of it. I have become more confident, and more cheeky (much to the dismay and smiles of my flatties), and am very proud to consider myself more worldly and accomplished. Each day I marvel on my coming here, and how effortlessly I have grown into the routine of living and working in a foreign country. It's very empowering, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Disputes

If you were able to be a permanent life-long resident and full citizen of New Zealand based on the number of times you'd used the court system in the first six months of your stay, I'd be in.

The Dispute Tribunal court and I are officially best friends (sorry, Nik).

I am in the process of filing my second dispute now for monies owed to me, and I have to say, so far, the legal system in New Zealand has not let me down.

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Dispute #1: Wendy J. Foreman v. Joy B. Winkleman

Joy is my former flatmate. You might remember at one time that she was going to sell me her car. Instead, she took $240 of my money to fix it and never paid me back. Or sold me the car. So I took her to court.

After finally securing a court date I showed up to plead my side of the case. She didn't - out of the country or mourning for a dead relative or car wasn't working or something like that. In her absence the court ruled in my favor. Joy B. Winkleman was required to pay Wendy Foreman the sum of $240 immediately. As you can imagine though, being 'out of the country' makes it hard for you to get your mail, so conveniently, Joy still didn't pay.

Imagine my surprise when a week after my court date, I went to a concert (in Auckland) at the theatre she was formerly employed at to find out that she was currently an employee, and was working that night (she's a clever one, huh?). Although I avoided her that night, I promptly went back down to the court on Monday morning to turn her in. She was summoned by a court official, and required to either pay or show up in court, with the consequence of being arrested for failing to do so. She paid the monies to me one day before the court date, although she still wasn't very happy about it.

As if I care how happy or unhappy she is.

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Dispute #2: Ian Bellew, Sheena Papuni, Doug Tauronga, and Wendy Foreman v. Julia Gibson (pending)

Julia is my (our) former flatmate. While living here she charged us each $160 per week for rent and bills.

Since those numbers mean nothing to you, follow me through some math:

$160 x 4 (just for fun we'll exclude Julia from paying rent...) = $640 / week for rent at 126 Williamson.

Imagine our surprise when we found out that rent on our property has only ever been $550 a week.

That's a surplus of $360 a month (let's also remember, just for fun, that Julia wasn't paying rent in that equation).

For fairness, we have to take out the bills too: $360 (what we've been paying) - 250 (bills) = $110 extra each month that we have never seen. (Still without Julia paying rent).

In essence, we figure that if Julia had been paying rent each month that the surplus in our flat account (only for the last 5 months that I have been living here and there's been 5 people in the house) would be significant, as demonstrated in the following equation:

$3600 (5 people paying rent for the entire month)
-2450 (actual cost of house rent + bills per month)
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$1150 x 5 (months) = $5,750.

But the truth is that Julia hadn't been paying rent. Our rent had subsidized hers. AND she thinks we owe her money. Around $400, to be exact.

So, we're still considering sending a dispute to the tenancy tribunal, but haven't decided yet. Noone in the flat can come to a reasonable decision about it (shocking, I know...), but I'm still pulling for court. It worked for me once, right...?

The Future...

A couple of weeks ago after catching up on my blog, my friend Tera wrote "I loved reading your blog about Mary leaving, but what will you miss when you leave New Zealand?"

So, I thought it would be fun to make a list. A predictive list of what I think I'll miss (and what I won't)...

I'll miss:
*pie
*SPQR
*aioli
*Nay Nay
*eating foccacia and aioli with Nay Nay at SPQR
*pineapple lumps
*rugby
*the scenery
*wooden floors
*not wearing shoes at school (never thought I'd admit to that one...)
*the weather
*accents
*Ponsonby
*dollar coins
*hanging my clothes out to dry
*kids calling band-aids 'plasters'
*not seeing SUVs
*flavored canned tuna
*Richmond Road Primary School
*the Auckland skyline
*rounding all payments to the nearest $0.10
*public transportation

I will NOT miss:
*the non-existant shelf-life of bread
*non-refrigerated eggs
*paying $13 for People magazine
*drama (Kiwis LOVE drama)
*not having heat or a/c
*the cost of toiletries
*Foodtown
*Ponsnobbies
*Auckland drivers
*the cost of living and the price of the dollar

I'll look forward to coming home to:
*Target
*fountain pop
*calling pop 'pop'
*The Gap
*sherbet
*diet cola
*cinnamon rolls in a can
*grocery shelves LINED with choices
*Old Navy
*seeing baby Corbin

Wide Wide World

Did you know that the Philippines are an American colony?

I didn't.

Imagine my embarrassment during the following conversation, which took place in front of my whole dance class, between Joel (my instructor) and myself:

Joel (taking roll): Wendy?
Wendy: Here.
J: Have I asked you yet where you're from?
W: I'm American.
J: From which part?
W: The midwest. Which is why I can't dance.
J: Not LA?
W: No. How about you? You have a great American accent.
J: I'm Philippino. It's an American colony, so we learned American english.
W: Oh, cool. (which is code for 'The Philippines is an American colony?)

Nonetheless, I checked it out on Wikipedia, my favorite online source of information, and checked that it does have ties to America. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the information made me think it had a strong tie to America, but America is mentioned once or twice. If you want more information about this, you can visit the website to see for yourself:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines

I won't lie, though, that Americans are not well-renound for their traveling or knowledge of the world, especially from our part of the country. We're about as smart about the world as New Zealanders are about parts of the States other than LA or New York. Which isn't very smart.

This Monday at SPQR I waited on heaps of Americans, which put me in a great mood. I was chatting it up, being cheeky, having fun with all of them. I found one table of two California boys especially nice. Now, I never really try to guess where people are from, or even if they aren't from here, until they start asking me what things on the menu are ('What's capsicum? Rocket? Aioli?). These boys fit that bill, so I struck up the conversation with them about America. I told them where I was from, and found out the same from them. Then, one asked me, 'Tell me again roughly where in the States is Iowa?'

Oh boys. Really? DId you not have to learn the physical proximity of each and every state (spelled correctly) and it's capital (spelled correctly) in fourth grade, or was that just me?

For shame...

In another recent conversation with someone from home who needed some information about where I live, I got the following question:

'Is New Zealand part of the UK?'

Now, for anyone who might have wondered the same, but was too embarrassed to ask... New Zealand and the UK aren't even in the same hemisphere. So no, it is not part of the UK.

I still also have a couple of friends asking me how living Australia is going.

Again, two completely separate places.

Completely.

Moral of the story - get out and read some geography if you can. We live in a very, very wide world, and I've learned the more you know, the better off you are. It's all helpful information to know, for sure...