Yays!

Well, it is now Tuesday evening, and the very exciting news of the moment is that we have got ourselves somewhere to live! We have gone for the place in Lower Hutt that we looked round yesterday; we weren't sure whether we would get it as the landlady was actually interviewing for candidates, but we didn't realise this until after we'd had a look round (and not taken our shoes off when we walked in – only realised that this might have been a boo-boo when we realised that she was barefooted...) - it turned out that we were her first choice, so when we called this evening to say that we'd like it, she gave it to us straight away!)

We did look round two flats today – one being right in the Karori area where we would love to live, and it was a very close tie between the two, until we got to the bus stop and realised that the local buses there stopped at 6 in the evening, and didn't run at all at the weekends, which would completely stump us for travel outside of work hours (the house was a long way up a very steep hill - I couldn't see us going up there with heavy bags of shopping, and there were no local shops at all), and the on-street parking was not great either, so we would have difficulties even if we got a car. The other place was very central, and probably about the floor size of the cabin that we are in at the moment (well, maybe a double bed-size bigger...) - just not worth being cramped for $10 less a week!

I also had a very useful chat with a recruitment agent (who is going to see if she can get me in at the Land Information NZ, the equivalent of the Ordnance Survey), and also met up with the lady who has put me forward for the civilian role in the Defence Services (as an administrator); she is also an immigrant to NZ, and it was more of a general meet up chat – she is being absolutely lovely and lending us some things until our furniture arrives from the High Seas.

So, we move in to our new place on Friday, and we just have to hunt for white goods now (they don't come as standard over here, unfortunately). It's a little frustrating to have to spend out on them this early, but as we would have to buy them when we bought our own place anyway, I think that we can live with it.

I've also got my second interview tomorrow for a sales role. I'm not so sure about this one – the more I think about it, the more I think that it is going to be on a stand in a shopping mall trying to get passers by to buy the products, and I'm not sure whether that is something I actually want to be doing. But I don't have to make a decision straight away, even if he offers me the job tomorrow. I can wait to see how the DSNZ job application goes (and whether the LINZ one goes anywhere) – we do have the money for me to wait for another week or so, and I'd rather get this right, as it could shape the next few years in NZ, if not my future career... (not being too melodramatic, am I?)