Friday, October 17, 2008

One step closer...

Today marks the completion of our first working week in New Zealand!  Whoo-hoo!  I have yet to go to work today for a five hour shift, but by 7 pm, I can proudly say that I am a working kiwi with a week under my belt!  

Finding a job was quite the accomplishment and struggle for me.  I have never really had to work that hard to find work. Being in Omaha made networking so much easier.  I knew so much just from the people around me and word of mouth. Babysitting jobs, nanny leads, teaching opportunities, and yoga classes were all right at my fingertips, and sometimes so abundant that I would have to turn people down.  In Omaha, my life was jam-packed with working.  Very few hours were spent in solitude in my own apartment lounging.  Here in NZ, it's been quite the opposite.  Seeking work has been a challenge, and I haven't had the same type of networking connections.  Bret and I have likened it to fishing:  we've thrown so many lines out there, and we're just waiting for one of them to bite.  The waiting has been one of the hardest parts.  A lot of the jobs that we'd applied for had closing dates on the applications which sometimes weren't for at least another week.  It wasn't until the applications had closed that the company would decide if you would qualify for an interview.  The laid-back lifestyle of the kiwis has been ever present in the interviews as well.  The whole process has had me run a gamut of emotions, most of them ending in frustration or confusion.

But now there's hope!  Having a job and working even just the small amount that I am has increased my confidence in finding even more work.  I've noticed that the closer to summer we get here, the more nanny positions that are being offered. I'm working hard to rely on faith; the plan will work out as it's supposed to.  If I don't get offered a position or job, then it wasn't meant to be, as something better and more fitting is waiting.  So for now, I am content.  And proud.  And one step closer to accomplishing what I set out to do here in NZ!  Now that I've got the work taken care of, I can start playing!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is funny to hear you use a fishing comparison with your limited fishing experience, but you pulled it off perfectly.
Ya know, as with fishing, the more lines you put out the greater your chances of pulling in the big one! Patience is success.