Nicole blogs??

It's true. I didn't know I was the blogging type either, but it seems even the least tech-savvy can handle a bit of blogging from time to time. And truth be told, I was inspired by none other than my friend and colleague, Melissa, who is sharing a similar adventure up in Sydney (we're practically neighbors...sort of).

Let me take a few steps back for those of you just tuning into what's going on here. About a year ago I got a crazy idea to apply for a position with my company in New Zealand. What's even crazier is that they offered me a job for a couple years in Auckland! So like any other 25 yr old with an incessant need for adventure, I took the job and packed my bags (and boxes and more suitcases, etc).

That brings us to the beginning of September. My dad and I got on a flight and 2 days later arrived in cloudy, rainy, end-of-wintery Auckland...my new home away from home :)

Within 5 days we managed to:

1. Find a flat - A fabulous villa in Ponsonby / Grey Lynn, a popular suburb of Auckland, with 3 of the best flatmates anyone could ask for (Jon, Emma, Anneka). The only drawback - kiwis are not as keen on central heating as we are back home, but it's nothing an electric blanket can't fix

2. Get some furniture - After several trips to several furniture stores we finally found what I was looking for...and a few things that I just like a lot

3. Check out mobile plans - They are crap...all of them. Just think what would happen if the US only had some huge company like Verizon with barely any competition...not good for consumers (grrr)

4. Used public transportation - Although the Kiwis tell me the transport here is terrible, I've found the Link bus quite useful and I will continue to use it and the functioning legs that i was blessed with to navigate my way around until I have a life or death reason for having to buy a car

5. Experienced Cafe Life - I didn't know this before, but NZ is home to some of the best cafes EVER...at least from what I've seen. Not only do they have great hot chocolate/tea (and I'm sure coffee to, but i don't drink the stuff), but you can get breakfast all the time...and there are cafes EVERYWHERE. For a person who ranks breakfast in her top 5 things of life, it's like I've died and went to eggs-on-toast heaven! And yes, I'm committed to finding the best eggs and bacon on grainy (aka multigrain) bread in Auckland

6. Other - Dad and I covered a lot of ground. It was truly a whirlwind and I'm sure he'd say the same

I took the next few days after dad left to get more comfortable with my surroundings. I went on jogs, walked the neighborhood, and took in the nightlife. I learned that there are a lot of hills..LOTS..and i need to get in shape just to walk around this place. I also learned that the Ponsonby area is perfect. It have everything - shops, cafes, families, young people, cute houses, bars, dogs....everything. Love it. And yes, the nightlife has been great, but I'm still investigating (stay tuned for updates).

So, I finally had to end my month long holiday of no work. I started my job on Sept 15th...

To be continued...