It is hard to believe we have been in Christchurch for a month already! Time is still flying by even though we are staying put in one place. Life outside of Waka has been very different but we are enjoying it! Both Dan and I started looking for jobs as soon as we arrived in Christchurch. Dan was lucky enough to score a long-term gig with a construction company in the city. He is working through a temp agency again and they were able to find work for him in 1 day! (Don't get much better than that!) He has been enjoying it, says the people are very nice and he is learning a lot about how New Zealand builds and the overall construction culture over here. Overall they are much more relaxed, take more breaks, and work at a slower pace than Dan is used to. I think that is great because Dan tends to push himself to the bone ;) He is adjusting but this work culture, plus building in a city, and in metric has been a great challenge and learning experience for Dan.
My job search unfortunately was not been as successful. I was hoping to find work as a nursing assistant in a hospital, clinic, or nursing home. There were some openings but everyone has wanted someone who can commit longer than a couple of months. I also applied to many cafes, restaurants, temp agencies but because it is winter Christchurch is very much in their slow season for hospitality so there are just not a lot of opportunities at the moment.
However, we were lucky enough to find a helpx that is very close to where Dan is working! We are currently staying with a lovely couple who have a large urban garden, lots of landscaping projects, and community work for me to do.
Our host is the main person in charge of a lovely community garden located in what is considered the "red zone" which is an area considered unsafe to live in because of the earthquake risk. The government bought all of the houses and land in this area and now have slowly re-developed it into parks and this community garden. I have been able to work with the other community members a little bit and look forward to helping out more. It is so awesome to see them all come together and make something beautiful out of such a sad situation.
I very much enjoyed a couple of weeks of freedom to reflect and refocus on this experience! We have been working towards a healthier lifestyle and have revamped our nutrition entirely. We also continue to incorporate exercise and yoga into our lives. It has been a journey and will continue to be but having more down time definitely helps us be more successful. Now, I am working 6 hours a day for our hosts in exchange for a place for Dan and I to stay and dinner each night. It has been a great balance of work but still some free time too :)
We have taken our weekends to see some wonderful sites in Christchurch as well! They have what they call the Port Hills which is a very long walk-way that takes you up along a ridge with amazing views of the city and the bays surrounding it. We have also explored a variety of different markets throughout the city all of which have been unique and treasured experiences of the city!
I am also very excited because I am making a trip home in 1 month! My amazing friend, Hailey is getting married in September so I am journeying home to celebrate this incredible day! I will be home for about 3.5 weeks and cannot wait to see family, friends, and especially those adorable nieces and nephews! Dan will stay in New Zealand to keep us established here. He will continue to work in Christchurch and once I return we will hit the road again and start our adventures in the North Island!
We are enjoying our time in Christchurch and truly getting to know some locals and see how they live their lives compared to what we see in the USA. We have had some amazing conversations about what we see as normal and what they see as normal and it is so intriguing to learn and experience it all! We look forward to another couple of months in this phase of our adventure!
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