In the life of a Kiwi: Week 1

Well today marks my 1 week anniversary here in Dunedin, NZ. I'm sure there were skeptics as to me making it this far but I'm happy to report I'm still alive and ready for week 2. On the plane from Auckland to Dunedin I sat next to a couple, Sam & Sarah, who had just moved to Dunedin 6 months ago from the UK. They were on their way back from taking a short holiday in Samoa. I asked Sam if they were going to take a taxi or a shuttle home from the airport in hopes that I could ride along with them. After he discussed with his wife he turned to me and said that they would be happy to drive me home. Wow, I was not expecting that at all! Not only did I save heaps of money not having to take a bus or taxi but I made my first friends. God was already providing for me and preparing the way and I hadn't even landed at my destination yet. When we arrived at my house Sam and I went on a scavenger hunt looking for the key to the house. Sure enough is was right under the brick behind the house, right where Will said it would be in his email to me, a week before I arrived. Will and all but one of his flatmates were off visiting their parents back home because they had just finished exams at university and had a few weeks off for holiday. Manaia was the only flat mate home and I think I startled him pretty good when I arrived and walked through the front door. Half dressed and half asleep Manaia welcomed me with a warm Maori accent and then made me some breakfast, Wheat Bix, a popular NZ cereal. After I got my stuff somewhat settled in Manaia took me about the city in his old school Honda Civic for a little tour of Dunedin. After seeing some of the sites we returned back to the house and Manaia walked down the street to pick us up some fish and chips. After eating some amazingly good deep fried goodness, Manaia took off to Christchurch where he is originally from. All alone again with no friends, no family and no transportation. I decided to go for a quick walk into the city and have a look around. One thing I really like about living here is that everything is pretty much within walking distance which is great, especially when you don't have a car. Dunedin is a lot like Berkeley in the sense that it is a university town with lots of old buildings and lots of fun places to eat, shop and walk around. After a brief stroll through the Octagon, the city's center, I returned back home and as I arrived at the house I heard someone calling my name. Will and Manaia had apparently informed the neighbors that I would be arriving from the US and to make sure I had everything I needed. Rose and Jen who live across the street told me I was welcome to stop by anytime and so this made me feel right at home. For most of this week I've been doing a lot of walking around trying to get a good feel of my surroundings. For the most part I haven't met a whole lot of people so I've been doing a lot of stuff by myself. While in the States I applied for a job as a membership consultant at the Les Mills gym here in Dunedin. After meeting with the owners they decided not to offer me the position because they needed someone who is going to be more permanent and commit to at least a year. I find this to be good news and a blessing from God because although I would have enjoyed working with Les Mills I would have jumped right into a full time job with no real flexibility to travel within NZ or do anything else. My job search continues and so does my search to find a church. I went to a church this morning and although the pastor gave a good message and I knew all the worship songs I felt a little out of place and no one welcomed me or introduced themselves accept the worship director who I had met earlier in the week because the church office is around the corner from my house. They do have a young adults service that meets Sunday nights at 7pm so I am going to attend that and see if it is any different. God has definitely positioned me in a unique place here in Dunedin and I look forward to seeing how He is going to use me.