Comfy, Cosy and Almost Dead Broke in Wellywood

Before arriving in Wellington, I had often heard it described as the San Francisco of New Zealand, so I was pretty keen on spending the winter here, wrapped up in Welly's whirlwind of city streets, darting back and forth between pubs, theatres, museums and cafes. Coincidentally, this was also the first time on our trip that I had dared imagine our future, sprinkling my naïve Mary Tyler Moore hopes over this condensed seaside town. Obviously, I'm employing the use of foreshadow to transition into our acute feelings of rejection and disappointment.

To begin with I was possessed by a thoroughly evil strain of strep, that left me feverish, pained and laid out for nearly a week. After having recovered completely, I set my sights on finding gainful employment. I like to think I handle rejection well, I just think back to my arduous three month job search last year in New York City, smoking over a pack a day in a small, stuffy apartment, waiting to hear back from the innumerable jobs that overwhelmingly never sent a response. The first week wasn't so bad, I bravely handed over dozens of my embellished CV with a smile, but as time went on the phone remained silent and I began to get a bit despondent.

I went with a multi-tiered strategy for the job search, start with ideal jobs (sassy bartender, sexy bookseller, adorable barista etc.) and work my way down. I lament, that if things don't turn around quickly, I will have to swallow this pride of mine, walk into McDonald's (Macker's as they lovingly refer to it here) and acquiesce to working in a place I normally avoid like the plague.

In effect, I don't much feel like expounding on the wonderful things we have done here and although I am trying to remain “Absolutely Positively Wellington”, I feel that in any relationship there must be a give and take. I'm trying to love you Wellington, why are you making it so hard?

However, I would be remiss if I didn't offer thanks to Te Papa for quality free entertainment, Border's Books for giving me 15 hours a week and Mon Ami for their complimentary internet and delicious coffee. Cheers!