Goodbye Queenstown!

It's getting close to the time where I will say goodbye to yet another city. It's been an amazing last couple of months here in Queenstown, but the season is ending and the snow is melting which means so is my job. I absolutely loved living here. I met some amazing people and had some awesome times. My boss even told me she wants me back next season. We will see... I might miss you all too much to stay that long!

I just recently found out I got a job with Abel Tasman Kayaks located near the Abel Tasman National Park which is at the top of the South Island. It's a customer service type position selling the excursions the company offers among many other tasks. Best of all, it's right by the beach! Here's their Web site... http://www.abeltasmankayaks.co.nz/. I'm pretty pumped. It will be quite the different atmosphere than what I'm accustomed to here in QT. I have to say I'm ready for some warm weather. I don't know anyone there, but I have two friends moving to Nelson which is less than an hour away.

Today I had to say goodbye to two of my best friends here. It was really difficult considering Hayley and I were together every single second when I wasn't at work. We have already begun to plan our next adventures together around the world. Now that Hayley moved out, I'm officially the only girl living in my house with seven boys. Kill.me.now. Just kidding... I love them to death.

The Rugby World Cup has started here. It's an awesome atmosphere! There are tons of teams walking around Queenstown. I saw the Georgian team walking down the street the other week. There aren't any games here, but the teams train at some of the facilities. Did anyone hear about England's team captain? He apparently is married to the Queen's granddaughter. Well he had a little too much fun the other night at a club here and is all over the news. Oh the drama! The US team beat Russia last night. I don't know much about Rugby but it's fun to watch. We're actually not too bad considering it's not a huge sport in the states. I watched the US vs. Ireland game last week with about a million Irish friends from work. We lost and they definitely let me know it.

If you haven't seen the pictures yet of my trip to Milford Sound, definitely check out my facebook profile. I'm far too lazy to upload them all to my blog. Here are a couple of pictures. It was BEAUTIFUL. I felt like I was in a movie. We took a 4 1/2 hour bus ride there and then hopped on a boat and cruised around the sound. Loved it.


Last week, I actually had a visitor! A guy I used to work with at the Richards Group came in town with his wife and some friends for the Rugby World Cup. We had a nice day of skiing. It was great to see someone from home! Here's a picture of us at the top of Coronet Peak.

And for my last update... I got my nose pierced! Sorry mom and dad. I've wanted to do it for so long! Now is the perfect time. It's very small so most people still haven't even noticed it.

That's all for now. I love to hear from everyone, so please update me with your lives. Are people even reading these updates? Hello? Is anyone out there? Love and miss everyone!!

Meet My Housemates

Even though most of my housemates are about to leave after the ski season to go home, I feel like I have to introduce them before they hit the road. It's about time... I know. Just last week, my landlord Sophie took us all out for pizza at a place called Winnie's. It's THE best pizza I have ever had. I would seriously go every day if I could afford it. Here we are all.Joe (left) is from the French-speaking part of Switzerland. This is his second season boarding in Queenstown. He's a funny guy. Just last night, we were all watching a scary movie (they all realize now it is not fun to watch them with me because I scream at every jumpy part) and he came up behind me in the dark and scared the ever living you-know-what out of me. He also makes the best cookies ever!!

Kathleen (middle) is from Germany. She also works with me at Coronet at the Snowsports desk. We've had some really cold mornings walking to the Snow Centre together!

Hayley (left) is who I share a room with. She's from Nottingham, England. Robin Hood! She's my best friend here and I don't know what I'll do without her when she leaves in a couple of weeks. We've had some great times. I will definitely go visit her one day.

Trish (right) is from Australia and actually already left to go back. Really sweet girl... wish she could've stayed longer.
Sophie (left) is my landlord...sweet, but slightly neurotic. She's got three young kids and they all live in the house above us. She comes downstairs every day and chats/lectures. We all have grown to appreciate her because she really does take good care of us. I find a new post-it on the walls every day around the house with messages such as "please recycle toilet paper rolls".

Kay (middle) is from China. She is an amazing baker, but also makes some really questionable food. I haven't quite figured out what some of them are. She's incredibly nice. Unfortunately she leaves tomorrow. Maybe I'll at least lose some weight. She bakes every day!

Avril (right) is from Ireland and an absolute trip! I find her so hilarious with her thick Irish accent and attitude. She says whatever is on her mind and I love it.

Jamie (left) is from Scotland. He also works with me at Coronet as an instructor. He's an amazing skier and really patient. He's even taught me how to ski over the boxes at the snowpark. Jamie is leaving for Scotland in a week or so to fly for Logan Airlines.

Boris (right) is a friend of Joe's and also from Switzerland. Nice goggle tan, right?!? These boys go up the mountain every day! He is a tiler and a ski instructor at home. He's an incredible skier. He doesn't speak too much English but has gotten so much better the last couple of weeks. For speaking so little English, he always makes us laugh.

Well these are my housemates. We're all incredibly different, but all here for the same reason... to ski and have fun. I'll miss them so much, but know I have a friend in so many different countries to visit one day!

I thought I would share a few of the things that happened over the past couple of weeks… some good, some not so good.

We needed someone to dress up as the Coronet Peak mascots, Spike and Shred. I volunteered. Here’s what I looked like. Yes, go ahead and insert owl jokes here. I dressed as a giant Kiwi bird.

My friends and I had a barbecue by the lake front. Everyone brought their own food and drinks and we just hung out under the moonlight. I even played on the playground!
The Winter Games have started here in Queenstown. What an event to have in my own backyard! It’s an elite winter sports competition that brings together the world's best athletes. I even saw Lindsey Vonn the other day. Tons of teams are at Coronet Peak including the U.S. Olympic team. Here's the rail jam they held in town.

My friend, Harriett and I were going to go for a quick shopping trip in town. We ended up buying too many groceries to carry. We figured we would just hitch hike on the side of the road (I assure you it’s safe to do in Queenstown). It was in an unnoticed location so we just continued on walking with our grocery cart realizing after a while that we accidentally, kind of stole it. Oops! For some reason, it was absolutely hilarious to us because people were staring.

My friends Harriet, Lucy and I went up to Coronet to ski on my day off. The conditions weren’t too good so we decided to just take the first bus home and go have a drink. A nice day off in the sun!
One of my not-so-favorite moments happened last night at work. Part of my job is to assist in the search for missing people. We have a whole list of emergency procedures we have to go through. Usually it’s just kids who lost their parents or friends who can’t find each other. Typically, they end up being at home or at a bar. Last night, after my first missing person search ended, someone else came in to report that they could find their friend and they had searched for almost 2 hours. Keep in mind yesterday we had 65-70 cm. of new snow in the last storm cycle and most lifts were on hold all day because of the conditions. I didn’t end up leaving work until midnight after patrol searched for hours, police were alerted, and a helicopter with thermal imaging finally found him out of bounds. It was so scary and eerie being up at the mountain that late in those conditions. The guy was even able to walk into administration afterwards! It was so insane. I can’t even describe it. I cried along with his friends! We were so happy they found him… ALIVE! Here is some more information... http://infonews.co.nz/news.cfm?id=73129. It was a good ending to a day especially since it started with the staff bus sliding into a ditch.

Now I finally have some days off. I’m too drained from last night to even go skiing, so we’re going to wait until tomorrow. Check out some of my pictures. We got tons of new snow! I’ll send our good snow vibes to Texas since I know y’all need them with those temperatures!

I have a lot of people ask me what a typical day in my life is like right now. It varies depending on whether or not I’m working. I usually work 4-5 times per week. If I do go to work, I get up at 6:45 AM to eat breakfast and get ready. I start walking to the station building for the bus in town at about 7:15 AM. It’s only about a 10 minute walk from my house. It can be really cold and sometimes icy. Two of my roommates work at Coronet Peak with me. We have definitely had a few slides and falls down the hill which always proves to be hilarious even at an early hour. We hop on the bus with all the other Coronet Peak staff and head up the mountain. It’s about a 20-30 minute ride depending on the weather conditions. At one point, the buses were picking us up at 6:45 AM because it took so long to get up the mountain and we would be late opening if we left at a normal time. I sometimes get a nap in or just listen to music. I get to work and have coffee with co-workers until the 8:30 AM start. Things are pretty chaotic in the administration office, so I stay really busy the whole day between Web site updates, PA announcements, following emergency procedures for missing people, and so many other tasks. I can either go to lunch or take a ski break. After work, I either come home and hang-out with my roommates, go out with friends, or night ski on Friday and Saturday nights. I usually try and give myself a midnight cut-off so I feel ok for work the next day.

If I am not working, I’m playing! Usually on my days off, we will all go skiing/boarding. My lift pass gives me access to either Coronet Peak or The Remarkables, so we switch it up. Coronet is more family-oriented and with more guests. It’s anywhere from 3,000-4,500 per day during the winter holidays. Lindsey Vonn, the U.S. Olympic skier is actually training at our facility right now!! The Remarkables has more park areas as far as rails and jumps. I almost pulled my leg out of socket going over a jump the other day so I haven’t built the courage back up to try again. It’s really cool to watch others though!

If we don’t go skiing, I’ll usually try and just relax, do some errands and laundry. If I’ve got some energy, we try and be “touristy”. Most of my friends are only here for the season and don’t want to spend too much money since they don’t have jobs. We splurge every once in a while. Last week, we went on a cruise around Lake Wakatipu. It’s the third largest lake in New Zealand and crystal clear. I really would like to be here in the summer so I can swim in it! If we aren’t being tourists, we generally just hang-out together, go get a treat (J), or watch movies. There is still a lot of adrenaline activities I want to take advantage of so stay tuned!

My life is pretty simple, but I’m really happy right now. I hate thinking about what I will do after the season is over since all my friends will go back home, but I just have to reassure myself that there is a plan for me and I will find another wonderful city! Who knows, I might even stay in Queenstown for a bit longer! I’m just going to go with the flow.

Hugs and kisses! Miss you all. Love to hear from each and every one of you! Don't forget to check out the tab with all my pictures!

Praise the Lord, I have a home! Yes, that’s right. I’m writing to you from my new house! My friend Hayley and I just moved in tonight along with EIGHT other people. I know it seems crazy, but that’s what everyone does here. We live in a four bedroom home that’s just a short walk from the center of town with a killer view of the mountains and Lake Wakatipu. Hayley and I share a cozy little room. I never thought I would appreciate shelves so much in my life. I’m so happy to unpack! I haven’t met all my new roomies yet, but they are all friendly people so far. A couple of them even work on Coronet Peak with me. It’s nice to always have someone around to hang out with too.
Not too many new updates as of now. I’ve been working my little tail off. For the first couple of weeks, the large amount of snow and ice caused bad road conditions. Since the bus drivers had to drive really slow and chain up the tires, all the NZSki staff would have to catch the 6:45 AM bus to go up the mountain. It was still dark when I got to work, but I would get a good sleep in on the bus ride. Luckily, they changed it back to 7:45 AM. My job is going great. It’s been so absolutely chaotic in the administration office. I don’t have a single second of down time. I really enjoy it though. It keeps me on my toes. We even had to go over avalanche procedures today which I’m supposed to help handle if it occurs. Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen under my watch. It’s supposed to die down after the New Zealand school holidays are over. At that time, we will get to take ski breaks during lunch. I usually go skiing on my days off or on Fridays and Saturdays for night skiing.
This morning on the bus ride to work, I truly realized how amazing New Zealand is. I often take that time to think about how lucky I feel to be here and how this experience is once-in-a-lifetime. When we reached the top of the mountain, I looked up and the sun was coming up on one side in front of pink and purple clouds, and on the other side, the moon was still shining bright around a lit sky. Right below the mountains, I stood above a thick layer of clouds that really looked like snow. It was so amazing and unlike anything I’d ever seen. All the staff got off the bus and just began to take pictures (see my pictures tab). So with that said, I continue to remember to never take this experience for granted. Obviously I have my ups and downs, but lately it’s all ups! I hope everyone takes the time to see the beauty of what’s out there because there really is so much.

Well we finally got a dump… a snow dump that is (hehe). That’s right… it finally snowed A LOT! YAY!! I arrived in Queenstown a couple of weeks ago. It was perfect timing because Winterfest just started. There were all sorts of things going on like dodgeball tournaments, drag queen drag races, and tons of bands playing. There was even a Japanese James Brown band which was totally awesome. I want them to play at my wedding.

Queenstown is by far my most favorite place in New Zealand. The scenery is breathtaking. It’s just a cute little snow town with tons of activities always going on. I even did a bungee jump. I can’t even begin to describe the adrenalin rush. It’s 134 meters high with about eight seconds of free fall. I honestly didn’t think I would be as scared as I was, but it’s so incredibly intimidating. Not to mention I was the last one to go, so I had to wait for about 15 people to go in front of me. I’m not sure I even remember the first few seconds, but it was truly amazing. I want to go again!

Good news. I officially started my job! I’m working for NZSki as the Coronet Peak Administrative Assistant on the mountain. I get tons of perks like a free ski pass for both Coronet Peak and The Remarkables which runs upward of about $1,400. Lucky me! I work in the office with all of the ski area managers and other admins who are all really nice. So far so good. Some of my job duties include updating the Web site and snow phones, finding missing people, and making PA announcements which I struggle with. The entire mountain hears my voice and I always stumble on my words. I accidentally even said “y’all” when I radioed patrol the other day. I’ll never hear the end of that. It’s a chaotic job, but goes by super fast every day. You wouldn’t believe how many missing people there are! As long as the snow keeps up, I should have a job for the rest of the snow season. I was supposed to go skiing today on my day off, but due to high winds, they closed all the mountains.

I’m staying at a hostel right now which is definitely the nicest one yet. It’s only a year old and centrally located. I met a good group of friends who are also staying here most of whom are British. I love to hear them talk. Do you fancy this? Do you want to have a sit down? Do you need to throw away your rubbish? They get a kick out of me saying “y’all”, which I guess I never realized how much I use the word. As much as I enjoy hostel life, I finally found a place to live! It’s a brand new, 4 bedroom house about 5 minutes from town. I’m sharing a room with my friend Hayley. There are 2 people to a room, so I will have several roommates. We have a great view of the mountains and Lake Wakatipu. I’m pretty pumped!

Thanks for all of the recent e-mails! Keep them coming! I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. Unfortunately, I didn’t do too much for the holiday because we were all too tired, but I celebrated in spirit! Love and miss everyone. :)

After the fruit-picking season ended in Tauranga, I decided to take a bus back to Auckland for a couple of days with my German friend, Katrin. It was sad to leave all the people I met there, but I think you just get used to saying good-bye while traveling. I still keep in touch with some of them and hope to see everyone again at some point.

On my birthday, Katrin and I went on a sailboat for the afternoon and then out-and-about for the night. I know a couple of people who live in Auckland, so we all met up for a fun night out. They didn’t want me to feel lonely or miss friends and family on my birthday, so they showed me a great time. Of course I still missed everyone, but had fun regardless!

After Auckland, Katrin and I headed to Waiheke Island. It’s just a short ferry ride from the city with lots of wineries and beaches. We checked into a hostel called Kina Backpackers. It was very laid-back and had an absolutely amazing view of the beach.

Luke, the owner, lives next door with his family and runs the place well. I even caught him drawing with a marker on the face of a passed-out, drunk Irish guy. Hilarious. While staying there, we visited a winery, hiked, ran on the beach and just relaxed. Waiheke is really quiet this time of year. It is really small and doesn’t have much nightlife. The nightlife exists in the hostels I suppose. We met an English guy, coincidentally named Guy, who helps Luke run the hostel. He offered to take me and some friends around the island where the buses don’t go. We got out of the car on top of a hill to take a picture and the car broke down. We tried to jump the car, but that didn’t work. Oh and it was raining. Luke got in car to come get us and ended up getting in a wreck and flipping his van! He was ok, but shaken up. Oh and did I mention the car that we broke down in was also Luke’s? Guy managed to break two of Luke’s cars in one day. Another girl attempted to come get us and got stuck in the mud. Finally, she was able to get out and come find us. It was an interesting day to say the least.

Last week, I went by myself to a place called Russell Island. I had to take a ferry at 6 a.m. in the morning from Waiheke to Auckland in order to catch an 8:00 bus from Auckland to Paihia. Katrin got up at 5:30 in the morning and sat outside to wait for the bus with me. What a good friend!!! I miss her already. I came to Russell because I have a work-for-accommodation job with a family. Basically I watch their kids and do some light cleaning for 12 hours per week in exchange for a room in their staff house. Well, the first day I arrived, I received a phone call from the HR lady about the job I had been hoping for in Queenstown on Coronet Peak. They told me I got the job and orientation was the following week. I ended up having to tell the family I will be leaving next week instead of staying. I felt so awful, but I really need a steady job that pays. The next day, I booked my flight to Queenstown and not even 30 minutes later, the HR lady called and told me they were delaying orientation another week due to the lack of snow. Lovely. That’s ok. Everything happens for a reason.

I’m taking everything day-by-day and trying to go with the flow. I try not to worry about the little things and just enjoy living. I have my ups and downs, but I know that’s part of this experience. I love meeting new people from all over the world. I love the endless scenery of this country. I love the casual lifestyle of the Kiwis… no fancy cars, jobs or clothes. I love that I can repeat the same outfit two days in a row and no one cares or even notices for that matter. I do miss a lot from home though… MY PARENTS (so much), brother, sister-in-law, grandpa, my dog, friends, my bed, Tex Mex, Fahrenheit, miles, pounds and the letter Z… you know, the important things. J

Soooo, I guess I’m headed to Queenstown tomorrow. It’s in the South Island where all the ski areas are located. I’ll be working in the administration office. I am actually in the 2nd intake of employees, meaning, I have the job, but I don’t start until the season picks up and it begins to snow. They tell me it should be very soon. Please, please everyone pray for it to snow!!!!! No seriously, every day and night… pray for it to snow. Much appreciated.

I still love hearing from everyone, so don’t forget about me!!! I love detailed e-mails with lots of updates. J Talk soon. Miss you all.