Dad's apartment was very cool, and his workmates are fantastic. It was a bit of a pity - Mum spent ages with me at the airport and I felt very loved as I stepped on the plane to Auckland, but Dad got a business call and sort-of forgot that he wouldn't see me for ages, and so ust walked off after waving goodbye. I'm lucky he was there at all I suppose.

The airline made a mistake in the upgrading of my flights, so I can look forward to sitting in my flash premium seat on the way home from the states, instead of going to. The flight was pretty bad - I get sick, and so all the time I was trying to stop myself from vomiting over the ldy next to me, who had super-bad breath. Luckily I was nice to the check-in lady who got me the best seats in the plane - right behind the partition seperating us plebs from the big crowd. Lots of leg room, and steaming hot tea delivered every half-hour- paradise! No sleep though.

When I arrived, all's I can say is thank god Andy and Lisa decided that they'd come down. Firstly they have a great car with sat nav, which was cool because A) the hostel is a zillion miles from the airport and no buses go near it B) I had no idea where I was going apart from an address C) the place I'm staying is seperate from the office of the company that owns it, and we had to go there to pick up keys and things, but they didn't tell me this before I arrived. If Andy didn't have his wi-fi gizmit on him then we wouldn't have found the address - what would have happened if the two of them hadn't come down?

I also got myself a bank account very easily from a strange man in a strange bank. Unfortunitly I can't get money in from New Zealand easily because America uses a different transfer system from the rest of the world, and I can't even pay stuff online because I don't have a socal security number. We found this out when I bought a new mobile, and Andy spent forever trying to connect it for me. He is having to stump up the capital and I am pathetically, pathetically greatful. I now hav to sort out how to pay him back. Luckily the bank did give me a check book. Why? Who knows.

My room is in a basement. I am not joking - I am next to the comman room, the lundry and a guy named Greg. I haven't met Greg yet, but he lives next door and his nametag is there, so hey. I do get my own bathroom (with Greg and the visiters to the comman room), my on fridge and my own mircowave. Why? Who knows. My opening line is going to be - "Hi. My name is Margie, and I'm the New Zealander who lives in the basement."
It has a certain something.

Signing off from America

Margie

My firt American meal was a Lebonese lamb dish. It was fantasic, but so big! I passed on dessert - far to much for me!

Tomorrow I go on a supermarket hunt. Wish me luck.

written by  Crosswood on August 17, 2007 from Berkeley, United States
from the travel blog: New Zealand Student, American University.
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I sent you a text goodbye... but if you are buuying a new cell phonei'm going to assume it did not get through. And i agree. I tried to get a room in the basement of one of the flats we looked at just so i could use that very line. Well... that and cause it was the biggest.

written by  Rebecca on August 17, 2007

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