H-I-R-E-D

Bridget:

Hooray for jobs! Craig and I are now both officially employed in New Zealand. I have to say that the process of getting a job here is much different than in the States. Not only do most employers see you for an interview but then have you come in for a “trial run” where you basically have a couple hours to “show them what you can do.” Some places will interview you, do the trial run, and just when you think you’ve got the job……nothing. No phone call, no email, no nothing. Granted, being an American, most New Zealand employers know you will only be here for a short period of time, so that makes the process a bit trickier as well.

So, what are these jobs we landed? Well, Craig is mowing lawns for city parks, rugby fields, and cricket fields for Rangiora, a smaller town about a 30-45 min. drive north of Christchurch. He's got great hours, working Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and pretty decent pay. It's a long commute, but hey, it's a job. He is also working with some authentic New Zealand "good 'ole boys" who have been doing the same job for many, many years. Needless to say, he's been getting quite the Kiwi education so far.

I finally landed a chef job at a restaurant about a five minute walk from my house, so I'm pretty stoked about the ridiculously short commute. They have me doing the "larder" station, which we call "garde manger" in the States. Simply put, it means I'm in charge of all cold foods, like salads, appetizers (which they call entrees), and any garnish or part of the plate presentation that gets a cold food. They also have me learning prep, breakfast, and the other stations, which is fantastic for getting experience in the culinary world. So far so good...I love the restaurant and the people I work with are super friendly and helpful. I think the hardest part so far has been learning to understand their accent and slang, which there is a lot of. Even though Kiwis speak English, there are so many things they call a different name. My first night, the sous chef asked me if I wanted "curry for tea?" I politely said no, but thought to myself, "gross...who would ever put curry spice in your hot tea?" After seeing how perplexed I was, they realized what I was thinking and informed me that tea means dinner. So yes, I did have curry for tea that night (after the laughter died down), and it was delicious. :)