6 Months In

I realized I've been in NZ for more than six months! That's half a year! "Time flies when you're having fun" sabi nga nila. The reality is, living in a foreign country is not fun all the time, homesickness doesn't sound as bad until it hits you, being away from your family, friends, the people you love and all the comforts of home. But when I really feel down, I take comfort in the fact that I've been very blessed, looking at it now, I think I had a relatively easy experience compared to other Pinoy migrant horror stories I heard.

When I applied as migrant, I skipped several requirements saving me time and several thousands of pesos. Thanks to Mapua for being a recognized institution, I skipped my NZQA assessment and IELTS which would have cost a considerable amount of moolah, money I can spend for food and other stuff I need. My bosses in Accenture have been extremely supportive and have been helpful throughout the process and extended beyond what other organizations would do to work out a setup, even though it didn't push through, the efforts are very much appreciated. My kuya who sponsored by business class (ako na!) one-way ticket to fly here. My relatives who moved to Auckland from Rotorua just in time for my arrival (no they didn't move because of me but they considered the timing which I'm very thankful for!), support from family and friends, of course, the last but not the least, my girlfriend Kim, who have been patient, supportive and behind my back all this time and who also got her visa today! Yeey! Thank God!

Told myself months before I left for NZ that I'll document my adventures in this blog, 6 months later, you are reading my second entry! Bwahahaha! For the sake of this entry, sige, I'll just list down the highlights of my past 6 months here:

The Flight

It was a long 15-hour flight from Manila to Auckland, excluding 5 hours stopover in Bangkok. The experience was very pleasant, thanks to comfortable VIP lounge with overflowing free food and drinks. Business class seat was definitely more comfortable (for its price, it better be!) and the personal entertainment, huge leg room and 70 degree reclining seat made all the difference between an agonizing, can't sleep, can't move, can't pee economy versus champagne-drinking business class (pagbigyan niyo na minsan lang to! hehe)

Kelan kaya ulet ako makakapag Business Class?

Arrival in Auckland

A sunny sky greeted me as I landed in Auckland around 2PM. The view of NZ is equally stunning from the ground as it is from the sky. The clean breeze of air was also noticeable as soon as I got out of the airport, my uncle with his family who I met for the first time, picked me up. After dropping by Dunkin Donuts for the kids, we headed to their house -- my home in the last 6 months.

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Prepping up
Despite the overwhelming feeling of actually being in NZ soil (had to pinch myself every now and then to check I wasn't dreaming hehe), I did not waste time. Tita took me to the nearest AA office the following day to apply for IRD, counterpart of TIN, which I would need for work and other tax-related transactions. Also got myself a local sim card from 2Degrees for my cellphone then went for a stroll around the mall, which by the way is a far cry from the quality of malls we have in Philippines! I found the malls really boring and lack the variety of activities, products and stores we have back home! Did I mention majority of them close at 5:30PM?! Boooorrrriiiinnnggg!!! Hehe

Work
The type of visa granted to me is called Job Search Visa which gave me 9 months to find skilled work, or simply a job in line with the skill I indicated in my application. Basically, taking a job in the farm herding sheep or milking cow won't help me get residency. I'm sorry to disappoint my Navitaire friends hindi ako nagpapastol ngayon! Sirang mga pangarap... haha

After three weeks of walking around Auckland CBD attending recruiter interviews and exploring the area, I landed a job with a company called Flintfox located in North Shore, about 25KM from where I live and just North of Auckland. Not exactly where I initially thought I'd work but it turned out pretty well because I found location not as crowded as CBD and I don't get caught in traffic as I drive on the opposite direction.

Sightseeing
There are lots of amazing scenery in Auckland alone and if you're a photographer looking for some amazing vistas to shoot, you won't run out of it here. Both city and rural landscapes are several minutes away, and parks are all over the place where you can relax, lie on the grass, read a book or something. Unfortunately, I don't like reading books very much, but lying on the grass still works out pretty well for me.

Residency
Great news arrived last month when I finally got my residence visa. All the anxiety and unnecessary worries didn't mean anything after I got my hands on my passport. The weeks prior have been an emotional roller coaster, case officer wasn't replying to my emails for 2 weeks, no news whatsoever, until my status changed online and passport with visa arrived the following day.

Reunited
What I'm really looking forward to now is Kim's arrival next month! Finally! After 7 months of talking and dating virtually on our computers, we can finally talk without the other making inaudible robotic sound when internet speed goes bad or worse drops. If we survived the last 6 months, what's another month right?! Sisiw!

Okay mejo outdated na to kailangan na namin ng bago

I think that sums up what happened in the last 6 months, I look forward to adding new entries which hopefully won't take another 6 months! Haha Ciao!