Think positive!!

I'm developing a taste for bagels and cream cheese! We do have them in NZ but they're more widely available here. Cinnamon and raisin with plain (light) cream cheese is my current thing. Blueberry bagels with strawberry cream cheese are pretty good too!

After several days of eye drops, my eyes were not improving, so I decided it was time to see a doctor. I went to a place nearby where I thought I'd seen some medical practice signs and entered this slightly tired and run-down looking grey building. I inquired at this tiny pharmacy with dirty carpet and half-stocked shelves if there were doctors in the building, and she sent me up to the second floor to see if I could get an appointment. I entered the pink waiting area with pink vinyl seats, broken flower pots, and generally depressing 70s/80s decor and enquired with the receptionist who quickly made it clear she didn't want to help me. I didn't have a health care card for one thing, everyone has to have one she says, and then concedes that as a visitor perhaps I can pay cash. So I finally got the dragon to get me an appointment and the doctor was able to see me in about 10mins! His office was like entering a time warp -wood veneer panelling peeling off the desk and examination table, marble inkstand with plastic ink-wells, no computer, one of those nasty clear plastic floor mats faded yellow, and to top it all off, a faded watercolour of headless musicians! He gave me a prescription for more eye drops ("Those over-the-counter ones never work", apparently) and I hurried out of there. Think I'll look for another doctor, should the need arise again!!

It seems that it was a good move to get an apartment right away, even though it's just for a month. I keep meeting other job-seekers who are so stressed out because they're living in a hostel while trying to find work. Although the apartment is not cheap, its actually cheaper than being in a hostel for a month! And I get my own room and a good nights' sleep every night! I had a couple of new friends over last night, an Aussie girl and a German girl, and they are getting really tired of the job hunt and both are thinking about packing it in and going home. Apparently it's really hard to get employers to take you on when you're on a work visa, because employers get sick of these young people who stay for only 6 months or so, and then leave! Now they tell me!! I've also heard other stuff like employers here are really bad at getting back to you when you apply for a job, and that it often takes a couple of months to find work. I'm trying to stay positive!

Went to look at an apartment yesterday and it was one of those ones where as soon as you walk in, you think 'No, it's definitely not for me' and I would have said so if only the woman let me get a word in. She talked non-stop for 30 minutes and everything in her apartment was mint green. Everything - even the wastepaper baskets, and a mini trampoline that had mint satin trim. The only area not minty fresh was the bedroom for rent, which was all done in lilac! It was creepy and I just wanted to leave. She casually said towards the end of her 30mins, 'Oh, by the way, I sleep on the couch. You won't notice, about 5 minutes before I go to bed, it turns into my bedroom'. You have to watch out for that here and remember to ask how many bedrooms there are and how many people live there.

I went to look at another apartment today which I really liked. It's in a heritage building with high ceilings and wood panelling and the girl renting it was pretty cool (and she had her own room!). But my dilemma is, do I take on a really nice place that is kinda expensive, before I find a job? On the one hand, taking it fits with the 'think positive' thing - move in to a place I love and believe I will find work soon - but on the other hand, it's quite scary to watch your savings evaporate and not know when or where you might find work! I said I'd think about it and get back to her tomorrow.

So the current score is:
Applications sent: 4. Interviews: 0. Job offers: 0.