It'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been

The past few days have felt a little eventful in the grand scheme of things as I have become very aware that this is officially the longest time I've ever been away from home. Being a Carlisle dweller and deciding to study there means that even though I've been to University I've never felt far from home at any stage of my life except for Camp America, which in 2005 saw me away from the UK for three months. The three month mark in NZ  passed just six days ago. With Christmas looming and calls from home telling of all things pre-Christmas, I obviously can't help but feel a tiny bit home sick. Mum mentioned she's been in over drive in the sticky toffee pudding making department, the thought of mum's cooking drove me a little loopy . . . however I am starting to explore avenues of cuisine out here and the first experiment has been a success. Last night I made a curry using a paste and method shown by our Asian house mate Boon, when he cooks the smells from the kitchen are unreal and he's always happy to tell me how he does things. I can just imagine when I do go home that I will miss some foods out here, like Hokey Pokey ice cream, Fergburgers and the much more affordable and endless supply of Kiwi Fruit and Avacados. But all of this is faaaaar far in the future, the very idea of going home is long in the distance, and even though I miss my friends and family at home right now, I have yet to have my fill of New Zealand.

view from the staff room at work

I finally started work last week and today I received my proper work shirt, so it all feels some what more official. The hours are very much part time at the moment but I am told if I hold out I will get the hours I so desperately need. It's a very bizarre feeling starting my work at Dick Smith as I seem to have settled right in like putting on an old pair of shoes. Sure I have a lot to learn as they sell every bit of tech imaginable, but it all feels very familiar, one of the other British guys worked for HMV at one point too. The amazing thing about the job is it's in the Remarkables out door shopping centre which lies in the shadow of the Remarkables mountain range and it could not be more spectacular, a far cry from the views around the Lanes I think you'll agree. At first I thought driving to work for 15 minutes would be a hassle, but even though it means I spend some money on petrol every week, it is a bloody great drive.

So the job is sorted, JB and I moved into our lavishly sized room with our own balcony which is suiting us nicely for the time being. However the house has not been kind to my dust mite allergies so once my six weeks minimum stay is up I will definitely be investigating alternative places, hopefully closer to town. We have had some new house mates move in including another Dan who is from Burnley, would you believe it he's even lived in Barnoldswick before. For those not in the know I used to live in a little town called Barnoldswick between the ages of 2 and 12, so to have someone around with a broad Lancashire accent has been a hoot to say the least. We went for a hike up a nearby hill the other day and found what has to be the best idea for hanging out around here. As pictured there were two car seats perched on top of the hill with a pit full of charcoal next to them and bottle caps strewn across the area. I think one night it would be worth a visit to watch the sun set with a few beers. Every day I wake up and look out on the mountains and feel very lucky to be living here right now, but more so it's willing me to get a mountain bike sorted asap. There are some opportunities arising and trademe.co.nz is proving very useful. Trade Me is every New Zealanders answer to Ebay, as it doesn't seem to have reached this part of the world, or the fee's are just too high for it to take hold here. So hopefully in the near future I'll be blogging about my new bike :) I've made friends with some local bikers thanks to my good friend Aimee up in Auckland who's sister Erin lives here with her British boyfriend Craig. They both are biking mad and I went to their house the other night to celebrate Erins birthday and met even more local bikers.

Anyway I hope to blog about something more interesting soon as I now have a little money come in, so I might dare a road trip or two to explore the surrounding area which I'm told is amaaaazing. Thinking of all the folks back in blighty, hope you're all doing well and have a very merry Christmas. Ciao for now.