Difficulties of being a Foreigner

When you pick up your entire life and move around the world its easy to dream about how easy it will be, but the reality is that even though people speak the same language and have a similar culture there are so many unanticipated difficulties that come up.

Having a working holiday VISA means that I technically can only work for three months with one employer. If I want to work longer the employer needs to sponsor me for a temporary work permit. This means that if there is a NZ applicant who is close to the same skills as me, they will obviously get the job first. I expected this, but what I didn't expect was the lack of response to putting CVs out into the world. I am used to a culture that says "thanks for your resume, unfortunately you didn't make the short list". Especially for professional jobs. But at the same time I am finding myself really wondering if it isn't my energy around the resumes that is causing them to not be responded to. When I think about where I would like to see my life going, I do not see myself in an administration role. The idea of jumping into another job where I am behind a desk all day does not appeal to me, so perhaps I am causing the resumes to not be responded to.

Navigating finding people and meeting people becomes so much more difficult when you don't have any idea where to start. I had never had to start over in a new city (besides when I was 5 and moved to the lower mainland) and so have never really had to create a new zone of people for myself. But even when I have had to start meeting new people there has been this wonderful thing called the internet just sitting there waiting for me. Problem arises with New Zealand as it doesn't seem to be a large part of their world here, and certainly there isn't any Criagslist Platonic Ads equivilent here so unless you are looking to date someone there really isn't an online resource for just meeting people with similar interests. So the only options are with courses and classes which cost money that I just can't afford to put out until I have a job bringing in income.

Culture shock is of course less here than it would be many other places but there are just little things that begin to rub you the wrong way. People bump into you and don't say sorry, pretty much all of them, at least in Canada some people apologise. People are very blunt and open here, which I am very much not used to. I am not used to a culture that openly talks about other peoples problems pronouncing who has cancer, or who's child killed themselves due to schoolyard bullies like it is as common as what you eat for dinner. I suppose that I put value in privacy and respect for situations that shouldn't be spread around like gossip.

But weirdest of all is that most every faucet is a double faucet rather than one. I am not sure how people manage to not burn themselves in the simple act of washing ones hands. Its weird these little things that you only seen in the movies that come up and make you realize that you are far away from what you would normally expect home to be like.

But with all the faults I am loving the act of learning a new city. Finding interesting cultural nuances and learning how to navigate them has me infinitely interested in observing. I just at times wish parts of it were easier, but if this trip is testing anything it is my ability to be patient. Patience and the answers will come.