No photos today

It was a great weekend the last one, we went to Auckland the last saturday for the All Blacks game and was spectacular, the vibe was great and all the people was there to enjoy the game, the coreography before the game with 2 small armies emulating the cavaliers of the mid age ( AB & ENG ) and then the game, with people ( women ) crazy for Dan Carter, the first try of Conrad Smith, everything was amazing.

During the day we went shopping in Auckland, great city, it has something similar with San Francisco but is better, greener and more cosy, I like it. I’ve bought a pair of puma’s, amazing puma’s is better to say ( thanks of Aimee to bring me downstairs there ). Aimee needed to buy new boots but then she haven’t bought them…anyway she was happy after..with her engagement ring! Now it’s official, 14/02/09 Valentine’s day we will get married here in my new country ( i think nowe I can say that, I am not going to move from here! just to travel obviously ).

then the SkyTower, shit! It’s high as the Tour of Paris but I don’t know why i felt vertigo so strong, WoW..

Sunday was relaxed with a Potluck Italian lunch, many italians, about 30/40 people, some old people but some guys too, I’ve met this guy from Udine, 5 years here, resident with a Kiwi-american-japanese girlfriend. He knows Brescia, The “Valle Camonica” and other places up there, he spent 4 years in the army in italy as “Alpino”..it’s amazing because all the Italians here have some interesting stories about them and about the reasons to be in Nz, and all of them are happy to live here, we agree on the things that don’t work in Italy. I have his contact, I will ring him once to go to his house upper Auckland, he said “Io ho poco, ma se vuoi venire su un divano c’e'” translated “I haven’t many things, but if you want to come there is the couch ready”, that’s my people, this is how i wanted to live!

Today or tomorrow I will apply for my visa and my residence, the residence will be frozen till the next march, I Have to live together with my Kiwi for atleast 12 months before to apply for it, but I will do now so I can save the money of the medical tests.

Next update soon,

Tomaso.

Visa, soccer, job, travel, beer

It’s been a busy and short week ( monday was the queen’s birthday ), the job is going well and in three weeks I learnt a lot ( still to learn heaps of things ).

I’ve done the blood test, the x-ray chest and see the doc, so now I am just waiting for the results and then I will apply for my relationship visa ( hopefully the residency too ) and then I will have all the rights like a kiwi ( I don’t know about voting but I don’t care at the moment, I have other things before more important ). I paid 390 NZ $ for all the test ( alot of money ) but atleast I’ve done that so I don’t have to be worried about them anymore ( but the visa cost 560 NZ $ ( bucks for the kiwis ) ). In 30-60 days i will know the result of the request.

Last Thursday I’ve gone to train to this team of soccer, I’ve tried to see if I could play here and they want me to continue to go ( just for fun ), so today I’ve bought soccer boots to go the next tuesday night to play again ( 80 NZ $ for adidas boots, a umbro’s soccer ball and protections ). I can’t play rugby but I can play soccer and I will train every week at night twice so I will fit ( I hope so ). It’s funny because in my team there are guys of the NZ soccer team U23, but I know guys in italy better than them to play and they are playing just in the last division ( terza categoria ), there is also this retired man, a retired soccer player, he’s been playing for Derby County and other good teams in UE.

I decided to go and see the New Zealand Maori, the Maori rugby team of new zealand, they are playing the Pacific Six Nation, in 2 weeks they will play in Hamilton, 25 NZ $ to watch them. It will be good because all of them are good players of the Super14 ( to play with them they must to be 1/16 of maori’s blood, so many players could play with ). I am looking forward the next saturday in Auckland, a shopping morning and then the AB game against England, I am very excited!

I was also thinking to go somewhere for 4/5 days in september ( I want to wait atleast 4 months before to ask for a couple of days off ), maybe Sydney or a Pacific Island ( Fiji, Tonga, Samos, Cook Island, Tahiti..I’ve seen the prices of the flights, 400/500 $ return so I think we can effort for 3/4 days of beach and relax ).

I’ve tried this beer tonight, Moa beer, just one bottle 7 $..Aimee’s workmate said it sucks..I don’t think so, I liked it, it’s expensive but it’s very tasty!

Tomaso.

All Blacks vs England

Got them! we’ve brought the tickets for the All Blacks game in Auckland the 14th of June. IT’s AB VS ENG, hopefully will be a great match, I can’t waiti for it!! :)

tomaso.

Rotorua and others

It’s been a long period this last two week, I was very busy doing staff, jobs, going out and others..but now it seems better, everything is working well and I am very happy. this week first payroll for a week of job, not too bad for the first job in Nz, and it could be better in 6/7 months, the company wants me to do the Forecasting, so the salary could increase fastly, I hope it!

This week I will do all the things to apply for my residence or visa (  I still have to understand if I can apply straight for the Residence ),  and then I have to decide How to do for my driver license, my I talian degree ( I have to evaluate it in Nz ) and then for my my studies here, I want to know what I have to do to start to study and then I want to know what I can do, but at the moment I want to do a Master in Finance ( maybe that might open more opportunities in the future..a family costs a lot and I’d rather have a big family without worring about the money )

The last weekend was the Aimee’s dad’s birthday ( Can I use twice the “Genitivo Sassone”? ) and we had a lot of fun ( I was pretty drunk ) and I’ve danced with Brittany coping her, I was like “Barishnikov” ( can’t remember right )? A lot of people here and many of them asking to me if I am here to stay or just for holiday, I was pretty proud to say that I am here to stay, i love living in Nz and I could not change to come back to Italy at all ( I think other Italians here can understand well why ).

Yesterday we went to Rotorua, and we spent time at the Spa, a private pool with hot water, it was expensive but was very funny and very relaxing, I liked it and i would like to come back with my parents and friends the next time. We spent a couple of hours at “Paradie valley springs”, it’s like a zoo close to Rotorua with Kiwi animals and…9 African lions!! Well, it’s been funny while one of the lions tried to hunt me ( I was running around the lions place and this one was chasing me, hehe fortunatly there was the fence.

Tomorrow 2th of june is holiday here, the Queen’s birthday ( Queen of UK )..when Aimee said to me about that i was surprised that after 50 years it’s still a holiday in Nz, but I don’t want to complain about it, 3 days off are good to relax.

The Photo’s been taken yesterday when we come back from Rotorua, the sunset was amazing!

Tommy.

Job Job Job & medic

Yep, the first week of job is going well, it’s only wednesday but I am looking forward the casual friday, it’s an agony with these formal pants and shirts all the day!

Anyway the job is going well and I like the place and the job too. People are friendly, I think I won’t make many relationships there because the people that i work with are older than me, very older.

I like there, there is a big kitchen and i can prepare my meal there or just a tea or coffee. It’s quite normal here in work places but it was a surprise because in Italy everything is so really different, for example i have 15 min of morning tea and 15 min of afternoon tea, so nice, in italy i hadn’t those pauses, i like it!

Docs from italy are come, so now i need them to be translated and them i can apply for my visa and hopefully the residence.

My medical insurance sucks, I needed to call it because I need a prescription and they just made me many silly questions about my flight back to Italy, f**k off, i have not a ticket back to Italy at all!!! why they want to know it I don’t know. I hope soon to be able to use the kiwi medical service, easier and faster.

Tommy.

Sushi: ginger?? wasabi??

Since I am here in New Zealand I’ve eaten so much sushi and other japanese’s staff. But I like it so much and there is this place in Hamilton, Kino Sushi, and it’s quite a regular location with nothing of luxury or minimal like we can think about a Japan cool restaurant, but its food it’s so good and you can decide what you want eating, every kind of sushi style: smoked salmon, salmon, vegetarian and others..

It’s my favourite place, firstable it’s good the food and then it’s a cheapy place to eat, you can fill your stomac up just for 6/7 dollars,

and the asian people working there are so funny, the last thing that they ask you is: Ginger?? wasabi?

Their pronunce is so funny.

Tomaso.

Tommy’s got a car

Yep, today we’ve brought a Subaru Impreza, after a long negotiation for f***ing 180 ( NZ ) dollars that the seller didnt want to pay for the registration of the car.

Anyway it is a blue Subaru Impreza I guess of the 1997/1998. I’ve tried it today and it works well, automatic clima, cd/cassette player with subwoofer and other stuff..sure, right drive.

And the price? well 2800 dollars, 1400 euro, if i remember well for that same price in italy you can’t find something like that. I wonder why in italy cars are so expensive, but here they are so easy to buy and chaper.

The registration ( passaggio di proprieta’ ) is easy to do ( at the post office ) and the insurrance starts from 100 $. The fuel now is getting expensive, one litre for 1.90 $ ( less of a euro anyway ).

We needed to buy one because of my job is out of Hamilton and we can’t use just one car after it.

I also brought a new song on Ituens, i couldn’t find it on the donkey shop, doesnt matter just one song is 1.79 $, Tiki Taane – Always on my mind. FINALLY!

Tommy.

Yeah, Tommy’s got a job!

Well, i don’t know what to say about it, I was stressed because i want to work as soon as possible, but i have to admit my i searched just for a month and it was the end of april when from the recriutment agency someone called me to tell me about this interview that i have done at Te Wananga, about a position that they wanted to offer me because “they really like me”. But it took 3 weeks because of my references from italy and the burocracy, so i was feeling stressed, waiting for them but don’t know when!

But today was the day and I’ve received the offer for the position of “Treseaure”, funny because at the interview they said that i was too junior and they wanted someone more senior, I think they didn’t find anyone better than me at the moment.

So a full time position, 37.5 hours and the salary is pretty good to be the first job with no experience in New Zealand!

Tommy’s got a job!

Music from Kiwiland

I want to talk about music here in New Zealand, there are a couple of artists that I like, Flight of the Conchords are so funny, and this song is so hilarious:

There is thi guy as well, Tiki Taane – always on my mind:

Enjoy them,

Tommy.

Mothers day and Tairua

Nothing really interesting this last week, just a new pair of All Stars, mine were worn out and i needed of new ones ( even if it was more because i needed to go shopping ) 49 Dollars ( 25 Euro), Good Deal!

Last sunday was The Mothers day and i have to wish to my mum “Happy Mothers day” and to all the mothers as well! To Celebrate we went with all the family to this place near Hamilton, it’s a sort of Caffe’/Garden and we had our lunch there, nice place to bring my italians people.

Next weekend I think me and Aimee will go to Tairua for Sat/Sunday, sure will be a great weekend!

I am Waiting for Te Wananga, “they were happy after my first references” that says the recruitment agency so i Think they will decide about my offer in this week ( i need of it! ), keep the finger crossed!

Tommy.