One month in....

It was four weeks ago today that we stepped onto NZ soil to embark on this grand adventure. Can you believe it? At first the time seemed to pass slowly. Well, that is no longer the case. I feel as though the weekdays fly by and the weekends zoom past even faster. But you know what? So far (and this won't always be the case) we've been able to take a break on the weekends. I know, it's what normal people do. They work during the week and rest on the weekend. Well, in Bozeman we worked during the week and the majority of the weekend as well. Now that we have a little time can you imagine our delight to be able to wake up whenever, walk down to a cafe for brunch and then do whatever we want for the rest of the day?! It's like vacation for us workaholics except that we're not on vacation. We're home. Amazing! :)

I really wanted to share some of the things we've accomplished in four weeks. Here goes the list....

• We have found a flat and outfitted it with the necessities to cook, clean and do laundry. Just so you know being able to do these things in your own home is totally awesome. Admittedly, I took 'having these things in place' for granted back in the US.
• We've managed to find homes for our five bags worth of stuff (this is where being creative comes in handy). It's no easy feat in such a small place but we figured it out!! Thanks to some stylish storage containers and an ottoman that doubles as a storage unit).
• We've received IRD (tax) numbers so we can get paid for the work we do while we're here - hooray!
• We've set up a bank account and have matching debit cards. :)
• Tim has started work in the lab at the uni.
• I have resubmitted my application for the PhD program in Psychology. And while I don't have the official 'good news' yet everyone is treating me as if I'm a member of the department already. It's cool.
• While I'm waiting for news of my acceptance to arrive (hopefully at the end of the month) I have secured work at the uni as a 'tutor' (i.e. TA, teaching assistant) for a research design course in the Psych department. I have four sections of 20 students and we start on Monday. :)
• We've discovered and sampled some of the many indian restaurants in the city center. Yum!
• After weeks, yes weeks, we finally have internet at home. So. Awesome!
• We've been walking fiends ever since we got here. I love it!
• We're learning the bus system so that if the weather is rainy we don't have to hike up the hill to campus in a downpour. Yes! With that said we have Snapper cards (bus credits).
• We've applied for driver's licenses (but have not received them yet). I know, we don't have a car but we wanted to get our NZ ID cards since we're going to be spending some time here. If we decide to rent a car for a trip or, in the distant future, buy a car we'll be set. Technically, we can drive with our US licenses for the first year. To be clear, I have no desire to drive here. The traffic isn't that bad, it's not that. It's the fact that the cars are right hand drive. Think about that craziness for a minute (although out of everyone I think Paul would appreciate this). Wait, wait, wait the fun doesn't stop there. Not only are you on the right side of the car you are driving on the left side of the road. Yeah. I've put it out of my mind. At this point I'm content to walk, figure out the bus and/or train. :)
• We're loving the cafes that are everywhere!
• We're happy to report that our Kindle Fire works here (we weren't sure if it would or not, we were expecting 'not'). This fact is a lifesaver for me as book lover. Last weekend we checked out a bookstore and I was crushed. I knew the books, like most everything else, would be more expensive. However, I did not expect them to be TWICE as expensive. (Frowny face) With that said the Kindle is my new favorite friend for reading. Books were always a treat for me but I cannot, for the life of me, justify $30 for a trade paperback (they'd be about $14-15 in the US).
• To feed my book habit we are also working on completing the applications for our library cards. :)
• We've become big fans of the weekly farmer's markets. So many good freshies and at reasonable prices.
• We're learning the city. Timmy picked up the 'grid' right away. For me it took a bit longer but now I feel as though I know my way around. It's a good feeling. :)

So there you have it. Four weeks into our time here and we are doing well. I was sure that this would be the case but when you move to another country you never really know what is going to happen. Heck, you never know what is going to happen no matter what you're doing! :) But yes, we are well and hope you are too!! :)