Flashback: An Unexpected Arrival

I woke up on the morning of April 19th, trying to blink away the remnants of the previous night, which had perhaps included too much beer and too little water. I had an appointment scheduled for that morning with someone who was going to show me her apartment up for rent. Since Dejan was going to come in a few weeks, I was going to try and secure a place for us to stay.

I checked my phone and saw it: a message from Dejan. He had been in Amsterdam for the weekend, so I hadn't heard much from him lately. But then he sent me a couple pictures that most certainly were not taken in Amsterdam.

Flashback: The Breakfast Club

We arrived safely in Wellington after a pleasant ferry ride. We were greeted by rain, wind, darkness, and the sounds of a lively city. After a month living on farms, we were absolutely overwhelmed. We tried to keep ourselves together as we found our way to our new hostel...

After a struggle with the buses and incompetent bus drivers that I'd rather not talk about, we finally found our way to the hostel, WorldWide Backpackers. This is by far the best hostel we stayed in during our travels in New Zealand. At first glance it looked small and maybe a bit old, and our first room was unfortunately extremely small. But the hostel had an inexpensive weekly rate, and it boasted free wi-fi and breakfast, which is just about impossible to find in New Zealand backpackers.

The next morning we woke up exhausted and still overwhelmed. After having weeks of quiet time on the farm, suddenly being surrounded by people EVERYWHERE made us feel crowded and uncomfortable. I never thought I would dislike meeting people, but I swear that morning I was determined not to speak with anyone new.

There was only one problem with this plan: WorldWide Backpackers has only one big dining table that everyone has to crowd around. Like it or not, Mariah and I would either have to sit next to strangers, or we would have to not eat. And, given our current financial state, not eating a free breakfast wasn't gonna cut it. So we sat down in whatever seats we could find. I began to eat silently, avoiding eye contact with everyone but Mariah.

But then, to my horror, the guy sitting in between us began to speak.

Our Three-Week Routine

Riding on a high from our recent job loss, life seemed good again. That is, until we realized that we were losing money fast... and now we weren't earning any.

I had about a half a day of panic before the next job rolled in from one of the other temp agencies. This time, I would be working as a housekeeper at Arrowtown House, a luxury boutique hotel run by one couple. It would be every day for the next three weeks. It was PERFECT! Except for the whole waking up at 6am every day, without a break for weekends... But with money on the mind, I accepted immediately.