First day on the job and being dubbed "shithead"

Couldn't believe how LOUD one of my dorm mates was last night...holy snoring!! It was insane. Luckily, I fell asleep fairly quickly...

I woke up, had a nice long shower, and ate breakfast with my new English friend John. When I was packing up my stuff, I found a card that mom had left me with two calling cards in it! What a lovely surprise :-) Thanks mom! John and I both checked out and he went down to the beach and I went to work! Like, literally, right to work...I dropped off my pack in the office and Mark goes, “Okay! Come with me – I'm just showing another girl how to clean the bathrooms.” Alrighty then! Ended up teaming up with Paula, a girl from Scotland who is here for about 3 weeks. She helped to show me the ropes and figure out what to do and how things should be cleaned. We cleaned two of the BIG suites in the Resort and together it took us just over 2 hours. So, from 10-12pm every morning, I'll be cleaning for my keep! :-)

I was sweaty and hot after working, so I figured it would be a great time for a swim in the ocean! So, I hit the beach. It was a gorgeous sunny day – perfect for the sand and sun. It really is beautiful here. There are islands to be seen from the shore and you can see the town of Russell on the other side of the bay. Lots of sailboats in the water too! There were lots of people out to enjoy the beach but it wasn't too crowded by any means.

When I got back to the hostel, I made myself some lunch and chatted with James, an English guy from Liverpool. He told me that he is a professional football (soccer) player in NZ. I found out from him that I can take out a kayak for free from the hostel so I am definitely excited about that!! Tomorrow perhaps?

It started raining like mad when I was eating lunch and didn't let up for a good couple hours. So, I stuck around the hostel and learned a game of cards called “Shithead” from Paula and her friend Davina (also from England!). And, I lost – thus being rightly dubbed “Shithead.” Crap. :-)

The room that I was put in is great! There is actually no one else in the room at the moment. Really nice to have my own space for a while. I even snagged a double bed!! Wahoo!! Hopefully I get to stay in this same spot for the whole time I'm here. We'll see though.

I read for a while from my current book, “The Mermaid Chair.” and then started watching “Two Weeks Notice” with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock in the hostel lounge with a bunch of others. The rain made it a perfect night for movie watching.