Philip10
1st December 2008, 12:14 PM
Three Months In Par One
I arrived in Invercargill on September 5th 2008 after a long flight from Heathrow via LA – Auckland – Christchurch. It was a warm sunny day. At the airport, the size or a small UK train station, my soon to be manager picked me up drove me into town, dropped my stuff off at my accommodation for the next six weeks and we walked a small distance through deserted streets and empty shopping malls to a pub/bar where he bought me lunch. The food was good. I have been back to that pub several times with new friends in the intervening weeks have a great rental and yesterday spent the day in Wyndham watching the fantastic street motorbike racing.
So what’s it been like to move from Central London to Invercargill? Well I guess the “culture shock”, – not a phrase I like but can’t think of anything better – is moving from London to anywhere else, particularly a small City like Invercargill. It did take me several weeks to accustom myself, and I still does. “This isn’t London, it’s New Zealand”. However I would be saying that if I had moved to anywhere else in England let alone to the other side of the world. For several weeks I did find Invercargill difficult to adjust to. For those who have never ventured south, Invercargill is a robust commercial and industrial City, the heart of Southland with a seaport a few miles away at Bluff. It is a real place where real activities are carried out, there are many warehouses and light to medium industry undertaken in the city, much like east London some 50 years ago. It ain’t a pretty NZ tourist resort, just like Hackney. So it suits me. I have a great rental a 1930s detached bungalow in the heart of the City, with a garden and a garage something I could never have in London.
I did not have a car in London and I’m determined not to have one here, well OK I cheated a bought a 650 Kawasaki after two months. So for the first few weeks I walked or cycled. This is a great way to get to know a place, if you see a shop or a café you stop, park and go inside. In the first few days sorting out banks, IR No. and NZ driving licence was easy. The shops closing at 5pm and weekend opening 10am – 4pm was not. Starting work was great I’m a Clinical Nurse Specialist doing a similar job to the UK so it was easy to fit in. It takes me about 10 mins to cycle the short distance to work everyday.
So how have I settled in. Well now I go out once or twice a week with friends, have seen the Royal New Zealand Ballet, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Speedway and I’m going to the Appleby Blues Bar this week, apart from many restaurants and pubs, all in Invercargill. As well as the motorbike and bicycle rides around Southland. I think you have to make the effort, I remember a Friday after my first week at work, I was feeling really tired and all I wanted to do was go home and take it easy. However the hospital’s netball team had won a competition and were having a celebratory drink that evening and I was asked to go. So I dragged myself along, one of the best things I did. Met so many people and they all insisted that I was not to buy and food or drink that night. Needless to say I had a really great evening and zigzagged my way home that night.
I should say that perhaps because I am single settling in is easier. Not having to worry about schools and the welfare of ones children. It would be hard to expect perhaps a partner who was used to London life to move to Invercargill because “I wanted a change and if it doesn’t work out well…… I can just go back to my flat in London”. I have met most of my friends by going out a night which is not quite so easy if you have small children to think about, but I guess having children does allow you to meet up with other parents.
So what am I adjusting to and where am I now?
Sorry is such a long posting I think I better call it Part One before you all get bored. Would you all like to read a part two?
I arrived in Invercargill on September 5th 2008 after a long flight from Heathrow via LA – Auckland – Christchurch. It was a warm sunny day. At the airport, the size or a small UK train station, my soon to be manager picked me up drove me into town, dropped my stuff off at my accommodation for the next six weeks and we walked a small distance through deserted streets and empty shopping malls to a pub/bar where he bought me lunch. The food was good. I have been back to that pub several times with new friends in the intervening weeks have a great rental and yesterday spent the day in Wyndham watching the fantastic street motorbike racing.
So what’s it been like to move from Central London to Invercargill? Well I guess the “culture shock”, – not a phrase I like but can’t think of anything better – is moving from London to anywhere else, particularly a small City like Invercargill. It did take me several weeks to accustom myself, and I still does. “This isn’t London, it’s New Zealand”. However I would be saying that if I had moved to anywhere else in England let alone to the other side of the world. For several weeks I did find Invercargill difficult to adjust to. For those who have never ventured south, Invercargill is a robust commercial and industrial City, the heart of Southland with a seaport a few miles away at Bluff. It is a real place where real activities are carried out, there are many warehouses and light to medium industry undertaken in the city, much like east London some 50 years ago. It ain’t a pretty NZ tourist resort, just like Hackney. So it suits me. I have a great rental a 1930s detached bungalow in the heart of the City, with a garden and a garage something I could never have in London.
I did not have a car in London and I’m determined not to have one here, well OK I cheated a bought a 650 Kawasaki after two months. So for the first few weeks I walked or cycled. This is a great way to get to know a place, if you see a shop or a café you stop, park and go inside. In the first few days sorting out banks, IR No. and NZ driving licence was easy. The shops closing at 5pm and weekend opening 10am – 4pm was not. Starting work was great I’m a Clinical Nurse Specialist doing a similar job to the UK so it was easy to fit in. It takes me about 10 mins to cycle the short distance to work everyday.
So how have I settled in. Well now I go out once or twice a week with friends, have seen the Royal New Zealand Ballet, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Speedway and I’m going to the Appleby Blues Bar this week, apart from many restaurants and pubs, all in Invercargill. As well as the motorbike and bicycle rides around Southland. I think you have to make the effort, I remember a Friday after my first week at work, I was feeling really tired and all I wanted to do was go home and take it easy. However the hospital’s netball team had won a competition and were having a celebratory drink that evening and I was asked to go. So I dragged myself along, one of the best things I did. Met so many people and they all insisted that I was not to buy and food or drink that night. Needless to say I had a really great evening and zigzagged my way home that night.
I should say that perhaps because I am single settling in is easier. Not having to worry about schools and the welfare of ones children. It would be hard to expect perhaps a partner who was used to London life to move to Invercargill because “I wanted a change and if it doesn’t work out well…… I can just go back to my flat in London”. I have met most of my friends by going out a night which is not quite so easy if you have small children to think about, but I guess having children does allow you to meet up with other parents.
So what am I adjusting to and where am I now?
Sorry is such a long posting I think I better call it Part One before you all get bored. Would you all like to read a part two?