My article on Stuff.co.nz

The other day my work email was down so I spend quite a bit of time on the Stuff, which is New Zealand's biggest news wesbite.

I found a prompt entitled "The day that changed my life" so I felt compelled to submit an entry since my life had recently been changed.  Little did I know that it would be published an hour later and remain on the front page for a full 24 hours.  Here is the link to the article.  Enjoy.

The Day That Changed My Life

by Ann Pattison

The Last Installment of the Epic Story “The Cat Who Cost Too Much”

The final cat blog, I promise (maybe)

Well it has all finally happened.  Ness is here in New Zealand with me.  After spending three months at “sleep away summer camp” with a few good Tia’s.  After several vet visits and with a tearful eye, she was left with the pet transporter in her carrier ready for the biggest adventure of her life.  And the most expensive adventure too. 

Looking out the bedroom window to all her bird friends

Her flight left late on Monday and arrived in Auckland early Wednesday.  Then another flight from Auckland to Christchurch.  The same route I took three months earlier.  The night Ness was to fly into Auckland the Canterbury plains experienced some of the craziest weather ever.  It was warm outside.  Perfectly warm.  But the wind.  So much wind!  Bins (aka trashcans) were flying down the street.  I saw bikers struggle to bike against the wind.  I swear I saw the telephone pole outside our room sway in the breeze.  Needless to say I got nervous.  I didn’t know which flights Ness was on so I couldn’t track anything and I wouldn’t be picking her up from the airport since Quarantine would be whisking her directly to her cell for 10 days.

On Wednesday mid-morning I finally got the call on a fussy cell connection saying that Ness was safely in Quarantine with no delayed flights.  Somehow she managed to miss all that crazy wind by a couple of hours!  Ah the relief.  Ah the excitement of buying a lot of kitty stuff in a market I know nothing about.  It is hard to buy stuff when you have no concept of brands.  It leads to me just staring at shelves of products reading descriptions over and over.  Thankfully there is a pet store close to where I work and they got to know me pretty well.  A nice worker practically held my hand and showed me various kinds of cat food, litter boxes, litter, toys, treats, everything.  He even indulged me with letting me play with a pup labradoodle named Charlie.

Guy and I knew that we wanted to visit Ness at least once while she was in Quarantine.  I called and I called and I called trying to set up a time to come see Ness.  No answer.  No one was picking up.  Guy tried to call to set up a time.  No answer.  Oddly enough Guy was more panicked than I was.  Thankfully he and his colleagues put two and two together and realized Quarantine did not have power because of the storm.  The wind had downed a lot of trees cutting off power to many people in the countryside.  I called the cell phone number that called me when Ness arrived and lo and behold they still didn’t have power three days later but they had a generator to keep all the animals warm.  Sweet relief!

We visited Quarantine on Saturday.  Armed with a small bag of treats, a favorite toy, and a t-shirt that smelled like Guy and I, we found our kitty tucked up on a shelf in a small room that overlooked a beautiful garden area.  Ness was able to sit in sunshine (if the sun bothered to come out at all), listen to strange birds chirp, smell strange trees, and make best friends with sheep who were a stones throw away from her room.  But she chose sleep on a shelf, hidden behind a towel which was sheltering her from the scary new world around her.  She looked bedraggled and in need of a good cuddle and a good sleep.  I said hello to her and put my hand up for her to smell me.  Almost instantly she was nuzzling my hand trying to get pet all over while I was trying to hide the flood of tears welling up behind my eyes.  Guy and I sat down near her and she jumped down off her shelf to come be with us.  No lap sits but plenty of pets, scratches, and sniffing.  She was in heaven.  Her humans were back.  45 minutes passed in a blink of an eye and we had to leave.  I will never forget the look Ness gave me when we left the room.  I peered through the small window in the door to see the saddest kitty eyes seeming to cry out to me “WHY ARE YOU LEAVING ME AGAIN”??!? 

How can you say "goodbye" to these eyes?

One week later we made the long drive back to bring Ness home.   She was packed up and ready when we got there and Guy drove Ness and I (who were both in the backseat) home.  I can’t lie, it did feel a lot like how bringing home a newborn might feel.  She meowed a LOT.  I quieted her down as much as I could.  She learned how to proper meow from her summer camp cat friend Tovah and was very chatty at the fact she was in her big carrier AGAIN in a moving vehicle.  Guy and I talked about how we were going to deal with a scared cat.  We tried to guess her hiding spots and how we might lure her out of them with promises of treats and lots of petting.  I carried her carrier into the spare bedroom where her litter box, food and water were and opened the door of the carrier.  This was the big moment.  What would she do...... She sniffed things.  A Lot.  Multiple times.  Guy and I watched her walk into every room and sniff every corner while we stayed in the spare bedroom.  After about 20 minutes of sniffing Guy and I decided to give her space and let her explore in her own time so we went for a long walk.  When we came back she was curled up on our bed.  Like nothing had ever happened.  We made dinner and sat to watch the news in the lounge.  She came right on over and sat down on a chair and fell asleep.  No scared cat!  It probably helped everything in the house already smelled of us and she loves us and our smell, but after 45 minutes she was at peace with her new life.  There was a lot of sniffing and sneezing of dust that first week but she settled in just fine.  Better than I ever could have predicted.  It was like the last four to five months never happened! 

New besties

Now we are a happy little family.  Guy loves having Ness about.  Often I find her curled up on his chest in bed getting a lot of pets.  She still seems starved for affection and worries when we both get ready leave the apartment.  She has always had a high amount of concern for me while I shower, so that hasn’t changed, but she can’t wrap her head around me reading in the bathtub.  That is a huge worry for her but she respects my space and sits outside the door as my guard kitty. 

I got her a food dispenser which the cat has to move a lever inside for the food to come out.  She eats one kibble at a time.  Her food/water is in the lounge, her litter box in the spare room, and her sleeping chair is in our room which all means she has to walk a lot.  Her bare belly is losing weight and it makes me feel like a good cat Mom (I try not to think she lost weight because of high amounts of stress).  She is a happy and healthy addition to our NZ home.  I couldn’t be happier with what I have when I go home.  A boyfriend who takes great care of me and a cat who dotes on my every move.  I am one lucky girl.  The only thing we don’t talk about in our apartment is how much this whole move cost.  I could not of had her furry body keeping me company without the love and support of so many people in my life.  Some people have asked me if I knew how much the whole move would have cost to have Ness in NZ, would I still do it?  And my answer is Yes.  Of course.  She means the world to me and her loving comfort is the embodiment of the love I left back in the States.  So when she is sleeping soundly in my I think of all my family and friends who made this dream possible. 

 

Thank you for my cat.  Thank you for helping my cat get to my lap, on the other side of the world.  Guy thanks you too.  So does Ness.  Stay tuned for a family Christmas portrait.

From Guy

Hello Everyone.

This time it is Guy (the Kiwi) posting.

It has been one hell of a ride for one pretty American girl so far. Here last post covered most of what has been going on (ever so briefly) but I get the feeling some of you are expecting more, i don't know . . . . epic-ness, from her travels.

To this end, I threw this together on Thursday night. Keep in mind, this just touches on the really epic stuff!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjKrudACP-Y

Working 9 to 5, well more like 8:45 - 4:45, or more like 8:45 - 16:45

This post has been a long time coming. I would like to give my good friend, Libby, a special shoutout for always having such a sad face on her when there is no new posts. I hope this, in time, will make up for the lack of posts.

Holy crap I got a job!

Backstory:
I spent 3 – 4 weeks enjoying unemployment. I slept in a lot. Found Guy and I an apartment. Settled into the apartment. Got things set up. Cooked. Watched Hulu. Slept in. Biked. Lots of biking. Lots of trips to the local library and to the grocery store where I would stare at the shelves of brands I don’t know. Then the money started to run out. I needed a job. I started to apply to almost everything I could, anything that sounded remotely interesting. But not once did I get any kind of callback for an interview. I was frustrated. Guy could tell so he recommended a couple of recruiting offices he used when he was job hunting awhile back. I signed up with two recruiters. With one I went into their office on a Tuesday. That Wednesday she said I had an interview on Thursday. I went to the interview which lasted MAYBE 12 minutes and I thought I bombed. Three hours later on that same Thursday I was told I was hired and started Monday. Like whoa. Made my head spin.

So where am I? What am I doing? Something completely and utterly different from SFDS. I am working 40hrs/week at an insurance company. My job is to schedule times for building assessments for properties that have been damaged in the Canterbury Earthquakes several years ago. I call people, make a time, put it onto quantity surveyor and loss adjustors calendars. That’s it. It is super easy. The atmosphere is pleasant. Several other temps on my team from all over the world. Flexible hours. I can listen to music on my ipod. It is only a 12 minute bike ride from my flat!

I like being able to have an income source and I am coming up on my first month of having all bills basically paid off. My weekday nights have become very boring but absolutely wonderful. Guy and I will go to the gym when we can, watch episodes of Community or True Blood, make yummy dinners, go to bed before 10pm. It is super wonderful to have someone to do the boring stuff with. And I am getting better (I think) at cooking! I made a curry from scratch the other day. Chicken with mash and peas last night. Cottage pie. Stir fry. Soups. Baked veg, mostly broccoli. Pork fried rice from a leftover pork roast.

I am happy to have more people to talk to in my daily life even if we are not talking about anything too interesting. Several of the girls on my team are in my position of just moving to ChCh (Christchurch) on a visa and are trying to make some monies. Most of the others are Kiwi’s from all over who are helping out with this temporary project of getting the earthquake damaged houses in check. They help me learn lots of new NZ stuff, here are some examples:

-“Quay” is pronounced “KEE” not “K-WAY”
-“Madras” (a street) is “Mad-Rass” not “Ma-Drus”
-“Speights” (a beer) is “Spa-Eights” not “Spa-Ights”
-“Good as gold” is an awesome phrase and can be used in most every situation
-Morning tea happens at 10:30am, be there
-Tuesdays are free-fruit days
-Tea is consumed more than coffee here
-Insurance call centers are noisy but amusing
-------I have learned that if a fridge breaks down the food inside is insured, assuming you have receipts for the food
-------If you have one ring covered you can only use the money to buy one ring, not two
-------Old people put in a lot of claims causing the claims handler to yell, loudly
-My eating cereal in my yogurt is weird but an awesome idea
-Coconut water is a starting trend
-Irish people have a tough time saying the word “thermal”

This job is supposed to end of November (also known as Thanksgiving) or around Christmas (also known as the Winter holiday break). I will be sad to see it go but if they asked I probably would not stay. Insurance is boring.

I miss my old work community. The Day School is all I have ever known as an office environment. I guess you don’t realize how good you have it until you are experiencing something else somewhere else. I often spend time thinking about what the kids are doing, wondering if I will remember any names when I visit, wondering if anybody will remember my name when I visit, and when I will visit. Many Day School people skyped me the other day and it warmed my heart to know how many people still miss me.

I'm still here

Wellington, on the South side of the North Island, got a 6.5 earthquake the other day.  Yikes!  What is up with me living in places that always want to shake down to the ground?!?  Thankfully the quake had no effect on Christchurch in any way and we didn't even feel it.  Wellington is slowly recovering from its minor damages. 

So what have I been doing the past week or so?  So much and nothing at all at the same time.  First off, the important news, is that Guy and I got ourselves an apartment so no longer will we be squatting in Dan's apartment.  I can finally unpack my suitcases.  Here is a picture of our new place.  The building is a cute cottage on the corner which is actually two flats.  We have the flat on the right side in the picture.  That big bay window is our bedroom.  Behind that is the second bedroom for visitors (like you, yes you), a lounge, and a kitchen.  Bathroom is off the hallway.  It is super cute and I have a good gut feeling that it will work out just fine.  We have it until February with the option to renew if all is going well.  

The red door is our front door

I keep applying to jobs. Nothing yet, but I'm still plugging away at it hoping/praying that I'll get a chance on something that I am semi interested in. I've been spending a lot of time at local cafes using free wi-fi to get me out of the house. They have a drink I am digging a lot called the flat white.

A flat white is a coffee beverage developed in Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s. It is prepared by pouring microfoam (steamed milk from the bottom of a pitcher) over a single or double shot of ristretto espresso. It is similar to the latte and the café au lait although smaller in volume, having a higher proportion of coffee to milk, and more velvety in consistency.

Thanks for the definition Wikipedia.  Here is a picture of my recent flat white with a silver fern latte art on the top.  It hits the spots.

I've also have been spending a lot of time mindlessly wandering around Hagley Park.  I wandered into the Pinetum, which is a nice collection of pines and coniferous trees.  The park is so empty during the week it boggles the mind.  A bit more crowded on weekends, but overall it feels like my own special place when I bike alone in the afternoons.  

The other day it was a beautiful day!  It was 16 degrees outside!  Don't know what that means?  I barely do.  It was about 60 degrees fahrenheit which meant that I could be outside, briefly before the sun went down behind the mountains, without a jacket!  After a breakfast of hashbrowns and bacon, and Guy going to the gym while I biked around town, we walked over to the Rapaki Track just on the outside of town.  It seemed like half of the city was there enjoying the sunshine.

The Rapaki Track is there the "A" pin is

The walk was lovely.  A bit strenuous but the burn in my legs just told me that I need to do that more often.  Along the hillside going up Guy and I saw a bunch of sheep!  I'm still not over seeing and talking to the sheep.  I even saw some lambs!  I asked Guy endless questions about sheep, "where do they sleep" "are they scared" "do sheep like to live in herds" "what does their poop look like" "why is that one jumping around like that" "who owns these sheep"?  He could answer... most.  Here are some pictures!

A Mom and her lamb

My first semi close encounter with a lamb

My first semi close encounter with the Rapaki Track

Another semi close encounter with Some Guy

My first weekend

Upon arriving in NZ I stayed with Guy at his parents place while his parents were still in Europe.  His parents' house is on the other side of the hill from Christchurch, about a 25 minute drive out of town.  The drive felt very much like driving up Mt. Tam (a mountain in Marin) with the sharp turns, high overlooks, and beautiful views.  I stayed at the house/farm for several days on my own while Guy was at work.  It was my responsibility to keep the fire going and relax.  Life is hard.  NOT.

I slept in, read, figured out how to watch Hulu not in America, and snacked.  There was constantly a chill in the air, which was worse at night, but sitting by the fire was lovely.  At the warmest parts of the day I ventured outside to explore a bit.  The house is high on a hillside, overlooking Governors Bay, with a small sheep population on the farm (Guy says there are about "30 head" of sheep on the property to keep the grass down).  The view looking out was lovely.  

Looking out from the front door

I talked to the sheep.  They just stared at me.  I promised I wasn't a predator.  They didn't believe me.

  

No houses nearby whatsoever.

A side view of the front yard.  On the left is the front grass area, on the right is the house.

On my second full day at this house with no one to talk to and waiting for Guy to come home, I ventured into "town" to the local pub.  Before I went in I walked down to the jetty at Governors Bay and was pleasantly happy that I did.  Despite the sky spitting and dribbling rain on me in sporadic outbursts I walked along the water as far as I could but had to come to a stop when a "slip" had poured lots of tree, dirt, and debris on the walkway making it impossible to completely walk the path.  The view was lovely.  No one was around.  It was me, the rain, the water lapping onto the rocks, and the very distant sounds of cars.  A new happy place and I cannot wait to see it in the Spring/Summer months.

A kea.  Not my pic.

On my first Sunday Dan drove Guy and I out to Arthurs Pass, a pass that connects Canterbury (where Christchurch is located) with the West coast of the South Island.  We left the Canterbury plains in a cold but sunny morning to drive up through the mountains which got increasingly more cold and rainy.  The views reminded me of the drive into Yosemite but with more rivers everywhere.  We kept driving and when it was time for a potty break there was light hail outside.  At the rest stop I met my new favorite bird, the Kea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kea).  It's a cheeky bird.  Big, we're talking large parrot sized, and smart, like it knows how to charm humans for food.  One kea flew up onto the hood/bonnet of the car and stared Dan our driver right in the face, then hopped over to the side mirror on the passager side looking inside at the two boys.  I was coming back from the restroom and as it sat on the mirror watching me approach it was not scared at all.  I opened the passenger door as it was still perched on the mirror just watching and waiting.  It did not hop off the car till we were almost out of the parking lot/car park.  The kea now has my heart.  Damn cheeky bastard.

We continued to drive into the pass and the weather quickly changed for this California West coast girl. SNOW!  I even got out and hopped in it!  Then quickly hopped back into the car, it was COLD.  As we approached the pass we quickly contemplated having to put on our snow chains, it was that bad.  Soon we just chose to turn back when we saw a small car off the side of the road on its side.  Semi-fresh tracks too.  That made my heart beat fast!  Guy jumped out and went to check to make sure no one was still in the car.  Thank God whoever the car belonged to got out safely.  We turned around and not 5 minutes later the authorities closed the pass.  We headed home.  It was a long day out but a memorable one.  I commend the boys for showing me three weather patterns in one day.  NZ and I are off to a great start.

Miss me yet?

Feel free to email me at annmpattison@gmail.com.  I will try to respond.

Keen on using that Skype account you swore you'd use more? Annmpattison.

Ever notice the FaceTime app on your phone/iPad/computer? I'm there too. Annmpattison@gmail.com.

I miss you all! Here is a picture of my view from the only pub in Governors Bay where I am waiting patiently for Guy to get off work.  We are making spaghetti tonight!