Written 2023-07-08, Published 2023-08-08
Day 1
If you prefer markdown,
The Flight (NZ29)
16 hours in the air is a long time! I ended up putting off sleep until 19h00 NZDT, and slept until around 2h30 (~7hrs). I started and finished The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, which fucking rocked, it absolutely deserves its Hugo. Dinner was really tasty, brekky was bland, but soon enough I was off the plane! My bags didn't arrive, which fucking sucks, but I am hopeful that that will get sorted out soon enough. New Zealand has really strict biosecurity, so after customs there was a whole scanning + search area purely for biosecurity. The university shuttle wasn't expecting me even though I had messaged them, but it ended up working out. I got to see the sun rise over Auckland as we drove into town.
student housing (derogatory)
Imagine a worse La Cit. Bedrooms smaller than Solin, no attached bathrooms, and funky communal kitchens + fridges. I have a twin bed (which isn't too uncomfortable), desk, and a lot of cabinet + closet space. Everything is keycard activated, like at McGill, but it means I have to remember my wallet when I go to the bathroom which is :/. At least the laundry is free!
idk first day activities
After getting my stuff up in my residence, I was free! First things told (wtf is a 'first things told'?), I wanted a shower. I walked to the only place that was open at 8am on a Saturday, a grocery store called Countdown, which felt very Provigo-y (ie bad. it has grown on me since). I hate that NZD is worth less than CAD because wow purchases here hurt. With some shampoo, conditioner, and soap (and the most 5\$ underwear), I returned and finally had the cleaning force of the showers, which are controlled by fucking push knobs? Like a sink in a public bathroom? So every minute you have to push it or the shower will just shut off. this is not cool nor good. i am a hater, but fuck that noise. At around 11am I went out proper, walking around campus, getting my student ID, printing some stuff, going down hallways and passageways to see where they led. There's a lot of parks attached to the campus and around in little nooks, so I wandered around some massive tangled trees that seem to have weathered many more years than I. I got breakfast at a place called Scarecrow. Their cappuchino was meh (they put cocoa powder of caps by default which im not sure i like), but they Shakshuka was delicious (after I burned the fuck out of my tongue, tho). I then wandered to some thrift stores (called “op shops” reading this makes me feel like such a tourist) and got a sheet for my bed, a couple pair of jeans (only one would actually fit with liberal use of a belt), and started back home to empty my bag. I explored a graveyard / nature trail under an impressive bridge (that claims to be from 1910!), and set out again from my Res towards Newmarket. I called with Maité on my walk over, stopped for a pastry in the middle of the Auckland Domain, and got my transit card at Newmarket station. I got a phone plan @ a nearby mall with a charming guy who chatted me up about being trans (and definitely thought I was trans masc for the first half of our interaction i know he was mackin on me heavy but i still should've got his number, if only to see what shenanegans he gets into). I went by H&M for a shirt (and also some underwear) and talked with katie as I wandered. I took the bus back North, stopping for a beer at a freshly opening restaurant, and chatted with the owner, his friend, and the newly hired manager. They didn't seem to be making food, so I settled up and with a little power (beer on an empty stomach) walked to Teolbo Korean, where I proceeded to have the best Korean food of my life (that soy sauce chicken has changed me). Now, I've returned, and am running some laundry so I will have clothes to wear tomorrow.
It is good. I am alone. The world is so big.