Land of Migrants

Kiwi Career Success Seminar
at Auckland Chamber of Commerce

Helen, the lady wearing a red top, kept me busy for the past three days. She facilitated the KCS seminar which covered things like the Kiwi work environment, tailoring your CV and cover letter and basically just equipping us migrants with all the right tools and linking us to their members. Did you know that 80% of jobs in NZ are not advertised? That most of the businesses here are SMEs. And that networking is essential? And it's often important to have NZ work experience. With this goes volunteer work. Volunteering seems to be well advertised to migrants as the best way to have their first NZ work experience.

It's great that there are so many programs here that aims to help migrants get settled. Maybe it's coz NZ is the 2nd highest migrant-welcoming country in the world. They even got all these refugees.

During the seminar, we found out that there were a handful of us who came in via Silver Fern Visa. We all got some strict personal deadlines on job seeking. There were the wives of principal applicants who are now looking into joining the workforce.

It's also a good experience just to be around people with different cultural backgrounds. Each one shared their challenges during job hunting and the cultural differences in the recruiting/ job application scene. After our mock interview session on day 3, everyone wished me well for my two interviews today. And that alone is already a big pat on the back for me for they've certainly given me that moral boost.

Walking Along Symonds Rd

Motorways, and the Familiar Routes

In one of my walks at the city, I had to cross a bridge to get to where I'm headed. And the bridge was actually on top of this motorway. It was a Sunday and there weren't much people in the city, except maybe tourists or city-dwellers. I took a photo of the motorway coz I think that's one of the many ways for me to reach home, which is towards Waitakere.

I like the walks though it can also be challenging for me not because of the distance but because the wind can get too cold even if the sun's up, especially in the city.

Then in the middle of this busy road called Symonds, my eyes fell towards this patch of green which I first thought was a park.  There it was, looking exactly as how they do in those spooky movies. An old graveyard, and there were quite a few patches of these in Auckland CBD. I'm ot sure if they're kept there for heritage purposes but they sure do give some character to this unknown city.

Graveyard near Grafton Rd

Then I finally made it to my destination, The Langham. I went inside the lobby where it's nice and warm.

Sunday lunch with the Cityfolks

With Myn at The Langham Hotel

While it may look familiar, the Langham brought so many corporate memories from home. So there I was being the first to arrive at the hotel since I'm the one coming from the suburb. Myn and her friends
lives in an apartment within the city and being around them brought a very familiar vibe. As if I'm back in Makati again.

These kind folks that I've met over at lunch takes joy in finding some good market finds for fresh seafood, in filling up their luggage with all Filipino food ingredients despite the risk of it being quarantined in the airport, and of course in the many holiday adventures that they've tried, or have at least considered or just looked upon.

They're all practically neighbors and everyone liked good food, whether homemade or as takeaway. They know where to find them in the city. They've been mostly living in Auckland for at least 4 years and enjoys the convenience of city-life.

After lunch at Eight w/ Waltz, Myn, Joy & Anne

Family Places at Auckland

Yesterday I went to places that's great for families with small kids. At Crystal Mountain, guests are encouraged to pet farm animals, ride a pony and ride a train. They even have some kiddie rides,  including a small rollercoaster where my two-year old flatmate simply had a blast! Afterwards it was late lunch at Western Springs Park, just across Auckland Zoo. There were so many families out today coz the sun's out and it's probably the first warm Saturday after winter. We still have the zoo in our itenerary for the day so eventhough it would have been great to just lie around in the park all day, we had to go again.

Auckland Zoo was full! There were a lot of folks with small kids, mostly toddlers either strapped or on strollers. The zoo got a variety of animals and blends in some natural history of NZ as well as some environmental campaigns.

We were in there for about 3 hours and I really felt exhausted. I've been out all day the day before and here I am again walking about. 

Kangaroos

 After the zoo, we drove to up to One Tree Hill. The hill is like a far with sheeps grazing in the pasture. That's the interesting contrast that's probably unique to Auckland, having a farm or a horse in one's backyard within Auckland. The house owner on where we went to just a few paces from our place owns a horse! And i see a lot of boats parked next to the garage in the homes here.

Sheep in their pasture, One Tree Hill

As the sun sets, I got occupied with trying to feel my numb fingers and in trying to get a nice view of Auckland at dusk. I can see how big Cornwell Park is and how many Sakura trees there are. I'm sure it's all going to be beautiful when the flowers bloom. I miss my kids more.

Dusk at Auckland Central

Family at North Shore

Facebook does bring people together. So there I was again at Takapuna Central Platform 2, stepping off the bus and walking towards the direction of Fresh market, which is just across Burger King. Then I saw a familiar face, whom I was studying just the other night on FB. It's Tita Cynthia with her son Jod. They drove me around Takapuna and Milford first just to show me around and then rode all the way up to Albany to check on the new house and the new housing development site that was being offered them. I met Floyd who worked at Chelsea, the largest sugar factory in NZ.

View from Mt. Victoria

View of Rangitoto Island 

Lake Road on the right; Takapuna towers on the left

I met a couple of people afterwards, from the Apoderado side of the family. We even took a photo of Tita Vinda since the Villamayor siblings(Dad's generation) have been very close to her and probably hasn't seen her for a while. She still doesn't have a facebook page and has almost given up on ever using it.

My day started out great, with a nice long walk to the bus stop at Te Atatu Road. The trip to the city was uneventful. It's really the road trip around Northshore with my aunt and cousin that made my day. A couple of hours rest in their house at Milford then another road trip at night with Tito Boy. He drove us around the city up to Mission Bay. It was Friday night and there were a lot of young people out on the streets and in bars and clubs. The city was picturesque with it's pretty skyline. I wasn't able to take a photo though since we were inside the car the whole time.

It's great to be around family. It brings back all the memories of our family reunions in Dolores.

Railway, Transport and then Consulting?

Cold morning, heavy fog, zero visibility and you can almost see some frost. Then the sun came up and cleared everything around. It was still cold though.

I wasn't quite sure on what my job strategy will be for the day but somehow I found myself diving deeply on making online applications to companies like KiwiRail and Auckland Transport. What caught my attention was a posting from a recruiter saying that the location is just here at Waitakere city. It's library is just walking distance from here.. well, 25minutes of walking at least. I hope I can get into Auckland Transport!

Peeking through the glass door

I've been cooped up in this house, mostly in my room for three days straight working on my applications. It was perfect timing when I noticed the sun at its golden peak! It's sunset and I couldn't resist taking a photo of it, despite the rain.

Job Hunting - Kiwi Style

I sent a few applications last week upon arriving then stopped when I decided to attend a migrant seminar first.

During the seminar last Friday, I picked up the following pointers which I believe helped me figure things out for my kiwi job hunt.

1. Polish your CV, it should be a Kiwi-style CV that fits the advertised requirements.

2. Sell yourself in the cover letter.

3. Build a Kiwi network. Employers prefer an applicant that was referred by one of their employees.

4. Have a strategy in applying. You'll need to keep track of the role that you applied for and through what means did you apply: direct, online, via recruiter or internal employee. 

So I polished my CV and sent it to three people: my flatmate, my friend from grad school and my 2nd degree aunt.

Today, I gave one IT recruitment company a shot just to see how I fared. I applied to four postings early today and just a few minutes after 9am, I got a call from one of them. She'll be forwarding my application to their client and will see how it goes. Each posting has a different handler(consultant), the other two already responded with a nice no via email.

With this, I know now that I have a shot and will be a bit more patient to let my small network tap theirs.

I'm meeting people this weekend and hopefully, I'll chance upon those who can increase my network.

So anybody out there know anyone who lives here in Auckland? PM me ok?

Takapuna Trip and its Warm Surprise

Hurstmere Road, Takapuna

It rained again this morning and it's been darn chilly all day! I'm to take the 130 bus all the way to Takapuna for my IRD appointment. It was a long and scenic ride, 1hr 30mins for about $6.40. The bus route took the Northern Pass Lower Zone. I've seen some nice houses with a great view of the lake unlike here at the west where you only see houses all around.




So I arrived at Takapuna Central 1 hour early. The place looks lovely, like a nice and carefree beach town. It was too early in the afternoon to actually see any activities but the shops and cafes reminded me of the Malate vibe.

Beach Parking for Takapuna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the nice view of the beach have been blocked off by these establishments according to the old man who assisted me at the bank. That's how they wanted it built back in the old days he said. It's to keep people away from the beach.

It was a windy day, and that meant wearing three layers of clothing was just about right (a shirt, some knitwear and a coat). My task for the day was completed early and as I tried to take a look at the beach, i got a nice surprise.

An old friend from grad school called me and said that she wanted to see me in the city since her appointment got rescheduled. Finally, a familiar voice and though exploring Takapuna beach was just as tempting, I know that I can do this again some other time in during the warmer months. I took the next bus headed to the city where I met with Myn. And i suppose the rest will be history. This is more than chance.

The sail that won

My View on the Harbor

Fish & chips on the left, some yummy bread and spread on the right

After some catching up, I now feel more at home since finally, I found an old friend. And this is just because I updated my LinkedIn profile.

Sunday Church and The Flea Market

The 10:30am mass here at Holy Cross is managed by the youth. There's even a section in the church where all the little tykes are gathered where their homily is delivered by someone else, in the form of story telling. That's where my flatmates were seated and I didn't really see what went on there. I was in the main church with everyone else, hearing mass as any catholic person does. Nothing different except maybe the songs orr the melodies.

Arnie and her daughter seem to have caught the flu already since I've been hearing coughing and sneezing here at home. We headed home afterwards to pick up the food. We were going to the flea market, then have lunch at the park.

There's a flea market every Sunday, until 2pm at Avondale Race Track. This is where we got our veggies and fruits. Most shoppers were Asian-- Chinese, Korean, Indian and Pinoy. According to Arnie, prices go lower as the market closes, up to a 50% difference compared with the usual Asian or Fresh fruits store. The place looked almost like the regular street stalls in Quiapo or Baclaran. Nothing special really and definitely not comparable to the posh weekend markets in Salcedo and Legaspi. It has been chilly since after mass, so my flatmates decided to skip lunch at the park and just go home instead.

Tofu with oyster sauce, tausi and green peas were quite filling with some pork sisig (no innards) and rice. Though it was late lunch, it was definitely worth the wait. Then 30minutes later, it started to rain.

Kaikoura and Waitakere Central Library

I'm always happy to see the sun up in cold places like this. I tagged along my flatmates as we headed to a nearby garage sale. The owner has 3 boys and he's got a bunch of toys as part of his items on sale. Arnie scoured some really nice Luminarc bowls, 4 pieces for a dollar. Afterwards, we headed off to a nearby park where we had a wonderful view of the rest of Waitakere. The park is Kaikoura Reserve, which is just a small patch of land really with a playground.

I was still feeling a bit sore from all that walking from last Friday so when we got back, I had to take a nap. They woke me up for lunch which was a good thing as I intended to scour West City to check on the library and then head off to Westfield City mall.

It's just a 5 minute bus ride from whichever bus route for $1.90 so I've decided to take a walk instead.

Walking sure helped give me some bearing. I passed by Holy Cross church along the way and Harts Domain. Then finally, these West City establishments. Seeing Waitakere Mega gave me a boost as I know that I'm getting close to my goal. I saw another lady scurrying along way ahead of me as she seemed to be headed in the same direction as I was. I think I'll be as fit as her after a few more days of walking. What's nice about this place is that there are pathways/ sidewalks for pedestrians and you won't feel poisoned by the traffic since the air still feels crisp and clean.

Finally it's the Great North Road again, and to my left, just a few paces more is Unitec, and next to it is the library. I availed of a library card by registering as a new member. I was required to show any identification and a document that states my address. So I've shown the old lady my passport, and the mail that I got from the bank when they sent me my FPOS as it shows my address there. This membership is free for all Auckland residents and entitles one to use any library within the region.

The library is two floors and you've got 28 days before you get fined for a borrowed book. Not bad compared to the 3 day limit that I remember back in school. You can even  get your books and cds online. And the reason why newcomers like me go to the library is that if I ever have a need to use the computer, the internet, do some printing or photocopying, then the library is the best and cheapest place to go to.

Walk, Train, Bus

I had a 9am appointment at ARMS located at Three Kings Plaza today. It's a free IT Job Hunting Seminar targeted specifically for migrants. I studied the bus and train schedules for this trip through Maxx, Google Maps and Google Earth.

My first train trip was short, just 2 stops. The bus ride from New Lynn to Three Kings was interesting since it was my first bus ride. That's when I realized that all the suburbs looked pretty much the same.

Walking up Queen's Road

From Three Kings Plaza, after my seminar, my new found friends accompanied me to Britomart where I bought a Hop card. A Hop card is like a prepaid card used to swipe for bus fares. You can only buy this at Britomart, their transport center, or where all the buses and trains stop. It is located at the end of Queen's Road which is supposedly known to be a notorious part of the city (just like Ermita). Funny it still looked better off than Berlin's commercial areas.

We passed by the famous Victoria Road. Why is famous? I don't know really, they just say it is. Then I finally had a peek of Sky Tower but since my friends were hungry, our focus was into finding a food court. I did saw this interesting building which is like a famous theater in Auckland. So old!

Walking in this downtown area of CBD is like walking within Paseo de Roxas, the side of the old Greenbelt area. You've got some old buildings and not so much high rises yet. There are lots of construction work happening around.

I know there's a lot more to see in the CBD area but I couldn't risk letting the night sky catch me. I don't know how home looks like at night and I don't know the bus schedules! I will definitely do some sightseeing on Monday since I'll be headed off to Takapuna anyway for my IRD application. I took the train to Waetakere which is going west of the city. Then walked minutes to the hilly roads of Sunnyvale amidst dusk. It was very quiet except for the roaring cars passing by. It's nice to have seen people coming home from work in the train and I see them in their homes too! By the time I got home, I was tired from all that walking. I'm gonna be sleeping soundly tonight.

Finding the Train Station

I was able to setup an appointment at IRD for tomorrow morning at Takapuna. I reviewed the maps based on the schedules provided by MAXX (http://www.maxx.co.nz). It took me some time to get used to finding the right schedule and routes of buses and trains. It's nice and sunny outside so I decided to take a walk and find the train station. My hosts seem to insist on taking the bus but the schedules are too early for my appointment.

I was really expecting something else before I found the railway. From the pathway to the bridge were I took the train photo, everything reminded me of Thomas the Train series. According to a waiting passenger, they don't have cards instead, somebody in the train asks where you're headed and then you pay him the amount required. Sounds very classic!

Coming from Seymour Road

 I took a few more photos on my way back. On top is the Sunnyvale Superette which usually has a Takeaway next to it. And what do they offer in Takeaways? Fish and Chips. But this one seems to have Thai food. I wonder if my hosts know about this. This is similar to the dairy found across our street. It's a suburb, what else can I see here?

Sunnybrae Superette, also known as a dairy

 So there really isn't much to see here. It took me 20 minutes to get to the train station and another 20 or less to get back. Going back was a lot more tiring coz it's uphill! I was thinking about going to the other side of View Road, towards Great North Road then to Awaroa Park but thought I'd do that this weekend instead. I would probably have to do some daily walks just so I won't feel chilly in this house. staring at the monitor all day is not exactly good for me.

Our driveway and the very familiar mailbox.

Some direction pointers, I'm staying at View Road, Sunnyvale which was originally part of Waitakere. Super Auckland now consists of Auckland, Waitakere and Manukau. It's approximately 40minutes by bus towards Auckland Central.

With the sun shining, Spring is in! The wind is still cold though so I still wore two layers of sweaters. Maybe next time just 1 coat would do. I won't be surprised to get some heavy showers every now and then. Now that's chilly!

Getting Connected

This is what happens when you get a Netbook... I don't even have a photo editor! I can't rotate the image 90 degrees to the right... Arggh!

So these were my stash from the airport, all waiting patiently for hungry travelers like me hoping that I'm a tourist and would be checking out the "highlights" of the place. With this much loot, I think I can only make use of the maps. Since I'm staying in West Auckland, it's probably just the Central Auckland map that I'll find useful.

So today I accomplished the 2 most important items needed for a Day 1 job seeker:
1. I got a prepaid sim card (2degrees) so my future employers and my friends can give me a call
2. I opened a bank account at ANZ for my financial needs so I won't have my pocket money just lying around. I just need to wait 3 to 5 working days for my FPOS (atm card) to be delivered here at home.

I attempted to get my IRD (like our TIN) but since I only have my passport with me (passport and overseas drivers license is the basic requirement), then I would have to go and make an appointment at the IRD main office which is at North Shore. The kind folks here even lent me their street map and taught me how to use online resources plus this to find my way around.

I'm fortunate to have a kind host who drove me to the mall - West City Shopping Centre to do all of the above, with his little tyke in tow. We left the house past 10am and were back by noon. He even had the energy to cook sinigang for our lunch (minus the veggies since we already ran out of veggies in the fridge). The meal was perfect as it was a chilly afternoon. I went back in my room to proceed with my online applications. Then click clack clack, heavy rain poured outside. I was freezing again so I had to turn the heater on. I submitted 4 applications, and had the 5th one left hanging. Somehow my IBM account just didn't work correctly.

I rode again with Shane when they picked up Arnie from work. Sun's up by that time and we even saw a rainbow! It was a nice view as we passed through some major roads which I'll try to remember next time (like The Great North Road, the Motorway -- like a high way).


I got more info from Arnie this evening as she reviewed my CV. There are moments when I feel guilty coz they're doing all that they can to help me at the expense of spending time with their daughter. Arnie didn't want me to go through that low point that she experienced when they first arrived. She said to just stick with your goal prior to arriving here coz that's gonna help me stay focused. She even gave me tips on how to organize my applications and how to set daily targets.

Today I finally used Skype Video Call and it was definitely cheaper than making calls. It's great to see my family and I even gave them a tour of our house and a view of the local dairy just across the street (seen from my window).

I need to sleep.

Day 1 - Arrival at Auckland

Total Travel time: 21 hours from Quezon Province to NAIA, to SG then finally, Auckland.

Immigration at Auckland International Airport was pretty intimidating. You go through immigration first, hand over your arrival card (customs declarations), then have your passport stamped. Afterwards, you can already collect your bags, then head to security check where your customs card is reviewed again prior to entering the bag security section where all items even my soap was scrutinized! Maybe it's because it's papaya soap? Afterwards, I hauled my bags through the exit where the pre-arranged Super Shuttle is waiting. Finding the house was easy as soon as we arrived on View Road.

I arrived past 10am at the house where i'll be renting a room. I think for NZD130 a week, including food is a good bargain.

Room is decent with a closet and just a step away from the common toilet. The common bathroom is just next door. Hence, no problem with those late night emergencies. I unpacked a few of my things. Called home, then NZIHS, and finally, Auckland Chamber of Commerce so I was able to secure a seat in the Kiwi Career Success seminar scheduled on the last week of August. I've also contacted Krislen via text and I'm to meet her this Friday.

My host cooked brunch for me. Nothing fancy, just fried pork chop and some rice. The Q&A was continuous since I arrived as I had to get all the info that I can from him. I was also keeping myself busy with the sorting of my luggage, bathroom breaks so I can keep myself awake but come 3pm, I really had to take a nap. By the time I woke up, Arnie was already home and dinner was ready. Shane left soonafter and his wife, Arnie gave me some good tips on job hunting for my field.

It's been overwhelming for a first day. I come up to Arnie whenever I had a question in mind. We did cover shipping, banking, driving, making calls, how to work on the washing machine, what and how much a take away usually cost, what she usually get in their pantry, how to deal with the cold, and job hunting.  The coat that she offered was perfect for job hunting since what I brought with me was too casual. She also said that it's coldest at the beginning of winter, and right now, which is the tail end of winter when everything begins to melt for spring. I'm glad i have all those sweaters and socks with me.

I put a status message in FB hoping to tap my friends here and true enough, Gena and Kara messaged me right away though both are in Wellington.

Tomorrow I need to get myself a prepaid sim card, and a phone just in case the phone doesn't work, get my money and put it in the bank, get a FPOS card (like a debit card), find my way home, update my resume and then send out some applications.

Lots of things to learn. Need to maximize my time.