My first week in New Zealand was a great week, to say the least, and I had a great time getting to know everyone at Instant Finance. On Tuesday, we even went out for a company lunch for a lady who was leaving on Maternity leave. I have noticed that the work-life culture here is a lot more relaxed than what I am used to in the US. So far, my tasks at work haven’t been too tough, but I’ve been learning a lot. I have begun to use accounting software for the first time, with one of my coworkers training me on how to do bank reconciliations within NetSuite. I also got the chance to sit in at a meeting with PWC because they are currently auditing the company and reading through files helping with information with this audit.
After work and going to the gym all week, I decided to explore outside of Auckland on Saturday. I bought a ticket for a ferry to Rangitoto Island, which is not far off the coast of the Island at all. There is a volcano on the island that erupted about 500 years ago that I hiked to the top of. It took about an hour to get to the top of the volcano and the view from the top was beautiful. The crater of the volcano is now covered with trees and bushes, and I could hear bird sounds that I’d never heard before. I walked around the rim of the volcano, and it was beautiful to see all around the island. I was even able to walk to an area where caves were formed from the lava. The island had so many great things to see and experience and I’m happy I decided to do this.
After returning I ate out at a Pho spot and got myself ready to go watch a show at the ASB waterfront theatre. This was interesting because I hadn’t watched a live show since middle school. I watched “A Mixtape for Maladies,” and it was a great show! It was about a kid who was doing a podcast and came across one of his mom’s old cassette tapes of music she liked when she was younger. Each song took them to one of her memories and they started off really good but then began to tell stories about the war in Sri Lanka and how she lost her siblings. In the end, I saw it as an entertaining and peaceful way to represent how war can harm people, not only the ones physically affected but also the people psychology affected from the losses they suffered.