Anyway, arrived safely in NZ yesterday afternoon but not without some glitches. The SIA staff at Changi Airport kinda messed up the check-in and did not check me through to Wellington all the way. As i was flying from SG to Auckland, and then Auckland to Wellington, the second leg was a domestic flight operated by Air New Zealand. The baggage allowance given by Air New Zealand is different from SIA - SIA goes by weight limit, regardless of the number of pieces, whereas Air NZ goes by pieces. I would have no problem if the tickets were checked through from the start, but somehow the SIA staff did not do it properly and i gotta pay for one extra piece, which cost NZD30. I did complain to the Air NZ staff here but then she insisted that i must pay for it. There was a long queue behind me and i did not wanna make a scene out of it, and so i paid for it unhappily.
Besides this, i did not manage to sleep on board the plane at all due to the cramp seat of economy class. Well, i blame this totally on my previous company, which has spoilt me till the extent that i'm so used to flying business on long-haul flight and has forgotten how it was like in flying economy class for flight that is more than 10 hours. So, when i reached here, i had gone more than 24 hours without sleep. I am still exhausted even now.
One of my bosses and my ex-subordinate (who introduced me this job) came to pick me up at the airport. They were surprised at the weight and number of luggage that i've brought with me. They do not know that there are more coming. You may be wondering why i am moving so many things over. Well, i am staying here for three years (or at least that's the plan), and whatever things that i wear or use in JB will just be left at home during my absence and by the time i go back (if i do go back), the things may not be useable or out-of-fashion already. Hence i might as well bring it all over and put it into good use. After all, the cost of living here in NZ is really high; things are really expensive here, some even more so than SG.
In addition to the cost of living, i have some other observations about this country and this city, which i will not elaborate now. I would be lying if the thought of "gee, why am i here" never crossed my mind, but then i guess this is normal for a person who has come to a place where she is unfamiliar with and all by herself. I'd just term it as being homesick and i believe it will get better once i settle down in a more permanent way.
Labels: life, New Zealand
