just when i started to question it...

As some of you may know, my latest challenge has been the 12 month research Masters I'm doing in BioPolymers. Even fewer of you may know, that doing this has made me see clearer than ever that research is not for me, and I cannot wait to get out into industry and manufacturing/production (not to say I don't enjoy what I'm doing, I do). Seeing as I am nearing the end of my time at University and it's all getting intense and academically - thesis-y - insane, a small voice has developed in the back of my mind wondering if I might be a touch delusional with a "grass is greener" mentality. When I get into this so called idyllic industry setting, will I be satisfied with a business/science mix, or will I be business business business?

All has been settled.

I spent a few hours on the beach today reading a paper on oxo-degradable plastics. I am already one to choose biopolymers over plastics made from oils any day, but I still thought that oil-derived materials (eg: polyethylene) with additives that make them "biodegradable" were a heap better than those without the additives. WRONG. I won't go into it too much, but basically the overall impact on the environment is pretty much equal between them, and if it isn't equal, the ones with the pro-degradant additives are worse! It's mainly because the most damaging part is the producing and processing plastics from oil, and when you make them degrade faster they can't be reused or recycled, and usually end up not degrading fully because of environmental conditions.

The discovery of this little fact and my response to it has renewed my faith in a careers in polymers, instead of veering off into other manufacturing areas. So I'm really happy - the chemistry stuff still inspires me.

PS: if anyone knows any Summer places/jobs I could go for near Rotoma, let me know, I'm getting desperate! (Edgecumbe, Kawerau, Te Puke, Whakatane, Rotorua)

The Truth about Life in Wales...

Hello hello hello...

I suppose it is a good sign that I haven't written a decent post since before I left Wellington... shows I actually have a life. I thought it was only fair to have some sort of news here so when I tell my friends "I could write you a letter, but how about you just go read my blog? It has everything on it." I'm not lying so much as exaggerating the truth. Good.

So! My life in Wales is pretty exciting, if any of you get the chance to go overseas I would take it with both hands. In saying that, I would really recommend making sure you are at the right place in your life when you leave NZ though... I am fortunate enough to have the last 6 and a half years of my life consist of 2 terribly homesick years, 1 party year, 3 emotionally draining years at uni, and 8 months of getting used to the idea I would soon be 20,000 kms away from anyone i knew. So I was ready!

Obviously when I first got to the UK I was jetlagged, so didn't really know up from down (I was going to say left from right, but I get those confused 95% of the time jet lag or no jet lag). I switched into business mode straight away, and was really calm finding my way around heathrow airport. Except the ONE internet cafe they had was broken! I had to call my Papa at 5am NZ time to get him to log in to my email to get a reference code it turned out I didn't even need! Anyway, thanks daddy :D The next day, in Reading, I explored like a good tourist would. I took heaps of photos, because in my jetlagged state I couldn't decide what was good and what wasn't. The first 4 days in Swansea I was with Mair, the Rotary president of my club here. Anything she suggested, I just said yes to. I gave a 30 minute presentation to the club, but luckily it was about myself so I could wing it with the help of the slideshow I made. That weekend I was in the halls, but there was no one around. I went on a trip to the national botanical gardens of wales, not because I desperately wanted to see them, but because it was free and something to do. About this time I was ready to meet people and get into it!

Since then, I have joined the student radio station, the engineering society, been to leicester, mumbles, torquay, llanelli, have gotten books out of both the public library and the university library, been shopping several times, and am hoping to join the volleyball team. It is safe to say I am pretty much into it all over here. My best friends here are a pre-dental from Iowa, America, and an international development/politics from the Netherlands (that's Laura and Elise if you hear me talking about them again). I have met some other really cool people here as well, but not everyone can expect a shout out can they? Yesterday I spoke to my University supervisor, and I'm going to start experiments late next week. On Monday I move into my office in the Engineering department - I share it with 2 others, and our names are on the wall outside the door! I have my own key to that and the labs, as well as after-hours access to the building. Am I grown up or what?!

Rotary is going well too, I have already done 5 of my 10-15 activities for the year - 2 presentations and 3 visits (Scholar conference in Leicester, District conference in Torquay, the Swansea Coastguard with the Group Study Exchange (GSE) team from Adelaide, Australia), plus I have another 4 or so booked. My host counsellor here is amazing - her name is Gwenda and she works way too hard. She is a specialist nurse, and she is absolutely fabulous to have looking out for me. I also have the scholarship co-ordinator for the district, Gareth and his wife Jan, who are just so hospitable and fantastic to have around. Laura is another ambassadorial scholar - next week we are doing a joint presentation and we've decided to speak back and forth as opposed to one after the other - so I'll let you know how NZ stacks up next to America!

For Christmas I don't know what I am going to do yet - Elise is having a Christmas party in Swansea on xmas day, and i've been invited various other places with other people too (Mum and Dad's friends in Haverfordwest, Gwenda's family in Aberystwyth, London with another friend)... Elise and I are quite keen to head to either Ireland or Scotland for a few days over the xmas time, so that might happen too. I'm obviously not loaded with money at the moment, studying in a foreign country is not the lightest on the pocket :-) ... so I must choose my travels carefully! I'm pretty much just trying to meet people from different areas of the UK so I can stay with them! The scholar conference was pretty good for that, and a guy from London is here this weekend visiting Laura and I. Mainly Laura, as I am here typing this. But I will be on the d-floor tonight, I promise! The district conference meant we got to meet Emily, a scholar from Australia studying in Cardiff (capital of Wales for those of you that aren't good at Geography - and if you don't know where Wales is, go see Mr. Fleming). Laura and I are real keen to head over to see her - even though Cardiff is right there we haven't been yet!

Living in the halls is pretty lame, but in the mornings I open my curtains and if the sun is shining it is a beautiful view out over the ocean. No kidding - it really is amazing here! I have lots of photos of Stella and me on my walls, need to figure out where I can print some off of all you other people I also miss. I do miss you all, and I miss New Zealand too - I miss the fresian dairy cows, I miss the rangi-ness of NZ, the kiwi party scene. I've been really getting into Katchafire, the Black Seeds, and Fast Crew. I can't wait to go camping here, and see if it is like camping in NZ.

Oh, it has been so long...

I pretty much forgot I had a blog. I'm not so much a writer, just a talker. I need to start an audio blog. Anyway, NO RACH YOU GUys weRE'NT awkward to live with! I just got your msg now, but no, no no no. :D

So, I'm living in Rotorua, I turned 23 and had a kiddies party with a scavenger hunt and pass the parcel, I got a job (woohoo!) working as a polymer engineer (woohoo!) for the biopolymer network, based at Scion, and on Thursday I judged science fair. which was awesome. This is the worst written post ever. Today is my dads birthday and I have been sewing a skirt. For me, not him. I leave NZ in THREE weeks today! I had a leaving party and I was sad, but I will be seeing half the people tonight anyway. Life is epic.

The end. (gotta go, there's a party to attend)

I require employment

I need a new job. My current contract is drawing to an end, leaving me 2 months of unemployment before I fly out to Wales. I need an employment consultant to help me find a new job. Where oh where can I find one of them?

Where?

success!

I've gotten myself a job! As an employment consultant at student job search. I had job training today, and I start on Monday. Will be full time-ish for the next couple of weeks and then down to my "normal" hours - 31-2 hours a week. Not my favourite number, but hey, MUCH better than nothing. Hopefully I can get something for the weekends or for the 3 mornings a week I will have free. And unfortunately it's only a short term contract that goes until the end of semester one (June) so I will have to get back into the rat race then.

In other news I have decided to sit another piano exam. It's been a while ... over 8 years in fact. I've just noticed I have less than 6 months left in New Zealand, which is scary and worrying and exciting all in one. Around 5 months to practice pieces and learn scales and arpeggios for a syllabus I haven't even glanced at; 5 and a half months to pay off a chunk of my student loan; 3 months to find another job; and 5 and a half months to organise things in Wales.

Today Swansea (Wales) told me they think I have to pay international rates. Which I can't afford. BooHOo.

xx

Hallelujah!

I think I have finally gotten a job! Perhaps! Although these things have been known to fall through, so keep your fingers and toes crossed for me. It's as a job consultant at the Wellington branch of Student Job Search, only 31 hours a week but hey - better than the unemployment benefit. Will keep you posted...

I've also decided that I am going to move forward in the dating department. Not that I can really control this area, but that's it exactly - I don't have much to do with it, so why bother? I am officially, from this point onwards, caring less.

I may have to re-blog about this one at a later date.

who are these people?

Who are these randoms signing my guest book? "arhiderrr"? Ah... Hi Dere? Yes? No?


Anyway, just thought I would update you on what's going on for me at the moment. So I've been in Wellington for 2 months now, and I am still unemployed. I have applied for every job under the sun that I think I could possibly not hate, using a variety of websites, newspapers, word-of-mouth and door-knocking methods. This recession SUCKS. There are zero jobs out there that my engineering degree is going to help me with, and apparently "a year and a bit" of Admin/Receptionist experience just doesn't cut it for an interview these days. And if you don't have your bar license or bar experience, how could you ever learn to work behind a bar?

...

So yesterday I jumped in my brothers '67 Cortina and we drove up to Rotorua with his fiancee, Juliet. The car was a little less than practical, with the following comments coming out of Gareth's mouth throughout the 7 hour drive...

( some of these may be slightly variated on what he actually said... )

- We can't have the front windows down over about 40 kmph because there's nothing holding the other windows in, and the pressure will cause them to fall out.

- That twangy noise is just the brake pedal.

- There's no seat belts in the back, but the fire extinguisher is just by your feet Claire.

- I don't actually know how fast we are going, because the speedo is really wrong. And it's in miles per hour so you have to convert it after that anyway.

- How many revs are we doing? I don't know, the rev meter doesn't work.

- What's that noise?

- Can you keep an eye on this oil gauge here? It can't go below 25. Although it does move a lot so only tell me if it stays there.

- We should probably get gas. I have no idea how much we have, the gauge doesn't work.

- I hope it doesn't start raining because this car leaks a whoooole lot.

- Turn the music down for a second, I need to listen to the weird noise the motor is making.

- I'm just going to pull over and advance the motor (some mechanic speak).

- You should probably learn how to use that fire extinguisher Claire.

- I need to turn the music up really loud because there's only speakers in the back and we can't hear it over the car noises. (this is how I got to enjoy extreme gangsta being blasted into my ears)

- Why is the motor ticking?

Then when it got dark...

- You can't really see much without the lights on full.

- Can you pass me my cellphone? I need to use it to periodically check the oil, fuel and speed because there are no dash lights.

- Did you guys hear that? Did you feel it or just hear it?

- Oh yeah, Claire, that seat is really bouncy. (I responded something about being on a trampoline)

Then when Juliet started driving...

- Jute, you can't use full lock to U-turn. Don't go anywhere near full lock.

- Every now and then, pull the steering wheel towards yourself, especially before you try to turn a corner. You don't have to hold it there, just pull it once.

When we finally made it to Rotorua, I got blinded by an exceptionally bright blue alarm light. Seriously, it illuminates me when I am standing halfway down the driveway.

And that's their wedding car! Hopefully it will be a bit more user friendly by then. All said, I did enjoy the ride up and it is an extremely cool car. I am sensing a bit of overuse of the word extreme at this point. Extreme.

So! I am now in Rotorua, where I will spend my days organising for the wedding and painting my parents rental house, and then the wedding is on Saturday, then I will (somehow) head back to Wellington where I THINK I have a job at The Realm Bar and Restaurant??? Not Sure. I hope so, I did a trial shift the other day and quite enjoyed it. That would be fabulous.

And Yes, I still have mached up toes from Wellington's pavements.

Career-ize

Hey guys! I am just in Rotorua for the weekend so thought it was about time for an update for all my friendy friends.

I got my final semester marks back - they're okay, but not great. B, B+, B+, and an A. That gives me my BSc though, so I am happy! I am working in Hamilton at Convex Plastics, which is an amazing innovative company that manufactures blown films for plastic bags, packaging, and banners. I am a Lab Tech there, but am involved in a really really exciting project on biodegradable stuff - my specialty :D It is awesome to be asked for my opinion and knowledge on various things, and people are so encouraging of my creativity. I can't wait to get back from the U.K. and get into a job with a company like Convex - forward thinking and innovative. The big boss has even said he is happy for me to use Convex time to work on my own personal engineering invention I want to look into! I am really happy there, and really excited about my career.

In January sometime I will be heading down to Wellington to live with my brother Gareth, his fiancee Juliet, her sister Nikki (of Tales of the Red Headed Devil Child fame), and the Devil Child herself. I am very very excited!! Apparently I get to live in the dining room as the new house they found is only a three bedroom. No worries though, now that I have finished study there will be a noticeable absence of the massive green desk and the huge bookshelf of texts, so my belongings will be able to fit into the small room. Just trying to find a job down there now, so if anyone knows any companies that might want a girl with a degree in materials and process engineering and environmental technology, give me a yell. I am hoping to get something in the environmental side of things, like water treatment or landfill design, just because it is an industry I won't be doing my Masters so it will be good to get a taste of it. Mmmmmm, wastewater.

I have attended several Rotary meetings as part of the Ambassadorial Scholarship I have. My sponsor club in Rotorua (Rotorua Sunrise) is really exciting, I got to do a little introductory speech to them and that was cool. I also went to the Hamilton East club, and the Te Puke club. Everyone has been so so welcoming - I spoke at the Te Puke club and I almost cried when I was thanking them for the scholarship - I am so overwhelmed and happy that I have been given this amazing opportunity, I can't describe how grateful I am towards the Rotary Foundation. All the money I will be getting is from Rotary members, normal people, funding ME! to travel and study! I really hope I make Rotary proud.

So this weekend, I had a garage sale at my house in Hamilton. Jenna came round with a carload of her stuff, and we spent from 6:15am to after lunch sunbathing outside the garage and selling things. Then we sorted out the stuff left over - big ticket items we are going to put on trademe, and all clothes and shoes that didn't sell we boxed and are going to take to Habitat for Humanity. So check out my trademe listings, they will be up in a few days. Then I drove to Rotoma for Johny's birthday. He would have been 23 today. His death is still so raw, I am dealing with it a small bit at a time. I miss him a lot - just knowing I will never get to see his goofy smile again is really hard. Some other day I will tell you things I remember about him, but not right now.

Now - it is time for me to go grocery shopping with my dad. We are going to buy lunch supplies for the week. I get to work at Scion tomorrow, for Convex. I worked at Scion last summer, so will be cool to be back in the lab with all the guys there.

Til next time!!

xx