Author: Tokimura Ayumi

Today, I will introduce my internship experience. I worked at the Pullman hotel for two weeks. I was assigned to handle food and  beverages. In the first week, I worked at a banquet. I also did the setup and cleaning for some conference and meeting. Sometimes, it was hard work for me, and I had some muscle pain in my arm. In the second week, I worked in the restaurant as a breakfast buffet staff. I did the table clearing and setup. Sometimes, I took some orders from guests. I had to get up by 5am because work a the restaurant started at 7am. This was the  hardest thing for me in this internship because I’m not good at waking up early in the morning. In addition, there were many staff at the hotel who came from outside NewZealand. That’s why their English had unique accents which differed from Kiwi English. So I tried to understand what they said, and they also tried to understand my English. This was a little bit hard, but I could learn many things. There were many difficult thing in my internship, but I enjoyed working there because everyone I met was so nice and kind to me.

Today, I’m writing about my host family. They are all Kiwis from Wellington. We watch movies every night and talk about movies during dinner. I love watching movies too, so this is good for me. Also, we talk about Netflix because I love Netflix. After returning to Japan, I’ll watch the movies they recommended to me. They have two dogs. When I heard they have dogs, I got some toys for them because I wanted to play with them. However, they are both old dogs and not very strong. That’s why I have never played with them. This is the worst thing about my life in my New Zealand because I was looking forward to playing with their pets so much. I am so sad about this. But they are so nice and kind to me, and the meals made by my host mother are always lovely. So I’m satisfied with my life for now.

I can say that last week was a very busy week. I was able to do many things I wanted to. First, I finally rode an electric scooter. It is common for Kiwis to ride these. They can be rented with an app for $0.38 per minute. It was so fun for me to feel the wind. Second, I went to One Tree Hill where I saw some wild sheep. It was a huge piece of land, and I could see lots of wild animals. They made me feel calm and relaxed. Climbing the hill was so hard for me, but after arriving at the top of the hill, I felt a sense of accomplishment!! After that, I ate ice cream again. Hokey pokey is my favorite flavor. Third, I graduated from AUT International House. Two weeks was such a long time for me. I had lots of homework, so it was a little bit tough. But I enjoyed myself everyday, and making friends from several countries was the most enjoyable part! I would like to keep in touch with them.

I went to several places this week. Some of my friends and students at our school recommended some places, so I checked them out. This is the Auckland Art Gallery, my favorite place so far in Auckland. By showing my AUT student ID to the gallery staff, I could enter for free! At the gallery, there is both traditional Maori and modern European art. I was so impressed by these artworks. I felt lucky and happy to visit there. Also, I like eating ice cream in this city! I have been going to eat ice cream after doing some research online to find the best places. All the ice cream I’ve had in Auckland has been tasty. I’d like to find other ice cream shops and give everything I want a try! There’s a lot of delicious food in New Zealand, so I will gain weight for sure in just one month. I have to watch what I eat and take care of my health.