First Impressions

I’m staying in the Omahu Motor Lodge on Hereteraunga Street, which is the main Street in the town of Hastings. When I drove into Hastings for the first time, I realized that I am more of a big city girl than I thought. I’m not sure exactly what I expected, but Hastings seems very small to me. Apparently it has a population of about 53,000 people, but I guess it just appears like a little town because there are no high-rises anywhere to be seen. When I drove past the hospital that I will be working at, and looked at the old, institutional-looking building, I wondered “What in the world have I gotten myself into?” Also, everything closes down around here at 8pm every night. I’ll have to find out what the locals do for entertainment! (Please don't let if be sheep-shearing!)

Napier is the next biggest city, which is about 10 minutes away. It is on the coast and supposedly a tourist attraction because of the Art Deco buildings. I haven’t been able to see too much of either city because it’s been raining for two days straight! I’m getting tired of it. My friend Lori will be flying in tomorrow morning and I hope she brings better weather!