Hello, loved ones! A quick post at this stop before heading to my final destination...

Sitting at a coffee shop in Auckland. Have an interview at 12:30, a formality really, then off to Gisborne. So far I am loving NZ. The people ARE really nice. The Auzzies were kinda assholes, pardon my French. I got off my flight yesterday with a migraine that only seemed to get worse (I was so miserable when I arrived in Auckland) and it seemed like the Auzzies just enjoyed pointing out when you did something incorrectly (no, the form needs to be filled out THIS way) instead of being helpful and understanding that I just wanted to vomit on them. The Kiwi's, however, were very sympathetic. I found it a good omen that I hailed a cab whose driver was Iranian and by the end of the ride he didn't even want to charge me the $78 NZD fair. Of course I paid him, but he really would have done it for free. "Gabelli nadareh". It made me feel better. On top of that, at the hotel, the hotel manager comes out to collect my bags while I am talking to the driver in Farsi. I walk into the hotel, and I have been given a free upgrade to a suite! I realized later by his name, that the hotel manager is Iranian too, and I was the recipient of cultural courtesy yet again! Amazing. There are maybe 200 Iranians in all of NZ and I have already met 1%...now I can't wait to meet the Kiwis...The suite was lovely, big and clean, and, praise God, quite. It had a balcony that looked out over a park below, a mini-Central Park in my mind. Mid-rises (not quite high rises) made up the land scape behind, and the sky was somewhat overcast, the air cool and fresh. Sadly I went straight to bed yesterday around 6 pm with the help of migraine meeds, and slept for 12 hours. At 6 am, I finally got out of bed. The sun did not rise for another hour (yikes, considering the days are only going to get shorter). I made a cup of coffee in my room, ordered up some fresh fruit and sat on the balcony reading the NZ Herald. Amazing how their scandals sound a lot like ours...;) Finally, a hot shower, clean clothes, and I stepped out to find a wi-fi hot spot... which brought me to, of all places, a Starbuck's. I have to laugh...this big change in lifestyle, and I still end up at a Starbuck's...some things will never change. Okay, that's all for now. I promise pictures later, but my phone battery has died and the converter I brought is all wrong. I am off to find one now...much love to all...:)