7. The city of Hastings

The next city the bus took me to was Hastings. To be honest, the reason I chose this city was because of the feeling I got when I talked to that Japanese windsurfer. I felt that this city would be good for saving money. As for accommodation in this city, I also got a recommendation from that Japanese person. He told me that I would definitely like it here. He recommended a Facebook page for the accommodation to me, which I used to message the owner about booking for my travel dates, as well as the location of the accommodation in case I needed to travel from the bus stop in the city center to the place.

I still remember the first day I walked into Hastings Backpacker with my heavy bags and belongings. Ms. Kaye, a middle-aged woman who owns and manages this accommodation, greeted me warmly. She took me to my room, which I had to share with a large Hungarian man who always looked very polite, because I often saw him in a suit. He had been in this room alone for almost a month. The atmosphere in this Backpacker was completely different from where I had stayed in Auckland, as it used to be a house converted into a lodging for travelers. The rooms were more spacious, and there were places around to walk. Additionally, the kitchen was much larger. Of course, it was a Backpacker in a provincial town. Did you know that the weekly accommodation fee was 40 dollars cheaper than where I stayed in Auckland? And I didn't have to sleep in a bunk bed anymore; here, I had a private single bed. I still remember the feeling when I woke up on the first morning here. I felt like I had slept very well and heard the sound of birds chatting outside the window in the morning as I woke up.

What I needed to do at that moment was to find a job, and the only person who might be able to help me was the owner of this place, Aunt Kay. She said she would help me contact an agent to find a job, and he would meet me here in two days. Of course, I'd already paid for the accommodation on a weekly basis, so I could not do much except wait and gather information from other guests at this backpacker. Sometimes I took a walk around the city.

Some of you might already understand, or some might still not know why accommodation owners need to assist with job hunting for their guests. Actually, it's not a necessity; it's a service. If someone can find a job in the area where the backpacker hostel is located, there's a possibility that the guest will stay longer, which means continuous income for the accommodation owner. But as I said, this assistance is not an obligation; it's an additional service provided by the accommodation owner.

During my free time, I strolled around the city. I enjoyed walking and looking at various things. The city of Hastings looked very quiet on Wednesday afternoon. I came across an Asian goods store, which could simply be called a grocery store, but in a modern appearance. I walked in to explore because I was curious about what was inside. There were many items for sale. It had almost everything a grocery store should have. The owner was Thai.

After choosing a few packs of Thai-flavored instant noodles, I had the chance to meet a Thai auntie. She chatted with me for a while in front of the store, asking about how I ended up in this city. When she found out I was looking for a job, she tried to contact a Thai agent she knew. Although there were no jobs available at that time due to it being the end of winter, however, I learned that there would be new seasonal jobs starting in two weeks. To be honest, I felt good to have the opportunity to meet a Thai person. Sometimes, being able to use Thai after just moving to a new city can also feel good.