New Zealand Weekly Update #32

29th of May until 04th of June 2023

Approximate reading time: 7 minutes

Lets get it started

Good morning folks, happy sunny sunday. Hopefully for you since it is raining in Wanaka. It’s raining and it does not stop. Yesterday, sun, blue sky, I was looking forward for a nice hike when I am off. Well, at least some time to relax, to rest and to write. What an exciting week. New People. New Job. New tasks. New experiences. As Peter Fox would sing „Alles neu“. New clothes. A new me? Well, interesting question, easy answer – no 🙂 Still the same me, just different outfits. I am still thinking about the lots of adventures I have had on my roadtrip. I love to look back, to feel the energy of the experiences. To revel in the memories. Since this was the last time to be able to travel for a long time (except my time in Germany in July/August). Well fellas, lets take a look back, maybe a look forward and talk deep 🙂

Last Minute

The week started quite easy peasy. I came back from my roadtrip and I was pretty tired. And getting up at 3am in the morning to watch icehockey games was maybe not supportive to be honest :). But it was worth it, even tghough Germany lost its final game vs. Canada. What an exciting championship. What a team. What a thrill! When I go back in time, it must have been 2017, when Germany had to play a game vs. Canada and was smashed out of the statium with 12:4 points. This time, it was just a 5:2 loss, but they fought as hell – great team!
Beside that, there was nothing special the first days of the week since I was about to start my new job with OCULA from Thuersday on and I still was waiting for my new visa, to be allowed to work officially. And the immigration gave me some headaches as well. Since they asked me for an up-to-date police certificate from Germany, otherwise they would not be able to approve my work visa for 36 months. Without the certificate I would just be able to receive a visa for 17 months (24 months minus the time I have already spend in NZ). Well, thans to german bureaucracy, I was not able to hand this one in. Since you can apply for that one online, but you will still receive it by post. And this would take 1-2 weeks. Digital Germany :). Anyway, no police certificate, no 36 months work visa. So I had to aggree to the other option – 17 months. And I just received that one last minute on wednesday afternoon – ready to work. Ready to stay. And this might be helpful for me to apply for a residency. But this will need another visa, another application, even more application fees and patience 🙂

OCULA – back to optics

Sometimes, life is surprising. Interesting. Changing fast. Demanding. And full of „what the fuck“ moments. So it is, so it was for me. And it might will be for a long time. Since back in Germany, I never, never, never ever wanted to go back to optics. I never ever wanted to work in an optician store again. When I look back at my apprenticeship, my internship for my study, I still can feel being stuck. Stuck in a shop. Just talking about frames, frames, frames. About coating yes or no. About options to make it even more cheap. And about not knowing a lot about all the processes and structures behing the dispensing. And about „just“ being the dispensing optician. I was never really happy about being an optician or optometrist. Thatswhy it was fortunate to end up working in a research company (JENVIS Research), where I was able to learn a lot of different things, set up different types of laboratory and subject studies. Travel and present results. And not to have this feeling of being stuck in a shop from 9-5 (or back in Germany 9-6.30pm). So as you can see, I was never keen to go back to a shop. Well, life is real, change is real. Back in Germany, there would have been no option at all to be an optician / dispensing specialist anymore. Not even for a shitload of money 🙂

And now I am sitting in Wanaka, it is raining outside and I am off from work, off from work as a retail assistant / eyewear specialist at OCULA – you can only smile and shake your head 🙂
So how have the first days been so far? Well, to be honest – I will never be really passionate about working as an optician. And for me, it is just the option to stay in New Zealand, to be able to work officialy, to earn money and to enjoy this country and especially this city a little more and a little longer. And of course, it gives me the opportunity to have a regular working day, regular days off, good payment and a weather independend job. The collegues are really supportive, experienced and working with customers here in New Zealand ins different compared to Germany. It seems like everybody is more relaxed, of course you talk about the price, but people are more interested in design, quality and service.
And for me, there is heaps to learn. Heaps of software solutions, heaps of lens options, structures, procedures, vocabulary. I feel like an apprentice again, I feel like all the knowledge I have had while studying just disappeared. And to be honest, I need to accept the fact, that I am working as an assistant. Not as an optometrist. And that I am responsible for dispensing, service and being on the floor. No refractions. No contact lens fitting. No dry eye management.

At the moment it feels like a step back, it feels like all the time I studied, I learned – it feels like a waste of time. Since I am not able (and allowed, since neither my apprenticeship nor my studys are accepted in NZ without examinations) to use all the techniques and knowledge. But I reckon, this is also a part of learning, a part of life, a part of growing. To accept the fact, that you sometimes need to take a step back. To not be a specialist. To not be the expert. But to be part of a team. To be able to be grateful for the current situation, the current moment, the current you. Because sometimes, Happieness isn’t about getting what you want. It is about loving what you have…

Sorry seems to be the hardest word

Thinking about my roadtrip, I had some really good talks with Natasha and Jack, both from the UK. We were talking about our family situations, about our experiences back in our childhood, about current relationships to family and friends. And about what we have learned from all these experiences and memories. About how to move on, how to keep going, how to not give up, how to be grateful for fucked up moments and situations. And about how to be able to be an egoist. Not an egoist who does not give a shit about others and just taking advantage out of everything and everyone. More like a healthy egoist. Someone who is able to listen to his / her gut feelings, to reflect on their own needs. To be able to have „me time“ without anyone else. And to be able to sometimes just say no. No because of it does not feel right. To say no to socialising events if you feel like you want to stay at home and be with yourself. No to be available all the time for everyone for everything, because it does not feel right. No to people who just try to take advantage out of you without giving anything in return (time, energy and effort, not materialistic worthles stuff). To just say no. Without any reason. Without any apologies, especially when you don’t feel or be sorry. Because when you apologize, you put yourself in a position of accountability. Into a position being responsible for the feelings of others.

Being responsible for yourself is the most important thing you can do. Being able to listen to yourself, to your needs and try to make decisions for yourself (and not against others) is being healthy egoistic. It is okay to say no. It is okay to not apologize if you say no. It is okay to take some time, just for yourself and with yourself. To enjoy your own company. Because in the end, you are your most important company, your most important friend, your most important supporter 🙂

What else to say?

What else to say? Well, it is gonna be a challenge to be back in optics. To be back on the floor. To be back in retail. But I’ve made my decision to stay a little longer in New Zealand. And to work with OCULA. So I will try to enjoy the time as best as possible, try to keep a positive mindset and just make the best out of it. And well, it will just be a couple of months. And on the days off, I can enjoy the nature, the area, Wanaka (if it is not raining all day long haha).

In the end, it is just a job, it is just the option to stay. It is just a limited period of time. And it doesn’t define me, it doesn’t make up the whole me – it is just a small part of me – see you next week guys!

Your DingyInternational
Felix