Kia Ora!
Greetings from Greymouth, New Zealand; the grayest town in the southern hemisphere! (kidding, but not really)

I’ve been residing here for the last couple of weeks. I got a job helping to run a vibrantly painted hostel about 10 minutes from the beach (it’s the purple building in this photo). On the side, I’ve also been helping to restore a 3 bedroom house on the north end of the river. Daily tasks for that mainly include painting, cleaning, removing debris, and attempting to talk to/feed the neighborhood cat.

Greymouth IS a pretty boring town though. I distinctly remember having a conversation with an ex-coworker of mine last year about how I hate being bored, and that I’d much rather be bored in a different country, because hey, it’s a different country! And now that I’ve experienced boredom in a different country, I can safely say that boredom has no political boundaries. It will go where you will go. Period.

I did, however, finally get to experience what it was like to go see a movie in a different country. I suppose as an American, I have a set “bar” of quality I expect when I go to see a movie abroad, ESPECIALLY when I see an American movie (Bad Grandpa). There were 2 things I instantly noticed when I walked in:
- The quality of the theater is actually pretty damn good! The seats were VERY comfortable, made of the same suede cloth crap that you’d find on your living room couch. They also recline, albeit not much. It is a nice touch though. The screen was also digital, and the sound was crisp and clear.
- The theater is small. Like, INCREDIBLY small. It’s not a bad thing though. You’re a bit closer to the screen, and there are less people to make noise and bother you. But to all of my American friends who are, like myself, used to going to theaters like The Rave, Showcase, and AMC, this will be a pretty crazy change of scenery.