What the Heck Day is it Part 2

Sorry for the delay in blogging. I have been very busy with work and not able to get to a computer with internet access for some time.

At this point, three audits down, two to go. We had a very difficult one today, uncooperative supplier that rapidly turned into a shouting match between my trainee and the Supplier. I had to interject and stop the whole thing. I was furious, but you'd never know it through my calm and rational smile. I TRAINED HIM NOT TO DO THAT! So, during lunch, I had to lecture him on appropriate behavior and response to a situation like that. He looked totally crushed and wouldn't speak to me for the ride back to the Supplier, but hell, THAT IS MY JOB!! I am so mad right now I can barely see straight. It should never have gone that way. I am doing very well at keeping my head about me and trying to practice all of my auditing skill in not screaming at him. Mistakes happen, I get that, and I hope he learned, but these three audits have been rather trying because he is a very slow learner (I think there is too much of a language barrier) and making the job very difficult. I am starting to think that I will have to recommend that he not audit solo. I don't think it would go very well, especially if there is conflict.

BUT THAT IS THE BORING WORK STUFF!!

On to the fabulous tales of New Zealand.

On Saturday, my one day off, I went on a fabulous tour of the North Island, South of where I am staying in Auckland. I went to the Waitomo glow worm caves and saw the worms glow. (They are actually big bugs that "glow" in their "worm" or pupal stage.) Cool.

Then we went to the Agrodome where I met a REAL LIFE SHEEP SHEARER!! Oh, and I fed real live sheep, deer, and EMU!!! (You all should know how much I love the EMU!!! Actually, you may not know...it is a long story...I will share sometime.) At any rate, I was feeding the EMU way up high on account of how tall they are and a sheep got mad at me for not feeding it and kicked me in the shin. As my hubby said later that day "Good thing you have been doing all that shin conditioning in Kung Fu." Amen, brother. Not even a bruise!! Oh, and STEVE the SHEEP SHEARER was SOOOOO pretty. He was very nice to me and we talked a great deal about sheep. He was quite good. Sheared his whole sheep in a minute and a half. It was crazy. Did you know that sheep wool is covered in oil? Yes, but did you know that the oil is Lanolin? They told us that STEVE's hands were very soft...I didn't investigate.

After that it was on to the Rainbow Springs, where imported Rainbow trout are a big attraction. (Um, okay.) They take very good care of them and then release them into a local stream where they spawn and thrive. (Um, okay.) BUT the really neat thing about Rainbow Springs is the Kiwi enclosure. I have seen Kiwi enclosures before (they have one at the San Diego Zoo) but never before seen an ACTUAL KIWI!!! The one that we saw was running all around and having a grand ole time. He (or she?) was fantastic. Strange, fat little birds.

Then onto Rotorua. A land that the local Maori deemed "A foul, evil smelling place." Reason being, hot springs and geysers. YEAH! They were steamy hot, which was great, they heated fabulous rocks in the area, which my butt loved (as it is even colder the more south you go) and they had boiling mud pools which were FANTASTIC because it reminded me of the Bog of Eternal Stench. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE!!! HEE HEE HEE!!!!

Then, on the way back from Rotorua, we passed by a little attraction that may hold some interest for some of you...HOBBITON!!!! That's right, folks, I have been to Hobbiton and you haven't. Okay, to be fair, I have driven past Hobbiton, and you haven't. Okay, to be SUPER fair, I was twenty minutes outside of Hobbiton and saw a sign for it...but now I know it still exists. Our guide told us that, of all of the sets built for the trilogy, Hobbiton retains the most of the original set. It was a nice sign.

And that brings me to today. It is still pretty cold, I am LOATHING my job at this point, but I still feel exceptionally lucky to have been sent to this exotic and wonderful land for audits and training.

Much love!