How many lives humans have?

 

EPISODE 1

Some people say that only one … I would not agree with this!

I feel like I had already at least 3 full of adventures lives!

You most probably herd how people who had a car crash or other live-

changing accident talk about their experience as life before and after… (pose)

I personally lived 3 lives already! I had such mind-blowing and personality

changing events happening, that my life took totally different directions a few

times!

Well, I know it’s hard to believe! See for yourself…

I was born in a small town in Central Siberia with a funny name Yaya, what

means II in English. My earliest childhood memory is a long queue for bread in

our village in 60-th. It was Khrushev’s time in Soviet Union and he made

Russian farmers to plant corn insist of brad and there were not enough brad as

result.

The queuer for brad was about 2 hours long and you can get only 2 kilos per

family of 4. So, all families with children and grandparent were in the queue to

get more brad for the week…I remember myself very small, 3-4 y.o singing

political or naughty doggerels/chastushki in Russian language. I still remember

a couple of them! They are about how Khrushev sent all the money to support

Cuba and leaving his own people hungry.

My grandfather played garmoshka/accordion, he knew a lot of doggerels and

he taught me.

I was growing up in socialist era in USSR believing everything I was told. I was

proud of my country and felt sorry for poor capitalists, as they do not have so

happy childhood. During school years I enjoyed tourism, mountaineering,

speleology, volleyball and good friendship.

Early in childhood through my dad’s fairy tales I saw myself as a warrior who

one day save everyone.

As I loved nature and being in the forest more then anything else, I chose

geology as a carrier and completed University. All through my uni days and 5

years after, working as a scientist in geology I had my “pink glasses” always

on! I saw the reality a little bit better than it was!

I was walking through wild bushes in the field trips, saw beers so close that

had to scream, vistle or sing loud to make them run away, singing songs near

How many lives humans have?

the fire, searching and discovering new minerals and their deposits and never

expected any change as I loved what I did so much!

But in 1990-th a few changes started to happen in USSR…Gorbachev came to

power, iron curtains fallen. My new live was about to begin, I did not know yet

what it will be like….

I’ll tell you about it in my next episode.

About blowing the whistle or why did not you report to authority?

About blowing the whistle or why did not you report to authority?

I recently being asked this question..the question took me by surprise. The best I could say was, this is not what I do, it’s not in my personality to report.

Almost two months has gone before I realized why...

This story told by my mom after the death of my 94 y.o. granny. There was a real drama in my family because of dishonest “whistle blower” during the Second Word War. My grandmother Efrosinia was a yang women then in her 30-th. Her husband Vasiliy was working as a Baker in Siberian village and she was helping him in the shop. They had 5 children already. As you may guess, the food supply was very limited and every peace of bread was counted. Two 60 kg sacks of a white flower disappeared from the bakery. Somebody anonymously reported to authorities that my grandfather stole these 2 bags. He was taken to prison and sent to the coal mine without a trial, it was the war...Stealing is shameful, always being so...my grandma could not take the shame. She knew for sure that her husband never took that flower but everyone thought he did. She could not take it anymore and tried to take her own life with a reaping hook which was hanging in the garden shed. She cut her own neck....luckily one of her 5 children followed her to the garden shed and saw it almost immediately...the girl screamed and a women was saved by the God mercy. Luckily it was a good doctor in the village who managed to keep my grandma alive before getting her to a hospital. Talent of the good doctor saved my grandma. For the rest of her life she was talking through the silver pipe, which she had to cover with her hand. In about 18 months after the described above events, grandfather came back home from the coal mine as flower sacks were found. My grandma lived to 94 years old, 64 years she was suffering from damaged neck and bad cough because of one anonymous report and unfair judgement.

This tragic story lives in my subconscious mind. I would think twice and then twice again before I would put a blame on somebody. It is too high risk to be wrong when you know only one side of the story...the same logic shall kick in when we badmouthing somebody...I chose to believe in the better side of people...even knowing that the word is not perfect, I rather stay in my clouds.

What do you think? Do you find it O.K. to report on your competitors anonymously? What about your business associate?

Olia Essina

Licensed Immigration Advicer

Job Placement Consultants LTD.

Bus. 09-580-11-77 | Mob. 0274-928-648

Cost of living in New Zealand Part 3

Education

In this post we put together available in NZ media information about the cost of education and student’s living. Those of you who plan to get  higher education in NZ, moving to NZ with the family on a permanent  basis, or send a child  to public or private school will find a few interesting facts here.

One of the reasons for students choosing  New Zealand  as a study destination for higher education is the cost of living, especially when compared to the UK and the US. The cost other than the tuition fees include daily expenses like transport, food, entertainment, cost of stationery and so on. Tertiary students should keep a budget of NZ$15,000 a year for a modest living in New Zealand (Immigration New Zealand requirement).

Approximate everyday expenses for a Student:

• $150 to $320 a week for accommodation
• $12 to $17 to go to the movies
• $1.80 for a 1-stage bus fare
• $4.45 for a Big Mac at McDonald's
• Textbooks and stationery $500 a year
• Student ID card  $20
• Students' association membership $30
• Photocopy cards $100
• Bus fares $30 to $60 a week
• Coffee in student cafeteria $1 to $3 a cup
• Hot meals in cafeteria up to $6-10 for a one-course meal

The following table shows the approximate cost of a student living in New Zealand:

• Lunch (cafe/fast food) - $6.00 - $10.00  
• Big Mac Meal - $9.50 
• 2 litre Coke - $2.00=
• Cappucino (cafe price) $3.50-5.50
• Writing paper (A4 lecture page/notebook) $3.00 - $5.00 
• Pens $1.00 - $3.00 
• Movie ticket (student price) - $15.00
• Milk (2 litres)  - $3.50
• Loaf of sliced bread $2.00 - $4.00
• 12 eggs (1 dozen)  - $4.00

Schools: Primary, Intermediate and High

Below you find an information of school fees for permanent residents of NZ or children of a long term work visas holders. If you sending a child to study from overseas, a schjpc-nz.comool fee are between $10,000 and $17,000, depending on the age of the child and education provider. Other costs will occur if you not accompany your child, but will want him to be hosted by a local family. Feel free to contact us regarding this: 64 274928648 or email: info@jpc-nz.com

Private schools in the 2000s

New Zealand’s thriving private education sector included almost 100 private schools and just over 300 state-integrated schools in the 2000s. In 2010, 4% of school-age

School fees

School fees vary: in 2011 many integrated schools charged fees of $1,500–$5,000 per year. Private schools generally charged $12,000–$19,000 per year, with boarding fees in addition. (State schools ask parents for a donation, which at the secondary level was generally less than $700, and at primary level less than $200.)

A cap on funding to private schools, in place since 2000, ended in 2009 when the government increased funding from $39.8 to $49.8 million. The increase included $2.6 million for scholarships for children from low-income families.

Funding

Elite schools’ funding has come from fees, endowments, fundraising by parents, and the government. Fees charged in 2010 were generally in the $14,000 to $18,000 range; boarding charges almost doubled this to $30,000 to $34,000 per year. The schools benefited from the success of their students and from loyalty to a school demonstrated through endowments. In some instances, schools were endowed by a founder or the government.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/private-education/sources

A "free" state education in New Zealand will cost the average parent nearly $35,000 by the time their child finishes secondary school, a survey claims. More than 1,000 New Zealand members of ASG Education Programs responded to the survey, in which they were asked about the cost of school fees, transport, uniforms, computers, school and sports trips.  About 15,600 New Zealand families have enrolled in ASG, an investment program designed to help cover the costs of education.

According to the not-for-profit organization's projections, Kiwi parents will pay about $16,000 for a child starting their eight-year primary school state education this year.

Doing the maths

• $35,000 - The average cost per child of a state education in New Zealand, the survey says
• $16,000 - What primary education costs over eight years
• $18,000 - Cost of secondary education
• $262,310 - What a private education will cost - roughly 7.5 times the cost of a state education

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11191129

Cost of Living in New Zealand (Part II)

Private fishing is free in the sea! There are limits in  fish size and how many fishes you can take home. But no license needed to  go fishing!

Parks and Botanical Garden are free to visit. Picture made in Auckland Botanical Garden. 

Construction work, plumbing, electrical works charged by an hour from $60 per hour or by the quote for your project. 

How New Zealand’s cost of living compares really depends on what country you’re coming from and what part of New Zealand you settle in.

But in general, while some things may seem more expensive and others cheaper, overall the cost of living in New Zealand is comparable to what you’ll find in any OECD country.

You’ll find we offer the same sort of consumer goods you’re used to, at competitive prices. Costs for imported items like cars, electrical and computer equipment and petrol are similar to what you'd find in Australia or other similar countries.

To give you more of an idea - one independent international survey ranked Auckland 58th in the world in terms of its cost of living, and Wellington 75th, far better than other major cities.

Such cities included Hong Kong (3), Singapore (4), New York (16), London (25), Sydney (26), Melbourne (33) and Guangzhou (31) - showing that comparatively, New Zealand’s major metropolitan areas are more affordable than those in other countries.

You can read more about Mercer's 2014 Cost of Living survey on the NZ Herald website:

New Zealand more appealing to ex-pats - survey | NZ Herald

Goods and services tax (GST)

New Zealand has a ‘Goods and Services’ tax (GST) that is added to the price of most things you buy.

GST currently applies at 15%.

GST doesn’t apply to rent on a home, apartment, flat or other accommodation. It also doesn’t apply to financial transactions, like bank charges, or to income.

Prices you see advertised are required by law to include GST, but you should always look for the phrase ‘incl GST’. Sometimes businesses will quote a price excluding GST because it looks cheaper.

Typical prices in New Zealand

The government’s Statistics Department has a publication called New Zealand in Profile which lists the prices of some common purchases in 2013:

Bread - white sliced loaf (700g)
NZ$1.94

Milk - standard, 2 litres
NZ$3.19

Fish and chips
NZ$5.77

Apples (kg)

NZ$2.32

Meat - lamb chops (kg)
$12.29

Beer - glass (400ml)
NZ$5.78

Petrol - 91 octane per litre
NZ$2.05
(That works out to be NZ$9.35 per gallon)

GP/doctor’s visit - adult
$36.28

Other typical prices (as at June 2013):

Washing machine

NZ$600–1100

42” LED-LCD flat screen TV
NZ$700–1500

Round of golf
NZ$20–100

Cup of coffee (flat white)
NZ$4.00

Big Mac
NZ$5.00

Movie ticket
NZ$12-20

Pair of jeans
NZ$60–200

Car - Ford Focus (2.0L, 5 door)
NZ$35,490

The average family budget

Our government Statistics department surveys what households are actually spending. Here’s where the average New Zealand weekly household budget went in 2013.

Expenditure type	NZ$	per cent
Food	192.50	17.3
Alcoholic beverages, tobacco etc	29.50	2.7
Clothing and footwear	31.60	2.8
Housing and household utilities	272.90	24.6
Household contents and services	48.80	4.4
Health	27.10	2.4
Transport	158.30	14.2
Communication	35.80	3.2
Recreation and culture	107.20	9.6
Education	18.40	1.7
Miscellaneous goods and services	101.70	9.2
Other expenditure	116.30	10.5
Sales, trade-ins, and refunds	-28.80	-2.6
Total net expenditure	1,111.40	100

Planning your finances

Newly arrived people sometimes find that the cost of living in New Zealand is more than they expected. Salaries for some professionals may be below equivalent roles in Europe and the USA, and our physical location and small population means some imported goods are more expensive.

Before you book your plane ticket it's a good idea to research the type of lifestyle you'll be able to afford here. Then you’ll be able to settle into Kiwi life and enjoy our great country without any financial surprises.

To find out the cost of things in New Zealand you can look at online stores and cost comparison websites. You’ll find some links below to get you started.

It may also be useful to look at the information available on the Government’s Sorted website to ensure outgoings versus income is going to stack up for you.

Source: http://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/living-in-nz/money-tax/comparable-living-costs

Cost of Living in New Zealand

Dear readers, I have decided to publish a bit of info about the cost of living in NZ. I have found below information in NZ Government website http://www.enz.org/
See my comments.

Frugal Lifestyle:

Basic living with few treats or entertainment. Quite happy to buy cheap and second-hand goods; runs a cheap car that travels around 5000 miles (8,000 km) each year.

The basic living for a family will include plenty of free entertainment with native bushes and the sea. In New Zealand the basic living have a totally different meaning then anywhere else in the world. Why? Because New Zealand has FREE education and health and dental services for children up to 18 year old, FREE hospital care as well as FREE beaches.
For those who love nature and the ocean there are plenty of entertainment always! Nature of the country is varied and beautiful. Enough to drive for a couple of hours to see a totally different landscape. You can live basic lifestyle financially but have a millionaire’s hobby, like yachting, surfing, kayaking, golf or similar. See some of pictures. Many people who just arrived to New Zealand on a work visas live the first two-three years this way before they move to the next group – modest lifestyle. (O.Essina)

    

Modest Lifestyle:

Lives reasonably well but no great extravagance: some wine each week – some takeaway food – nice house in good area – a good quality Japanese family car, bought second-hand that travels around 10,000 miles (16,000 km) each year.

Good Living:

Very nice house, in above average area, two good quality cars bought new and replaced every 3 years, nice food, meals out, a glass or two of wine with most evening meals. Not a millionaire lifestyle, but probably within the top 10 percent of lifestyles for New Zealand.

Total Estimated Weekly Spending:

Frugal = $ 433

Modest = $ 742

Good Living = $ 1,271

Plan to immigrate to New Zealand?

Plan to immigrate to New Zealand?

If you plan immigrating to New Zealand there are few tips for your self-education.
First of all please visit http://www.immigration.govt.nz and go through the
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/pointsindicator/ to see if you get enough points.

Next step would be to learn a bit more about what documents you may need in order to proceed if chosen from the Pool.

In many cases right at the beginning you can’t meet a few requirements of the list. It is good idea after familiarizing yourself with the requirements to contact Licensed Immigration Adviser. Search for those who specialize in your area, or the country where you’ ve got your highest education from. Our company specialize in Eastern Europe and ex USSR countries. We can easily explain to an Immigration Officer or Employer specifics of work and living conditions, legal issues and some other very specific information which often needed to achieve the goal.

The next step is to learn all about your own qualification and it’s level in NZ.

Check here: http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/skilledmigrant/LinkAdministration/ToolboxLinks/essentialskills.htm?level=3

When you go through the qualifications requirements of the lists in the table two and three you will see an education level requirements, which you may search and find for your higher education in the following link: http://www.immigration.govt.nz/opsmanual/35171.htm If your University is not in the list or you have a Diploma or Certificate, then you shall apply to New Zealand Qualication Authority (NZQA) for evaluation of your qualification in order to find out your skills level.
If you are not so keen to do it all by yourself – feel free to talk to us – we are there to help!

Your Adviser

Olia Essina
Licensed Immigration Adviser

Job Placement Consultants Ltd
Bus. 649 5277131, Mob. 64274928648
Website: http://www.jpc-nz.com
Email: info@jpc-nz.com

Plan to immigrate to New Zealand?

SAME SEX COUPLES. FROM FRUSTRATION TO FREEDOM

New Zealand as the country is well-known for it’s tolerance and for being ahead of many counties for recognition and respect people’s differences. In New Zealand you do not have to hide the reality and will be appreciated for who you are. The story I want to tell you is about ladies from two different European countries who gave me a permission to tell their story in order for somebody in their shoes could make the  right choice and progress with life.

Girls met each other while working in far away from their home countries on a working holidays or similar visas. They did not know yet of their sexual preferences and just fall in love. Later on came the need to persuade their parents and relatives that they are different from other people but are very happy together. But, even after that they could not really be together having citizenships from Bulgaria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_Bulgaria  and Ukraine, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Ukraine the  countries with orthodox views on partnership.
From NZ Immigration Operational Manual:
‘Partnership’ means:

1.                             i.         a legal marriage; or
2.                            ii.         a civil union (whether opposite or same sex); or
3.                           iii.         a de facto relationship (whether opposite or same sex)

A couple came to me after trying to be together for almost 5 years, from which we hardly managed to get 12 months, of factual “living together”. The problem was that they could live together only when they both where working away from the home countries. It was one of our challenges. I asked ladies to tell their story in personal letters how it happened for each of them. That when their beautiful and unfortunate story unfolded. They were travelling the world one after another and working in plant nurseries for some time until became a real professionals in this field. At our first meeting I advised them how they can make it possible for two of them to be here together. They put into the actions every  advice they received and achieved a lot within a couple of years!  They are residents of NZ now and can choose where to work and who to love!
I aplode to their determination to success and love for each other which overcame all the obstacles!
Author notes:
If you are  in a similar situation and wish to clarify your possibilities – the first consultation is free, feel free to contact me.

SAME SEX COUPLES. FROM FRUSTRATION TO FREEDOM