Jennifer Middendorf
Position
Administrator, English, Cinema Studies and Cultural Studies
Qualifications
- B.Sc. (Canterbury)
- Dip.Tchg. (Christchurch College of Education)
Contact Details
Phone: +64 3 364 2987
DDI: +64 3 364 2212
Internal Phone: 6212
jennifer.middendorf@canterbury.ac.nz
Postal address:
School of Humanities
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch, New Zealand
Physical address:
Room 302, English/Education Building
Office Hours:
Mon-Fri, 8.30am - 5.00pm
Background
I was born in Dunedin just over 40 years ago, and grew up all over the South Island, but mainly in Broad Bay, Greymouth, and Alexandra. After a fairly uneventful childhood, I came to Christchurch and studied at Canterbury University, graduating with a BSc in Mathematics.
The job opportunities for mathematicians weren't great, so I decided to give teaching a go, spent a year training at Christchurch College of Education, and secured a job teaching Mathematics and Information Technology at Buller High School in Westport. Although I realised very early on that teaching was not the career for me, I decided to give it a fair trial, and stuck it out for 3 years and 1 term, before escaping to the wilds of Africa.
I spent 6 months travelling through Africa by truck from Zimbabwe to Morocco, with many a near-death experience on the way. My eventual destination was England, where I found a job in Staffordshire teaching computers, rock-climbing and rifle-shooting to 6-16 year olds at The Kingswood Centre, an outdoor activity centre modelled on the American Summer Camps. While there, I met my partner: Harvey (aka H.), a Welsh(ish) computer instructor.
Next move was to Germany, where H. was working at the European Space Agency in Darmstadt, doing something complicated to satellites, and I (lacking a work permit) became a "hausfrau" for 4 months. When that contract expired, H. was offered a 6 month contract with the European Patent Office in The Hague, but I didn't think I could stand that long without a job, so went back to London to find some work temping. I was offered a 3 month temporary assignment as Admin Assistant to The Accountancy Task Force Group, an employment agency specialising in accountants, based in the City. Three months came and went with no mention of me leaving, and in fact I ended up staying 3 years, apart from a 3 month break that H and I spent travelling in the Middle East and India.
At the end of 1998 my UK visa ran out, and we were faced with either getting married so that I could get permanent residency, or coming back to New Zealand. The obvious choice seemed to be New Zealand.
With all the country to choose from, I suggested we settle in Christchurch, as I had fond memories of it from my university days. I found a job here at the University, and we acquired a house and half a cat (which has since become three whole cats, totally spoiling the joke).
I am currently studying part-time for a BA in Linguistics and Psychology.
