Holy smokes 365 days go by fast! Just over a year ago I was living two blocks from the hospital I was born in, working at the very daycare I grew up at, and spending my days basking in the intense Chico sun that had become as much a part of my summers as hot dogs and fireworks. Jump forward a year and here I am on the other side of the world, scoffing at the idea that how I spend my days is considered ‘work’, and freezing my tail off in the dead of winter where I’ve become accustomed to spills on black ice and frosty breath (even inside the house). Have things changed a lot since I’ve begun traveling? You betcha.
Physically I’m the same person that left Chico (longer hair and what I insist is a goggle tan aside) but I can honestly say that the experiences I’ve had over the past 12 months have been so profound that I can’t help but be changed by them. I’ve had the world at my fingertips, quite literally. Everyday is an adventure and if the adventure gets boring, there’s always skydiving.
They say its not the destination but the journey that counts. However corny the saying, its absolutely true. My journey from California to Queenstown has been an eventful one, and one that I never would’ve predicted. According to my best-laid plans I’m supposed to be working somewhere in warm sunny Australia right now – who knew I would be one of the “locals” living in a adrenaline-crazed town spending my summer in the snow?
Getting outside my protective bubble has opened my eyes to a lot of new and often very different things. I’ve become all-too aware of my American-isms while slowly adapting to my new surroundings. Words like “cheers” and “keen as” have made it into my vocabulary, and I’m still picking up oddities like tea drinking and eating my new all-time favorite food: marmite on toast! I’ve also observed that bad drivers exist in every country, Mexican food gets better the closer you are to Mexico, and that if there ever were to be an official Beer Olympics, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia would medal respectively. Sorry USA, you wouldn’t even make the semi-finals…but at least we would beat Canada!
As the 20-day countdown to leaving New Zealand quickly approaches I’m trying to make the most of my dwindling time in this incredible country. My days are spent on the ski fields, my nights enthusiastically watching rugby games, and every once in a while an impromptu mission into the bush is in order! After a year spent down under, I’m gutted to be moving on but also very excited to be starting a new journey: Asia!
I'm more than a little envious of you, I'll have you know. As much as I can look back -- and even a little bit forward -- and say I've done some pretty amazing things in my life, I can't honestly say I've ever seriously stepped outside my comfort zone as you have, and are, with your travels. You're making some wonderful memories for your future, and I'm more than a little envious! Love ya, bud! And who knows, maybe I'll visit you during your Asia adventures...
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