New Zealand

Countdown New Zealand Day 3

06/03/2020 by John Leave a Comment

This is a series of posts that will log some of my thoughts in the month leading up to my moving back to New Zealand.

These transpacific moves are wearing me out. I hope this is the last one for awhile. Or forever. I’d like to say more assuredly that it is, but there are no guarantees in life.

I look forward to New Zealand’s peaceful shores. I look forward to smiling at people without a mask on. I look forward to doing the work to make Wellington feel like home.

But I also want to stay connected to my people here. This is something I have not done well during my life. I just forget. And then wish that I hadn’t forgotten. And then I remember but decide that I am too tired or that they must be too tired and that tomorrow would probably be a better time. And then I forget again. I want to be a better friend. I want to not forget.

Countdown New Zealand Day 4

06/02/2020 by John Leave a Comment

This is a series of posts that will log some of my thoughts in the month leading up to my moving back to New Zealand.

New Zealand shines across the water like a beacon, calling me home. That’s the difference this time. When we moved to New Zealand in 2018 it was into the unknown. Going back now feels like returning home. I have a family doctor there and a driver’s license. I know which bus to take to get me downtown the quickest and which one to take if I want a more scenic route. I know where to get the best vegan treats in the cafés in the neighborhoods surrounding me and the exact routes to follow to complete runs of varying distances. The unfamiliar has become familiar, while still leaving a lifetime’s worth of exploration still ahead of me.

Countdown New Zealand Day 5

06/01/2020 by John Leave a Comment

This is a series of posts that will log some of my thoughts in the month leading up to my moving back to New Zealand.

The hotel room in Philadelphia is overstuffed with our stuff. How is all of this supposed to come with us onto the plane? The answer is that not all of it will. The packing usually doesn’t end until the hours prior to departure. Sometimes it lasts until we check in to the flight and the baggage scales send us scrambling to reshuffle items to balance the luggage out so it fits under the weight limits. It will all go somewhere. It has to.