travel

Countdown New Zealand Day 2

06/04/2020 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.

We’re in Los Angeles. For the next eight hours. Here is my advice to you: do not fly unless you absolutely have to.

Our first flight of the day was from Philadelphia to Chicago. Almost every seat was full. No way to social distance and very few people felt that the crew member instructions to exit the plane by rows from front to back applied to them. Next, we flew from Chicago to LA. The guy in front of us didn’t wear a face covering the whole flight and was coughing and blowing his nose.

Thanks to having the right credit card, we are now relaxing in the United Club Lounge where there is virtually nobody else. It is an eerie contrast to the flight we were just on. Yes, the haves are not traveling while coach is packed with the have-nots.

On the plane, I listened to the Coronavirus NZ podcast . One of the guests said that only 201 exemptions had been granted to the New Zealand travel ban. I feel much gratitude to be included in that number.

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.