My husband! My dog! New Zealand! OMG I’m so happy! Hurrays!
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I’m in NZ. Super tired. I wrote the following a couple days ago and wanted to share it. I’ll be back to blogging regularly at some point. One day.
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I’m going back to New Zealand… and I’m so excited!! We had a work party Friday where I ended up talking a lot about New Zealand, both good and bad. I realized that I really only had good things to say besides the cost of living factor (but I’m spoiled because I’m from a lower cost of living city).
I was also thinking about how I have portrayed life in NZ on my blog and in conversations with friends. I don’t remember if I ever talked about how NZ finally became a place I love living in, because the process was so gradual I didn’t notice it until a few months before I came back to the USA. I remember writing a lot about the negatives and struggling but never sharing how it resolved.
You see, there was a period where I was so frustrated with my experiences here that I hated NZ. I let that experience of hitting an expat wall negatively color my perception of life in NZ for a long time. But slowly I made friends, got a job to fill my time and work my brain, found places and activities I loved, and grew accustomed to the differences. Things just got better. All it took was time. (Yes, like everyone said it would, things did get better with time.)
Looking back now I realize my distaste for life in NZ was originally mainly about my frustration in being unable to find a job and trying to plan a diy wedding across an ocean. Those factors threw me into an emotional tailspin which led me to dislike every other single thing that came up. I couldn’t look past that initial situation for a long time, but eventually those things were resolved. I got married, found a job and got a dog and things got better. Life in NZ got better.
Now we are planning to move away this year and it makes me sad. I love my job in Memphis and want to be closer to my mom after this cancer thing but I can’t help wanting to stay in NZ and enjoy all the things I love about it….
The ocean nearby. The mountains and beautiful scenery. The amazing sunsets. The hiking trails and areas for JuJu to run free. The multicultural mix of people. The food. The awesome summer festivals. The parties with friends. There is so much I love about NZ now I wish I could find a way to afford living half a year in both places. Maybe I’ll win the lottery one of these days. ;)
{ 14 comments }
your happiness RADIATES from the screen.
xoxo
Miz´s last [type] ..Meditation doesnt change things.
Just came to say this SAME THING!
:)
I think the feelings you’ve shared on the blog are part of the culture shock process. What you;ve described is just almost dead on to the stages one goes through.
Eating as a Path to Yoga´s last [type] ..Pigeon Pose & Pizza
Glad to hear from you Mary :-) And glad you’re happy!
My uncle is visiting me this week and he has lived overseas for half his life (he moved to Italy from the U.S. when he was 35 and he’s now 70…he has lived in many places in both Europe and the Middle East). Anyway, just yesterday he was recalling what it was like when he first moved there and how hard it was at first. It takes a while for a place to become home and now it sounds like you’ve got two. Good on ya!
It definitely takes some time for a place to become home. This year I finally feel like NZ is a home to me (and Memphis too, which is weird having two places), but it took almost two years of living here for that to happen!
I hope it’s absolutely lovely!
Sounds like a pretty tough thing to get through, but I’m very glad you get to be back with your husband and the dog. Take care!
Lily Fluffbottom´s last [type] ..Mid Year Update
Hi mary. So glad you are back with your hubby and pets. Take care.
glad youre back home with kepa and the pets! NZ does look like a beautiful place to live.
merri´s last [type] ..Cuteness Overload – My New Addition
So happy you are happy!!!! :-)
Jody – Fit at 54´s last [type] ..Holiday/July 4th Planning; Giveaway Winner & Coupon Code!
It has been interesting reading about your experiences in NZ, and what it’s like living abroad. I’d like to visit sometime.
It truly is a wonderful place to visit! Seriously, it’s a nice vacation destination. Living here is a totally different story, but no one can deny that it’s beautiful and has tons of stuff to do outside.
I’m so glad you are honest about the struggles of moving and living in new countries. Being from lil ol NZ, I think it’s the best place in the world – and can’t imagine anyone struggling there…but of course the reality is that there WILL be struggles, no matter what country you are living in. I went through it last year by moving to Canada, and just when I was learning to love it – we upped and moved to England (visa reasons, not because we wanted to leave Canada).
It’s great that you love NZ now, and call it your home (at least part of the time). While I am currently struggling in London, maybe one day I will get to that too!
Leah´s last [type] ..Dry July
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