It’s become a lifestyle, traveling. When I meet new people, I speak prospectively about my travels and try to deflect that I’ve been abroad for over a year. It just sounds absurd.
For my 15th month, I finished up working at the hostel in Wanganui. The first three weeks comprised of the “living and working abroad” experience I had wanted. When the day finally came, I caught the first ride out of town, as I normally did this time of year at the end of an accounting busy season.
In my first week of freedom after working seven days a week for two months, I hung out in Wellington, flew to Queenstown, hitch-hiked to Glenorchy, climbed Mount Alfred, and have been recovering in Queenstown ever since. I certainly appreciate being able to walk normally now that I temporarily can’t haha.
If anything’s been notable this month, it’s been the affliction of indecision. In the final weeks at the hostel, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my 2014. I agonized about it. Where do I go when I can go anywhere? How can I not know what I want?! It took about three weeks to figure out what I wanted for 2014: Spain (practice Spanish!), Croatia (Ultra Music Festival!), Montenegro/Albania/Greece (summer in the Mediterranean!) Summer would be warming up in Southern Spain in May so what did I want to do for April?
I decided to stay in New Zealand for an additional six weeks, after starting to blog about my initial journey around the country and feeling inspired by the compact availability of glaciers, rainforests, rugged coastlines and alpine vistas. But now that I’m back on the picturesque South Island, I am feeling bored (and cold). The original sense of awe and novelty has worn off since January. Autumn is setting in. I don’t really want to be here anymore but I don’t know where I want instead.
We’ll see what happens!
V for Vacay! 