it's time to pack...AGAIN!

It isn’t a lie. It is impossible to avoid the inevitable. There are only four days left before we leave Auckland. Lately I have been avoiding anything that hints at how little time Ollie and I have left here and throwing myself into making the most of every last minute I have here. Hence the lack of blogs. Writing and thinking would have only highlighted the truth more and so in true Amy style I turned my back on the truth in exchange for denial and having the best possible time I could. Selfish? Yes. And I apologise. I should have been a better person and taken more care of my blog. But I am back again now and I’m gonna be around for a while this time so please don’t give up on me, they’ll be daily blog updates from now on! 

So what have we been doing of the past month and a half? Oh you know just the norm, working, partying, working, partying, working, partying, working and oh...partying! Ollie and I had the privilege of meeting Nirvisha’s fiance Sonny and spending a crazy weekend altogether which included, a hotel, dancing, a church service in Hindi and an untouched box of food that followed us everywhere. Then there was our weekend in Hamilton visiting Nirvisha which also included a hotel, a drinking game I was rubbish at, finding a Dubstep club, a hungover game of bowling, having too much fun on a kids playground and sitting in a bath together (fully clothed I might add!). Ollie has spent every other week away in Wellington, I have had to get used to the fact that New Zealand is freezing in the winter and because my darling Nirvisha moved to a job in Hamilton, I have thrown myself into working as much as possible to pass the time and fund our weekends! But working a lot wasn’t all bad. It turns out I got myself a pretty awesome job in the end and my time there has been a lot of fun! For me, although maybe less for every one else putting up with me!

As much as Ollie and I are really excited to be traveling again I think there is a part of both of us that isn’t sure we want to leave. We have come to really love Auckland, we’ve made great friends and life here is pretty good. Then there is leaving Skye, Mac, Char and Nige and that will be really sad too. But I suppose it’s easy to like somewhere when you have a ticket onwards, being here and knowing we’re here for good would probably feel very different. And who knows what adventures we’ll get up to over the next months and when we reach Australia. We’re going to have to start all over again! But that part of the trip will be very different because we won’t be staying constantly in just one place. I think that’s why here has come to feel a bit like home. The fact that we’ve lived a relatively ‘normal’ life. We abandoned the traveling lifestyle but in Australia that’s what we will be back to. Actually thinking about that I do get a bit excited! I’m also thinking of the warmer weather but hey that’s just an added bonus!

We pick up our van on Saturday to begin our five and a half weeks of travel across New Zealand. I can’t wait to actually see a bit more of the country we have just spent the last seven months in! I know we’ve done a few trips but we haven’t really seen anything yet! We have a vague plan but I think we’ll just see how it goes. It’s funny because back in England we planned our journey across America so thoroughly but having done that I think we are a bit more confident this time, oh and New Zealand is a slightly smaller place!! 

I have missed the challenge of writing daily blogs and I can’t wait to get back to that. I’ve let my writing go and I need to get back on it! It is so easy to slip away from writing when work and life love to get in the way so much. Every time that happens I realise what a privilege it is to get time to write and that when I do get the opportunity I should always make the most of it. So when it’s not my turn to drive the van I WILL be writing! Speaking of driving...bit nervous about that! Apparently our van will be a manuel which I am very happy about. I’ve done a bit of automatic driving over here but I hate it so much! I just don’t feel in control of the car! It’s like driving a Go Cart! Oh and it’s boring! 

My last day at work is tomorrow. It doesn’t feel like it is though. I literally can’t get my head around the fact that I won’t be working there anymore and that in all likelihood I won’t see any of the people I have just spent the last five and half months working with ever again. What a strange reality! I have left jobs in the past but never with such finality. And I tried so hard in the beginning not to get attached. As usual I failed and now I will miss the people there very much. We had a party on Saturday night and it was such an awesome evening. I’ve been very lucky to have worked with such great people who have been so lovely to me. 

So now it is back to packing, last minute preparations, cutting my hair short so it won’t need cutting for a good while, enjoying every last proper shower and trying to stuff everything back into one bag. After seven months Ollie and I have collected a bit more baggage than we began with and I’m not entirely sure we’re going to have enough room for everything! We now have football boots, numerous books Amy has purchased (should have a got a kindle!), extra clothes, a bottle of honey (don’t ask), and various other pieces of memorabilia we have acquired. I have a feeling our parents might just be receiving a few parcels of our possessions home in the near future! Especially after another six or seven months in Aussie land!

So here’s to starting a new epic journey which I know will be every bit as awesome as the last! Amy and Oliver are back on the road!

3/7/12