aldiskaza.com | nz blog

What do you mean it’s almost over?

… really?

Yes. I know. This is expected - I knew it would be and even prepared myself for it. Well, my all too brief adventure in New Zealand is rapidly winding down: my flatmates are boxing up their things, prepping for moves of their own. I’m packing and re-packing, partly making sure I won’t have to pay a ridiculous overweight surcharge at the airport, but mostly because I’m getting anxious and, yes, even packing is a bit more reassuring than dawdling in contemplation or scrambling to do anything and everything.

There are things I haven’t seen. I never made it out to WETA Studio, though this is not really my fault: they don’t allow tours of their facilities because of the confidential nature of their work (trust me: I received about four separate responses to my e-mail inquiry.) I think I only covered about 2% of Te Papa, the free national museum here in Wellington. I didn’t spend enough time going to nightclubs and checking out the music scene - but my flatmates reassure me that most local bands aren’t that great anyways. I should have taken a few of the ferry rides from the harbor to explore some of the islands just a few minutes off the coast. I should have spent more time relaxing in the botanical gardens instead of doing schoolwork; I probably could have got away with doing a lot less (sorry Mom and Dad.) I could still go swimming, but the weather is looking nasty for the next day or so. I should have taken more photographs, approached more strangers, asked more questions to anyone and everyone: what is New Zealand? Who is New Zealand?

But then, I remember. I remember that I’ve made some excellent friends here — some Americans, but mostly Kiwis. I know that I will always remember these people: the crazy film lecturer, the tutor who dropped f-bombs left and right, that guy who works at the library and always hits on girls when they check out or that guy I always see with his poodle (Is he blind? We may never know.) I remember feeling so in touch with the world around me, or so self-aware that I wanted to disappear. I remember that day when, walking back to my flat from class, I first felt like this place was my home. I was humming on the same frequency as the rest of the city. I was here.

We are all affected by our surroundings, whether we realize it or not - whether we like it or not. Some of us welcome that feeling, the realization. Others shun it out of fear, or perhaps frustration. Or maybe it’s all too much to just think about your place in the world. Where do we fit? Do we? I can’t say that my experience in New Zealand has provided any answers to these questions, but it certainly has left me feeling more connected - on a global scale. I feel more ambitious about travel and would love to do more of it. I will, in fact, be traveling again next week (to London, to visit my girlfriend who is studying there.) As an aside, I’ll be writing about that and all subsequent events/ramblings/opinions in what will become my main blog, here.

I will miss this place and the wonderful people I’ve encountered. NZ is the world’s youngest country and one of its youngest land masses as well: wild, unyielding and still, fortunately, uncompromised in certain spots. Sort of sums up my trip. There is still much to be done and lots to see, but I will have to save that for another time. After all, I may have jumped off a bridge, but I still have to jump out of a plane.

To quote a famous robot: I’ll be back.