I don't know where the time goes.
Suddenly I'm at the halfway mark in my time here. So many of my friends here are returning home, and it feels so strange to send them off while I remain here for six more months. Our little group of au pairs has gathered together in such a specific little club, it feels so final to watch people walk out into the mist of the "real world", especially when it seems like I've just gotten to know them. It's an odd time, this halfway point. I know soon, probably too soon, I will be the one struggling to pack my suitcase, having my final hot chocolate at Corelli's, saying goodbye. It's hard to imagine.
Suddenly I'm at the halfway mark in my time here. So many of my friends here are returning home, and it feels so strange to send them off while I remain here for six more months. Our little group of au pairs has gathered together in such a specific little club, it feels so final to watch people walk out into the mist of the "real world", especially when it seems like I've just gotten to know them. It's an odd time, this halfway point. I know soon, probably too soon, I will be the one struggling to pack my suitcase, having my final hot chocolate at Corelli's, saying goodbye. It's hard to imagine.
Fortunately I've been up to some fun in the midst of my pondering and reveling in pre-nostalgia (is there a word for this phenomenon, by the way? As a rampant infection among my generation, it really deserves its own word). I took a trip with some friends to Rotorua a few weeks back, which is famous for its geothermal activity. There are natural hot pools everywhere around the city, and the sulfuric odors emanating from them give Canton a run for its smelly money! We took a trip to Wai-o-Tapu to see the thermal sights, from geysers to colored pools to beautiful steaming lakes.
We also managed to find our own private hot pool to soak in, even though the "Do not put your head underwater or you might die from meningitis" signs were slightly discouraging. It was a perfect temperature though, and so fun to pull over on the side of the road and jump into our own natural hot tub!
Rotorua reminded me a lot of Gatlinburg, or at least as close as NZ gets to that particular brand of tourist town. There are billboards everywhere for slightly hokey activities like luging, gondola rides up the mountain, petting zoos, all that jazz. Of course, even NZ at its most touristic doesn't hold a candle to the PT Barnum absurdity of most of the US tourist traps (I'm lookin' at you, Fountain of Youth)! It was fun to see that side of Kiwi culture though, after doing so many trips taking us to remote edges of the country.
Rotorua reminded me a lot of Gatlinburg, or at least as close as NZ gets to that particular brand of tourist town. There are billboards everywhere for slightly hokey activities like luging, gondola rides up the mountain, petting zoos, all that jazz. Of course, even NZ at its most touristic doesn't hold a candle to the PT Barnum absurdity of most of the US tourist traps (I'm lookin' at you, Fountain of Youth)! It was fun to see that side of Kiwi culture though, after doing so many trips taking us to remote edges of the country.
I also got to spend a week in tropical paradise with my host family over the school holidays! We stayed with another family in a house right on the beach of Rarotonga, one of the Cook Islands. It was astoundingly gorgeous, like someone took the Bahamas and Photoshopped it to look even more incredible. It's quite a small island, with just one main road and a two buses, Clockwise and AntiClockwise. We saw an island cultural show, shopped at the local market, snorkeled on a lagoon cruise, hiked across the island, raced hermit crabs, ate about 8,000 coconuts, and amused ourselves in the absence of technology by watching geckos fight and eat flies on the roof of the house!
Sometimes I can't fully wrap my head around how fantastic these experiences are; how am I allowed to be in so many incredible places and learn so many new things? And how could I ever possibly forget how lucky I am to be here? But still I do, still I feel so many complicated things in the midst of my excursions. It's very confusing. Have you all seen Inside Out yet? Please go see that. Even though I'm far beyond the main character's eleven years, it explained this strange amalgam of emotions in some pretty helpful ways. I recommend it if you are similarly stuck overanalyzing your own thoughts!
Thanks for bearing with my ramblings, dear readers. It's nice to share my travels, external and internal, with you.
Thanks for bearing with my ramblings, dear readers. It's nice to share my travels, external and internal, with you.