My Catalyst for Change

When we change our lives are we really even changing at all? Whenever I'm in a new place I need the same things to make me feel at home... a job, a place to live, and a social life of some sort. If I'm in a new place, I'm always looking for the neighborhood that makes me feel at home. So why leave?

We leave because a feeling cannot be what determines what is best for us. We have goals, ambitions, and motivation to do the thing we dream; no matter how crazy it is. Some want to move halfway around the world and others want to move down the road from Mom and Dad's. It doesn't really matter because change is big to the person involved. Perspective can be a funny thing, but it should be present in every thought you have about a life that differs from your own.

The changes in my life have now lead me to Nelson. It is a small town near the top of the South Island that reminds me of North Conway, New Hampshire. I like that even though the names of the streets are foreign it feels familiar. Somehow the trees, footpaths, storefronts and sky tell my body that I've been here before, and I like it. Travelling has given me the gift of recognition. I've been able to look into my life and break it down honestly. I've learned to trust instincts and follow a questionable future. Questions aren't unsettling anymore. I'd have more fear if I was confident I had all the answers.

I leave because it helps me learn, and that is an answer that settles even the biggest of butterflies.

Take a Leap Every Now and Then

The guidebooks don't lie when they say the weather around Wellington is, well, unpredictable. Let's just say Chicago ain't got nothin' on Windy Welly, so when you finally get that warm day you've been hoping for, you truly have to take full advantage of it. Luckily that long-awaited day came, and really there is only one thing to do when the temperature gets about 15 degrees Celcius...

On a warm, summer's day leaping off a pier in the middle of a bustling city is exactly what pops into your mind, right?! Well, it didn't cross my mind either until I called Helen to meet up after being out of town for a couple of days. I love that when it comes to true friends, as soon as you resurface you are right back into having good, old-fashioned fun again.

On my walk from the train station back to The Cambridge, my home away from home, I couldn't wait to finally take that leap. I've been in Wellingon three months now, so I figured it's about bloody time! After a quick change, it was back out the door and time to hit the water with one of my best mates. The funny thing about Wellington... maybe it's the third largest city in New Zealand, but you will always see a familar face, and sure enough the pier was packed with them.

The Cambridge crew was there, almost in full, and it was a sight for sore eyes. Being so far away from home, it's special when you set up your surrogate family. Each traveler you meet has something in common with you, because somehow you are in the same place at the same time sharing the same memories. And this crew, well, they are something special. They will help you take that leap, extend a hand for you to hold and glide through the air without ever losing that smile. With them, you are never alone, ever.










The truth is, the weather isn't the reason that day was so amazing. What has become The Cambridge Family is what made that day what it was... SWEET AS BRO!

A Twenty Something in En Zed

Hello and welcome to the long-awaited blog I've promised you all, or perhaps one that you have stumbled across on your quest for adventure! Hmmm... anyway, this is one of my many New Year's resolutions. While I'm away I need to stay in much better contact, and I figured that this is by far the best and most interesting way to do it. So here goes nothing...

First off, I'm trying to take full advantage of my twenties and that is ultimately what led to so many different walks of life, including the wonderful country I am currently in... New Zealand.

Before New Zealand it was New York City where I found a home away from home. I met extraordinary people who opened up my world and allowed me to grow into the person I am. The community that was formed has been very hard to leave, but I promise each and every one of you that every so often a memory pops into my head and I am right back with you all. Moving to New York is what gave me the courage to venture even farther from the great state of NH and catch a plane to where my 20-something self is currently residing. Ok, enough backstory... Now on to the question I get asked most frequently.

Why New Zealand?

Believe me, I wonder this myself from time to time. I am living in Wellington working two different hospo jobs, doing things I have done so many times before. Surely I don't have to be on the complete other side of the world to do that, right? But then it just takes one trip, one sunrise, one beach Christmas to remind myself what made me change everything I ever knew about my life. So, why am I in New Zealand? I'm here because it is where I need to be. I am here for everyone who has ever yearned to pack it all up and be a little crazier than the rest of the world. And most importantly, I am here because the unexpected life is much more exciting.

2010, I am ready for you...