A Look Ahead

Hi everyone,

Well, I don't have any news about our visas yet. Rory just made it home to Bottesford over the weekend, as Friday was his last day of work, and now we can concentrate on resolving our dilemma. Hopefully we'll have good news on that front by the end of this week.

In the meantime I've been dreaming away. Rory sent me the Eyewitness Guide to New Zealand as a surprise gift, and I've been reading it before bed every night. It keeps my spirits from falling during this time of limbo.

I thought it might be fun to ask my future self some questions. You know, the Ames that will have lived in NZ for a year, and is looking back on her experience. So I will include the list of questions here, and then revisit them as a way to reflect. So without further adieu, here are the fifty questions:

1. What was your single favorite moment?
2. What would you consider the best overall day?
3. How did you feel about your job?
4. Who would you consider your closest new friend?
5. What was your favorite place for a relaxed drink with Rory?
6. What was your favorite restaurant?
7. What was your favorite part about Kiwi culture?
8. Did you attend any sporting events?
9. Which extreme sports did you try?
10. Which additional countries did you visit?
11. Did you buy anything off of TradeMe?
12. How did you like your living situation?
13. Did you end up buying a beater car, as planned?
14. How did you find the climate?
15. How did you spend the holidays?
16. What was the most important lesson you learned?
17. What was the biggest surprise?
18. What was the biggest disappointment?
19. What did you find yourself missing the most?
20. Did you go to any cultural events/concerts?
21. How did you find Kiwi music and telly?
22. Are Kiwis significantly more environmentally conscious?
23. What was the closest you got to Antarctica?
24. Did you get that tattoo that you were considering before you left?
25. What was your favorite outdoor adventure?
26. What was your favorite beach?
27. What was your favorite beer?
28. Was the 20 hour time difference manageable?
29. Did you get any mail this time?
30. Which islands did you visit in NZ?
31. Were you able to continue teaching Rory how to ski?
32. What was the most romantic outing you had?
33. How did the two of you spend your birthdays?
34. How were the employment benefits in NZ compared to the UK?
35. Did your time in NZ help narrow your career path?
36. Who did you vote for on your absentee ballot for the US elections?
37. Were you able to keep in contact with everyone at home?
38. Did you ever get to see a Kiwi bird in the wild?
39. What was the most difficult day of the year?
40. Have NZ hostels improved since 2002?
41. Did you celebrate any holidays such as Halloween, Guy Fawkes, or St. Paddy's?
42. Did you get any flak for being American?
43. How was public transportation?
44. Did you pick up any new hobbies?
45. Did you pick up any of the accent or phrases?
46. Did anyone from home end up visiting?
47. Did it have the feel of a British colony?
48. Did you miss Europe?
49. What big milestones back at home did you miss?
50. What is next for you after this experience?

Until next time,
XXX.

Skype- it isn't optional.

Hi everyone,

Nobody knows this blog exists yet, but I'm still going to keep posting. Rory thinks I'm crazy.

Anyways, I wanted to tell everyone about the magical service that is Skype. For some reason, it still hasn't caught on in the States yet, even though it is pretty common in Europe. Basically, its like Vonage, except its free (or close to it). You can dial through your computer, use your headset, and call either other computers (the free option) or a landline or mobile. Rates are very low, and the quality is far better than traditional modes of communication.

So what I need is for everyone to sign up. Go to www.skype.com, and create an account. Once you are a member, add me as a contact (by searching by my email address). If you want to call outside of virtual-land, some Skype Out credit is needed. Ten bucks should last you a couple of months, because calls cost just a few cents per minute. You can also buy a good headset (with microphone) at Target.

Ok, once this has been done, the next thing to do is find a webcam. Even cheap (or old) ones will work well enough. Then we can have video chats, which will be important in the coming year.

If you have questions, please ask me. We'll get it sorted out, and it will make keeping in touch as easy as pie.

The painful visa process

When I wrote the "Welcome" post, Rory was a little confused. "But we aren't even there yet!" he said. But I might as well document everything: preparing, packing, getting there, wandering around. And this visa process is turning out to be a monster, so that means that I'm going to whine about it.

Ready? Good. Here is the story: We turned in our electronic applications on February 15th. We got chest X-rays and mailed them to the London NZ Immigration office, as directed, on February 21st. On the 27th, I made the long trip back home, confident that we were just a couple of weeks away from being Working Holiday Visa Holders.

And then a few weeks passed, with no word. We both wrote emails to the generic help link, which were both answered slowly and with not much clarity. Finally Rory was able to get through to a real person- Noa- who figured out that our X-rays were lost. At least they admitted that it was their fault.

But it still means that we are severely delayed, and that the way forward isn't clear. If I was still in the UK, I could just visit the hospital and ask for another copy. But I am thousands of miles away. I could pay for another, but it would mean another six weeks here...at least. And I haven't seen Rory in a month.

So, at the moment, we are stuck. Hopefully in a couple of months we can read this entry and laugh.

Welcome!

Hi everyone,

This blog is meant to update our friends and family on our whereabouts, activities, and thoughts, from the beginning (now) to when we return in Spring/Summer of '09.

Being citizens of different countries hasn't made for an easy relationship, but it has made things interesting and adventuresome. We've visited each other, traveled through Central America together, lived together briefly in Brighton (when I was fortunate enough to get a temporary work visa), and now we found one more way to be together before we settle down somewhere permanently.

So as soon as our Working Holiday Visas are finally approved (or even before, if it comes to it), we will jet off to the "other" land down under, New Zealand. There, we will find a city that we like, get jobs, and live like locals for a whole 12 months. Sometime, either in the middle or after, we are also hoping to also see some of Australia. I lived in Perth while in university, but Rory has never been. And maybe, just maybe, we'll manage to get to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), which would be incredible.

Keep checking this, as we write about the trials, tribulations, and joys of this entire crazy process!

Much love.