Great Expectations

It is hard to believe it has been over three months since I last sat down to blog. The past few months have been a calamity of adventure and heart tugging struggles, as we waited out the wet, cold dregs of winter. Sorting through the contrast of fun vacations, constant rain, ailing family, and work struggles, the past few months has opened our eyes wider to realise our reality; we may be living in a beautiful and amazing place, but we are not immune to the the plague of homesickness.

Many people say it takes a lot of guts to do what we did, to drop everything, and start fresh in a place where we knew no one and had nothing. After experiencing the last eleven months away from home, exchanging new adventures for absence at important events and the company of  those close to our hearts, I think it is the being away that takes the guts, not the leaving.  Being far away means you can't hop a plane home whenever you feel you really should; time change means you have to plan your phone calls instead of calling when you really want, or need to chat. (sometimes taking up to three weeks to actually co-ordinate the call). While we are still enjoying our kiwi experience, and consider ourselves lucky to be where we are today, we have come to realise what a great place we come from, and what amazing family and friends we do have in Canada.

While we came head on with some new struggles in the past few months, we were also met some new adventures that reminded us how special it was to be in New Zealand. In late July, we made our maiden flight to New Zealand's infamous South Island. Since we started mentioning the prospect of living in New Zealand well over a year ago, we have been met constantly with rave reviews about the beauty and charm of the South Island. Even people who hadn't even been to New Zealand would want to tell us about how they had "heard" of how amazing the South Island was. In fact, we had heard so much about the greatness of this illustrious place in the New Zealand landscape that it was starting to get a bit annoying hearing about it. Finally, it was our chance to see for ourselves what this place was all about, and whether it deserved it's sparkling reputation.

Queenstown mountain views

The winter escape could not have come at a more appropriate time, as we both needed a break from  routine, stress of work, and the rain. We were looking forward to seeing the snow. We packed up the ski gear and boarded a plane to Queenstown, a town known as much for its adventure tourism  as for it's stunning beauty. We did not even have to land on the runway before knowing that all the reviews we had heard would be accurate. Flying through the snow capped mountains we landed  on one of the most beautiful runways we had ever seen.  We stepped out onto the tarmac surrounded by greatness of mountain and blue sunny skies, which was a lovely change from the wind and rain we had left behind in Wellington.

Queenstown is quite simply a beautiful, quaint city with the cool, laid back feel of a skiing hot spot. The mountains  surround you everywhere you go, and right in the middle of it all is a crisp blue lake that captures the reflection of the snow capped peaks. The air was cool and crisp and,  in a way we both could not quite explain, it smelled like home. It had been a relatively mild and wet winter, so the snow was where it should be, in the mountains, leaving the ground at the base snow free and easy to manoeuvre. Para gliders soared through the sunny skies air at leisure, and we felt that we had finally found the New Zealand that everyone had been talking about.

Trent in Queenstown

one of the best things about being half way across the world, is hanging out with people who used to be half a world away



luging down the mountain

 We spent most of our week with our good friends Lee and Mark, who had flown over from Perth, Australia to join us. We spent our days skiing, sight seeing, racing wheeled luge carts down track on the side of the mountain, cruising around the Lake Wakatipu, dining at Rata, a restaurant owned by one of our favourite Masterchefs,  and enjoying the surroundings.


Oh, and we also jumped 109 meters off the side of a cliff.

The Canyon Swing, named the world's highest cliff jump, has been attempted by the likes of celebrities, an 80 year old man, and the entire English football team. It basically consists of a 60 meter free fall, followed by a 200 meter "swing" into a narrow canyon with a rocky fast moving river below. Each jumper gets to choose a jump style that they will use to  take off the platform. These styles range from from backwards, upside down, hands behind your back, strapped to a chair, or anything that you can create (http://www.canyonswing.co.nz/). The experience was an interesting one; absolutely terrifying as you stood on the platform looking down the the river below, followed by a huge rush of adrenaline as you plummeted to the ground, then suddenly a moment of peace as you hang at the bottom of the canyon taking in the beauty of your surroundings/started to breathe again. Trent, Mark and I all lived to tell our tales, while a pregnant Lee stood back and cheered our work/stupidity.

So happy I'm still alive..

 

Trent plummeting towards the river

We returned from Queenstown to several weeks of pouring rain and high winds, exactly the type of weather that quickly kills a post vacation buzz. To be honest, August was a tough month. The reality of our distance began to set in as we sat back, and sat out of important family gatherings, a wedding of our close friends Barb and Chris, and being around to play a supportive role for family when they needed it. The weather was horrible and the stress of work and commuting was taking its toll.  The contrast of our travel adventure the month before was stark.

 

Slowly we began to pull ourselves out of our rain soaked state and make some steps towards shaking ourselves dry. The first thing we did was enrolled Huff in an dog agility class. Following our trip to Queenstown, Huff seemed to be falling victim to a bit of loneliness herself  (she was missing her Canadian dog friends!), had become a bit naughty. We felt that  maybe a bit of formal training was the answer. Huff and I go to class for an hour every Wednesday,  and she has now learnt how to successfully run through tunnels, fly through a hoop and soar over jumps. She is in the "B" group  at class, which contains the slightly less agile dogs or ones who have a mind of their own, but she is still doing great given the first time she ever saw an agility tunnel at the Ottawa Canine School she ran the other way!  It has been a lot of fun and she is really excited to go each week. We just won't expect her to bring home any agility trophies this year.

Huff prepares to soar through the hoop at agility school

While Huff was learning to soar through the air, we were sticking ourselves closer to the earth, trying to colour our thumbs green. Gardening in New Zealand is part of the kiwi way of life. Everyone has a garden, and we wanted one too.  We agreed to start a co-operative veggie garden project with our friends Kim and Andy. Since they already had beds set up from the year before, we decided to share the work and the rewards. In September, we planted tomatoes, beans, peas, strawberries, potatoes, capsicums, and lettuce, and now are patiently waiting the results. I'm also secretly hoping for a giant and a beanstalk.

 

Today we changed our clocks and "sprung ahead" towards warmer weather and brighter days. We move towards the summer with a new frame of mind, able to acknowledge the goals we want to achieve here in New Zealand, while understanding that we cannot achieve these goals without a bit of sacrifice. A friend recently said, " don't let your dreams be dreams", and it reminded me to continue to go confidently towards mine. Nothing good ever comes without a little bit of challenge, sacrifice, and commitment, even though we may have the greatest of expectations that our great adventures will be nothing but perfect. We hope you all know how much we love, miss, and think about you often, and hope you will continue to travel with us on our wonderful adventure here at the bottom of the world. 

 

We will keep dreaming and hope you will too. The next great adventure may be just around the corner.

Mark, Lee, Trent and I smiling after surviving our big jump

 

A Midwinter's Night Quake

Huff and her mates Bailey and Elvis

Midwinter.  Typically winter is the furthest thing from my mind come mid July. But as the New Zealand winter creeps on, with its frosty dark mornings and grey rainy days, we find ourselves in the middle of the weirdest July we have ever encountered. Instead of basking in the sun and complaining about the heat, we are bundling up and searching for reasons to have drinks and company in front of the fire.

Winter solstice dancers at the Farmers Market

Mid winter is not just a seasonal marker in New Zealand, but also a sort of holiday to fill the place that is left void by traditional family style holidays that do not fall during June, July or August. The weather is cold, but there are no warm holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving to fill the gap and give the excuse for the warm and cozy merriment that one craves when it is cold outside. So instead there is midwinter; midwinter swims, midwinter parties, winter solstice. Midwinter has no true date, unless you want to specifically mark winter solstice,  and no specific traditions. It is simply the excuse to celebrate.




We were invited to our first midwinter celebration at the end of June. A midwinter swim. This is mild kiwi version of a polar bear swim, and having participated in both, was the far more enjoyable version. My boss Chris holds an annual midwinter swim at his home in Paraparaumu Beach and kindly invited us to jump in this year. The pool was a balmy six degrees Celsius, and it was a requirement to jump in the pool before you could have your glass of delicious mulled wine  and warm dinner. We were joined by about 25 other adults and kids and it was all around a really great time, and actually surprisingly refreshing.

We continued celebrating midwinter two weekends later with more wine, food, and good people. Our friends Kim and Andy organised a great feast of chicken, fish, veggies and tiramisu beside a warm and cosy fire. Joined by a second couple, Kate and Shaun,  and their son Finn, we ate, drank and celebrated well into the night. Minus the presents and tree, it felt just like it was Christmas, complete with a Boxing Day hang over, and was a great way to break through the midwinter blues we had  recently fallen victim to.


Trent and Andy

See..just like Christmas :) Kim celebrates with the local snowman

Not all of winter has grey or boring. On July 11th, we quietly celebrated our sixth month of living in New Zealand, and eighth month away from Canada. The past eight months have flown by in the blink of an eye. After many Australian adventures, immigration dramas, and a thousand beach walks later,  I still feel like I could wake up at any moment back in Canada and realise that we were dreaming it all.  Two weeks ago we woke up to a genuine New Zealand reality that confirmed that we were definitely not dreaming. There is something about waking up to  your entire house shaking and swaying that made life in New Zealand suddenly feel very real, as well as making us realise the new types of environmental threats we  are suddenly exposed to. This was not our fist earthquake, but it was certainly the largest. A 7.0 magnitude quake lasting 45 seconds makes you stop and take notice pretty quickly. Luckily for us, this earthquake was deep in the earth at a depth of 230km, so it left very little damage.  The deeper an earthquake occurs, the less severe the damage tends to be. For example, the earthquake that crippled Christchurch in February 2011 was a 6.3 magnitude, but existed only 5km underground. A year and a half  later the city of Christchurch is still trying to make sense of the rubble. Other than a few rattled nerves and one confused dog, we came out no worse for the wear, and no more prepared for a second 5.2 magnitude quake that occurred the following Saturday. Lucky for Mike and Eden, (my brother and his wife), we were able to share a piece of the second quake with a Canadian audience, who had the rare opportunity to experience the event via Skype.

Though the earth seems to be shaking below us, we are starting to feel a lot more grounded since Trent was able to land a full time position with Kiwibank Headquarters in Wellington. In June, Trent accepted a 6 month contract to work as a Business Continuity Manager the for the New Zealand owned bank. Trent now commutes to and from Wellington by train each day, about an hour each way, which makes for long days, and has changed our home routine quite significantly. While the days can be long, he is enjoying the job and being back in the working world after a bit of time away. Huff is still holding a grudge.

As we take stock of our experience over the past six months, midwinter seems like a suiting metaphor to describe our current life in New Zealand. We are no longer at the beginning of our experience, but we are far from the end. We can now stop and take a look back at where we have come from, the experiences that have brought us here and the hard work we have put in to make it all happen. We have finally reached the point where we no longer have a checklist of things to do to create our new life, but instead, are making new lists of adventures that will punctuate the life we have created. As winter's cloak of darkness begins to fade, we are now able to stand back, breathe in the smell of the ocean, and consider the possibilities that await us.

The ground hog's predictions look like a beautiful spring.

Our Lemon Tree!

Kia Ora

It's hard to believe that it's been almost a month since I returned to New Zealand after my brief Canadian trip. Upon arriving back in the land of kiwis, I spent the next four days mostly horizontal, battling through a haze jet lag mixed with a strong shot of a sinus cold. On the fifth day, I woke up out of my dreamlike and confused state, and stepped back into my life in New Zealand. It's a good thing too, because it seems that so much has happened since.

May 11th marked our fourth month of life at the bottom of the world, and proved to be one of the most significant months so far. First of all, autumn had turned to winter. Of course, I use the word winter in more of a relative sense than an accurate one, as  that's what Kiwis on the North Island like to call weather that dips below 10 degrees Celsius. The beginnings of " winter" have been somewhat of a comical and backwards experience for us. For the first time in our lives, due to the lack of central heating and insulation, winter means its the time of year when you are generally colder inside than you are out. That is, of course, if you actually chose to exchange your shorts and jandals (sandals) for, a pair of pants and closed toe shoes.  Which oddly enough, a high percentage of kiwis chose not to. The whole thing is an especially odd experience for two Canadians, have spent their entire lives adapting and dressing for different types weather. Instead of being prepared and dressing for the elements, the kiwi mentality seems to aim at ignoring the cold in hopes that it will just go away. It becomes even more comical, when  almost every patient comes into my office asking" you must find this so cold!" as though I was from someplace that was known for its hot summers rather than its cold winters. We have come to realise just how tough Canadians really are.

The seasons have continued to change in life as well. Much to Huff's strong disapproval, Trent's five month summer vacation has finally come to an end. Having picked up his first consulting job, Trent has found himself helping the New Zealand Parliament plan for the worst, and hoping that the bottom doesn't drop out when that earthquake/tsunami/flood comes to town. This is also well known as Emergency Management and Business Continuity,  which you might recall, used to be Trent's job for the Canadian Government.  Let's hope the bottom doesn't drop out there either.

The beginning of winter has also brought us a new sense of comfort and recognition in the community we live in. We are quickly losing our sense of anonymity and slowly becoming recognised as locals. We now know by name, and have regular and meaningful conversations with some amazing people who make our little community tick.

There's Corban the amazing barista who runs The Kapiti Coffee Company, and in our opinion, makes the best coffee in town. No Starbucks rush speed at this cafe, Corban makes each cup of delicious coffee individually and with the finest precision, while getting to know his customers.  Then there is Stuart, the butcher who prepares Huff's raw dog food on special order at a really great value. There's Matt and the team at On Yer Bike, who wave and give you a big welcoming smile every time we come into the shop, and who continue to help us get to get from point A to point B on our bikes. And then there is Mark, who recently opened Antoinette's, where he makes some of the most delicious gourmet pizza and pastries in Paraparaumu Beach, and welcomes us by name each time we stop in to pick up an order.

Then of course there is Chris, our funny and motivating trainer who runs the Kapiti Crossfit  gym. I'm not sure if its Chris's dry English humour, or his ability to make you want to puke after each intense work out that he dishes up, but he keeps us coming back for more. Somewhere in between the sweat and grunting, we have also found some new friends through the small group workouts at the Crossfit gym and have broadened our community circle that much more.

Some of our new friends (aren't they good looking?)

Huff has quickly become one of the most popular dogs on the local beach, making friends wherever she goes, and introducing us to their owners.  I often wonder how we met our neighbours before we had a dog, as it often seems that at least half the people we know we met because of Huff.  Huff's long list of friends include a yellow lab named Gus, three black labs named T-Bone, Marlo, and Travis, a staffie named Bella, and countless others.  It is amazing to see how comfortable she has become here, running up to the owners of her dog friends on the beach and greeting them with a "arroo roo" or a kiss. She even lets them pet her on the head, which is a long shot from the timid dog we first met a year and a half ago. While the process of getting Huff to New Zealand may have been stressful and scary for all involved, her happiness, and the love she adds to our daily lives has proved the work of getting her here  to be 100% worth it.

Huff, Bella and TBone

In fact, It was Huff's friendship with the doggy duo team of Bailey and Elvis, who introduced us to our first friends in New Zealand. Originally from England, Kim and Andy moved to New Zealand with their son Harry four years ago. After meeting Kim on the beach, we accepted an invite for drinks at their home, which ironically was just down the street from ours. We immediately realised we had so many things in common; our love of food and wine, music and animals, and seemingly hit it off right away.  We have gotten together a couple of times since, and while our friendship is still quite fresh, their warm, fun, and inviting nature give us the sense that there will be many more bottles of wine and walks with the dogs to be shared.

View from our Sunday walk on the Waikane River

Though the air around us continues to get colder, our kiwi life seems to only get warmer. There is something to be said about living in a community where you know your neighbours and the people who make your world work. It may not be flashy and filled with skyscrapers, but living in small town New Zealand has started to break down the protective walls that years of living in a big city had built up. Breaking down these walls has led to a new building of  genuine relationships that have broadened our experience, and love for our new community.While they may have a distorted understanding of dealing with the cold, the welcoming and easygoing mentality of the kiwi character has made us feel less like outsiders and more at home with each coming week.

Kia Ora

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_ora

Carpe Diem

What. A. Whirlwind.

Just like that, I find myself back at Toronto Pearson Airport waiting to fly home to New Zealand.

Five days at home was never going to feel like a long trip. While it was short, it sure was sweet. The knowledge that my visit was on the clock made me appreciate the time I did have with a new gusto. I slept little and made my most of every special moment with family and friends.

I had a manicure date with my mom, and coffee with my parents.

I did the running man with my sister (and documented it with a Polaroid photo).

I curled my five year old niece's hair and relished in the moment when her eyes lit up when she realized how beautiful she looked in her flower girl dress.

I watched my two year old niece sleep with her bum stuck up in the air.

I snuggled with my furry four legged nephew, Norm.

I had dinner with my wonderful friend Barb and her "life partner" Chris; and laughed as her dogs inspected my luggage with the intensity of an airport inspection dog. Maybe they were trying to find one of the cats who had climbed into it.

I had breakfast with my best friend Alex in Prince Edward County, a place that I truly love. I listened in awe as she shared her plans to raise even more money towards the fight against cancer.

I drove a luxury car through a rain/snow storm in April.

I danced with my father.

Most importantly, I saw my brother marry his best friend. How great is that?

For months, patients and friends have been telling me that it wouldn't be worth traveling so far for such a short time.

But as I laughed, cried, danced, celebrated, and talked with the people who I hold dearest to my heart, I felt like every moment I spent in Canada had justified every hour spent on the plane.

In life, we take what we get, and I am grateful I got a chance to make this trip.

Thank you to everyone who made it so special.

:)

Sweet as...

Almost 5 months to the day since we left Canada, I find myself waiting at the Wellington International Airport flying home to Canadian soil. I am glad to report that the reason for a trip home so soon after arriving is happy one. My brother is taking a wife.

With a ceremonious NZ sheep packed in my suitcase (people still give livestock as wedding gifts right?), I sit through my first flight delay, having not even left the ground yet. The first of many long hours of traveling today. Saving my book for the long flight ahead I have found myself reflecting on my thoughts and feelings on the concept of home.

I realized this morning over a 6am airport cappuccino that "home" for me is now at both at both ends of this journey. Not to say that I am now a kiwi,(though I've started saying things like "cruisy" and "flash" and have become increasingly comfortable at operating on the left side of the road) but I will return to new Zealand with a new sense of belonging; a home, my family, a job, and trusty NZ visa that will allow me to breeze through immigration.

Still, returning to Canadian soil, no matter where you have been or how long you have been away, will always feel good. Being away makes you realize just how Canadian you are, and how special and wonderful Canada is, often in ways you would never guess. Part of that is relishing in the love and company of the family and friends you have missed while you have been away, and appreciating the real life experience of seeing people without having to use the wonder of Skype.
I am loving my New Zealand experience. But I cant wait to see those people who make Canada home.

Get the inflight drinks ready.

I am homeward bound.

The Simplest Thing

 “Did you notice that,
  happiness
  happens less
  the more often you stop to find where it's been hiding”

                                    -Hey Rosetta (The Simplest Thing)

It is often said that less is more, a concept that has eluded me until recent months.  Trained for years by the fast paced world of post graduate academia, I quickly learned to fill each hour of the day with as much productivity as possible, on as little sleep as needed. I have recently realized that I carried that philosophy straight into my personal and professional life.

Moving to New Zealand has had a profound effect on this mindset.  Honestly speaking, it is not a New Zealand thing, though the laid back lifestyle and cruisy mentality of the kiwi personality hasn’t hindered the adjustment.  It is the simplification of nearly everything in our life that stimulated the change. Literally everything has come back to basics; our possessions, our clothing, our budget, the amount of people we know, and our time commitments. This clean sweep has led us to sift through the clutter we had created, and start to truly enjoy the important things in life.

We were far from unhappy living in Canada, but we certainly were busy; often filling our days to the max and dreaming of a weekend when we could catch up, or rest. There were times when this high paced lifestyle started to catch up with us, and would often wear us down. We finally do not feel like we are playing catch up. Instead we are starting to appreciate the value of eight hours of sleep, the joy of family time, and the guilt free feeling of taking a nap or reading the newspaper on the weekend. Don’t get me wrong. We still have busy weeks, filled with days of work, housekeeping, grocery shopping, working out, and a list of things to do. We still have bad days, and feel tired at the end of the week. Life isn’t perfect, but it is no longer a rat race.  

As our lives here begin to evolve, we have continued to embrace our new motto of simplicity. We now choose to spend our time doing things that we are excited about doing, and spending less time on the “should dos”. On the top of this list has been exploring the local landscape on our newly purchased bikes. After making the decision that we could survive here without a car, we decided that purchasing bikes would be an essential second option to public transit. Riding our bikes has opened up a whole new world of trails, streets, and beautiful landscape to us. On the weekends, if the weather is fine, we will take our bikes out for a long ride to explore the local area. Our explorations have given us a whole new perspective on our surroundings, and also provided us with a sense of newfound freedom.

I also have been commuting to and from work on my bike. Being that a large part of the population of  Paraparaumu lives here, but works in Wellington, the morning rush hour is fairly tame. This allows me a peaceful ride to and from work without too much stress of dodging traffic. I wake up each morning, eager to check the weather outside. Rain and high winds usually mean I will be limited to public transit, an transportation option that is usually my second choice.  The commute on my bike is about 20 minutes each way, depending on the strength of the wind. It is relatively flat, which allows me to shower prior to leaving for work, and arrive still smelling lovely enough to treat patients (once I’ve changed my clothes and fixed my helmet hair). The best part, however, is the ride home. My route runs parallel to the ocean for about fifty percent of the ride. Though the road runs parallel, the view of the ocean is often blocked by homes and vegetation for a good part of the ride. However, there is one segment, about 10 minutes from home, where the beach opens up, unblocked by any physical structure. It is here, that you are able to bask in the incredible view of the ocean and Kapiti Island in the distance. Whether it is a sunny afternoon, a colour saturated dusk, or a cloudy overcast day, this view never fails to stop me in my mental tracks and take notice of its beauty. For the next three minutes of my ride, regardless of how good or bad my day was, I am overtaken by a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation for my surroundings, and the simple beauty of the natural environment of New Zealand. 

And just like that, whatever chaos that may have been rolling around in my brain is suddenly washed out to sea.

That seems to happen a lot to us here, those moments when the beauty, or pure presence of nature, seems to stop us, forcing us to experience its wonder. The events of Saturday morning are a perfect example. Awaking early to the feeling of Huff’s nose in my face, her tail wagging quietly at the side of the bed, our Saturday morning routine sprung into full swing. After a lazy breakfast, we set out for a morning walk on the beach. Walking through the dunes on our beach access route, I caught site of a shape on the sand that looked like an animal. Second guessing myself out loud, I disregarded the shape as one of the many large pieces of driftwood that often washes up from Kapiti Island. Trent took a closer look to find that it was indeed a full grown seal! It was lying on the beach hardly moving, other than to lift its head or flipper. We were concerned that it might be sick or be close to death. We left it in peace to continue our walk, and Trent searched the web for a number to call to get it some help. By the time we returned back down the beach, the seal was still there, lying still as before, but this time we had two more dogs and their respective owners in tow. One owner contacted the SPCA, who provided her with a number to the Coast Guard who could help in this situation.  We are not sure if it was the threat of the coast guard, the dogs nearby playing, or just that the tide was coming in, but the seal started to move. Taking its time to yawn, stretch, have a good shake and a drink of sea water, it made its way back out to sea waving his flipper in the air as he went. (Ok, that last part didn’t happen). Turns out he was just having a nap.



This is when we thought he was sick



Waking up...

Good Morning Stretch

It is moments like these that seem to make our New Zealand experience unique. On a day to day basis, life seems to move ahead as normal, in a way that we might live in any city in Canada. But it is these small, unique and special moments each day that create a collection of reminders of where we are and what we are doing.

While the simplicity of our lives may not last forever, the experience of removing the clutter has taught us a valuable lesson that we will carry forward into future endeavors. In the absence of the extra noise, I have come to love and appreciate my best friend and little family in a deeper and more meaningful way, spending my time carefully, instead of testing its limits each day. In a fast paced and material driven world, I had previously thought that feeling this way would be something short of a dream.

It turns out, it’s just the simplest thing.

The Opening Act

Here in the southern hemisphere, we are starting to make the transition between summer and fall. The nights have grown cooler and the sun sets earlier;  you need a warmer sweater for a nighttime walk with the dog; and it suddenly has become that much harder to climb out of a warm bed in the morning (especially when you’re the only one going to work). Autumn is knocking at our doorstep.  A New Zealand fall is an entirely unique experience for us in several ways. Growing up surrounded by the yellow, red and orange notes of fall in Northern Ontario, I have just realized how the change in colour of a single leaf has become so important to my seasonal mindset. Without those glorious colours, fall seems just like a colder version of summer, occurring in months that are, in my mind, supposed to be spring. But I suppose it was all inevitable, we have been basking in the sun since November, just when we were supposed to be slipping into the depths of winter. Summer was not going to last forever.

While the seasons change outside, our tide seems to be following suite. Having finally made to the end of our relocation marathon, we have now come to the task of painting our new life on a fresh blank canvas.

The first stroke was painted three weeks ago when I returned to the world of work. After three months off, I found myself ready and motivated to start my new job. Returning to work this month has triggered me into realizing just how tired and stressed I was in the past year prior to leaving Canada. It has felt so refreshing to enjoy my work again and to feel focused and fulfilled by it each day. The clinic is small and busy, and the patient population is a mixed bag of sports/gardening injuries, spinal injuries and general orthopedics. The population here is generally active, healthy,  and have a friendly nature that makes them fun to treat. Almost daily I have a new patient tell me about their travels or love of all things Canada, which makes me feel close to home, and proud  to be Canadian. One of my patients came to her appointment the other day wearing her Canadian souvenir t-shirt. She then told me that she had built her own Inuksuk in her garden after being inspired by them on a recent trip to Vancouver.  Another patient proudly told me that fifteen years ago he and his wife had bought a $99 Greyhound bus ticket that had allowed them to travel across Canada. They didn’t waste a cent, as they travelled from Vancouver to Halifax over the next three months, stopping to meet countless canucks along the way.

  It seems that there is a lot of kiwi love for Canada.  

My patients have also been teaching me a lot about local geography and local slang. Each day I seem to come home with a new addition to my kiwi vocabulary which has included, but is not limited to the following:

“Sweet as”
that’s it, nothing follows it, something is just “sweet as”. Used in a sentence this might sound like this.  “This this beer is sweet as”

“Good as gold”
This is one of my favourites; it seems that whether I am telling my patients how many reps of an exercise to do, or their surgical prognosis, this still seems to be the answer.

“Sticks”
Kiwi speak for cane(s), I’m still trying my best to use this one with my elderly patients.

“Full on”
This is somewhere between intense and serious or exciting. Put in a sentence would sound like this:
“That rugby match was full on”

“Fine”
This one still gets me. Calling nice weather something as simple as fine seems like an insult. But I guess it’s better than using ugly words windy, rainy and cold. I have started to embrace fine days.

As you can see, going back to work has not only been fruitful for my wallet, but also for my language development.

As the days started to pass, and our routine has started to develop. I go to work and the gym, and Trent stays behind, and lives life as a stay at home dad with his four legged daughter. Together they seem to live a busy existence of beachcombing, going to the gym, doing laundry, buying groceries, cooking, talking politics, watching sports, collecting seashells, and sorting out household issues. They also have the occasional nap. On the weekends we walk to the Paraparaumu Beach Farmers Market and buy veggies, bread and coffee; go for walks in Queen Elizabeth Park, a network of hiking trails; sample local New Zealand wine, and generally enjoy some time together.

Trent in Queen Elizabeth Park

Two weekends past, we found ourselves waking up bright and early on Sunday morning to a very familiar feeling. It was race day. For those of you who don’t know, training and competing for half and full marathons have been something Trent and I have done together for the past two years. After being a spectator during my third marathon in Ottawa in 2009, Trent stated that he would like to run a half marathon one day. My answer was, “so do it”. It was sometime after this moment that my newest running partner was born. And “do it” he has. Trent has gone on to compete with me in two full marathons, and a handful of half marathons in in Canada and the US since.  Last Sunday morning we were off to add a new checkpoint to our running map. The AMI Round the Bays Half Marathon was to be our first road race in New Zealand.

Being that the race was held in Wellington and was designed to literally run around the two bays that make up the local waterfront, we were expecting this race to be windy and most likely a bit cold. We could not have been more off the mark. It turns out that the weather gods had blessed us with an amazing day of sunshine, warmth, and gentle winds to run a beautiful race course along the edge of the South Pacific. For me, this race was meaningful in many ways; it was the first race we had competed in in New Zealand, and it was the first race I had ran since May 2011, after incurring a ligamentous injury to my right knee in September. After a long rehab which seeped into my three month vacation, it was a great feeling to pick up my race bib and step onto the start line surrounded by thousands of other racers.  It was a great race for both of us, coming across the line at 1:55 (Heather) and 1:54 (Trent), no personal bests, but no personal worsts either. J It was nice to be back.

At the start line AMI Round the Bays Half Marathon

The next few strokes of paint on our canvas were even more significant. We had finally found a long term home! Or, as long term as you can consider a six month contract. For us, at this point, six months seems like an eternity. Since leaving Canada in late November, Trent and I have not stayed in any one location for longer than six weeks. We were becoming travelling gypsies. It was time to settle down and enjoy the feeling of home again.

Huff and I at our new house!

Our new home is located about a 10 minute walk away from our previous place. Walking from our old place to the new one, you walk towards the ocean, which means our new home is on the street that runs parallel to the beach. We are renting a house that is owned by a family who only uses it during the summer. It is a really cute two bedroom beach style home, with a beautiful garden and back patio. Clean, homey and with some really cute accents, we couldn’t be happier to be in a place that feels warm and comfortable.  There are several wine glasses in the cupboard, an array of food magazines on the coffee table, a full set up of pots and pans in the kitchen, and a lime tree in the garden.  I think we would be good friends with the people who own this place.

View of the kitchen :)

Huff checks out the back yard

Huff continues to enjoy her new surroundings, the freedom of her new backyard, and the proximity to the off leash oasis of the beach. She has started to make some new friends on her daily walks, and we think she may have a new boyfriend (don’t tell Deacon!). After experiencing some separation anxiety during the first week that she was home from quarantine, she has settled into her New Zealand routine nicely. She seems to be braver and a lot less timid on the other end of her travel experience, which has allowed us to bring her to places we would have never dared to before, like to the farmers market and an outdoor patio of a café. She loves the open freedom of having her own backyard that she can move in and out of the house from at her own leisure, without having to be taken out by one of us on a leash. This has meant that she now has a daily ritual of leaving the house promptly after dinner in order to stretch and roll around in the grass. She says it helps her to digest. We cannot imagine what life would be like here without her daily antics, and are grateful each day that we decided to bring her along for the ride.

Huff and her new beau

As the leaves of my seasonal mindset have started to turn from green to red, I begin to digest t the reality of the great adventure we have embarked on. Sometimes I look at our life and feel like I am watching it all on film in an air of disbelief that we are really here, living the life the way we had dreamed. It feels like that first September day when you look up to see the amazing theatrical display of fall colours that summer had been keeping behind its curtain of green.  After months of peaking behind the curtain at a life in New Zealand, we were finally on the playbill.

The reviews are fantastic.

Gratitude

The great Tennesse Williams once said " Life is partly what we make it, and partly what is made by the friends we choose".

I would have to agree.

In the past two months, as our planning slowly transitioned into real life, Trent and I began to reflect on how the pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place, and how our friends had made their mark on so many of our plans. We both agreed on how truly lucky we are. We have great friends. Without them, none of this would have been possible.

It was Trent and I who made the decision to move halfway across the world, but it was our friends and family who made sure it actually happened. When we broke the news of our intentions, most people found themselves balancing between their feelings of excitement of our new adventure, and sense of disappointment that we were leaving. Emotions aside, we found that often the people who were most upset about us leaving were the ones ended up making it all possible.

The help we received ranged from simple favours to serious time commitments. Whether it was signing official documents, writing letters to immigration to support our relationship, babysitting Huff, helping us with our move, to a find job, secure a licence, or fly our dog across the world, we noticed it all.

Today we wanted to say thanks to some special individuals who helped make our dream into a reality.

First, we would like to say thanks to both of our families, and all of our close friends for standing behind us during this process and supporting us in our adventure, even though it means we will not be around for holidays and special occasions. You all have been incredibly supportive, and your interest in our travels has made sharing our daily undertakings and stresses a lot of fun. We love you, and enjoy taking you along with us on our endeavours.

We cannot go too much further without thanking my dear friend, Lee Vivian, her husband Mark Lee and their dog Skye. You really never know how your own personal actions will change the lives of others. Had it not been for Lee and Mark's wedding, I am certain that Trent and I would still be sitting in Ottawa today. Lee and I met 10 years ago as exchange students in Finland, and had always wanted to reunite. Once Mark had proposed, Trent and I suddenly found ourselves with a very official invitation to Australia, and with no excuse to turn it down. What we had originally planned to be a month long trip down under, slowly started to evolve into a life changing idea. Thank you, Lee and Mark, not only for everything you did for us during our Australian stay, but most importantly, for being the spark that got this fire started. Come visit soon!

Trent and I at Lee and Mark's Beach Wedding. December 3, 2011



Me and my stunning friend, Lee on her wedding day

Our second Aussie thank you goes to my old friend (she just turned 30!) Kristen Manchester and her partner Tim Pass. While we would not have made it to Australia without Lee and Mark, we most likely would not have had the amazing Sydney experience without Kristen and Tim, who allowed us to crash on their futon for two weeks, Thanks for a fantastic time, and for including us in all you did, including camping, cricket and bluebottle stingings. We cannot wait to return the favour.

Trent and I in Sydney! December 2011

It has become a tradition of ours to give anyone who has helped us with Huff (dog sitting, training, etc) with a bottle of wine from Huff Estates, as a thank you for their help. For those of you who know us well, it should not come as a surprise that Huff was named after Huff Estates, one of our favourite vineyards in Prince Edward County. Unfortunately Huff's winemaking has been slowed by her recent travel and we are running short on thank you bottles at this time, however she did provide us with some very specific aroo roo roo's of her gratitude to distribute out to some very specific people who helped her along her way.

First and foremost, we must thank Matthew and his team at Gloucester Kennels in Ottawa. Without his hard work, and expertise, I’m sure we would have never found our way through the red tape of New Zealand Biosecurity and MAF. Your willingness to co-ordinate Huff's preparations while corresponding with two nervous parents in Australia and two separate dog sitters in Canada was duly noted. Your warm and caring attitude, and the ease at which you ensured our dog's safety gave us new confidence in her relocation journey. She arrived in perfect condition. Our sincerest thanks.

We left Huff on November 20, 2011 to fly to Australia fo 2 months.  Huff did not fly out to New Zealand until January 18th, 2012. During this time she was blessed to have been showered in love by not just one, but two special dog sitters and their respective pups.

We must first pay tribute to our dear friends Barb Molnar, her parents, her fiancée Chris, and ¸their dogs Ava, Lily and Dudley for stepping up without reserve or second thought to watch Huff while we were away. You are truly loving and amazingly generous people. Thank you for everything you did and continue to help us out with; managing the "brood" of three to four dogs in one house (plus several cats), driving back and forth between Bellville and Ottawa for multiple vet visits, for storing and relocating our extra things to your basement, for spoiling Huff at Christmas, and mostly for being the incredible people you are. You have helped us in so many ways and have played such an integral part in our move. There are no words to express how deep our gratitude runs for all you have helped us with, so I will simply say Thank You.

Another pouring of gratitude must be made to Tanya Gadoury, Huff's foster mom and second dog sitter. Huff hit the jackpot when she arrived in Canada and was fostered for about six weeks with Tanya and her comically stoic chocolate lab, Rocky. A week before we were scheduled to leave Canada, we hit an unexpected bump in our dog sitting plans and suddenly needed a bit of extra help. Tanya was amazing. She graciously agreed to take Huff for three weeks (which actually became four) on very short notice. Thank you for saving the day, keeping us updated with daily videos and pictures which got us through the first couple of tough weeks, for taking Huff to yet another vet appointment, and for loving her the way you do. Another thank you should go out to Rocky for putting up with Huff's insistent antics for four weeks; they sure were funny to watch. To both of you, our heartfelt thanks for all the help you have given us this year.

Huff and Rocky

Lastly, a huge thank you must go out to John and Denise Clark, and the team at Shado Lans Kennels and Quarantine in Levin, New Zealand. Since the time Huff landed on New Zealand soil, you have been a extremely valuable resource, and helped us to ensure that everything went as planned. The environment Huff stayed in during her quarantine could not have been cleaner or roomier, and your staff was so welcoming, resourceful and caring every time we visited. Thank you for maintaining such high standards of care, and demonstrating your warm Kiwi hospitality to our furry companions straight from arrival. You run a compassionate and organised kennel, and Huff is lucky that you were holding up the sign with her name on it at the Wellington Airport.

Moving forward from dogs to jobs, there are a few colleagues that we need to acknowledge for helping us along our way through the paperwork mountain.

To Marty Ryan, Vaida Hick and Jason Bradley at CBI Health for helping me with reference letters and proof of employment for the Physiotherapy Board and immigration, in the speediest time possible. I hope you know just how much I appreciate your patience, encouragement and all around support in my relocation.

To Chris Dobson at CBI Ottawa West for linking me with your TBI contacts in New Zealand, and providing me a great reference, which ultimately landed me the job that landed us in New Zealand. Thank you for continuing to link the CBI and TBI worlds with your work and training, and for helping to foster great opportunities for people like me. I hope you know how much I appreciate it.

To Rita Whittle, Frances McCormick, and the Emergency Management team at HRSDC in Gatineau, QC, for supporting Trent's leave of absence and allowing him to pursue an adventure in New Zealand. He is extremely grateful for all you help and support over the last several months.

Our last tokens of gratitude go out to those who helped us in those critical moments of our move out of our home in Ottawa. As the clock was winding down to the last critical hours before our flight to Australia, our storage unit was quickly running out of space . We found ourselves asking where we were going to store our remaining belongings. A few very generous people stepped in to help us out in the 11th hour, and to you, we will be forever grateful.

Thank you again to Barb's parents for allowing us to store a few items in their spacious garage (at 7:00am). You will never know how much you saved us.

Additional thanks must go out to Trent's close friends, Jeff Ballard, Chris Abbott and Janice Woolgar for taking the time to pick up the last few items from our soon to be sold home, and graciously storing  it for us for the last few months. An extra thank you must go out to Jeff for picking up our mail, and to his brother Andrew for generously watching our TV while we are away :)

More love must be sent out to Trent's Uncle Gene and Aunt Bernice for offering to travel to Ottawa to pick up these remaining things from our friends and store them for the long term. You two never fail to spoil us.

And finally, to my parents, Sandra and Ron Watson, for making room for an additional grandchild in their two car garage (our Nissan Sentra). Thank you for always cheering on your children's adventures and for stepping up to help when it is truly needed. We love you.

We started this list with a couple who lit the spark that started us moving, and we will end with a man who was an integral part in completing all of our immigration and licencing requirements. To our favourite lawyer and good friend, Jack Warren, for signing and certifying copies of endless documents on several occasions, all for convenient price of Trent’s company and a Bridgehead coffee. We could not have done it without your help and you will be happy to know we are currently holding valid work visas and a licence to practice physiotherapy in New Zealand. The next round of drinks in Ottawa is most defiantly on us.

It often takes something big to make you realize how many good people surround you in life. And it is true that you often do not know what you have until it is far away, or gone. Whether it was with a sound bite of encouragement or an integral step in the right direction, your help paved the way to where we stand today.

We made it because of you.

Let the Kiwi dream begin.