This blog is dedicated to my grandmother, Joan Walker, who loved to read and inspired me to. My blog exists because of her love of reading, which she passed down to her daughter, my mother. Without this lineage I would never have discovered my great love for words, and would never have been inspired by other writers to pen this blog.
Though she didn't have Internet access, My grandmother loved to read the printed copies of my great New Zealand adventures.
On October 31st, Grandma lost her battle with cancer and we were asked to say goodbye to this beautiful woman.
The week that followed was one of the toughest weeks I have had in New Zealand. I struggled to find a way to meaningfully connect with my family to honour her memory. Through the brilliance of modern technology Trent and I were able to Skype into her funeral, finding some solace that we could be present in some sense to say goodbye. I sat alone in a country I loved, but did not call home; and it was then that I realised the fault in our plan; you can travel far and wide, but in the hard times, no one beats your family.
It has been that kind of winter, one of true ups and downs, a mirage of challenges and highlights, highs and lows, swings and roundabouts.
This winter was different than the last. We were prepared. We expected the wind, the rain, the cold homes and offices. In fact, we even were prepared for the rain induced malaise, the occasional homesickness, and the lack of snow.
But what we didn't expect was the earthquakes.
No, what arrived on an unsuspecting Sunday night in July would end up shaking the rest of our winter in a way we were unprepared to deal with. As I stood in the kitchen of our little beach home, only moments after kissing Trent as he left to walk Huff, I was suddenly knocked off balance by the ground below me, and found myself and heading for a door frame for refuge. As I stood alone in our tiny home, watching the bookcase sway on and off the wall, and hearing the horrible noises that an earthquake will torture out of a home, I not only feared my own safety, but wondered about the safety of Trent and Huff. They were out on the beach, and I was hoping that this quake was not big enough to encourage a tsunami to follow in its tracks.
Trent and Huff returned home, but so did the aftershocks, for days and weeks later. There was limited structural damage, but the damage on many peoples nerves could not be rebuilt with bricks and mortar. What was left was the damage of the emotional earthquake. Suddenly, every vibration became a threat; the train passing outside the clinic, to the wind shaking a building, and worker doing construction in the street all became potential earthquake possibilities.
I will be open and honest that the earthquake shook me in a way that I was uncomfortable with. In fact, I had no idea how to deal with it. I had no previous experiences to tell me how to lightly walk away from something that shook my entire body and moved some of the heaviest things in my house. There was nothing to shovel away or clean up, other than a bucketful of nerves that the aftershocks just kept topping up.
But we did move on, with caution and hope that the worst was behind us. Our month of refuge was August. I will always remember the month of August 2013 as the month that pulled us up and out of an earthquake induced state of uncertainty. Our plans for the month of August, made randomly months before, ended up giving us a fresh start on spring and a new faith in the ground below us.
On the 31st of July, Trent headed home to Canada, on his first visit since leaving home in November 2011. The next day I set out on a different journey, flying to Perth, Australia for a road trip that I would not soon forget.
Both Trent and I had largely different experiences at our vastly different locations, the only way we could honour both experiences was to write a separate blog of about our individuals trips. We encourage you to read them, they will be posted in days to come. Some great moments and adventures lie within each.
One week following my return, the earth kindly reminded me that it was yet done with us . A second earthquake hit on a Friday afternoon in August, smashing the confidence that many Wellingtonians had begun to muster up.
This earthquake, however had a different spin for me. I had come back from Aussie confident, feeling more prepared for emergency, and on my own, as Trent was still in Canada. I vowed that there would to be no emotional carnage for me from this shake up. This helped me to stay calm, stay strong, and move on.
The swings of the earthquakes shook us, but the roundabouts of spring managed to renew our love for this shaky country. Revived from our respective vacations, Trent and I set out to find a new, more positive balance.
First, we decided it was time for a new place. For 18 months we had been living in a cute, tiny, rustic two bedroom Bach (cottage). While the property was beautiful and the location ideal, we were starting to feel like we were quickly outgrowing the small space. At the end of September, we moved down the street, and around the corner to a larger, roomier home. It has taken a bit to get used to all the extra room, but we are really enjoying our new home, and having our first little herb and flower garden in our sunny back yard.
October also had another treat in store for us. Back in February, we were lucky enough to secure tickets to see the highly acclaimed World of Wearable Arts Show, or WOW. The concept of the show is "wearable art", essentially costumes, and dresses created using any material imaginable (the less mainstream the better). Some of this year's examples included pieces of car tires, keyboard keys, kitchen scrubbers, tiny mirrors, and antlers. Most of the costumes are so intricately and carefully constructed, that you often cannot tell what they are made of until you consult the show program, or get up for a closer look. Each costume enters the stage set against a backdrop of lighting, effects, music, and dancers that whisked you off to a mystical theatrical world. What started as a small show in a Nelson gallery 25 years ago, is now entirely deserving of its WOW Status, as it now plays to over 40,000 people over 2 weeks each spring. Simply put it is one of the most interesting and entertaining artistic shows I have ever seen. (www.worldofwearableart.com).
Huff has also seen her share of ups and downs this winter. We have spent more time and money at the vet this year than both the two legged and four legged members of our family would have preferred. First, she rolled over on her front paw while chasing a bird in the park. This lead to a sprained paw which put her on the injured list for the next several weeks. Limping around, she wasn't allowed to go for walks, go to the beach, play with her mates, or go to agility school. All that was left to do was eat, sleep, and look sad and bored. It was a tough couple of weeks for everyone, but we are happy to say she is back to being a boisterous catahoula.
Next came the eye injury. During a particularity windy walk on the beach, Huff got hit by what we think must have been a shrapnel of sand or shell, making a small cut on the superficial layer of her eye. Overnight, this went from being a simple cut, to an eye that was so red and inflamed that she could not keep it open. She required a dose of corticosteroids, which knocked the inflammation back, but also turned Huff into a very thirsty, elderly version of herself. She lost her energy for walks and play, and even looked a geriatric as she walked up hills. After a small flare up, the cut seems to have healed and the steroids have been discharged, giving us back our 4 year old version of our peppy energetic pup.
This spring we also decided to enter another kind of roundabout, making an important and challenging decision about our future. After months of debate, emotional ups and downs, and reviewing pros and cons, we have finally come to the decision that 2014 will officially be our last year in New Zealand. The decision is bittersweet, as we truly look forward to returning home to our friends and family, but we also look forward to completing our kiwi bucket list over the next year. Our plans will see us leaving New Zealand in December 2014, heading home via a Christmas stop over in Finland to spend the holidays with the family that hosted me as an exchange student over a decade ago. For those of you in Canada, we look forward to seeing you soon, come January 2015!
Making this decision seemed to lift a heavy weight off of us, and helped us to feel lighter and more confident in the direction of our future. In fact, spring has felt like a season full of renewal. Whether it was the return of the sun and warmth, a relaxing weekend together on an a yoga retreat, a trip to Melbourne for shopping and learning, getting back onto the golf course, or signing up to complete my yoga teacher training in 2014, things felt like we were finally on an upswing towards a great summer.
As we drive around the seasonal roundabout, it is with great prospect that we take the next exit towards summer. Winter may have had some undesired pit stops, but each played a role in teaching us some important lessons about resilience and family that we may not have otherwise learnt had we had the opportunity to drive on by. Summer knocks at our door with a promise of warmer weather, travel, new adventure and learning experiences.
As the traffic light turns from red to green, we accelerate, knowing that will be more swings, and perhaps even a few road bumps, but that they are all a part of life on the road.
As hard as they try to slow us down, or change our direction, we know now that they will not stop us from jumping back in the driver's seat to see what the next exit has to offer.
With our lessons packed, we buckle up.
It looks like it's going to be an interesting ride.
