My first Real International Trip With Friends was in the summer of 2009. A group of us six took advantage of the cheap Qantas fares from California to Auckland after our second year of architecture school, and rented a campervan that we would drive throughout the North and South Island in a span of two (three for some) weeks. I didn't know what to expect and we had nothing planned outside of a roughly drawn route and a booked van-for-three-people that we'd hope to stuff six into. And in the end and on paper maybe we didn't "do" much. We hiked, wandered, photographed, drank Tui beers, ate grilled cheeses, and told stories around the makeshift back-seat dining table. Much quieter and more laid back than any trips that would come after, and exactly what New Zealand deserved. It was such a special place. The general gladness I had there was a state of contentment that I would long for in the years that followed, and it's commonly happened lately that I'd be engaged in some mundane activity (writing a work email, vacuuming, commuting, or other) and suddenly be gripped by a flash of an inkling of a memory from those two weeks.
(the photos above are from the collective batch of photos we all took that trip, likely taken by Karen because she's awesome)
I'd wondered about going back, but prior to a few months ago those thoughts were limited to just wonderings. I don't know quite when it happened—as I've mentioned, we planned on spending the next year in Japan teaching English—but we've been mulling over our options, confronting straight-on what kinds of changes we want to make and why we want to make them, and though we came up with several possibilities that varied across the realistic-versus-desirable line graph, New Zealand ended up making the most sense. In compiling a list of reasons why, we find ourselves victim to constant editing and rethinking, but for now, these are the driving factors:
- The visa process is simple. A lot of countries have immigration agreements for what's called a Working Holiday Visa, essentially a visa that allows citizens of a particular country to live and work in another country for some set amount of time. The breadth and extent of these agreements vary from country to country: New Zealand, for example, has this agreement with 42 countries. The United States, on the other hand, has it with three. We were lucky that New Zealand is one of those three, and we met all of the visa requirements (US citizen; 18 to 30 years old; minimum funds in the bank; stay up to one year). It was ridiculously easy to actually get; I applied for it through the New Zealand Immigration website and received approval and paperwork within three days. If you're interested we can certainly talk more about it (the US's other agreements are with Australia and Canada, and Ireland if you're just out of college).
- Health + fresh air + open space. I had this thought during our lightning-fast 10-hour layover in Reykjavik last summer that it's absolutely true not all fresh air is created equally. I've been blessed enough throughout my life to live in somewhat-clean-air environments, but New York City is stifling, not least for its quality of air. We're used to staying in shape through long walks and hikes and swims and maybe weight training at the gym, but it's been difficult to do that here, given the cost of gym memberships, long office hours, and Manhattan life in general. This year could be seen then as a kind of detox.
- The people are friendly. This may be a gross generalization left over from our time there, but the Kiwis we met made a huge impression on us in their kindness and low-key dispositions. Zach and I are both fairly quiet, deep down fairly small-town people, and there was something kindred in the communities we encountered.
- The Christchurch rebuilding effort. We're not entirely positive where we'll end up settling, but Christchurch was a special city to Zach (I'd already gone home when that leg of the campervan trip came around), and the 2011 earthquake was a blow. The rebuild effort has been going on ever since, creating with it a vibrant and altruistic city. It's certainly something we'd like to be a part of, and that interest extends to perhaps dedicating our time in New Zealand to those efforts.
- Lord of the Rings. This is self explanatory
There are, of course, several other more vague and ambiguous reasons for making the leap. They are the kind we'll unpack over extra long cups of tea in the coming days when we say goodbye to New York and our friends here, as well as later this summer when we reunite with loved ones on the west coast.
