I few weeks ago I received an email from an American who had saw a post of mine on a New Zealand Facebook page. He wrote me asking if I had any advice for him as he was planning to move here in a few months and wanted to know things that the guidebooks just dont tell you.
Work visas
When I was younger, I thought that having a Canadian passport meant that I could work for six months in any Commonwealth country no questions asked. It was a benefit of being …

It’s been awhile, I apologize. When last we spoke, I’d just started my 3-week stint as a housekeeper in a hostel. The job itself was simple enough, if at times a bit logistically frustrating, but with only one more shift left Im happy at how quickly the time has gone by. I know my family has been a little chagrined that Ive been cleaning up after 20-something year old backpackers (my auntie’s words were, “you’re better than this”), but since my choices were a) go home, or b) clean in …

I love Wellington. I love the way the city looks and feels, the people. The cafes and presumably the bars (I say presumably because Ive yet to set foot in one). I love the weather, and the hills and how there seems to be water in every direction. I love pretty much everything about this city, except for the small bit about me not finding work here. In another week I would have run out of rent money, and since Id rather not have to wonder what my options would …

This entry began as a letter to Scott. About 3/4 of the way through I realized that I wanted to share this with whoever was so lucky as to land on my little patch of the interweb.
Sometimes I feel like Im on the edge of some kind of relevation about myself. I get glimmers of a thought process, but before I can follow it through it vanishes. Its very elusive.
Sometimes, I think about how massive it should have been for me to come here, and how (after I got past …