New Zealand or Bust!

Possibly bust...
I still have this picture that someone posted on the Tolkien board back in high school of our group of Tolkien freaks riding to New Zealand on a fell beast. I wish this were possible because plane tickets are expensive and I'm not about to use a paddle-boat.

But yes, as to the hallowed After-College Plan I have determined that I'd like to try living in New Zealand for a year through BUNAC. The only real goal I have had for my post-college life is to travel/live abroad. I have always been curious about new places and I enjoy the novelty of travel and the ability to see life through a different and more comprehensive perspective. After watching the vast majority of my friends enjoy extended study abroad tours I've been feeling a little left-out. Now is the ideal time for me to pick up and move as most of my friends are moving away or starting a new phase in life. It's apparent to me that I need to do the same. I've always been really independent and I want to be challenged and step into adulthood without relying on any crutches, and what better way to do so than to head out on my own? It's a really good opportunity for personal and growth and for me to define for myself what I value and what I want to do with my life. As yet I'm quite muddled on that point. Yes, it's a scary proposition, but if you don't take risks like this, you never do anything worth doing. And I still believe in a personal God who will provide for me, after his quirky fashion. I hope that wasn't blasphemous.

So now you know my reasons for living abroad, why New Zealand of all places you ask? Well - it's not because I'm an LOTR movie fanatic. It actually came about in backwards way. I'd looked at BUNAC's Work in Britain and Ireland program last year as a possibility, but decided that it was too uncertain as far as actually getting work and supporting yourself was concerned. Then immigration laws changed and the Britain program was put on hold. After bouncing around various English teaching possibilities including Japan and the Peace Corps (which I still think would be awesome) and deciding I wasn't a good fit, I returned to BUNAC on the day after graduation in a fit of desperation.

The Britain program was still on hiatus, but I decided to look at some of their other programs. The descriptions of New Zealand intrigued me and I decided to do more research. The more I read about and thought about it, the more I liked the idea. It's not particularly exotic or historical as compared to other places in the world, but it seemed to fit. But was it possible? I made a rough estimate of how much money I would need and then checked to see roughly how much I had made at the summer job I would be working again this summer. They matched. Suddenly this became a real-world proposition and not just another of Heidi's farfetched dreams that keep her sane. So after a conference with the parental units I decided to try for it.

And I think it's going to happen. My initial plan was to "apply" (it's not a competitive program) in mid-August and depart in mid-October, but I'm going to have to wait until I have more of my summer earnings under my belt. So now I'm hopeful that November will work out. I'm ancy on several points. October was planned because that is before most college students get out for summer break in mid-November. Now it's possible I may have to wait until December or so before I step on a plane and the job-competition will be tougher. Plus I'm concerned about cost of living and exchange rates and student loans and such, although I have a plan and I think I can swing it. I think I'm going to try for work in customer service because I already have some customer service experience. I keep wondering if I'm really suited to that sort of a job, but then I wonder that about any sort of job and I think it's just me being unsure of myself. I'm pretty willing to do anything I have to. Safety and finding a place to live are other concerns, but that's why I'm going through BUNAC.

It's by no means a guarantee, and I'm fine with that. It's been a bit of a struggle to come to terms with the uncertainty of my life right now, but I'm learning to take things one step at a time. I'll keep you all posted on any progress made. I feel pretty lukewarm right now: not really excited, but not indifferent. Mostly impatient to get to the next step and get out of that blasted hardware store.