About
This is a collection of stories about living in Christchurch, New Zealand. And just like in any collection of stories, there are a few things to know:
Setting. Easy! New Zealand. Specifically Wellington. Modern day. Also Christchurch, 1998-2001, which is when I lived here the first time. Because there’s nothing people like more than listening to the nostalgic missives of someone remembering How It Used To Be. I’ll also probably introduce a segment in which I retell my dreams in great detail.
Characters. Me, mostly. Also my boyfriend Jake has been unwittingly lassoed into this, which sort of echoes how he was unwittingly lassoed into moving to New Zealand.
Plot. Watch us as we eat exotic foods! As we learn to purchase foodstuffs at the market! As we communicate with the natives! OK, New Zealand’s not the most different place on earth but it’s still kind of neat. Adding to the banality: I grew up here. Yes, this is a blog about a girl living in a place that is totally normal to her. Worst travel blog ever.
Or is it? It’s too soon to tell.
Themes. I once got into an argument with a high school English teacher about whether or not themes are necessary in stories. He was totally right, but I kept arguing, mostly to waste class time. I have been correspondingly punished for my insolence and am now cursed to walk the earth seeing themes EVERYWHERE. I can’t begin to guess them all, though for the sake of putting some relevant text in this paragraph, I’ll predict we cover duality, the concept of home, interpersonal relationships, time, the nature of post-modern travel and cultural relevancy.
And also, there will be pictures! At least come for the pictures.
Hi-
I’m the editor of Expat Arrivals.com (http://www.expatarrivals.com), a site devoted to developing comprehensive destination guides aimed at easing expat transitions abroad. At the moment we’re working on perfecting our Malaysia guide and I came across your blog though my research. I was wondering if you’d be interested in completing an email interview about your expat experience abroad? We upload these interviews on “Expat Experiences” pages to give our readers a better idea of what they can expect when moving to their future destination.
Best-
Stephanie
stephanie@expatarrivals.com
Yo! Nice blog. I’m visiting in August for a month and yours is the first blog that I found that wasn’t the typical tourist type ie: scenery, bungee, wine or sheep
Thanks! I really hate most travel writing for that exact reason: it just reinforces what you’re supposed to think about a country. So this is a huge compliment to me. Hope you enjoy your time in NZ!
hi
HI
i know you. remember me?
i like you.
bye
m
Do I remember you?! Psh. You never forget the girl you steal your first shopping cart with. I miss your face.
Nice blog.
We should talk. I do wanna visit. Email me?