Sometimes I get overwhelmed. Actually, that’s a lie — I get overwhelmed a lot, especially living in a foreign country. There’s just so much to remember and be responsible for, and issues you have to deal with that you would never have to consider if you were living in your home country.
This past week has been particularly stressful for both Derik and I as our property management company of the house we rent has been dealing very unfairly with us. Thankfully, now that we live in an English-speaking country, it’s a lot easier to get help and advice from those who have greater legal authority and knowledge than we do. I know in the end it’ll all work out, but it does make it particularly stressful when someone preys on you because you’re an outsider, a ‘”temporary visitor”, and an alien. When I feel particularly down about it all, I am so thankful I have a nice sandy beach to walk on. The smell of crisp ocean air and soft sand squishing through my toes grounds me and leaves me at peace with it all.
I love New Zealand (just look at that picture above!!!! We pulled off the side of the road near Wanaka for that quick snap). It’s crazy how almost a year ago we were booking our flights out of Asia, ready to face the unknown and start the journey all over in a new region of the world, on a new piece of land, and amongst a new culture. We feel almost at home here, and if it weren’t so far away from the rest of the world, I would actually seriously consider moving here permanently (if only resident status visas were that easy). New Zealand really does have it all, and our quality of living here has been the best we’ve experienced as a married couple together! If you ever get a chance to visit, I can almost guarantee you with 100% certainty you’ll fall in love too.
I’m not really sure where I’m going with this post, but I feel like sometimes connecting with you on a personal level is important. I want you to know I’m a real person over here and sometimes life isn’t always super exciting and constantly filled with travel (as much as I wish it was). In the stressful times, I also enjoy going over the positives and ‘warm fuzzies’ currently in my life. Pretend I took you out for coffee/tea/drinks and you asked me, “So what’s been going on lately?” Here’s a summarization of points I’d probably share with you.
– “I had the best latte of my life this morning.” No joke, it was so delicious – I emptied in less than 10 minutes, when usually it takes me hours to finish a cup. Derik and I went to this cute little cafe and bistro downtown called The Good Oil for breakfast, and I had no idea their coffee would be that amazing! I’ll be back Good Oil, I’ll be back.
– “We got Derik’s new passport back last week!” I wrote about having to send it in a couple weeks ago, and was surprised when we received it via courier 12 days later! Good job U.S. government; I’m not a huge fan of waiting, and apparently they aren’t huge fans of expats being without their passports in foreign countries. Win win. Now, Derik has this shiny new passport book (the extra page edition) and mine is looking rather skinny and old. The funny thing is, his passport photo we sent in was actually super good, but they somehow stretched it out vertically, so his head looks like a long potato-head instead of what it actually looks like in the picture or real life. Couldn’t help but chuckle at that one!
– “Last week was the busiest week I’ve ever had as a freelancer.” I am so thankful to be working as a freelance blog designer and developer, as well as being a travel writer for Living in Another Language! Business has been great on both fronts (exciting opportunities coming for LIAL !!! ), and I just love doing what I do. I actually got to the point last week where I felt a little overwhelmed checking my email, but I’m constantly reminding myself how amazing of a problem that is! Sorry I was quiet around the blog front, I was busy doing a lot of behind the scenes work. I’m hoping to do better this next week and post a little more than once a week for you! Shameless plug: if you’re needing a transfer to WordPress, or maybe a new custom design or pre-made, I’m your girl!
– “I’m feeling the need to get rid of a bunch of stuff again.” I go through these weird phases where I want to get rid of anything and everything and only live on bare bones. Thankfully we are currently renting a fully furnished house, so I don’t have to worry about the burden of furniture and housing item clutter. I think my need to get rid of things stems from the fact that my wardrobe is shifting swiftly from from summer to winter, and I have all sorts of stuff I haven’t worn in a while and I feel like I probably won’t wear in the future. I read an article a few days ago about a lady who got rid of all her clothes and bought a dozen or so versatile pieces to wear from there on out (seasonally of course). I think it’s a great idea. I only wear the same few outfits anyway, why waste so much money on things I only wear once or twice?
p.s. here’s a bright and cheery look into the dining room/kitchen/second living room of our beach cottage:
– “I can’t stop thinking about puppies.” Some women my age, especially married women, start to think motherly thoughts about wanting chilen once they reach their mid to late twenties, but apparently not me. I can’t stop thinking about and wanting a puppy with it’s super velvety soft fur, wet nose, and round little tummy. My dad raised labradors growing up, so naturally when I think puppies, I think labs. Ahhh. Anyone else feeling the same way?
– “I get Insta-jealous all the time.” I follow so many crazy awesome accounts. Most of them take these amazing, other-worldly pictures that leave me wondering, “Why can’t I take pictures like that?!” Seriously though, going through my Instagram feed leaves me feeling inspired and full of wanderlust, but at the same time like I need to just forget ever having hopes of being insta-famous because I’m not capable of such amazing photos. Seriously, how do they do it? You know the ones I’m talking about: the muted tones, crisp pictures, perfectly lit landscapes, all with whimsical people dancing right through the middle of them. Whenever I try to take a cool picture like that, or have Derik take one of me, I always look like a crazy/awkward person flopping around in the center of the frame. Am I the only one who feels like this? It’s torture. Yet it’s a torture I keep going back for more and more of.
– “I want Derik to be more a part of this blog.” We’ve been talking about introducing Derik as a writer on LIAL for a while, as he does quite a few things on the backend anyway. He’s a great photographer (you should follow him on Instagram), loves helping me pick blog topics, and has just as much travel advice and experience as I do. I know it may be a weird transitional process for all of us (readers and blog owners alike) having him become an active member, but I’m excited about the possibilities. After all, Living in Another Language is about us and our journey together.
So…that’s my week in a nutshell.
What’s new with you? Let’s have a little chat in the comments section shall we?
