Reverse Culture Shock

I think about NZ all day everyday!! Reverse culture shock is definitely harder than normal culture shock.  We are expected to fit in where we left off but we have grown so much and things have changed.  And subtle things weird me out like passing people on the right side and driving on the other side of the road.  And I miss NZ accents!  It's strange because these are things we've never thought about before, but now stick out  in life back home like a sore thumb.  The worst part is I don't have my NZ friends around me to talk about it and go through the adjustment together.  But that is why the "Bro-hood of the Traveling Tacky Tank Top" is awesome - Steph, Courtney, Cathy and I can keep in touch and up to date with our lives and talk about NZ.

So many people ask me the question:  "How was NZ?"  I have so much trouble answering it because a flood of memories and emotions arise that cannot be explained in words.  The best I can do is "It is the most beautiful country in the world ... epic ... life-changing ... mind-blowing."  It feels like a dream.  I really cannot believe/comprehend all that we have seen and experienced - this trip was more than I ever could have hoped for and I feel so lucky.  That's the thing ... even though I get depressed sometimes and want to go back to NZ and see everyone, I am so happy I feel this way.  That I was fortunate enough to have had the greatest experience of my life and to have made such amazing friends.  I love my life!!!

So anyways, after I said goodbye to NZ and made the long journey to NY, I spent two days with the family and then went up to Ithaca to surprise my boyfriend, Connor, and see my best friends.  Reuniting with my friends was amazing because I have missed them extremely.  It was also a great way to beat jetlag because I was so wired from excitement all day until I hit the pillow and realized how mentally/physically/emotionally exhausted I was!

So as much of a struggle this is to readjust to not-as-awesome life in NY, I am overly happy I ever shared this amazing life with amazing people for five months.  I realized the purpose of my life is to be in constant pursuit of beauty because when I find it in its many different forms, I am at peace.  Beauty can only be perceived with a serene mind which is proof that it is possible to live a dream.  Kia Ora, Aotearoa!

November 13th

Saturday Nov. 13:  This is the day that has always loomed in my future.  November 13th.  The day I leave New Zealand.  The day I return to the states.  The day everyone here has dreaded but everyone back home has waited eagerly for.  And what do I think of this day?  I have had mixed feelings all along.  Sometimes when I missed people from home I wished it would arrive sooner, but when I was having the time of my life, I would want to push it as far away as possible.  Now that it is actually here I am having these same emotions but more intense.  I am ecstatic to see my family, boyfriend, and friends.  But I am heartbroken from being ripped away from this place and my friends here.

This morning Courtney's parents took us four girls out to a nice breakfast.  Then while walking around the mall area looking for tacky NZ tanks, Courtney happened upon the last "I <3 NZ Bro" tank top in the store we were looking in.  We decided it would be an awesome idea to buy it and send it back in forth like the sisterhood of the traveling pants!  We then bought a notebook to send with it.  We are now known as the "Bro-hood of the Traveling Tacky Tank Top."  This way we can keep in touch and talk about New Zealand while we are back in the states.  This will definitely help us all overcome our reverse culture shock.

While we drove Cathy back to our house, I felt the tears welling into my eyes, ready to spill over any second.  I took one look at Steph, saw her eyes were just as glossy and then at the same time, the tears just poured out of our eyes.  It was the strangest crying ever because we were laughing but our eyes were like buckets that kept refilling and spilling over.  It was so sad leaving Cathy and driving away down the driveway.  We composed ourselves by the time we got to the apartments and then packed up and laid out it the sun on the Ilam quad. 

So the time came for our taxi to take us to the airport.  I was in such a weird state of mind... just reluctantly going through the motions and not accepting that everything I left behind today, I was leaving for a very long time.  At the airport, Steph and I's luggage was overweight so we spent a while ripping through our luggage,  transferring or getting rid of stuff.  We were happy when we finally made it to the gate and saw Ryan sitting there!  I had my first 2 hour flight from Christchurch to Auckland with Stephanie and Ryan and my 13 hour second flight to San Fransisco with Ryan.  My third flight was 6 hours to New York.

Saying goodbye to Stephanie and New Zealand was very rushed and very very sad.  I did not know how to handle it.  It did not feel real so I wasn't emotional about it yet.  As I flew over New Zealand, the sun was setting and the mountains looked so beautiful.  I shed a few tears as I stared out the window until I could no longer see the land I loved deeply, explored every corner of, changed my life, and called my home for the past five months.

Goodnight New Zealand

The final countdown

Thursday Nov. 11:  All day was spent with Stephanie on a flight from Cairns to Melbourne and then Melbourne to Christchurch.  We returned late at night and Courtney and Cathy picked us up in Court's parents rental car.  It was so good to see them again!!

Cathedral Square

Stocking up on Tim Tams

Friday Nov. 12:  My last full day in New Zealand!!!!  Steph, Courtney, Cathy, and I ventured shoeless into the city for the last time and shared stories of our past week.  It was a beautiful sunny day and we went souvenir shopping and hung out in the square.  We also went to the grocery store and stocked up on Tim Tams to take back to the States with us.  I bought ten boxes so hopefully they will last me through my depression from leaving NZ.  I tried to take in and appreciate as much as I could.  As I turned my head away from Cathedral Square for the last time I didn't know what to do or how to feel.  I couldn't handle that I was leaving behind everything I have known for the past five months.  I was leaving home.

Banana Pancakes

Love these girls

That night we hung out in my room.  We made chocolate chip banana pancakes and homemade hot chocolate, did Tim Tam slams, laughed till our sides hurt, took self-timer pictures, and reminisced on our amazing life journeys together.  I am going to miss these girls dearly.

That night Steph and I snuggled up and had the hardest time falling asleep.  This was our last night.

Flatmates!

Australia: Great Barrier Reef

Wednesday Nov. 10:  Early this morning I jumped out of bed in excitement because we were about to see one of the seven natural wonders of the world!!  The Great Barrier Reef!!  It is the world's largest reef system and the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. 

On the boat to the reef

Suited up in our wetsuits

We went to the wharf to catch the Sunkist boat.  We had a nice hot two hour ride out to the reef.  I was originally going to snorkel instead of scuba dive because I was worried about my sensitive right ear.  But then all of a sudden I changed my mind and knew I would have regretted not scuba diving the greatest reef in the world.  I did an intro scuba dive which was absolutely amazing and worth the pain in my ear which ended up not being as bad as it was in Bermuda.  We dove eight meters deep and was awestruck.  The reef and fish were intensely diverse and colourful.  I saw giant clams, held sea cucumbers, followed beautiful fish, and so much more.  I also got to snorkel at two different locations.  I've snorkeled many times in my life but nothing can beat this.

Great Barrier Reef

We got free lunch and hung out on the deck getting a little sunburnt.  After an amazing day soaking up the sun and in an underwater dreamland, we had free dinner at the woolshed and went to sleep with another world wonder under our belts.

Australia: Cairns

Tuesday Nov. 9:  Today we were so happy to leave the crazy Kanga House backpackers early in the morning.  A taxi brought us to the airport but our flight to Cairns was delayed.  Unfortunately this meant we would have to cancel our plans to visit the Cairns Zoo to see koalas and kangaroos. 

Cairns Boardwalk

Lagoon

When we stepped off the plane in Cairns we immediately started to sweat.  It was so hot and tropical!  A car from Asylum Hostel picked us up from the airport.  This is where we met Ruth from Germany.  She ended up being our roommate and she is so sweet!!  Asylum Hostel is awesome.  It has a tropical feel and the people are so chill.  That day after we got settled Steph, Ruth, and I walked down the boardwalk and hung out in the sun by the lagoon.  We saw mass amounts of people doing Zumba in the park so Steph and I decided to join in.  It was so hilariously random and fun!

Zumba in the Park

Thanks to Cairns Hostel, we got free dinner at the Woolshed.  I love Cairns!!

Australia: Blue Mountains

Monday, Nov 8:  Today was our last day in Sydney.  We relaxed at Room 10 for the last time.  The fresh orange juice was sooo delicious.  Thank you for being awesome Room 10.

Room 10

Three Sisters

We got a two hour train to Katoomba, the main town in the Blue Mountains.  This is the only place in the world you can see a blue haze, which is caused by the oils of the Eucalyptus trees.  We decided to do a bus tour of the area which was great because we got to see a lot of the mountains.  We could hop on and off the bus at its several stops and it comes around every half hour.  The first stop Steph and I got off at was a trail that opened up to a epic view of the famous Three Sisters, which are rock formations standing over 3000 feet above sea level.  The commonly told Indigenous Australian Dreamtime legend of the Three Sisters is that three sisters fell in love with three men from a neighbouring tribe, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. Battle ensued, and the sisters were turned to stone by an elder to protect them, but he was killed in the fighting and no one else could turn them back.  These mountains are a different sort of beautiful than New Zealand mountains, but they are just as mind-blowingly stunning.

Blue Mountains

Giant Stairway

We walked right up to the Three Sisters and began to walk down the Giant Stairway.  It was so steep and we got amazing views.  We thought it would end but it never did and we started to get nervous.  We did not want to have to walk back up.  On the way down we met two Belgians, Maarten and Hilde, who were sweating and panting on their way up.  They told us that this was the most intense hike and there were 1000 steps.  Also the last bus was leaving in 30 mins.  Ahhhhhhh!!  So we turned around and we all booked it up the stairs.  It was painfully strenuous but luckily we made it just in time to not get stranded in the mountains.

Kangaroo Burger

Steph and I started talking to the Belgians and we all got off the bus in the cute town of Leura.  Here we had some drinks at a bar before walking back to Katoomba.  Maarten and Hilde are awesome!  They have been traveling for a month and want us to stay with them in Belgium.  We talked for so long about life, traveling, politics, school, and work.  In Katoomba we found a restaurant that served kangaroo burgers!!  Kangaroo is so delicious.  While eating at our table outside we witnessed a hit and run!  Some dodgy guy hit a motorcycle with his car, got out, talked to the bike owner's friend and then decided to drive away!  Luckily I had a notepad and wrote down the license plate.  

We rode the train home with them late at night and basically became best friends.  At our hostel, we fell asleep to crazy loud French rap music and woke up super early to catch our flight to Cairns.  We were so happy to leave Kanga House Backpackers for good.

Australia: Bondai Beach and Music Awards

Sculpture by the Sea

Sunday, Nov 7:  After two days of rain, it was finally a sunny and hot day in Sydney!  We got takeaway coffee at Room 10 and walked around the cute Kings Cross weekend market.  We then walked to Oxford Street to catch a bus to Bronte Beach, which sits on Nelson Bay.  Now this is the Australia you see on television and postcards - home to one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world!  Room 10 suggested we do the coastal walk to Bondi beach which was STUNNING!!! And we were lucky to be there during the "Sculpture by the Sea" - Australia's largest annual outdoor sculpture exhibition displaying over 100 sculptures by artists from around the world.  They were set up beautifully along the coastal walk that we wandered along.  In the middle of it, Stephanie and I stopped at a cliff ledge overlooking the beach and surfers to eat our lunch. 

Bondi Beach

Bondi beach is one of the best beaches in the world and is about one kilometer long.  We walked down along the graffitied walls and onto the hot, sunny beach where we laid down and soaked in the cosmic rays for a few hours.  Once we had had enough sun, we ate at the Sushi Train.  Different plates of sushi and Asian food came around on a conveyor belt and we had to pick the plates we wanted.  We had so much fun here.  I got called out on using my chopsticks incorrectly.  Meanwhile Steph was using her fingers.  Not fair.

We caught a bus back to Kings Cross and walked to the Sydney Opera House to see the ARIA music awards.  We settled down by the water where we got a pretty good view of the steps and stage.  Everything was lit up, there were tons of people, and we got to hear some bands play.  Steph and I dubbed today "call out Shona day" because first the chopsticks, then I got called out for standing on the bench taking pictures, and some random guy passed while I was yawning and said "why are you yawning?  It's still early!" Steph and I laugh way too much :)

ARIA music awards

So after an awesome display of fireworks over the harbour, we went back to our hostel where we had another horrible night sleep with our disrespectful French roommates ...  But it couldn't damper our moods too much after another awesome day.