I've got a little under two weeks left. Then, on February first, I leave the country for a year. Weird. I figured that going to New Zealand for a while was worth documenting, and the easiest way was to start a blog, so here we are. I also figured that the only people reading this will be people I know, so that's all I really need to say about moving in general.
I will, however, start talking about how many goodbyes I've been going through over the last few days. Leaving the elementary school where I babysat kids before classes was a mixed blessing. I started sleeping in later and hanging out more, but now I have less kids in my life, which means less fun. Leaving the restaurant was a totally different case. It's so nice to think that my life won't be full of Buy One Get One Free! coupons anymore, I'll be away from the casino, and I can stop feeling guilty about supporting a culture of consumption. But there's just so much I'll miss: my space in the office upstairs, the way everyone greets you when you come in to start your shift, the occasional awesome customer or heartbreaking loner, the olive oil.
This is just the beginning. For the next few days I'm going to try and visit everyone I love in America and read a thousand books and maybe make a quilt. Mostly everything will be neglected, and I'll leave with a thousand loose ends, like always. I still have a set of keys from college.
As it gets closer to Feb 1st, I'll try to keep a regular posting schedule. When I get to Wellington, things will be different. Hopefully I'll become super studious and well structured, stay up late, wake up early, and write a hundred million words a day. Who knows, at least it will be warm when I get there.
