New Roots

Well.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to report that...it's for real, now.

I should be living in Auckland by the end of May.

The crazy idea/pipe dream/half-joke has manifested itself into something resembling ...my future. Inquiry has turned into intention, wandering into planning, networking into interviewing, and investigation at Immigration has turned into a visa/permit application. So as long as I can convince the powers that be that my chest is free of good ol' homegrown Vanuatu tuberculosis, I should be drowning in kiwis before I know it.

Believe it or not, moving to New Zealand is actually the most logical thing I can think of to do at this point in my life.

The pros are countless, the cons are few and far between.

With the NZD trailing miserably behind the USD, it's the perfect place to while away my Peace Corps money while I get used to The Real World again (while American production companies happily take advantage of the economic situation and reverse season benefits - go, go, Power Rangers!)

I'll be in a beautiful, moderate climate rife with Pacific Island food and culture, in a (relatively) small city just minutes away from both the beach and the bush in any direction. It's a hop, skip, & a jump from Vanuatu if I need to reshoot/follow-up with anything for the documentary or if I just get homesick. I'll be in a cool, casual culture where you can have a hole in your t-shirt and airbrushing is frowned upon.

It is the perfect place to transition out of the rainforest and into The Industry (as long as my terrible kiwi accent improves considerably as well as my skills at driving on the other side of the road).

And it's literally on the way back to North America.
If it doesn't work out, I can just keep on rolling.

I know what you're thinking.
Auckland looks an awfully lot like Toronto in this picture, doesn't it?