Today I went to the ANDES!!!
I am just so excited about it still, I can hardly tell you. It was amazing, awe inspiring, stunning, breathtaking.
It s only about an hour and a half driving to get from the city right up into the mountains. We climbed and climbed in a minibus, hairpin bends all the way. It´s very dry there, sort of a desert and lots of spiny trees and cactuses. The vegetation drops off as you get higher. We climbed to 3,500m - 12,000ft (I jumped out of an aeroplane at 12,000ft!!) where there are fewplants and the rocks ared just incredible. It´s so high that even just walking fast made me feel a bit dizzy and my legs went a bit wobbly (literally breathtaking!)
It´s definitely one of th most amazing things I´ve ever done and I had to keep pinching myself to believe I was really there. It was a stunning day, not a cloud in the sky... didn´t see any condors though although I looked really hard!
Photos, of course to follow. Not all of them though as I took about 200! But a few...
xxx
P.S, about all I get from people over here is this: "¿de donde eres?" "Inglaterra". "Ohhhh... la boda royal, eh? Principe William, eh??" "Si, si... (smile in a taught and stretched fashion and nod half-heartedly)"
Fi's Travels...
Friday 29 April 2011
Brass Monkeys in Santiago (aka Chilly in Chile)
Yesterday I went for a guided walking tour around Santiago and apart from being a little too cold for my liking, it was really good and I do quite like the place now.
Things of note are: you can´t put toilet paper down the toilet here! Well... technically you can as I was for the first couple of dsays until I realised that´s what the bins are for. Yuck!!! There are lots of stray dogs everywhere, but they are very friendly. But they are seriously everywhere!! running up and down the streets, curled up on the pavement and in every park.... Um.... oh yes, we were shown these cafes in the business district - their nickname is ´cafes con piernas´ which is cafes with legs - this is becuase it is girls only working there, with VERY short skirts on who flirt with all the business men who come in. Not sexist at all, right? I have tried a pisco sour and it was good. It has raw egg white in it, but still tastes nice, honestly!
The architecture here is very nice, it has quite a Spanish feel to it, unsurprisingly. Pictures to follow (sorry for delay, am in internet cafe).
xxx
Things of note are: you can´t put toilet paper down the toilet here! Well... technically you can as I was for the first couple of dsays until I realised that´s what the bins are for. Yuck!!! There are lots of stray dogs everywhere, but they are very friendly. But they are seriously everywhere!! running up and down the streets, curled up on the pavement and in every park.... Um.... oh yes, we were shown these cafes in the business district - their nickname is ´cafes con piernas´ which is cafes with legs - this is becuase it is girls only working there, with VERY short skirts on who flirt with all the business men who come in. Not sexist at all, right? I have tried a pisco sour and it was good. It has raw egg white in it, but still tastes nice, honestly!
The architecture here is very nice, it has quite a Spanish feel to it, unsurprisingly. Pictures to follow (sorry for delay, am in internet cafe).
xxx
Wednesday 27 April 2011
The strangest facial ever
Now, I have managed to find an internet cafe to update you on my strange day.
Firstly it was spent in a shopping mall. Yes, I know you all think that´s odd but I have a good reason - I need to buy clothes and boots for the Amazon jungle. I have some, proper "outdoorsy" type trousers and top, with long sleeves. And some welly boots, which t'internet suggests all the locals use in the jungle. Apparently the flies and mozzies will bug me something chronic, but I´ll just be there for 2 days, I´ll manage.
Anyway, after some hard shopping I was in need of a rest... not least of all because a) my Spanish is rusty and talking, or more specifically, being talked at constantly in a foreign language is stressful and tiring. and b) the content of said talking involved a lot of asking where I´m from and if I´m travelling alone and then sharp intakes of breath and a telling of how dangerous that is. One woman gave me a lecture about how many robbers there are on the tube and how I must hold my bag close into my chest at all times. Another just told me how dangerous it was, especially as a girl, and I mustn´t get into any taxis and I am bound to be taken advantage of. None of this inspired much confidence. I kept smiling and tried to say that I´m from a big city too, and I bet none of them (it was all warnings from women) refuse to go anywhere alone and just becuase I´m a foreigner doesn´t make me an automatic target.... but then, maybe it does. So I just smiled and nodded, but my heart rate was going up by the minute.
So, I passed a hairdresser that also had beauty stuff and I asked for a massage and facial, got told yes and taken through to a back room. The first problem was that the girl then explained the massage was not by hand. She held up big plastic sheet things and said it was electronic. So I said "no thank you, could I just have the facial?".
She got me to lie on a couch and daubbed some sticky stuff on my forehard, nose and chin andthen covered my face in clingfilm (!) with a small hole to breath through adn then left for 15 minutes. She kept babbling in Spanish and I didn´t understand more than a quarter of what she said. Anyway, when she came back in, she loomed over me with a surgical mask and gloves on!! And reached for something... and honestly, I was half expecting to seea scalpel or somehting, I was ready to jump out of the room! But she just came back with tissues and I thought "how bad can it be?" so a laid still. And then..... she started viciously squeezing and stabbing and prodding at my blackheads and spots!! It was very sore and not something I would ever need to pay someone else to do. They do do that sometimes in proper facials, it´s called an extraction and is just the blackheads in the nose, but it´s supposed to after steaming and things so it´s a bit easier. I asked for it once, years ago (or at least said yes to it being offered) having no idea what it was... I didn´t make that mistake again. Until today. Anyway, she was squeezing her nails everywhere!
Sorry, that was a bit gross. Anyway, then more sticky stuff painted on my face and then left for 20 minutes. With no music and bright lights. Not very relaxing. And then she comes back in and this time she really does hove into view with two metal instruments. I nearly baulked again, but held firm having deduced what it probably was, as I´ve read about this. It was a metal roller in one hand and a metal disc on a stick in the other. The disc she moved over my face whilst simultaneously rolling the roller over other parts. The disc gave quite fierce electric shocks and it made my eyelids jump and my teeth hurt.
After five minutes of that, she stopped and rubbed more stuff on my face. Which smelled funny. As had all the other stuff. She asked how my skin was feeling as it had gone quite red and she thought I probably had sensitive skin. "Yes, I do have sensitive skin" I replied through gritted teeth. She advised me to always wear sunscreen.
Next, she came at me with a long plastic tube. I was baced for anything but actually this one was quite strange, I think it was giving off very gentle static electricity as it just fizzed very slightly on the skin and was not unpleasant. Can´t imagine what it actually did though.
More cream, some rubbish facial massage and then she led me out, all red and blotchy, and horribly overcharged me, saying she had given me the deluxe version instead of the normal express facial.
The lesson to be learnt here is possibly not to ever go for beauty treatments from a hairdressers. I know, it was a risk, but sometimes you just have to take them. I am still as tense as ever, probably more so, and need a good back massage but I shall await my return to good old blighty!
Tomorrow I shall go on a walking tour of the city and I hope to get out to see the andes the day after.
xxx
Firstly it was spent in a shopping mall. Yes, I know you all think that´s odd but I have a good reason - I need to buy clothes and boots for the Amazon jungle. I have some, proper "outdoorsy" type trousers and top, with long sleeves. And some welly boots, which t'internet suggests all the locals use in the jungle. Apparently the flies and mozzies will bug me something chronic, but I´ll just be there for 2 days, I´ll manage.
Anyway, after some hard shopping I was in need of a rest... not least of all because a) my Spanish is rusty and talking, or more specifically, being talked at constantly in a foreign language is stressful and tiring. and b) the content of said talking involved a lot of asking where I´m from and if I´m travelling alone and then sharp intakes of breath and a telling of how dangerous that is. One woman gave me a lecture about how many robbers there are on the tube and how I must hold my bag close into my chest at all times. Another just told me how dangerous it was, especially as a girl, and I mustn´t get into any taxis and I am bound to be taken advantage of. None of this inspired much confidence. I kept smiling and tried to say that I´m from a big city too, and I bet none of them (it was all warnings from women) refuse to go anywhere alone and just becuase I´m a foreigner doesn´t make me an automatic target.... but then, maybe it does. So I just smiled and nodded, but my heart rate was going up by the minute.
So, I passed a hairdresser that also had beauty stuff and I asked for a massage and facial, got told yes and taken through to a back room. The first problem was that the girl then explained the massage was not by hand. She held up big plastic sheet things and said it was electronic. So I said "no thank you, could I just have the facial?".
She got me to lie on a couch and daubbed some sticky stuff on my forehard, nose and chin andthen covered my face in clingfilm (!) with a small hole to breath through adn then left for 15 minutes. She kept babbling in Spanish and I didn´t understand more than a quarter of what she said. Anyway, when she came back in, she loomed over me with a surgical mask and gloves on!! And reached for something... and honestly, I was half expecting to seea scalpel or somehting, I was ready to jump out of the room! But she just came back with tissues and I thought "how bad can it be?" so a laid still. And then..... she started viciously squeezing and stabbing and prodding at my blackheads and spots!! It was very sore and not something I would ever need to pay someone else to do. They do do that sometimes in proper facials, it´s called an extraction and is just the blackheads in the nose, but it´s supposed to after steaming and things so it´s a bit easier. I asked for it once, years ago (or at least said yes to it being offered) having no idea what it was... I didn´t make that mistake again. Until today. Anyway, she was squeezing her nails everywhere!
Sorry, that was a bit gross. Anyway, then more sticky stuff painted on my face and then left for 20 minutes. With no music and bright lights. Not very relaxing. And then she comes back in and this time she really does hove into view with two metal instruments. I nearly baulked again, but held firm having deduced what it probably was, as I´ve read about this. It was a metal roller in one hand and a metal disc on a stick in the other. The disc she moved over my face whilst simultaneously rolling the roller over other parts. The disc gave quite fierce electric shocks and it made my eyelids jump and my teeth hurt.
After five minutes of that, she stopped and rubbed more stuff on my face. Which smelled funny. As had all the other stuff. She asked how my skin was feeling as it had gone quite red and she thought I probably had sensitive skin. "Yes, I do have sensitive skin" I replied through gritted teeth. She advised me to always wear sunscreen.
Next, she came at me with a long plastic tube. I was baced for anything but actually this one was quite strange, I think it was giving off very gentle static electricity as it just fizzed very slightly on the skin and was not unpleasant. Can´t imagine what it actually did though.
More cream, some rubbish facial massage and then she led me out, all red and blotchy, and horribly overcharged me, saying she had given me the deluxe version instead of the normal express facial.
The lesson to be learnt here is possibly not to ever go for beauty treatments from a hairdressers. I know, it was a risk, but sometimes you just have to take them. I am still as tense as ever, probably more so, and need a good back massage but I shall await my return to good old blighty!
Tomorrow I shall go on a walking tour of the city and I hope to get out to see the andes the day after.
xxx
Santiago de Chile!!
Right people, here I am!!
What a funny couple of days I´ve had. I got up at 8am on Monday 25th April. got to Wellington airport for 10am, flight left at 11am (yes, I bubbled a bit) and got to Auckland for 12pm, flight to Santiago leaving at 4.40pm. Only it was delayed .... to 10.15pm!!!
God, how boring to spend 10 hours at the airport with nothing to do.
Then an 11.5 hour flight... and I get here and it´s still Monday! 7.40pm. I got to the hostel (which is very nice) and then popped out for dinner, then crashed by 11pm. That was the longest day ever!! I am 15 hours behind NZ here. So I was up for about 30 hours I think.
Then something weird happened.... I went to sleep and then woke at 3.30am and couldn´t get back to sleep. So I read until about 9am and then dozed off... and slept until 8pm!! When I woke up a bit hungry. I realised the time and was a bit cross with myself, because that´s really not how to get over jet lag! Anyway, I read until 2am (it´s a good book luckily) and then slept again (lucky I´m so good at that too!) until 5.15am. And then read again. And finally got up at 7.30am and had breakfast here at 8.30am.
That was a whole 30 or so hours in bed people. That must be a record - longest day followed by longest night!!
Anyway, my laptop will not connect to the wifi hree so internet updates may be patchy. I am off out to explore the city today.
Lots of love people!!
xxx
P.S - it seems I can read emails from this hostel computer but not reply... sorry about that. No emails for the moment....
What a funny couple of days I´ve had. I got up at 8am on Monday 25th April. got to Wellington airport for 10am, flight left at 11am (yes, I bubbled a bit) and got to Auckland for 12pm, flight to Santiago leaving at 4.40pm. Only it was delayed .... to 10.15pm!!!
God, how boring to spend 10 hours at the airport with nothing to do.
Then an 11.5 hour flight... and I get here and it´s still Monday! 7.40pm. I got to the hostel (which is very nice) and then popped out for dinner, then crashed by 11pm. That was the longest day ever!! I am 15 hours behind NZ here. So I was up for about 30 hours I think.
Then something weird happened.... I went to sleep and then woke at 3.30am and couldn´t get back to sleep. So I read until about 9am and then dozed off... and slept until 8pm!! When I woke up a bit hungry. I realised the time and was a bit cross with myself, because that´s really not how to get over jet lag! Anyway, I read until 2am (it´s a good book luckily) and then slept again (lucky I´m so good at that too!) until 5.15am. And then read again. And finally got up at 7.30am and had breakfast here at 8.30am.
That was a whole 30 or so hours in bed people. That must be a record - longest day followed by longest night!!
Anyway, my laptop will not connect to the wifi hree so internet updates may be patchy. I am off out to explore the city today.
Lots of love people!!
xxx
P.S - it seems I can read emails from this hostel computer but not reply... sorry about that. No emails for the moment....
Monday 25 April 2011
The final chapter
Well dear readers, it's the end of an era.
I'd better catch you up with my wee 4 day trip first I guess. I really enjoyed it. The Maori cultural performance was amazing; really really good. Lots of history as well as singing and dancing. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it!
I did the dolphin and isalnd boat tour the next day as the weather was good. However, we crashed into a sandbank just over an hour in and had to go straight back to port. I did get to see some dolphins though, although they were running away from all the people swimming after them! I think I would too...
I skipped the trip up to the northernmost tip as it was actually 11 hours on a coach there and back and it seemed a bit much. Instead I went over the harbour in a boat to Russell, which is the original capital of NZ, where all the sailors landed initially in the early 1800s. Apparently it was refered to as the 'hell hole' of the Pacific. I guess there were some unsavoury characters there! There is a famous flagpole there where the British flag was raised and then cut down again 4 times by a Maori leader (or someone did it for him anyway), Hone Heke. It has New Zealand's oldest church (built in 1836) and also some of NZ's oldest graves. It had a real sense of history which is lacking in a lot of NZ. It's also a really pretty little seaside village and a I really loved it there, I'd like to go back and take Adam.
On the way back to Auckland we saw some enormous golden sand dunes. I had been told about them, but I never expected they would be as big as they are! Photos of everything will be a while - I forgot my camera unfortunately, but did buy an instant one, which is yet to be developed. Also I saw an ancient Kaori tree (pronounced Cowrie), it was enormous and the Maori believe it to be an important spiritual tree (the species, not one tree in particular - especially the really old, big ones). This was called Tane Mahuta and was about 2 and a half thousand years old.
The next few days were spent chilling out with Adam. We did quite a long bike ride on Saturday, and played board games yesterday, plus I cooked a Sunday Roast (pork with crackling - my favourite!). I packed everything up (leaving about 10 bags with a very patient Adam).
This morning Adam came to the airport with me and we had breakfast together before he walked me to my gate. I was biting my lip by then and trying really hard not to cry. It didn't work, and the tears came as he hugged me goodbye.
It's a very strange feeling. Firstly it's very hard to leave Adam, I shall miss him more than I realise even, I think. One good thing is I don't feel worried about the time apart... I mean, I'm not feeling worried that we will drift apart or meet other people. Perhaps that's wrong of me... but anyway, there it is. I feel very secure about him and it's just that I'll miss him.
But more than that, I shall miss Wellington, I shall miss New Zealand, I shall miss feeling settled and content and rooted somewhere. I feel anxious about South America having read a lot of cautionary literature yesterday from my tour group... they advise bringing things like a medical kit and a swiss army knife, they insist on you handing over two copies of your insurance and passport and new passport photos. They talked a lot about security and muggings and things. It's got me feeling quite nervous. And also, there's snakes and massive spiders in the Amazon Jungle... But then there is the excitment of getting back to the UK. But even that is mixed with the unsettled feeling of knowing I will be there without a home of my own, for the first time in many years. That everything will change very soon after my arrival with the arrival of a new family member. That I need to make the most of the few short weeks there and cannot get too settled or comfortable or attached, as I'll be leaving again.
So, I am at the airport in Auckland mulling all of this over. I have plenty of time for that as I arrived at 12pm for a 16.40 flight (a bit early in case of any delays flying up from Wellington) only to find that it has been delayed to 22.15. That, my dear friends and family is a very long wait indeed. I am almost wishing for the flight now (11.5 hours in itself) so I can have my own seat, and sleep if I want, or watch films.
Santiago is 16 hours behind. I arrive 4.5 hours before I left, which is rather strange!
Anyway. I guess that's all for now. It just all feels a bit strange, you know?
xxx
I'd better catch you up with my wee 4 day trip first I guess. I really enjoyed it. The Maori cultural performance was amazing; really really good. Lots of history as well as singing and dancing. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it!
I did the dolphin and isalnd boat tour the next day as the weather was good. However, we crashed into a sandbank just over an hour in and had to go straight back to port. I did get to see some dolphins though, although they were running away from all the people swimming after them! I think I would too...
I skipped the trip up to the northernmost tip as it was actually 11 hours on a coach there and back and it seemed a bit much. Instead I went over the harbour in a boat to Russell, which is the original capital of NZ, where all the sailors landed initially in the early 1800s. Apparently it was refered to as the 'hell hole' of the Pacific. I guess there were some unsavoury characters there! There is a famous flagpole there where the British flag was raised and then cut down again 4 times by a Maori leader (or someone did it for him anyway), Hone Heke. It has New Zealand's oldest church (built in 1836) and also some of NZ's oldest graves. It had a real sense of history which is lacking in a lot of NZ. It's also a really pretty little seaside village and a I really loved it there, I'd like to go back and take Adam.
On the way back to Auckland we saw some enormous golden sand dunes. I had been told about them, but I never expected they would be as big as they are! Photos of everything will be a while - I forgot my camera unfortunately, but did buy an instant one, which is yet to be developed. Also I saw an ancient Kaori tree (pronounced Cowrie), it was enormous and the Maori believe it to be an important spiritual tree (the species, not one tree in particular - especially the really old, big ones). This was called Tane Mahuta and was about 2 and a half thousand years old.
The next few days were spent chilling out with Adam. We did quite a long bike ride on Saturday, and played board games yesterday, plus I cooked a Sunday Roast (pork with crackling - my favourite!). I packed everything up (leaving about 10 bags with a very patient Adam).
This morning Adam came to the airport with me and we had breakfast together before he walked me to my gate. I was biting my lip by then and trying really hard not to cry. It didn't work, and the tears came as he hugged me goodbye.
It's a very strange feeling. Firstly it's very hard to leave Adam, I shall miss him more than I realise even, I think. One good thing is I don't feel worried about the time apart... I mean, I'm not feeling worried that we will drift apart or meet other people. Perhaps that's wrong of me... but anyway, there it is. I feel very secure about him and it's just that I'll miss him.
But more than that, I shall miss Wellington, I shall miss New Zealand, I shall miss feeling settled and content and rooted somewhere. I feel anxious about South America having read a lot of cautionary literature yesterday from my tour group... they advise bringing things like a medical kit and a swiss army knife, they insist on you handing over two copies of your insurance and passport and new passport photos. They talked a lot about security and muggings and things. It's got me feeling quite nervous. And also, there's snakes and massive spiders in the Amazon Jungle... But then there is the excitment of getting back to the UK. But even that is mixed with the unsettled feeling of knowing I will be there without a home of my own, for the first time in many years. That everything will change very soon after my arrival with the arrival of a new family member. That I need to make the most of the few short weeks there and cannot get too settled or comfortable or attached, as I'll be leaving again.
So, I am at the airport in Auckland mulling all of this over. I have plenty of time for that as I arrived at 12pm for a 16.40 flight (a bit early in case of any delays flying up from Wellington) only to find that it has been delayed to 22.15. That, my dear friends and family is a very long wait indeed. I am almost wishing for the flight now (11.5 hours in itself) so I can have my own seat, and sleep if I want, or watch films.
Santiago is 16 hours behind. I arrive 4.5 hours before I left, which is rather strange!
Anyway. I guess that's all for now. It just all feels a bit strange, you know?
xxx
Monday 18 April 2011
Some more travel to read about at last!
OK, I have something interesting to write about!!
I left the comforts of home and boyfriend yesterday and caught a plane up to Auckland. I stayed overnight in a grotty hostel and was up at 6am this morning to catch a Magic tour bus up to Northland, which is the northern-most part of New Zealand. I am in Paihia for the next three days, which is quite pretty. Tonight I'm going on a maori cultural evening where we get taken to where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed (the treaty between the Maori and British signed in 1840 cementing the rights and responsibilities of each) and get some songs, history and a Haka.
Tomorrow is a trip right up to the northernmost tip where there is alighthouse on the point which separates the Pacific from the Tasman Sea. We drive back along 90 mile beach!
Wednesday is a dolphin watching boat trip which also takes us round the bay of islands and gives us some history too.
Thursday is a trip back to Auckland via some huge Kaori trees. More info and photos to follow.
I made a friend today as well, although she leaves tomorrow sadly.
"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well". That's how I'm feeling (and also a quote from somewhere, I forget where...)
xxx
I left the comforts of home and boyfriend yesterday and caught a plane up to Auckland. I stayed overnight in a grotty hostel and was up at 6am this morning to catch a Magic tour bus up to Northland, which is the northern-most part of New Zealand. I am in Paihia for the next three days, which is quite pretty. Tonight I'm going on a maori cultural evening where we get taken to where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed (the treaty between the Maori and British signed in 1840 cementing the rights and responsibilities of each) and get some songs, history and a Haka.
Tomorrow is a trip right up to the northernmost tip where there is alighthouse on the point which separates the Pacific from the Tasman Sea. We drive back along 90 mile beach!
Wednesday is a dolphin watching boat trip which also takes us round the bay of islands and gives us some history too.
Thursday is a trip back to Auckland via some huge Kaori trees. More info and photos to follow.
I made a friend today as well, although she leaves tomorrow sadly.
"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well". That's how I'm feeling (and also a quote from somewhere, I forget where...)
xxx
Saturday 9 April 2011
Better
I am feeling better. The moods come and go but a lot of the time I am perfectly happy here!
Last night Adam took me to a play called Brain Damage which was really good and qiute strange... There are 4 or 5 little plays going on at the same time and you walk around the room to watch them all. Then we had some drinks and then some amazing steak.
Tonight we were invited to another fancy dress party which we may well not go to, but we are having some people over for drinks beforehand. I am making canapes!! Which I love to do. Adam is working this weekend so I am being a little housewife and I am going to tidy his sitting room and kitchen and even hoover and then get cooking :-)
xxx
Last night Adam took me to a play called Brain Damage which was really good and qiute strange... There are 4 or 5 little plays going on at the same time and you walk around the room to watch them all. Then we had some drinks and then some amazing steak.
Tonight we were invited to another fancy dress party which we may well not go to, but we are having some people over for drinks beforehand. I am making canapes!! Which I love to do. Adam is working this weekend so I am being a little housewife and I am going to tidy his sitting room and kitchen and even hoover and then get cooking :-)
xxx
Wednesday 6 April 2011
And, just to be clear...
I just want to reiterate through all my bloody moaning:
1. Adam is lovely, gorgeous, wonderful, incredible - he makes me so, so very happy. He's by a million miles the very loveliest boyfriend I've ever had and I appreciate him immensely.
2. New Zealand is a very lovely and beautiful place and Wellington especially. I like it very much.
I just thought, maybe that gets lost a bit sometimes :o)
xxxx
1. Adam is lovely, gorgeous, wonderful, incredible - he makes me so, so very happy. He's by a million miles the very loveliest boyfriend I've ever had and I appreciate him immensely.
2. New Zealand is a very lovely and beautiful place and Wellington especially. I like it very much.
I just thought, maybe that gets lost a bit sometimes :o)
xxxx
Cinderella and her prince charming
Er....
I'm fast running out of things to say! Well, constructive things anyway.
Unconstructively I can tell you that I had a 'sober chat' with Adam about the issues raised in the previous post (well, last but one) and... wait for it... he barely even remembered saying what he did!! It was only the memory of me crying that prompted recognition.
That made it a bit of an awkward chat. He wasn't sure what I wanted to say, or hear... and I asked what he was thinking and he just said that we should take it as it comes really... see if I can make it back here after being in the UK again, see if it works once I'm back here again, and then re-evaluate.
Makes sense... and made me feel a bit silly for asking for a chat... but it was him that suddenly came out with that statement! And then said we should have a sober chat about it. And you know, it got me thinking.... and crying pretty much every day since then. In the shower. Watching TV. Eating breakfast. I've managed to avoid crying out of the house and during chats on skype, but have caved on phone calls and am seriously crying all over the place at home.
I don't know what's come over me. It just all seems so close and real now I think is all. It's that there is no good option. I have two:
1. break up with Adam and go/stay in UK = makes me very sad (and also happy)
2. stay in NZ with Adam and miss family, friends, cat and life in general = makes me very sad (and also happy)
Am I allowed to swear? I feel it's warranted, honestly I do.
Fuck it.
Right, I shall be constructive again now! I have less than 3 weeks until I go to south america, so watch this space for it to get briefly intersting again, hopefully. I am nice and busy until then. Adam is taking me to parties and drinks and dinners and plays all over the place. I have my final jewellery and Maori courses next week, and have really enjoyed them. I've also made a friend - well two. My trainer, Evan, but he leaves for home (USA) in a couple of months. But also a girl called Fiona on the Maori course, and I really like her. She's the first friend I've met organically and I really like as well! So that's good news. The jewellery is going very well and photos should follow next week when it's all done.
Here are some more nice photos of Adam and me - I should preface by saying some of them were for a fancy dress party and I was cinderella, with him being prince charming!
(and also, a special thank you to Fernando today as I've been tearful and homesick all day and he managed to make me really smile and feel better! Thank you Mr Loizides! And dearest daddy, please get better at reading the signals that your daughter is on the verge of tears!!)
I'm fast running out of things to say! Well, constructive things anyway.
Unconstructively I can tell you that I had a 'sober chat' with Adam about the issues raised in the previous post (well, last but one) and... wait for it... he barely even remembered saying what he did!! It was only the memory of me crying that prompted recognition.
That made it a bit of an awkward chat. He wasn't sure what I wanted to say, or hear... and I asked what he was thinking and he just said that we should take it as it comes really... see if I can make it back here after being in the UK again, see if it works once I'm back here again, and then re-evaluate.
Makes sense... and made me feel a bit silly for asking for a chat... but it was him that suddenly came out with that statement! And then said we should have a sober chat about it. And you know, it got me thinking.... and crying pretty much every day since then. In the shower. Watching TV. Eating breakfast. I've managed to avoid crying out of the house and during chats on skype, but have caved on phone calls and am seriously crying all over the place at home.
I don't know what's come over me. It just all seems so close and real now I think is all. It's that there is no good option. I have two:
1. break up with Adam and go/stay in UK = makes me very sad (and also happy)
2. stay in NZ with Adam and miss family, friends, cat and life in general = makes me very sad (and also happy)
Am I allowed to swear? I feel it's warranted, honestly I do.
Fuck it.
Right, I shall be constructive again now! I have less than 3 weeks until I go to south america, so watch this space for it to get briefly intersting again, hopefully. I am nice and busy until then. Adam is taking me to parties and drinks and dinners and plays all over the place. I have my final jewellery and Maori courses next week, and have really enjoyed them. I've also made a friend - well two. My trainer, Evan, but he leaves for home (USA) in a couple of months. But also a girl called Fiona on the Maori course, and I really like her. She's the first friend I've met organically and I really like as well! So that's good news. The jewellery is going very well and photos should follow next week when it's all done.
Here are some more nice photos of Adam and me - I should preface by saying some of them were for a fancy dress party and I was cinderella, with him being prince charming!
(and also, a special thank you to Fernando today as I've been tearful and homesick all day and he managed to make me really smile and feel better! Thank you Mr Loizides! And dearest daddy, please get better at reading the signals that your daughter is on the verge of tears!!)
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| Me as Cinderella |
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| Photo booth picture from December 2010 , at a Weta Christmas party |
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| Photo booth picture from December 2010 , at a Weta Christmas party |
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| My prince charming, with my shoe... |
Friday 1 April 2011
Photos
On a cheerier note, here are some photos:
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| This is where I have my jewellery course |
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| This is just to make you jealous of the weather! 31st March, 2011. I had sandals on :o) |
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| Adam and me (rather tipsy) |
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| Adam in a lovely top |
This sucks
I gave my mum a fright today. I called her and she could tell that something was wrong from my voice (it's great how mums can do that, isn't it?!) and she was worried that Adam had split up with me.
Actually, it's kind of the opposite. We had a lovely night out for dinner and drinks (lots of drinks!) and he was lovely, as usual. He told me he loves me very much :o) But he also said at the end of the night that he won't be able to think about moving to the UK for at least 5 years until he gets his business established.
We haven't discussed the future before; well not where we'll live anyway. It's only been 3.5 months!! But actually, it was something that needed to be said.
I had just assumed that if I could get through one more year here (a year feels manageable) we'd be able to move to London together. I don't really know why I thought that apart from that it's what I want to do. Maybe I was trying to fool myself. I don't know.
I burst into tears when he said it and actually I've been crying most of today as well. I guess the good thing is that he knew without me saying that I wanted us to move to the UK. And he's thinking about it as a possibility for the future. He likes the UK.
But.... it really makes a difference for me. 5 years? It's such a long time and it might be never. I might have to live here without my friends and family and cat forever. I mean there's practical things as well. I could feasably ask Holly to look after Alfie for another year but for 5 years?? That's a long time. They might feel that's too long and then he'll need to be rehomed. I really miss him. It would be too traumatic for him to be flown out here. I have furniture in storage too. I could hang onto it for another year, but again, 5 is just too long. It costs about 150GBP a month so in 5 years I could have saved enough to buy new furniture anyway.
I know none of this should be a shock to me really. But it is. It feels really traumatic. I feel like I have to give up so much. the excel modelling course I planned to do. I thought I'd be delaying it for a year only. I want to buy another property too and I don't think I can do that here.
This is just so hard and so painful. I can't quite believe it really. I feel in shock. I'm ready to go home, you know? I've had my adventure and I want to go home. I never wanted to live here permanently. And now I'm stuck on the other side of the bloody world bawling my eyes out and I know I have to be here for years and years, or go home and be miserable and heart broken without Adam. This sucks.
Mind you, I wouldn't even consider it if Adam wasn't worth it. He is.
I know, I'm probably being a drama queen. I'm just having to get my head round it is all. I'll probably feel better in a few days.
Do you want to help make me feel better? I bet you do. Here's what you can do - sell up and move to Wellington. If you were all here then it would be fine :o)
Miss you guys.
xxxx
Actually, it's kind of the opposite. We had a lovely night out for dinner and drinks (lots of drinks!) and he was lovely, as usual. He told me he loves me very much :o) But he also said at the end of the night that he won't be able to think about moving to the UK for at least 5 years until he gets his business established.
We haven't discussed the future before; well not where we'll live anyway. It's only been 3.5 months!! But actually, it was something that needed to be said.
I had just assumed that if I could get through one more year here (a year feels manageable) we'd be able to move to London together. I don't really know why I thought that apart from that it's what I want to do. Maybe I was trying to fool myself. I don't know.
I burst into tears when he said it and actually I've been crying most of today as well. I guess the good thing is that he knew without me saying that I wanted us to move to the UK. And he's thinking about it as a possibility for the future. He likes the UK.
But.... it really makes a difference for me. 5 years? It's such a long time and it might be never. I might have to live here without my friends and family and cat forever. I mean there's practical things as well. I could feasably ask Holly to look after Alfie for another year but for 5 years?? That's a long time. They might feel that's too long and then he'll need to be rehomed. I really miss him. It would be too traumatic for him to be flown out here. I have furniture in storage too. I could hang onto it for another year, but again, 5 is just too long. It costs about 150GBP a month so in 5 years I could have saved enough to buy new furniture anyway.
I know none of this should be a shock to me really. But it is. It feels really traumatic. I feel like I have to give up so much. the excel modelling course I planned to do. I thought I'd be delaying it for a year only. I want to buy another property too and I don't think I can do that here.
This is just so hard and so painful. I can't quite believe it really. I feel in shock. I'm ready to go home, you know? I've had my adventure and I want to go home. I never wanted to live here permanently. And now I'm stuck on the other side of the bloody world bawling my eyes out and I know I have to be here for years and years, or go home and be miserable and heart broken without Adam. This sucks.
Mind you, I wouldn't even consider it if Adam wasn't worth it. He is.
I know, I'm probably being a drama queen. I'm just having to get my head round it is all. I'll probably feel better in a few days.
Do you want to help make me feel better? I bet you do. Here's what you can do - sell up and move to Wellington. If you were all here then it would be fine :o)
Miss you guys.
xxxx
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