I have to admit, I’ve been a little “off” lately. Don’t get me wrong, I chose this life for the next few months but I’ve been feeling distant from things back home. I keep feeling like my friends have all forgotten about me and feeling really alone the past few days. So much so that I even started tearing up when my best friend asked if I wanted to talk and I couldn’t because I knew I would start crying. Like here I am in one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever seen and I’m wallowing.. But that stops today (and being 20 hours AHEAD of San Diego isn’t helping me feel closer to anyone). I truly am that far away. But I’m not far away people, so reach out. Tell me how your day is. Let me know what your Halloween costume is this year. Something. I really am just an email, a smoke signal, a sign from the universe away. And I’m thinking about everyone, constantly. Promise.
Today was a cold and rainy day in Christchurch but I had a few more things to do before leaving tomorrow for Wellington. So I put on my best $8 H&M leggings underneath my jeans and braved the cold. I’m so happy I did because I saw tons of signs from the Universe that made me stop and smile. And shiver, because below 60 degrees is damn cold. For example, the clock tower, although pretty short (which makes me wonder if Kiwis are generally short people, and if so, I fit right in) was inspiring. It read: Faith. Hope.
Side note: There aren’t many tourists in Christchurch at the moment so I’ve gotten to enjoy things in a state of peace and not, bustling.
Then I walked to Victoria Square and Hagley park which had some nice views along the way.
Once inside Hagley park, I took the scenic route through to the Botanic Gardens. I didn’t go into the gardens (not really my deal) but I found some really interesting things along the way. Like this path among the trees. This kind of feels like my life at the moment – walking alone this beautiful path
Or this set of stairs into or out of the water (whatever your perspective):
And then the ultimate sign from the universe that I’m not alone. My grandma (mom’s side) died when I was about 16 years old. She loved roses. Sometimes I can smell roses where there is no obvious source of roses. Like 2 years ago when I went to Spain/Portugal. I smelled roses in my condo and anyone who knows me knows that I can’t keep plants alive to save my life. I always stop, smile, and “talk” to grandma when I smell the roses. And look what I stumbled upon:
I knew I was “alright” afterwards so I directed myself to an Italian restaurant for lunch. I was having a conversation with my friend Elaina (met her in Budapest) that we google everything. She wished me luck with my google lunch find and it’s kind of funny because although the food was good (the wine, AMAZING), I found a fly in my salad. The waitress, horrified, quickly took the salad away and I said I didn’t want another salad. Totally grossed out. About 10 minutes later, she came with a refill of the wine I was drinking ($13 New Zealand dollars) “on the house.” Then, when I went to pay, she gave me my entree for free (ooh, another side note: In NZ, you have to go to the bar/counter to pay for food whenever you’re done eating. No one brings your bill automatically. And it’s a country wide thing. Also, capsicum = bell peppers for those who don’t know, like I didn’t). So free food + free wine = Amy happy. Especially in this really expensive country island.
Some more pictures from the park because we don’t get this coloring in San Diego:
There She Goes... 