A World of Updates

Nearly four months have come and gone since my last post. I’ve been busy. Very busy. I haven’t been able to make the time to write and now I find myself HORRIBLY backlogged.  So many ideas, so many thoughts, so many observations, and with a new country to call home, my list is growing at a rapid rate.

April flew by. I went home on a surprise visit for my mom’s birthday and took the opportunity to introduce everyone to my favorite Roman. The time passed in the blink of an eye, and I find myself wondering why on earth I thought that 10 days was enough to see everyone I care about, show Eugenio my old stomping ground, and get my fill of all the foods I’ve been missing for the last two years (namely Mexican). It simply wasn’t enough time. To anyone I missed in Portland, and to those I couldn’t see in California: I must say I learned an important lesson. The next visit will be substantially longer, allowing me to spend time with all those I hold near to my heart.

So prior to my Ptown visit, my list of blog topics looked something like this:

• finish writing and editing photos for Myanmar (trip taken 01/2013)
• finish writing and editing photos for Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro (trip taken 08/2012)
• start and finish writing for Morocco (trip taken 04/2012)
• post ~10 different Italian “Parola del Giorno” posts (wait ’til you hear what the Italian word for ankle socks is!)

At the end of April, I had added an entirely different topic to that list: what it’s like to visit home after being away for over 2 years and how it feels to be a foreigner in a place which you still call “home.” I’m still sorting through that experience and what it means.

Then May came and went. I finished teaching my English lessons in Rome and celebrated my 30^th birthday by paintballing with a group of friends. If anyone ever has an opportunity to watch 15 Italians run around pretending to be Rambo, I highly recommend it!

June was a whirlwind of packing, a 6-day tour through Puglia (the heel of Italy’s boot), saying goodbyes, and trying to savor every last bite of my favorite cuisine…all in preparation for the next adventure:

*drum roll please*

New Zealand!!  Eugenio and I both got Working Holiday visas which will enable us to work as we travel through the land of Land of the Maori, Kiwis and Hobbits!!  We arrived on July 11^th on a one-way ticket with no plan and no itinerary (as it should be).

So my “to write” list continues to grow.  I am going to do my best to keep on top of my blogging for my experiences in New Zealand…if I’m lucky, I’ll also be able to carve out some time to write about the other things on the list.  So my apologies in advance for the disjointedness of the articles as I play catch up!

Until further notice, I am in New Zealand!