Almost Home

I am currently in LAX.  It is 3:05am on Sunday the 17^th, Father’s Day.  I was supposed to be in Colorado by now, but my nightmares of having to fight to get home proved true.  Seriously- I had airplane problems, storm problems, even had to battle zombies this past week in my dreams.  Then I get to the Dunedin airport and am informed that my international flight from Auckland to LA has been delayed to depart the next day due to engineering issues.  Of course it has.  But it wasn’t that bad, I just had to (and still am) do(ing) a lot of waiting around in queues and in airports.

However, they put us up in a really nice hotel in Auckland and I didn’t have to pay the $150 or so dollars for a second bag on an international flight.  Sweet.  The night in the hotel was awesome too, as I met a young man named Matt who had also studied abroad in Dunedin and we both had recognized each other during the whole traveling process, greeted one another almost immediately at the (FREE and DELICIUOS) dinner buffet and literally spent from around 8pm to 3am talking.  I had also gotten the hotel’s last room (thank God!  I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had to get back on a bus and go to another hotel) but it was a double queen, and so Matt and I spent some time reconnecting with our childish selves and jumping back and forth between the two beds.  (Note that it was made so much better by the fact that it was a five star hotel and in supreme condition.  Jumping on nice shit is way more fun than jumping on shit.)  Despite loving the company, I had to kick Matt out around three to take a nap as we had to depart at 5:30 in the morning and I had only gotten about five hours of sleep the night before- it was my last night in Dunedin, I had to socialize. 

My last night in Dunedin we had a family dinner- everyone brought a dish and then even more people showed up afterwards.  I was shocked at how many people turned up just to say goodbye, even if they had finals the next morning. It’s amazing how many good friends I’ve gained in the last ten months.  It’s kind of overwhelming too.  A hundred years ago people never traveled, knew only the sixty people that lived in town, and were lucky if they had three close friends- two besties and their spouse.  Now, the world has shrunk and I’ve made so many friends that I need to keep track of and want to meet up with again and again in the future.  It’s overwhelming how many there are and how many places are now on my list.  It’s interesting that my travel desires have also shifted from originally being defined by the places to now being defined by the people in my life.  I’d rather travel to see the people I’ve fallen in love with in their natural element than to discover new countries- well it will be discovering new countries and with personal guides.  They’re just not the countries I had originally planned for.  And it’ll be worth it because the people are worth it. 

The thing I will and already miss most about Dunedin is the people.  Kiwis in general are pretty nice, but the long-lasting relationships I made are what made my New Zealand experience.  There are a handful of people that did capture a spot in my heart and I will always be grateful for them having done so.  You know what I wish?  That I could take all of the people that I love and all of the places that I love and put them all in the same vicinity.  That would be perfection.  I guess that would by my Heaven.

And at this rate Heaven wouldn’t have any booze either.  Interestingly my desire to drink is still gone.  I’m perfectly content being sober and socializing.  That last night was one of the most amazing social events I’ve ever experienced, as it was packed with people and nearly everyone was sober.  The room was buzzing with good conversation and people seemed quite content with it.  I’ve never seen that before- most people have to drink to be that social with strangers, for a lot of them were strangers to one another.  You know me, fulfilling my chameleon identity and making all different sorts of friends.  Speaking of different sorts, my friend Patty (if you remember I met him in Rwanda and Connor and I visited him in January in Cairns) was also there and so nice to come and see me my last few days.  It was pretty shit timing, as I was studying hard for finals, spending time packing, going through the awkward goodbyes, and leaving, but he was a trooper all the way through.  He even drove me to the airport on his way to Queenstown.  What a guy.

But that last week in Dunedin was an interesting one.  Just as with Matt I had met a couple other people in Dunedin that I had amazing conversations with and found myself thinking ‘Damn, why didn’t I meet you sooner?’  The same is true of places.  I learned so much about Dunedin in my last few days- that there’s a massive pet store right across the street from the grocery store I went to several times a week- why the heck did I not spend every spare moment I had playing with puppies!?  Also, I found a very handily placed outlet in my room I wish I had discovered, like my first day there.  I also went to the Dunedin museum- something I should have also done much sooner and multiple times!  I only got to spend over an hour in there but I wish I had days as it is a very well done museum.

It was interesting how much changed in my last week in Dunedin.  It never really hit me, and it still hasn’t that I’ll be home.  Maybe I’m just used to leaving a place and returning home by now- like how birthdays lose their novelty as you grow older.  Maybe I’m just tired.  Even so, a lot did change this last week.  I rushed through finals, which is not like me.  I should’ve spent more time studying, but it is what it is.  I just wanted to be done with them.  I also stopped hiding in my room knitting and watching television, but found myself eager to socialize and back to my normal bubbly and talkative self when around other people.  Thank goodness.

And now, I am stuck in this airport.  Not a fan of LAX but it’s alright.  I’ll get home eventually. I hope that I can get a connecting flight in the next couple of hours to Denver and be home around 9:30 am there.  Kayla’s competing for Rodeo Princess today and I have no intention of missing it.  In a weird way the craziness of the last few days, the qeues, the trucking around massive bags, even the stares from people wondering why the heck I have so much baggage has all been a great experience.  Not to be cliché but everything happens for a reason and it really is all in how you look at things.