Australia You’re Turning me into a Wimp.
I’ve got a bone to pick with you Australia. I always thought I was pretty tough. I never really pictured myself as one of those girly girls who froze in fear at the mere mention of a spider or a snake. Here’s the thing though Australia; you’re turning me into a wimp. When I look back, the reason [...]
185 Empty White Chairs in Christchurch
There are few things more heartbreaking than seeing your home town devastated by over eleven thousand earthquakes. In a special kind of irony, Lonely Planet named Christchurch number six out of ten top cities to visit in 2013, while the mayor himself has admitted that Christchurch is “munted”. There are whole suburbs of Christchurch that [...]
That time I jumped off a bridge and screamed like a girl.
I’ve always wanted to try bungy jumping. The moment I learned that you could jump off a bridge, attached to what is essentially a super-strength rubber band I was intrigued. I wondered if I’d be able to do it. Would I get to the edge, look down and freak out? Or would I take the final step [...]
San Diego: Some of the Places I Miss the Most
San Diego is an interesting city. It’s the eighth largest city in the United States, and because it’s so spread out it feels even bigger. It has a very relaxed vibe, and a laid-back feel that reminds me of home. The people are warm and welcoming, and there’s a huge amount to see and do- most of [...]
Where did I go?
Yes I am still in this world. It’s been a crazy couple of months that’s for sure, and I sort of dropped off the face of the earth for a while there. So where did I go? I started a new job as a travel agent, and of course I completely underestimated exactly how hard [...]
Reverse Culture Shock: Returning Home after Living in America
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on this blog and honestly, it’s because moving to Australia has been really hard after living in America for so long. Anyone who’s lived overseas for more than a few months will be able to relate to the weird feelings I’ve had after returning from living abroad. This is known as Reverse [...]
Photo of the Week: An Alley in Melbourne
I love Melbourne. I really enjoy walking around the city and finding alleys and lanes with cute shops and great cafe’s. I took this photo as I peered into an alley in Melbourne one cloudy day. It was a little overexposed when I took it, but I found I liked the look after I converted it to black and white, [...]
Swimming with the Dolphins on the Big Island of Hawaii
When I was in my travel month after working as an Au Pair, I was most excited about the prospect of finally swimming with the dolphins on the Big Island of Hawaii. I’d wanted to do it for years in New Zealand, but you know how it goes-often you never do that sort of stuff [...]
Photo of the Week: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
I had such a great time in San Francisco. There’s so much to see and do there, and it’s definitely a city I’ll be returning to. Here’s one of my favorite photos of the Golden Gate Bridge:
My Favorite Travel Quotes
I love quotes. The words of other people have always had the power to motivate me, or to help me think about the world in a different way. Here are some of my favorite travel quotes: “I have wandered all my life, and I have also traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we [...]
Photo of the Week: Behind Rainbow Falls, Hawaii
This is one of my favorite photos from my time in Hawaii. The waterfall itself is gorgeous of course, but we also squelched through the mud behind Rainbow falls (being eaten alive by mosquitoes), and were well rewarded for our efforts. I’m definitely an amateur photographer, but I think I managed to capture the stillness [...]
First Impressions of Australia, and the Life of the Unemployed
I’ve been here for three weeks now, and these are my first impressions of Australia: On my first day here I caught a bus back from the mall and since I had no idea where I was, I asked the bus driver if his bus went near Ash Ave. “Ish Ev?” he asked, “No.” [...]
The Best Beaches on The Big Island, Hawaii
I recently visited the Big Island in Hawaii, and when other travelers told me they were “island hopping”, I figured I’d mistake devoting 11 whole days to just one island. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Public transport is sporadic and unreliable (although very cheap), so we rented a car for a few days, and [...]
Save me San Francisco: The Main Attractions of a Very Interesting City.
I was recently in San Francisco for four days, and it was barely enough time to explore this quirky city. It quickly became one of my favorites in America. Where to go: Fisherman’s wharf:
Thanks America, It’s Been Great.
When I look back on my time in the United States, I feel so incredibly lucky to have lived abroad. I think living in a different country makes you grow as a person, especially when you’re in your early twenties, and only just discovering who you are. I’ve learned so much about the world and [...]
Review: San Francisco International Hostel
San Francisco International Hostel is the third biggest hostel in America, and rated as the best party hostel. We arrived at around 11.30pm on a Wednesday. Check-in was uneventful, but my friend Corinna and I were split up into different rooms as we had used different credit cards to book our stay. I headed up [...]
Saying Goodbye to my Host Family
In the last two years I’ve surely said goodbye more than can be healthy. I said goodbye to my friends and family before I came here, goodbye to some of my Au Pair friends as they left America to go home, and goodbye to the rest of them when I moved from Chicago to San Diego. It’s been [...]
Leaving America: 10 things I’ll miss the most
There are so many things I love about the United States, and since I’ll only be here for another few weeks, I thought I’d make a list of the 10 things I’ll miss most after living in America for the last two years. T.V T.V in America has sucked me right in. I find [...]
Should Women Travel Alone? Or is it too Dangerous?
A few weeks ago, the body of Belgium woman Debbie Maveau was found in Nepal. She had been missing for ten days and her body was eventually found in the Himalayas. This hit close to home. Debbie was my age, and traveling solo like so many women I know. I first read the article here and after [...]
A Kiwi in the United States- Lessons I learned in America
While living as a kiwi in the United States, I’ve learned a lot about myself that I didn’t expect. Here are just a few of the things I’ve learned: I can stand up for myself Living in American has made me way more assertive. Kiwis are pretty laid back, and we don’t usually make a fuss if [...]
Replaced: The end of an Au Pairs’ year.
Towards the end of every Au Pair’s year, the host family usually begins looking for a new Au Pair or nanny. Often they want our opinion on our replacement as well. Most of the time, two weeks before an Au Pair finishes with the family, the new Au Pair will arrive, and they’ll be “working together” [...]
A day in Tijuana, Mexico
A few weeks ago I took the trip across the border to Tijuana. I was lucky enough to have my cousin Hayley staying in San Diego, and she came along with me. We left the car in a parking lot in America, and walked across the bridge into Tijuana, which was a weird experience-New Zealand is [...]
My heart still belongs to Chicago
Ahhh Chicago. The coldest winter I’ve had in my life, prettiest city I’ve ever seen, and the best clubbing I’ve experienced in America. When I decided to be an Au Pair, I was determined that I would be living in New York City. I imagined myself riding the subway, eating pretzels on the street, [...]
Wondering if you should extend your time as an Au Pair?
There comes a time, about nine months into their year, when an Au Pair is asked the question “would you like to extend with us?” Alternatively, you can choose to extend for a year with a completely different family and live in a different city. I was lucky enough to live for nine months with [...]
My thoughts on the Homeless in America
Six months ago I went out to eat with a friend in the Gaslamp District in San Diego. I’d been here for a year so we were celebrating with some wine and a nice dinner. We were sitting at a table outside people watching as we waited for our food. A few minutes later, a homeless black [...]
Review: The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker
I read a lot. And when I find a book that I really love I like to share it with people so that they can love it too. My new favorite book is: The Gift of Fear, Survival Signals that Protect us from Violence, by Gavin De Becker. As a woman, and a traveler, this [...]
Ready to move on.
If you’ve been keeping up with my posts about my experience as an Au Pair in America, you probably get the feeling that I’m ready to move on. I was just reading over a few of my posts, and it’s obvious how disillusioned I am with this entire program. Don’t get me wrong-I’ve had an [...]
The Curse of the American Soccer Mom
Au Pairs have to deal with a lot of crap. Soccer moms fall into this category. We don’t really have these in New Zealand, at least nowhere near as bad as I’ve seen here, but we’re also starting to see these moms who are raising wimpy, bratty kids, who will eventually be wimpy, bratty adults. Because [...]
How I ended up as an Au Pair
When I first told people that I was going to be an Au Pair, the most common reaction was: “since when do you like kids?” Mostly because I have no intention of having my own any time soon. To those people I would like to say that I like kids fine, and I also like handing them [...]
5 reasons why you should be an Au Pair in America
I’m getting close to the end of my time here in America now, and it’s a very bittersweet feeling. Of course it’s exciting thinking about my travel month, and working and traveling in Australia, but it’s definitely going to very hard to leave my kids and not be able to wake up to the Californian sun anymore. [...]
Australia You’re Turning me into a Wimp.
I’ve got a bone to pick with you Australia. I always thought I was pretty tough. I never really pictured myself as one of those girly girls who froze in fear at the mere mention of a spider or a snake. Here’s the thing though Australia; you’re turning me into a wimp. When I look back, the reason [...]