I'm Starting to Really Like Auckland

So this last week I’ve started to really like Auckland. My social life has been getting much better – more friends, more activities, more fun! Yesterday I had the day off and spent almost 12 hours with the girls from work. I started my day by having breakfast and coffee with Tom at 10am. Then I skyped my parents quick to chat about their trip over here to NZ. At 2:20 Elizabth picked me and up and she didn’t drop me off again until after 2:00 am. I have talked with people before about how a friend relationship changes as you get older – it’s not the same as it is when you’re a kid or in high school and just spend countless hours with your friends – but yesterday, I felt like I was in high school again. Elizabeth and I, along with a few other girls from work – Ana (Peru), Sarah Mac (NZ),  and Evie (UK) – spent the entire day together, with one activity just flowing into another, people coming and going all day. It was such a fun experience and I tried really hard to enjoy it as it was happening. So here’s how it went:

2:20 Elizabeth picked me up at my place

2:30 We went and collected Ana at her apartment and headed into Ponsonby

3:00 Had lunch at Burger Burger in Ponsonby Central.

3:30 Walked down to visit Evie who’s been home from work sick for the last few days with a gastro bug

4:15 Ana left to go sign here contract at her new job (we were supposed to only visit Evie for a few minutes and then walk back with Ana and then drop her off at work but we were having too much fun at Evie’s and decided to stay)

4:45 Sarah Mac came over and joined Elizabeth, Evie, and I for a cup of Red Bush Tea and a chat

5:15 Ana came back for a minutes before heading off to work. Elizabeth, Evie, Sarah and I stayed at Evie’s drinking more tea and laughing and chatting

7:30ish Walked up to Ponsonby road to have a snack. Ended up eating at an Itlaian restaurant where we had a very interesting conversation about veganism, religion, homosexuality, and I’m sure a few other serious topics.

9:00ish Went and bought chocolate at the store. Evie and Sarah went back to Evie’s, Elizabeth and I went to get the car back near Ponsonby Central

9:30 Elizabeth and I get back with the car, we spend the next 1.5 hours eating chocolate and drinking tea on Evie’s bed.

11:00 Elizabeth Sarah and I head into town to meet Ana and the rest of the crew after work before heading for dumplings again on Dominion Road.

11:30 Elizabeth, Sarah, Mark and I walk over to Racket to meet Jonathan for drinks before he leaves for a month in France today. The crew that was working wasn’t done yet.

12:45 we head to New Flavour for dumplings with the addition. In attendance – Ana (Peru), Jan (Malaysia), Elizabeth (Australia), Me (America), Andrew (America), Tom (NZ), Sarah Mac (NZ), Nicole (NZ), Mark (UK). We stay for about 1.5 hours before all heading home.

The whole day felt like about a week long and it was so much fun. Felt like being in high school again. So wonderful how it just developed as the day went on, people coming and going, things happening so spontaneously, having such a fun day with all the girls – we plan to repeat it again next Wednesday, the day before Evie leaves to go back to the UK.

It’s sad the everyone is leaving soon as we are all starting to get close – Evie is going home, Mark is going to Beijing, Ana is going to a new job (but at least staying here in Aucklang). It is sad, but it really is just so cool. I love being friends with people who are always moving and traveling and being adventurous. It is so cool that by the time I come back to America (in 5 years or more?) I will have friends literally all over the world, friends that are living and traveling and adventuring on every continent. I just really like being around people like this, people that challenge me to do something exciting, people that themselves are not afraid to change their plans at a moment’s notice and jet off to another side of globe, people who decide only weeks in advance that they are moving their entire life to another country and then do it! Awesome! These are the people that I want to be around at this point in my life.

Anyways, in other news – nothing really. I haven’t bought my ticket to Vietnam as they are all so expensive. I haven’t brought my passport to the US Consulate to get extra pages put in because I don’t have the cash to pay for it right now, and don’t want to use my savings. I haven’t made any WWOOFing commitments because I am now thinking that staying in Auckland and working until my parents get here may be the better decision – as I’ll be able to save about $200 extra dollars for each extra week I stay in the city. Anyways, I just realized I am parked in a tow away zone so I must now end this post. Later!