Saying Goodbye

Every night at work I have many customer come in that I have come to know over my last 7 months working at Ortolana, and every night recently I have slowly started to saying goodbye to them. Many of them I will likely see again, either here in NZ while I'm traveling with my parents or abroad, in their hometowns around the Asia/Pacific region and the world. It is great to know that I have made all of these connections but it is really starting to sink in that I am going away and may not be coming back. And it is really quite sad. Many of my customers are truly great people that I will miss seeing - the same way I still feel about many of my guests from the St. Paul Hotel. My co-workers are desperately trying to find someone for me to fall in love with in the next two weeks and who will keep me here in NZ. I am not holding out hope but I am open to the idea. ;) With many of my better customers I am arranging times to see them again before I leave NZ, while I am traveling with my parents - parents, get ready, this trip will accomplish 2 things, seeing NZ and visiting all my customers! Yesterday Chris and Raewyn came in, two of my customers from the Northland who we will likely spend a night with shortly after my parents arrive. Today, Nigel and Vicki (the dairy farmers I stayed with a few months ago) came to town for the third and final Justin Timberlake concert this week. They stopped in to say hi, which was so wonderful, and we will be stopping there to visit them on our way south out of Auckland. Another customer, Jeremy, has offered to take me and my parents for a tour of Christchurch when we are there - he spend 3 days/week in Auckland (and usually eats with us at Ortolana almost every day he is here) but lives in Christchurch. I am just so happy to have met so many wonderful people and to know that I will be seeing so many of them even after my time at Ortolana is over. Couldn't be happier - or more sad to leave. 

Anyways, that's enough for tonight.

Best!