Me, where i am and what i will leave behind...

Well i guess i should really update my current situation on here as to where i am, what i do and what is in store between now and leaving for NZ...



Currently i'm living in Stoke on Trent and have been here for the last 4 years. It has certainly come time to leave here and move on but upon deciding to get out of here, i was left with another decision.

WHERE??

Moving back home wasn't an option. The work i do is not as well provided for back home and having had so much time living on my own, i would not cope with losing that independence, as affording the rent in St.A would not be feasible. I didn't know about moving to a new place in the UK as i just couldn't settle on a place that would serve me well without a feeling of longing for somewhere else or something more. And from there i turned my attention to moving abroad. My brother left for Vancouver in January 2007 and is still there so i figured how hard can it be?? Not really was my answer! I applie for my visa, was granted it within two weeks and booked my flight. This was it, i was going to New Zealand.
I hadn't really formed a plan of where to go, what to do, how to do it, but i didnt mind that. I see myself a pretty resourceful so to me, just turning up in a town or city, i would be able to find somewhere to live, eat, work and meet people so my date was set for 4th November with little more than knowing that i was arriving in Auckland on the 6th November...

Since sorting that i have spoken to a friend who moved to Auckland a couple of years back and have sorted out that i can stay with her for a week when i land so i can find my feet and not have to sort myself right from the get go. Other than that no other plans have been made but i seem to be metally gravitating towards Christchurch on the South Island as somewhere to head to look for work, and people to meet.


So what do i do in Stoke? Well i currently work at an Outdoor Education Centre which mainly deals with primary school aged kids on a residential basis. The centre is based just on the southern tip of the Peak Distrct and provides me to phenominal access to a wide range of work with a great bunch of clients. I origionall came to Stoke to study at uni but since graduating and landing a job here, it sucked me in for another year.

When i am not working as an outdoor instructor, i am out there living it. I'm big into my rock climbing and mountaineering, and mountain biking right now. Almost every weekend i will be away in some part of the UK, or France more recently, getting the most out of my time and living the dream of just being out there, pushing myself to finds new places, new experiences, with a great bunch of people who share my love for the great outdoors. I will be sad to leave these people and this place behind for the time that i am away, but i will be leaving safe in the knowledge that i shall meet new people to share the new experiences i will have in NZ, who can show me another side to this world, and who can teach me new ways, which when i return i can meet up with the old crew again, tell my stories, listen to theirs, and get back to it just like we always did, having grown in different ways but still bonded by an eternal desire to enjoy the natural world and explore it in many modes; to climb it, hike it, ride it, paddle it, and most importantly, live it, Live that dream, the dream that keeps us going out there time and time again, and always brings that smile to our faces...