I was settling into life in New Plymouth. I was working at the motel, I had just started a new job at Lonestar (not the same chain as in the US) waiting tables, surfing heaps and just found a place to do jiu jitsu. About 3 weeks ago I got an email from my sister informing me that my dad had been diagnosed with lung cancer and had spread to his stomach. The doctor has given him less than a year to live. I did the only thing I could think of which was to buy a plane ticket and get home as fast as I could. I quit my jobs, closed my bank account, sold my van and came home. After being on 3 different planes for a combined travel time of over 20 hours,
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