Catching up...

Ok, well, its been a while (2 months actually) since I’ve posted anything to my blog, and rather than try to describe everything that has happened over the past 2 months, I’m just going to post a bunch of pictures, and let the captions tell most of the story. I’m sure you are grateful to be spared what would’ve been a novel of a blog posting in and of itself- I can hear the collective sigh of relief all the way from Queenstown… Just a quick update on my situation, and then we’ll get to the pics:

After spending 3 weeks back in the States and a week in Fiji on the return trip to Queenstown, I’ve now been back in NZ for a little over a month. After trialing at 3 different restaurants, I have finally secured a “full-time” position working at Luciano’s Restaurant- the same place I worked at prior to starting at the Sofitel back in July. The pay is much better, the staff is really fun, and the whole vibe of the place is very cool. Im in the middle of a stretch of working 11 days in a row (Not sure how that happened…), but should have 3 days off next week. Cory, my flatmate and Expedition co-leader, is back in the US for the time being. His brother is clinically in remission now (Thank God for that), and now he is trying to sort out if and when he might be able to rejoin the Expedition. Due to that, I have decided to stay on in Queenstown through the summer, enjoying the nicer weather and the plethora of outdoor activities that the surrounding mountains, lakes, rivers, and gorges have to offer. Everyone keeps telling me how much better the summer is here than the winter, and I am starting to understand why. It is now getting light outside by 6am, and it doesn’t get dark until 10pm or so. I’m told that in the middle of summer, it never gets completely dark- theres always a subtle glow in the sky- crazy. Needless to say, Im excited about the prospects of spending the summer in Queenstown. Since our initial lease runs out on Nov. 26th, I had to decide whether I wanted to move to a new place or find a new flat mate for the time being. Having lived in such an ideal location for the past 5 months, I was reluctant to give the place up and possibly have to live somewhere else that would most likely be much less convenient. Hence, Ive recruited a new flat mate- a Swiss guy named Sebastian is moving in next week sometime. He’s 22, went to High School somewhere in New Jersey, and is in Queenstown for the summer to guide river rafting and canyoning trips. Neeless to say, Ive got my fingers crossed for a few freebies…

Other than that, not much to report. Just happy that its warming up and excited about what the summer has in store. Definitely going to miss being home for Thanksgiving… I don’t think they have turkey in New Zealand. Bummer, for sure.

Okay, that’s it for now. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story…

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