I know. It's already a week into July and I'm slacking with the blogging. I don't really have a good excuse though. Laziness would be the honest answer. Being extremely tired throughout the day but wide awake when I need to sleep is another. Is this how insomnia starts?
Work has been really tough this week. The company is doing ridiculous things and expecting us to make everything happen. We're definitely overworked. I'm starting to feel the stress as events start piling up. None have even happened yet so they seem to be backlogged and overlapping.
I am so over this kind of lifestyle. Why would people choose to live this way? No wonder people are dropping dead of heart attacks. I'm so ready to stress out about different things, like what extreme sport I should try next or how to find a cheaper hostel. I am so ready for a life of traveling.
With that said, I still have not started the Working Holiday Visa application process yet. I'm thinking I'll begin this weekend and see how far I get. I'm not sure what type of information I'll need to provide. In some cases, you'll need to see a doctor to verify your health. I hope I'm not one of those lucky peeps as you know how much I dislike the white coats.
Even though I haven't been blogging and haven't applied for the Visa yet, I can boast that I've continued my NZ homework. I've been reading up on all these different websites to help myself transition from a life in the U.S. to a life in NZ.
I must admit though that this is still causing a bit of stress. I find myself hopping from one topic to the next and never really deciding what I'm going to do. I'll start by researching NZ banks to find the one with the least amount of fees. Then I'll get sidetracked into looking for credit cards with minimum fees. The next thing I know I'm reading up about WWOOFing and Help Exchange, two different programs where you trade a couple hours of work for free accommodations and sometimes food too.
Apparently we Americans freak out about too much. We just need to do it and things will be alright. I guess it's called trust, but I'm a suspicious gal to start off with so that's not helping matters much. Add that to my somewhat Type A personality and you've got yourself a stress party.
One thing I've decided is not to take that month-long vacation to test the waters. Why waste the money for airfare and a tour? I might as well just go over there and see how things turn out. If I don't like it, I can always get a flight home.
So, the new plan is to hightail it out of here in early 2011. I've been checking one-way flights and they range from about $600 -$1000+ depending on when you fly. I can't go too early as it's peak tourist season (aka summertime in the southern hemi). I'd like to avoid a lot of the crowds so I'm looking at late February or early March. I figure people will be on their way out at that time. However, as my research continues this could change.
Showing posts with label WWOOF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WWOOF. Show all posts
July 7, 2010
June 30, 2010
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
I've busy with my massive research project on New Zealand, working holidays and round-the-world traveling. However, I'm not sure this is a very effective way for me to go about this whole adventure.
As some of you know, I lean more toward a type A personality than a type B personality. Because of this, I continue to have this need to as prepared as possible. While other people would just buy a ticket and go, I am stressing out just from researching a potential trip.
The more I scour the web for information, the more I feel I am sinking under all that information. Yet, I cannot seem to stop myself from learning more. What's worse is that I hop from one topic to the next and never find a definite answer for anything. My mind is just buzzing with activity and before I know it, it's past midnight every night and I'm nowhere nearer my goal.
Each search just seems to creates more and more questions. What's the best credit and debit cards to use? Which financial institution has the least amount of fees involved with currency conversions and transaction fees? Should I open a bank in NZ when I get there? How do I go about setting up a NZ tax ID number? What's WWOOFing all about? How safe is it? Which mode of transporation should I use - public bus, backpacker bus, rental car or purchase a used car? What's the deal with travel insurance? How do you get covered for stuff like skydiving? How do you get work? Is it easy? What kind of work is available?
The questions are endless. I've started posting some questions on a New Zealand backpacker message boards and most of the advice is the same old Nike saying, "Just do it!" At some point I think I'll just be so overwhelmed with my researching that I'll end up just doing it out of frustration. The other info I'm getting through this site is pretty helpful though, and it calms my nerves because it proves other people have already done it so I'm not exactly blazing any new trails. The fear comes from the unknown, which is pretty normal, so I just need to jump this one hurdle and be done with it.
As some of you know, I lean more toward a type A personality than a type B personality. Because of this, I continue to have this need to as prepared as possible. While other people would just buy a ticket and go, I am stressing out just from researching a potential trip.
The more I scour the web for information, the more I feel I am sinking under all that information. Yet, I cannot seem to stop myself from learning more. What's worse is that I hop from one topic to the next and never find a definite answer for anything. My mind is just buzzing with activity and before I know it, it's past midnight every night and I'm nowhere nearer my goal.
Each search just seems to creates more and more questions. What's the best credit and debit cards to use? Which financial institution has the least amount of fees involved with currency conversions and transaction fees? Should I open a bank in NZ when I get there? How do I go about setting up a NZ tax ID number? What's WWOOFing all about? How safe is it? Which mode of transporation should I use - public bus, backpacker bus, rental car or purchase a used car? What's the deal with travel insurance? How do you get covered for stuff like skydiving? How do you get work? Is it easy? What kind of work is available?
The questions are endless. I've started posting some questions on a New Zealand backpacker message boards and most of the advice is the same old Nike saying, "Just do it!" At some point I think I'll just be so overwhelmed with my researching that I'll end up just doing it out of frustration. The other info I'm getting through this site is pretty helpful though, and it calms my nerves because it proves other people have already done it so I'm not exactly blazing any new trails. The fear comes from the unknown, which is pretty normal, so I just need to jump this one hurdle and be done with it.
January 26, 2010
Bad News - No Japan For Me
I just checked the USA JET website and am sad to report that I wasn't selected for an interview. *frown* Ah well, at least I tried. At this point, I'm not too bummed about it because I wasn't one of those people who were betting everything on it. I was hoping I'd at least get an interview, but I suppose it wasn't in the cards for me. At least I still have a job right?
A special thanks goes out to everyone who helped with the application and for writing reference letters. I'm sure they were wonderful. I guess this was probably a bad year to apply since there were a record number of applicants (more than 5,300). However, that's what happens when you do this kind of stuff on a whim. If I had given living abroad more serious thought, I would have applied years ago. Then again, I probably didn't have this wanderlust going on back then so traveling didn't even come to mind.
Now that I know I didn't make it, I can concentrate on other things. I am still seriously contemplating spending a couple months backpacking through Australia and New Zealand with Elle. She and I will probably have a good time just getting lost.
I have also read an entire blog written by a local guy who did a cycling tour through NZ and is backpacking it through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It's a guy named Dug, who seems to be from Maui, and his blog is called Rompingground. He's already been gone for over a year. Amazing! While I definitely cannot live up to his long-distance biking, the WWOOFing sounds pretty interesting and a good way to learn about a foreign country and really get to know its people.
Now, I know what you guys are thinking. And yes, I am definitely a city girl (which is why I love San Francisco so much). But I think I can kick it in the backwoods as long as I'm doing something interesting like milking cows or herding sheep. I'm not sure about clearing the land as Dug did, but I'm game to at least give it a try.
So I guess the main point is that my future is wide open. (I was getting a little stressed out as Elle and I would talk about Australia and NZ but couldn't really do much because everything hinged on a reply from JET.) I plan to reevaluate the next year or so of my life and see what direction life will take me. Moving up to San Francisco is still a possibility, but I don't think I can do it without a job. That'd take some cojones that I do not have right now.
A special thanks goes out to everyone who helped with the application and for writing reference letters. I'm sure they were wonderful. I guess this was probably a bad year to apply since there were a record number of applicants (more than 5,300). However, that's what happens when you do this kind of stuff on a whim. If I had given living abroad more serious thought, I would have applied years ago. Then again, I probably didn't have this wanderlust going on back then so traveling didn't even come to mind.
Now that I know I didn't make it, I can concentrate on other things. I am still seriously contemplating spending a couple months backpacking through Australia and New Zealand with Elle. She and I will probably have a good time just getting lost.
I have also read an entire blog written by a local guy who did a cycling tour through NZ and is backpacking it through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It's a guy named Dug, who seems to be from Maui, and his blog is called Rompingground. He's already been gone for over a year. Amazing! While I definitely cannot live up to his long-distance biking, the WWOOFing sounds pretty interesting and a good way to learn about a foreign country and really get to know its people.
Now, I know what you guys are thinking. And yes, I am definitely a city girl (which is why I love San Francisco so much). But I think I can kick it in the backwoods as long as I'm doing something interesting like milking cows or herding sheep. I'm not sure about clearing the land as Dug did, but I'm game to at least give it a try.
So I guess the main point is that my future is wide open. (I was getting a little stressed out as Elle and I would talk about Australia and NZ but couldn't really do much because everything hinged on a reply from JET.) I plan to reevaluate the next year or so of my life and see what direction life will take me. Moving up to San Francisco is still a possibility, but I don't think I can do it without a job. That'd take some cojones that I do not have right now.
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