As for the book thing… if I could figure out how to turn my drivel into a book… I’d gladly give it a go… but as of present, the how to escapes me Maybe in the future… published novelist is on the list of life accomplishments.

I’m really glad i discovered your blog. It’s been interesting reading the archives and following your adventures in China. And you are quite the good writer. I’m telling ya, you’ve got the raw materials (and tons of talent) for a novel here!

My 2 cents: Sometimes you just have to “jump off the cliff” and figure it out as you go. My motto is: Move forward, shift gears as needed.

I would rather be a “doer” and try something out, than wrestle the “shoulda, coulda, woulda” triplets!

Here’s a quote I really dig, it sums up my thoughts:

“contemplation often makes life miserable. we should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live.”

{Nicolas Chamfort}

Chin up!

db

As for being open about why I’m here. I feel no shame in it. When I made the decision to stay I had to sacrifice a well-planned and anticipated trip to Australia. I had to give up something to stay, and at first that conflicted strongly with the sensibilities you’re talking about – not wanting to say you’d do all of it for love. I think this comes from us continually being shown that love will let us down.

I’ve decided to buck that caution. At the time I didn’t know if two weeks later Maggie and I would realize we had nothing substantial and I would have been the fool for passing up an excellent life opportunity for something so wishy-washy as love. So be it.

As we both must know, having jumped into the the unknown of international living, if we didn’t take a chance (calculated or not), we’d not have anything we’ve achieved thus far – nor would we have the confidence to obtain the things that we will in the future.

I used to be so worried about how people percieved my life, until I realized that there’s not a person out there that doesn’t – in some aspect – have a load of crazier problems than me. We’ve all got baggage eh? With that in mind, I don’t worry to much about how my decisions are looked at (a main reason I am comfortable blogging pretty openly). I still look for the approval of my parents, and like the respect of others, but if it’s not there – I am certain I can continue without it. Wants and needs I guess.

Chris: In my experience (I hate when people use that line) it’s always happened when I totally didn’t expect it. Whenever I’ve been looking for that special someone, I’ve always ended up convincing myself a not-so-special someone was her… and that never ended well. Don’t lose hope brother… she’s out there, or in your Intensive Reading Class… (I laugh just thinking about how that class is performed – do you quickly lower your head, staring intently at the words… willing them to be understood?).

I’d also be lying if I didn’t admit that living abroad adds excitement to my life. When I feel down or bored sometimes I think, “Man, I’m in freaking New Zealand! How cool is that?!” It’s about doing something different; being unique; and even keeping my life interesting. I just get so frustrated though when I am constantly confronted by one of two things by friends and family:

1) “I’m so jealous! I wish I could do what you’re doing!” – you can!!! Money, jobs, time, whatever – these things are not obstacles if this is something you really want to do.

2) (and maybe you’ve experienced this one) “But what if you get married? Where will you live? Where will you get married?” and an entire flood of questions attempting to force me to think about the logistics of being in love with someone who hails from a different hemisphere than you do. It’s frustrating to me that people sometimes can’t just be happy for you! lol. I have no idea when/if/where/on what side of the world I will get married! lol. I guess, like most things, it comes down to the fact that people usually can’t understand things that are different from their own way of thinking.

I’m so happy that you are happy doing what you’re doing and living with Maggie. I’m also kind of skeptical of “fate,” but you have to admit, it’s uncanny when you finally find that person that you realize fits you so perfectly – from what I gather, it’s rare and worth hanging on to!

~V