Hey guys, welcome to my first blog! About three weeks ago, my parents and I decided to jump on this opportunity for me to take some time off school for a bit and move to New Zealand. I am writing this now halfway through my mandatory isolation in Auckland, NZ. The past few weeks have been a crazy whirlwind filled with lots of excitement and a lot of questions from friends-- the most recurring ones relating to why and how I got here. I think that addressing these two questions is the best way to kick off this blog because it really marks the start of this new adventure.
The year 2020 has been one for the books, in both good and bad respects. I won't dwell on the subject of COVID-19 for too long because I know we have all had our fare share of that topic. I will, however, mention how grateful I am for the health and safety of my family and friends during this time, and the great memories and achievements I made prior to, and despite, the onset of this pandemic.
When my roommate and I left the University of Southern California in March, we thought we were saying goodbye to each other and Los Angeles for two to three weeks max. Never did it cross my mind that I might not be back for what now may be a year and a half. I was heartbroken at the United States' handling of the pandemic because as August kept approaching, my chances of returning to the life I had built in LA began to look grimmer and grimmer. On top of the pandemic at hand, USC increased tuition this year while decreasing financial aid, announced school will be online, and my housing plans fell through.
Roadblock after roadblock kept getting in the way of my path back to college, so I said screw it, and just built a new road.
I decided it was in my best interest personally, academically and financially to take a temporary leave from school. So now it's looking like I may end up graduating the same year as my brother! So weird! Never had I ever considered that I would take time off during college, but I can't imagine what my life would look like if I didn't.
Not only did taking a leave of absence and moving to New Zealand offer a solution to my many problems, I think it is going to be one of the greatest adventures of my life! Deciding to move to New Zealand was both a hard and an easy decision. It was hard saying goodbye to both my world at home, especially my family, and my world at school, that still felt like it was just getting started. But at the same time the decision was so easy because those worlds aren't going to be normal anytime soon and plus if you know me, then you know I love to do my own thing. As if moving across the country for college wasn't good enough, I had to up and move half way across the world lol.
So now you know more or less why I decided to move, so now I will get to how. If you're familiar with the state of COVID-19 in New Zealand, then you know that there is zero community spread and their borders are closed to all non-citizens and non-permanent residents. So to all of my envious friends who want to come visit, it's not looking too good for you right now, but I will let you know if anything changes because you know I want you here!! Now we come to one of the most crucial parts of how I got here-- I am a New Zealand citizen.
My father was originally from New Zealand, meaning that I am a citizen by descent. Thanks to my dad, and my mom who got my citizenships sorted, I feel like I have the golden ticket. I cannot express how utterly grateful I am to be a Kiwi, this wouldn't have been possible otherwise. I also cannot express how proud I am to be a citizen of such a respected country with such great leadership and wonderful people. I am also lucky to have a large network of family friends from my parents' time down under, but even so it seems to me that New Zealanders tend to know no stranger.
With an amazing support system back home, the best family, a New Zealand passport, and a network of familiar faces, I bought a ticket with two weeks notice for a great adventure in a Covid-free world.
xx syd
Comments