So here goes for blog number two! There was a lot to get done in Athens with only two weeks to do it. There were quite a few logistics to get sorted, lots of running around and working to finish two big art commissions as well. Maybe most importantly, and sadly, I had to say a lot of *socially-distanced* and masked goodbyes.
A good thing was that the task of packing in Athens was pretty easy, seeing as I didn't have too much stuff there from when I came home in March. I had packed for an intended two week stay, not four months! So the real challenge for me proved to be getting into my storage unit in Los Angeles. I had no idea what I was walking into. When I left our apartment in March, I never went back. I was lucky enough to have very dear and generous family friends, Michelle and Hayden, who packed up our entire apartment (very professionally I might add) and then a mover put it all in storage. It was quite a lot of stuff to deal with-- furniture, clothes, appliances, etcetera (and lots of shoes! lol).
After successfully getting out of Athens, I now had to deal with the fact that 80-90% of my stuff was in a shared storage unit with my roommate. Thank goodness I had the help of the Pearce's, whom I consider family, to help sort through boxes and boxes. There was definitely a lot of climbing, maneuvering and rearranging that happened in order to somehow find just about everything I was looking for.
It felt both good and so surreal to be back on the west coast, and it was so sad to see USC campus shut down with all of its gates closed. In the end, I was very thankful that I had to stop in LA because it gave me a chance to see some great people and be back in a place that I love. Who knows when I'll be back! It wasn't until I was in LA that it really hit me that I was moving overseas and starting a whole new chapter of my life; it was such a weird but exciting feeling.
The few days I had in LA, when I wasn't packing, I spent visiting with the Pearce's in Manhattan Beach and catching up with a few friends in the area. I was able to hand deliver an art commission to a great friend, spend time with one of my best friends from college, Emily, and grab a lovely dinner with Michelle before she dropped me off at LAX.
Walking into the LAX International Terminal, I thought it was closed. It was SO quiet and so strange being there-- and it didn't help that I was starting to get a little emotional and nervous about leaving. I was welcomed warmly by the small group of Air New Zealand employees and immediately my nerves started to settle and transform back to pure excitement. I think that there were maybe only two flights operating out of the terminal that night: one, I believe, was to London, and the other, of course, to Auckland. The time before boarding passed rather quickly, probably because I was so excited (even though I had a 13 hour flight ahead).
Overall, I had the best experience on that flight with Air New Zealand. The flight attendants were so nice and I managed to end up with a whole row to myself! That made for some easy sleeping (even with a mask on) and some comfortable movie watching throughout the flight. And, seeing as the legal drinking age in NZ is actually 18, I was able to cheers myself to this great adventure with a couple glasses of complimentary bubbly! :)
After a nice flight, we landed safely in Auckland on July 30th at 5:30 in the morning. Customs definitely took a bit longer than usual, I think we went through 5 or 6 different checkpoints in the airport (a mix of regular customs checks and additional COVID-19 related checks). Even though it took a few hours to actually get through the airport and on our way to the quarantine hotel, it was a very pleasant experience. Everyone there was so lovely, even while having to hide behind masks!
At one of the final checkpoints, an officer started making conversation and asking about my plans and what was bringing me to NZ. When he asked how long I was going to stay, I told him I wasn't sure yet and that I had bought a one way ticket. I then explained that I would probably end up taking the whole year off school and staying down here. He was so sweet-- he thought it was so awesome that I had decided to do this and welcomed me to stay even longer. That made my day! I could tell he was so proud to be a Kiwi and was so genuinely happy here! I can already tell I'm going to love it here, so who knows how long I'll stay! I'll keep you posted :)
xx syd
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