Reality Check

‘One of life’s most painful moments comes when we must admit that we didn’t do our homework, that we are not prepared.’ – Merlin Olsen.

Well, life sure came and bit me on the ass last week.

Anyone who knows me will know two things about me:
1. I am usually a very prepared, thoroughly organised person
2. I am not that great with my money

One of the strange things that happened to me when I decided to come to New Zealand was that I didn’t really make any particular plans. A few people who know how much I usually love to organise my life were surprised and commented on my lack of plan. I just shrugged and said it would work itself out when I got there. I didn’t want to be tied down.

And so it did – it worked for about six weeks. I flew by the seat of my pants a bit, winged it, made it all up as I went along. It was fun, it was strange and most of all, it was great not having to be anywhere at any time and to not have any particular schedule. I did things a bit arse backwards, stayed places longer and then skipped around the South Island like a stone being skimmed along a pond, jumping from one part of the island to the next with each passing day.

All of a sudden, I was in Christchurch and it was two days before I arrived in Wellington. I checked my bank account. True to form, I hadn’t been very sensible with my money. Combining my somewhat reckless attitude towards money with my unusually unprepared lifestyle had brought me down to my last $100. I was basically screwed!

Panic stations. Literally. Cue several days feeling very homesick, wishing I wasn’t so stupid with my money and generally feeling pretty shit and negative about life, asking such questions as ‘Why on earth did I even come here?‘ and ‘Am I mad?‘. These feelings are only just now abating, the homesickness is still lingering slightly, but generally I am feeling a lot more positive again.

Thanks to a little injection to my funds from my rather fantastic parents, plus a couple of often quite emotional (on my part) Skype chats with them, where they spent up to an hour at a time buoying me up and reassuring me that everything would be alright, I am now settled in a long-term hostel for the foreseeable future and I have some temp hospitality work coming in, as well as the potential for office work in the near future. I have some money coming in again, my IRD number has arrived and I have learnt how to use an EFTPOS card (just swipe and enter pin).

It’s times like these when you truly realise how wonderful your family are, but also your friends, old and new. As soon as I told my friends from back home that I’ve been feeling a bit low and been struggling, I had lots of lovely messages back, telling me I would be fine. My new friends have been wonderful as well – so incredibly generous and kind. I couldn’t ask for better travelling friends and I miss them a lot now that they’ve moved on – one back home and the other to Australia.

And the best part is that I’ve learnt a valuable life lesson. Although it’s good to be flexible and not have rigid plans in place, it’s also good to give some thought to the future, whether it be near or far, and set a little aside for a time that I may desperately need it, such as when I arrived here in Wellington. If I had only considered that I would need somewhere to stay and that it might take me a while to get a job and earn some cash, I wouldn’t have spent all my money before arriving here. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret spending a single penny on South Island – I had the most amazing time – but I would definitely have ensured there was a little put aside to set myself up when I got here.

So I guess, in the end, I’ve learnt two things. Have fun, be flexible, don’t be tied down to plans, but at the same time, know where you’re headed and ensure that there is something in place for that time when it comes. It’ll save you a whole heap of hassle and stress and, if you’re anything like me, a huge amount of tears!!