A year in review - all the good bits in one

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
- Bill Vaughan

I have to say in my few short years on this planet, 2006 has been my best so far. Lots of excitement, changes, and some amazing new people met. But most importantly several dreams pursued and accomplished. So here is my year 2006 in review:

Chloe and Kj, waiting for sunset at Tokomaru Bay

January started off with a road trip around the east coast of New Zealand. We had talked about doing it right throughout high school, and finally Mel, James, Kj, Chloe, Lucy, Ana (an exchange student from Argentina) and I loaded up two cars and went camping. Being pretty unorganised and having bad weather made for some interesting times (tents caving in, tent fly’s flying off, mixed with wind and rain) proved useless conditions for sleeping in. By the third night, a little sleep deprived, we retreated to a log cabin in the Waioeka gorge, where we swam in the river like kids and watched videos which made us cry ourselves silly. When we got back, I had a 21st party to go to nearly every weekend. I went to Jason’s in the Hawkes Bay, Kj’s and Chantelle’s in Gisborne. I spent the rest of the summer working for the Coulston family out at Wainui in Gisborne. I looked after two girls and a boy, Hana, Lucy and Te Wai. We spent the summer going to the local school pool, to the beach, and going up to Rere rockslide and waterfall.

The pool and bar at the Naviti Resort

In February I went to Fiji with my Nana. My Nana absolutely loves Fiji, and as a reward for Graduating we went on a bit of a girl’s holiday. We stayed in a really relaxing laidback resort along the Coral Coast, where I either sat reading in a hammock under palm trees, went snorkelling, got massages or got taught by one of the locals how to sail a Catamaran out on the reef. We also ventured into Nadi and visited some friends of my Grandmothers in Suva. So I got to see first hand how some of the locals really lived. As soon as I got back to New Zealand, I sold my beloved Gertie, a 1984 Mitsubishi Mirage that had been brought brand new and handed down through the family and I moved back up to Hamilton, where I had been offered a job at the University tutoring on two Communication papers, even though I was planning on going travelling soon.

The Nitschkes, Nicole and Frank, with Mike and Max

March was a month of stress. I moved into a flat with some crazy new cats Mary, Hamish, Chris and Laura. Classes started up, and so I worked fulltime as a tutor, a job which I really enjoyed. I was just about talked into doing Honours, but just couldn’t face the prospect of another year of study. I’d been looking into being an Au Pair for a few months and finally settled on the Nitschke family, so within a few days of saying yes the ticket was booked and paid for, and my notice handed in.

April rolled around, and after a quick trip home for Easter, a farewell dinner with friends there, visiting some of my old stomping ground (who knows when I’ll be seeing it again) I finally graduated. All the family came up to Hamilton, and we had a big family Graduation/Farewell dinner (even some relations who I haven't seen in years, who were visiting from Australia came along) at the Sahara Tent, in Hamilton. It was great seeing all the girls again from my Communications classes at the Graduation ceremony, and hearing what everyone’s up to, now that we’re all out in the ‘real’ world.

Kj and I at Lucys 21st

May was a bit crazy and expensive, tying up all loose ends, getting new glasses, insurance, vaccinations, credit cards, getting off the electoral roll, packing up and giving away my belongings. Plus all my tutoring stuff on top of it, i.e. lessons plans and marking. Lucy had her 21st party, and Jason and PK had a ‘Month of Mo’ party, and each time, was touched with a little twang of sadness for me, knowing that my days with everyone were numbered. I escaped over to Kj’s place just around the corner as often as I could, where Ben would make me cups of tea, we’d watch ‘Lost’ and gossiped.

Myles, Ben and I at my farewell dinner

Then all too soon, it was days and not weeks in which the big move to Germany was looming. I had a fantastic leaving dinner, at Metropolis with around 30 of the H town troop. I think most people came just to make sure I was really going haha. Ana picked me up and I stayed with her in Auckland on my last night. I felt eerily calm in those last few days, knowing that what I was doing was the right thing, but on the way to the airport I felt like my stomach was going to explode, and I wouldn’t last the flight. I blamed the Chinese we’d had the night before, but I don’t think Ana brought it at all.

My new home for a year

I had a stop over in Japan for a night, and finally landed in Frankfurt, 48 hours after leaving NZ soil, and right into World Cup madness. June was spent having Opa “Germanise” me, teaching me the German way of life and how to drive on the right/wrong side of the road. Crystal the old Au Pair, introduced me to Wiesbaden and some of her friends and I got sensory overload with too many sights, smells, a new language and way of doing things. As the world cup was on, the whole country was mad with patriotism, flags everywhere, which is actually really unheard of for Germans, but added to the chaos for me. The house cleaner scared me as well, as she would just scream in German and just get louder when I didn’t understand - I’m sure she was just trying to help. I met up with one of my old flatmates Ro’s, boss’s (Rene), who was visiting his family in the city across the Rhine from me. He introduced me to some of his mates, and showed me around Mainz. I also joined up to an English speaking group, where I went to a BBQ over looking the Rheingau, and met some incredible new people.

Out and about, exploring the countryside

In July, I spent my free time just driving around the countryside exploring the area. Lisa a high school friend who was moving back to Sicily came to stay for a week. There was not a lot we could really do together, as I also had to look after the boys who were off school, and we were right in the middle of a heat wave. But it was wicked having a bit of a connection back to home.

Me on top of mountain above Heidelberg

August was just crazy for travel. I went on a weekend trip to Heidelberg which was absolutely beautiful and I went on another trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber with Stefan, a new friend from the English speaking group. Then I took the boys down to Bavaria to stay with their Grandparents and we did a day trip to Legoland, which was actually pretty cool. Then I finally got to go to Italy, of which I had been dreaming about for years. I met some Americans in Rome, and did abit of sightseeing, but it was just too hot to stick around so I travelled from Rome, to Naples on to Sicliy where I stayed for a week in a small village on top of a mountain overlooking Taormina, and Mt Etna to the south.

Under the Hazelnut trees at Mimi's country house

Each day we would get up really late, and I’d either go down earlier and eat gelato and read in the Piazza, or we’d just go straight to Nonna’s for lunch. Then we’d come back and sleep, or go for a swim or drive out to a country house, to listen to Mimi play his guitar. At night we’d have a few drinks then go out for dinner, because we were ‘locals’ everyone knew us as we walked around, and we got treated like royalty. I didn’t want to leave. I’d lost 10 kilos by the time I got back from my holiday, which was a combination of a severally decreased appetite since arriving in Europe, a lot more exercise and sweating profusely in the summer heat (like you wanted to know), so moving to Europe is strongly recommended for those wanting to loose a few, in the summer months at least. As soon as I got back, I found my new buddy James, an expat who was moving to the area.

At Kloster Erbach

September, my Mum surprised me and came to stay. I played dutiful daughter and showed her the sights of the Rheinland, including going to a nudey spa, which was way out of my comfort zone. Feeling a little poor after all the trips and my busy August I stuck around Wiesbaden and signed up to the Gym. I got invited to a ‘Black and White’ party at Sonja’s, a friend of Crystals (the old Au Pair) and had an absolute blast, so good to hang out with people my own age.

At Cinderellas Castle in Polle

In October I went up to Berlin with Stefan. Born and raised there, he knew the place like the back of his hand. So I got to see a hell of a lot more than I would’ve done had I been by myself. On the way up we also got to see Wartburg an old castle, and visited his sister and her husband in Leipzig. On the way home we stopped off in Potsdam and saw the infamous Schloss Sansoucci and crazily enough bumped into a German girl there who had stayed at my flat at the start of 2005 and she was with her host family from New Zealand, with whom she’s live with when she’d done her exchange there years earlier. When the family went on their Autumn vacation I decided to road trip up through the heart of Germany, right up to Hamburg and back down again, following the fairytale road. I went to the settings of Little Red Ridinghood, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and more. I got to have my first couch surfing experience and made some new friends along the way; Julian in Marburg, Saleisa in Kassel, Jana, a Czech living in Hofgeismar and Margethe from Norway staying in Hamburg.

Hauke and his girlfriend Ines

It was also a chance to catch up with an old friend, as I finally got to met up with Hauke, an exchange student, who had lived with a family friend in NZ way back in 1999, who was now living in Hanover. Once I was back we had two big Halloween parties at the house, and I got to carve my first pumpkin. I went to a Halloween party at a club that had a very weird, but funny German version of the Rocky horror picture show.

Halloween

November was pretty social for me really. I went out to several dinners, the Irish pub, cocktail bars, and even an International Youth Circus. I made a new friend with a girl my age called Nadia, and checked out her home town, Aschaffenburg and then she came to stay with me.

Christmas Market in Wiesbaden

In December I met up with a girl called Cora, and looked around the Mainz Christmas market with her (I went to three different markets in all, and a total of eight times). I was offered a job babysitting two beautiful Russian girls, who have two incredibly interesting and very welcoming parents. Then I met Ellie and Marc, who are getting married in February, and who I dearly hope will become lifelong friends. I then of course turned 22 and I went with the family to Nicole’s brothers 50th in Wurtsburg, in Northern Bavaria. I then had a crazy week showing Ellie as much around the area as I could, doing last minute Christmas shopping. Ana came to stay. Had a pretty quiet Christmas but got spoilt rotten, and lots of nice parcels arrived from NZ as well – thank you all for thinking of me! So now the New Year is just hours away, and if my 2007 is anything like my 2006 – bring it on!!

Me with the boys, Max and Mike

I have no major plans for the New Year, apart from the fact I have to leave here in June, so any suggestions would be warmly welcomed. Oh and of course there’s going to a whole lot more travel naturally, and as I mentioned in my last blog, I am off to the Canary Islands in a week’s time. I hope you have enjoyed my year in review, of course there has been a lot left out (although you might not think it) so if you want anything more in depth check out each month individually in the archives. Take care, and I would dearly love to hear how you’re getting on.