The unexpected extended sabbatical

Today marks 6 months of my arrival in New Zealand and I’m still at the stage of scratching my head and wondering how the heck I ended up here! Funny how life takes you on twists and turns, and sometimes you really do have no idea what’s in store.

I left London at the end of November 2019 on what I thought would be a 4-6 month sabbatical, a gift from myself to myself for my 40th birthday. I flew to India to study with my yoga teacher Vinay Kumar and booked myself in for 6 weeks of Ayurvedic treatments in the Nilgiris. I figured after years of poor health, a lot of toxic drugs (prescribed while I had CRPS) and a below average diet, it was time for a health reboot. I had a couple of weddings to go to in New Zealand so I planned my trip around them. While I thought I might try get a 2-3 month contract after the second wedding, the intention was never to stay. In fact, after the first wedding in January I’d made a conscious decision NOT to return to New Zealand and was planning on returning to London directly from India as funds were running low and I needed to find work before I started my yoga teachers training.

And then came Covid.

I was watching the numbers on the WHO website daily in February and March, factoring them into my decision making. I am so grateful that I was able to do the things I’d planned in India before things got tricky. In the end I left India on the date originally planned and made a side trip to Thailand to quickly see the family before rushing to New Zealand when there was a call for kiwis to come home. I pondered the option of being strategically stuck in India or Thailand, but in the end I decided it would worry my family too much and headed to New Zealand. It was the most bizarre trip, but more about that later. I arrived the day New Zealand closed the border closed, exactly 6 months ago.

I headed up to my mums for my two weeks self isolation, worrying I’d make my 70+ year old mum ill so taking the isolation seriously. Towards the end of my two weeks the whole country went into a full lockdown and I wasn’t able to travel. I ended up spending 8 weeks with my mother in Whangamta and managed to find a really good job while the country was in lockdown. The time in Whangamata ended up being an unexpected blessing and I’m so grateful to have been able to spend so much time with my mum as an adult. It was a healing time for both of us and I’ll never forget it.

Towards the end of May New Zealand was slowly heading towards the ‘new normal’ and it was time for me to move down to Wellington. A friend offered to have me in her spare room while I work out what to do next. And it seems I’m still in this place of working out what to do next! Having made it through my first Wellington winter, I’ve promised myself (and my mum) that I’ll stay until the end of summer. It seems crazy to do two winters back to back, especially as I find winters in London so difficult. While I’m enjoying it here in Wellington, it is really hard to find a good rental property, it has been a bit of a culture shock (I was away 6 years) and I’m not just sure if I’m ready to come back permanently. Short term I’ve decided to make the most of being in New Zealand and I’m treating it as an extended sabbatical. I have signed up for a yoga teachers training here in Wellington which will be great and will keep me busy for the next few months. After that has finished I will make a decision.

At this stage the plan is to return to the UK, even if its just to pack up and say goodbye. But if 2020 has taught me anything it is that plans don’t always go to plan! While the UK had a pretty good summer, the numbers of Covid in the UK and Europe are on the rise and I suspect they are in for a pretty rough winter. Between Covid and Brexit, the outlook for the UK isn’t pretty and sometimes I think I’m bonkers for considering going back to live when I can be here in New Zealand. The only thing I know 100% for sure is…. the London I left behind will be a very different London I go back to!

So that is where I’m at – in a really strange in between place and on an unexpected extended sabatical. I am unsure about the future and very grateful for what is in front of me right now. Even if it isn’t what I planned!

Wellington – on a good day!

The end of my 3rd week of yoga!

Why oh why is the time going so quickly?!? It feels like I have only just arrived yet I am already at the end of my 3rd week of the intensive course. I have 1 ½ weeks left and then I have to go back to New Zealand. I am happy about going home, but I am not happy about leaving India! Oh well, ces’t la vie. It could be worse, originally I was only going to come for 2 weeks!!!

So, as you can probably tell by some of my earlier posts this week has been pretty rough, my hip has been bothering me and I feel like things are being stirred up. It is hard to explain, yoga does stuff to your body and mind, especially if you practice it as intensively as what I am doing at the moment. I am just grateful I am not detoxing/cleansing like last year!

The Pranyama towards the end of the week was disastrous, I hit a massive block on Friday and just couldn’t do it (or maybe I didn’t want to do it). So I did a few rounds, threw a paddy (quietly) and then did shivasana for the rest of the class. I had a chat to my teacher about it, it is kind of like reaching the top of a mountain (except I know I am nowhere near the top, it is just the 1st peak), I have two options… I can keep working through the block (and things should be a lot easier afterwards) or give up. I am not one to give up – so I will keep working through it.

As I near the end of my course I have been giving some thought about how I can integrate the progress I have made this month into my practice at home. I have decided to continue going to the evening Yoga Unlimited classes in Wellington and will try really hard to do a few (at least 3) self practices a week…. one full Pranavashya session plus two half sessions (apparently the sequence can be broken into two). I am also going to try continuing with the pranyama for another month when I get home.

I have also decided to give up my gym membership and instead I would like to take up kick boxing! I think Kickboxing + yoga should be a good combination (cardio, flexibility and strength). I am so excited about the idea – does anyone know of a good kickboxing teacher in Wellington?!?!

The travelling kiwi ‘settles’ for a while (Mar – Dec 2009 in NZ)

I am home. Happy at home. It’s GREAT. I get the feeling my friends have setup a couple of sweepstakes… how long will it last? I don’t know… my gut instinct is that I will be here at least a couple of years.

So – what have I been up to in NZ? Well, just living the in the rat race really.

I got my old job back; I’m working with the same bunch of really cool people as last time and have been working on some pretty cool projects. I also got my old flat back and am living with some really cool people. I even joined my old gym. I’ve been hanging out with the same people…. it seems everyone has moved on and changed a little bit – but it is almost as if I had never left!!

The main point of difference between now and then is the yoga… I am slowly easing myself into the Wellington yoga scene. It took several months but of after a bit of a yoga crawl I finally found a great studio in Wellington to practice (Yoga Unlimited on Tory St). I’ve spent the last couple of months practicing there, the teachers are GREAT… I love it.

The other thing I did this year was study… I started a postgrad somethingaratha in Information Systems through the open university in the UK. That was a bit challenging on my time management skills (or lack thereof) but well worthwhile. I really enjoyed the studies (more so when they were finished) as they kept me busy and focused on the now (opposed to having my head in the clouds scheming future trips abroad).

So – I’ve been keeping myself busy and have been enjoying being back home. No big trips planned (yet) although I do have my first overseas ‘normal persons’ holiday planned. Yep – I haven’t been home a year and I am heading back to INDIA! I am going back to Mysore for 4 weeks of Pranavashya yoga with Vinay Kumar and then will have a few days of R&R at the beach in Goa before heading back to NZ for another year (or two) of wonderful Wellington!

So – that is where I am at. I am heading to India on 17th December until 23rd January – I can’t wait! I will update the blog again to record my travels in India and the 2nd round of yoga in Mysore. Watch this space!

Home sweet home…

So this is the last blog entry for a while…. After a good 18 months gallivanting around Asia (with a 4 month stint at home in the middle) I am back in New Zealand theoretically for good! I say theoretically because we all know its highly likely I will have the urge to go on another big adventure… life is too short, the globe is too big and there are plenty more adventures to be had!

No, seriously – I am home for good. I even signed a permanent contract (I can say the ‘P’ word now),I signed up for an 18 month gym membership, have a contract with vodaphone. Gosh, I even bought a new bed.

Its good being back in Wellington, I feel a lot more settled than when I moved back home after my other OEs (2yrs in Bangkok, 2yrs in Belgium). I think I may actually settle this time. It’s funny though, I’ve come a full circle… I got the exact same job I left in Aug 07 back (I am even sitting at the same desk) and I have moved back into one of my old flats… it’s almost like I never went away.

So my friends… this is it. For now…. home sweet home 🙂

No Ping Pong with King Kong in Hong Kong

OK, I looked fairly hard but I couldn’t find King Kong in Hong Kong… and no, little bro… I didn’t play ping pong with Suzy Wong while looking for King Kong either!

Hong Kong is pretty cool though, it kind of reminded me of lots of places…  It reminded me a little of home (Wellington) because of the hills, harbour and compactness of the city. And it reminded me of London because of the greyness, coldness, metro/tube, double decker busses, school kids in blazers, plugs and ridiculously heavy coins. It was quite a unique place to visit…  very Asian but with a nice easy familiar feel to it!

Unfortunately… as far as being a tourist in Hong Kong went it was an appalling effort on my behalf.  So bad that I will just have to come back and do all the touristy things I wanted to do (ie, go up the big escalator, get the tram to ‘the Peak’ and check out the Giant Buddha).    Why did I do such a bad ‘Tourist’ effort… well…  unfortunately I had lots of work stuff I wanted/needed to do before I got to China.  So except for one mini shopping spree at H&M (because I was so grateful to find a western chain with cheap clothes that fit me) I ended working most of the time in Hong Kong. 

 Ok… its a terrible photo but it illustrates my point about Hong Kong reminding me of Wellington… This photo reminds me so much of Wellington…. the hills behind the city, the motorway from the Hutt……   Ah…. am I imagining this?  Do you think I might be missing Wellington a little too much?!?