No place like home

After 3 extraordinary weeks of fantastic New Zealand weather (a.k.a. lots and lots of rain) and unbelievable sight seeing I'm back home in Samoa. New Zealand taught me two things. Number one, how to drive on the left side of the road and number two, that I really do love where I live now. I had a fabulous time in New Zealand enjoying their wine, beer, and expensive over priced coffee. I did amazing things in amazing places such as Glacier hiking, black water rafting in glow worm caves, mountain hiking, and dug my feet in the sand at Hot Beach to feel scalding hot water come through. I loved every minute of it but it wasn't hard to leave either and return to Samoa.
I'm back to cold showers, tinned fished and cabbage for dinner, bumpy crowded Samoan busses, cockroaches, rats, lizard shit in my house, hot hot temperatures and I couldn't be happier. I had been getting pretty stressed out and overwhelmed in the last few months of 2004 and much needed some good R & R. But as mom always said, distance makes the heart grow fonder. I had no idea I would miss Samoa, the Samoan people, and the Samoan way of life so much. In New Zealand I found that people walked too fast, girls were too skinny, and people didn't know everybody on the street like they do here. It took me a long time to adapt to the Samoan life but now I'm happy not to have to live the western life just yet. I have no bills to pay, lots of fresh pineapple to eat, and lots of slow walks. As hard as it was to adapt to life here I think it'll be just as hard or harder to adapt to Western life when I return to the States. I'm happy I still have 11 months before I need to make that switch.