Category: Uncategorized

Traveling always involves significant preparation, and this time was no different – I had a running to-do list that ranged from packing up our room to sorting out what clothes I was taking to cooking dishes that would use up the last of our food. Chris and Zeean, Travis’s parents, came down the weekend before… Continue reading Singapore and Rome – the Journey Begins

I’m just over a week out from leaving New Zealand for a while to go traveling, so these are exciting times! Since my last blog I have done two big tramps, finished up my job, and finalized our travel plans for the next few months. After some discussion, my work contract was extended from the… Continue reading On the Road Again – Tramping and Traveling

It has been a long since my last blog, and though I have some big updates, not much has changed in my day to day life. I am still working at Rāpaki – it is planting season now, so every week we are putting as many trees as we can manage into the ground. We’ve… Continue reading A Big Visa Update, A Visit to Australia, Learning to Ski

I’ve been back at work at Rāpaki for well over a month now, and it’s been really nice overall. I still come home exhausted many days, but am ready to go again in the morning after a good night’s rest. We start planting soon, but up until now work has been really varied: we do… Continue reading Work at Rāpaki, a Funeral, and a North Island Roadie

It’s been about 2 months since my last blog update, but in that time some big changes have happened, although while I’m writing this my life looks about the same from the outside at the moment. To begin with, after I got back from Stewart Island, I was back on the job hunt. I was… Continue reading Major Life Update: Moving In (!), New (Old?) Job, Staying???

If you ever were to stick around and read a blog post, this is the one, because she’s a doozy! I have done 16 total days of tramping in the past 3 weeks and have come away with a couple of bumps and bruises and some good stories. First, though, a bit of news: I… Continue reading 200+ km Walked: The Holidays, Kiwi Style

It is now December and I’m back with an update that is not much of one. I am still unemployed and searching for a job – I have applied to countless positions online, hand delivered copies of my resume, and have been to recruitment agencies to see if they can place me somewhere temporarily, all… Continue reading 24 and Still Unemployed (plus some tramping tales)

At the beginning of October, I started working at Rāpaki planting trees four days a week. I decided to only work four days so that I could spend every Friday working on my research – I am getting closer and closer to being done with the work and am working towards a final publishable paper.… Continue reading October – Tree Planting, Tramping, and Persistent Exhaustion

I’ve been back in New Zealand for a month now – a month filled with joy, reconnection, loneliness, anxiety, fun, and sickness. The day after I got here, I went backpacking with Travis (the same Travis from the Hollyford) for 5 days on the St. James Walkway. This track is 66 kilometres long and is… Continue reading First Month Back in New Zealand

I have neglected this blog far too long, and it’s time for a little life update before I can hopefully post more frequently again. The reason for the radio silence is that I finished up my last year at UCSB, much of which was dedicated to writing my Senior Thesis about the same research I… Continue reading Some Major Life Updates