Not a great deal has been going on lately. It is nearing the end of February, the second month of the year....almost one sixth of our way through 2010! As a teenager I heard a lot of older people keep talking about how time flies as you get older, as well as the classic ‘Where has the year gone?’ comment, but I never really understood these points of view, so I never really believed them. After all, time can go no faster now that I am 40 than it did when I was 20, right? But somehow, with the magic of experience and wisdom in hand, it does. So when I say ‘Not a great deal has been going on lately", it makes me wonder where has the time gone and why don't I have anything to report? Time does really does fly....
If I break it down though, of course I have been busy and not wasting precious time. The daily routines of life in New Zealand have been circling me and creating a whirlpool of energy and events which remain important yet unremarkable at the same time.
One big event that was remarkable was a recent visit from my mother and my oldest niece, Chelsea. They came over to NZ for a week and we went sightseeing and exploring and just spending time together. Another interesting addition to my weekly routine is I have taken up Spanish again, as part of an advanced group for conversation practice. I have been talking to myself in Spanish for years, hoping to retain some of the years of University study sweat, but it is nice to be able to speak to others again.
What does the future hold? In less than two weeks time we will be submitting ourselves to yet another tranquil tropical isle. This time we are off to Niue for a week. Niue is a tiny island with one flight a week, relatively undeveloped and ignored as far as tourism goes - no plush resorts, noisy scenic flights, roaring jet boats, big markets or the western crowds which blight most of the other marketed pacific islands. After our time in Niue, we have a few weeks back at work and then I am heading back to Australia for a 3 day residential school as part of a course I am studying this year. Coincidently it will be at my old work place, Adelaide Zoo.
So, that’s the report so far for 2010. Time really is flying…….