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Why I’m Coming Back

photo of maretai bay with text

Before you read this post, I want you to know two things: I am coming back to the States, but I am not a failure.

I feel the need to preface this post that way because, well, I know a lot of people are going to feel that I am. A lot of people are going to tell me I quit just as I was getting started.

But they would be wrong. I am just getting started, and coming back to the States is what needs to happen for me right now.

Let me explain: I’ve accepted a really amazing job offer for a really amazing company in Florida. It’s a job I’ve wanted for a long time with a company’s whose mission I really believe in. It’s also in digital marketing and social media, something I’ve grown to love over the past few years.

But in the end, deciding to leave New Zealand and Wellington, in particular, turned out to be really hard.

You see, a lot of really amazing things have happened here in the past few months. I’ve met a lot of “my” people, found a new spiritual community, and even got to act on a set for the first time in years. I made lots of plans for the next month and even, amazingly, was contemplating actually staying in Wellington. After all, I have always been a creative and a performer at heart, so what better place to try that out than in the place some of my favorite movies have been made?

I almost was ready to stay. Almost. And then I got an offer too good to refuse.

In addition to being offered what I would call in many ways a “dream job,” I also know that coming back to the states is right for me both personally and financially. I have a lot of debt and being in New Zealand has only added to that. Its been a real struggle and was the impetus for much of my anxiety this past year.

Anyone who tells you that you can achieve longterm travel with substantial debt is a liar.

Or at least don’t personally understand how much of a burden that debt can be, especially without anyone in your life who can bail you out if necessary.

While I can only speak from my personal experience, I can say this pretty definitively, at least when it comes to New Zealand. (I hear Southeast Asia is much more affordable.) Then again, maybe I was just unlucky: I recently found out I was pretty drastically underpaid at my job, to the tune of at least $6,000 NZD annually.  Still, the fact of the matter is, New Zealand is expensive when it comes to necessities. That, combined with my U.S. bills, means that if I do anything other than work and the gym each week, I am often in the negative days before I get paid again. (And, my meals during the week are rice, beans, and occasionally canned tuna. I am morally against canned tuna, but sometimes you can’t do anything about what you can afford.)

In addition to perhaps being unlucky, I also wonder if I have more debt than most. My debt totals to about $25,000, which I know is less than most Americans are currently leaving university with. And while some people are happy with a bad credit score and not paying bills in exchange for traveling, I’m just not that kind of person. I take pride in being responsible and meeting my obligations, if not exceeding them.

I was advised not to get a second job because of tax laws but I realized too late this advice was probably wrong, considering the source. Either way, had I done that, I definitely couldn’t have traveled or pursued any creative endeavors so it was probably for the best.

Some other reasons I was financially strapped: I like eating healthy, make-up, and going to the gym. (The last one, surprisingly, is the least expensive of the three here in New Zealand. Even drugstore foundation is at least $30.)

Something had to give.

Also, guys. Have you read my blog? I wrote multiple times this year about how I wanted to live somewhere warm, and have a creative career and I am literally getting both of them. I am excited, and I hope you’re excited for me too.

So that leads us to the question: what’s next for Amiekay’s Adventure?

The answer: it’s not over yet, baby! My new location will allow me to see amazing parts of Florida and the Caribbean I missed the last time around. I am still a traveler and explorer, it will just be in a different climate. And who knows where I will be in a few years? Maybe I’ll settle down and get a dog, or maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll be in Malaysia or Thailand in two years. Maybe I’ll visit Japan for the Olympics. Maybe I’ll move back to New Zealand. Maybe I will fall madly in love with someone and be able to share these adventures with someone else. Maybe I’ll write a television pilot with my friend in Chicago about being perpetually single. I have no idea, and that’s exciting. For the first time in a long time, the possibilities for my future seem both enchanting and endless.

My only personal worry about the move is whether or not I’ll be able to continue doing acting work on film sets. (Okay, I only got to do it twice this year.) But hey, I do know a good community theatre at least.

So, please, I beg of you, don’t feel sorry for me. Don’t think of me as a failure. I certainly don’t.  I got to spend almost a year in New Zealand, and I also get my dream job in a place I love and have considered home since I started drawing palm trees on chalkboards in high school.

Amiekay in Makara Beach
Photo of me at Makara Beach in October
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A Tale of Two Art Deco Capitals

A view of Napier’s Marine Parade, complete with a classic car. Marine Parade runs along Napier’s waterfront, which is made up of a pebble beach

Napier, New Zealand calls itself the “Art Deco Capital” of the world. It’s a title that the South Florida-girl in me takes immediate issue with; I mean, doesn’t that title rightfully belong to Miami Beach? After all, Miami Beach is bigger, brighter and well, just more recognizable than Napier. However, after I visited this small, beach-front city, I can now say it has a decent, if not somewhat convincing argument. First, a little history: Unlike Miami Beach, Napier was actually mostly built-up prior to the Art Deco style’s hey-day in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The only reason it has this style of architecture is that the city was razed following the deadly 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake and had to be rebuilt. This means Napier’s construction of art deco was built for an already existing community and, therefore, has a bit of a different feel to it than its United States counterpart, which admittingly, was mainly driven by consumerism and developers hoping to make a buck from wealthy tourists.

 

A view of Miami Beach’s more tropical art deco style. (Photo courtesy Alex Bellink of A New Day A New Place)
Unlike Napier, a lot of Miami Beach’s art deco buildings are owned by wealthy corporations. (Photo courtesy Alex Bellink of A New Day A New Place)

I think it is this community-driven development that makes Napier feel almost like its stranded in time. Not only does the architecture take you back to what many refer to as a “simpler” time, so does the city itself. Napier’s downtown is lined with both attractions for tourists, as well as the necessities local need for their daily lives. Unlike the streets of Miami Beach, which are lined predominantly with hotels clubs, restaurants, and car parks, Napier has a mix of cute boutiques, locally-owned cafes, grocery stores and pedestrian-only roads. Its a walkable, locally-driven economy, fueled by a rather tiny population (There are less than 70,000 people living in Napier.)

Napier’s art deco Sound Shell Stage

 

A couple strolls Napier’s Viewing Platform

It’s a set-up that’s by all accounts impossible to replicate in a major, global city like Miami. For starters, Miami Beach has 23,000 more people living in it and attracts even more by way of tourists. Furthermore, this U.S. city is just too expensive for any mom-and-pop shop to really thrive there the way they can in Napier.

A look down Napier’s walkable street during sunset. The flower pot sculpture in the center of the photo changes with the seasons. I visited the city in spring.

This money-driven culture that fuels Miami Beach is something Napier and really New Zealand (apart from maybe Auckland) just can’t compete with – most of the time. There are no massive clubs or luxurious spas for you to enjoy in Napier, but there are world-class restaurants. In fact, its Napier and not Auckland that currently houses the country’s “restaurant of the year,” Pacifica. I have not had the pleasure of tasting Pacifica’s dishes, but after a quick look at their prices and reviews, I can only assume they are fantastic: their prices rival those of restaurants in Miami Beach, the playground of the rich and the famous. But the thing is because it’s not Miami Beach, the restaurants in Napier aren’t paying exorbitant rent to be there, and that means: good food doesn’t have to be expensive. Case in point: tasty restaurants like Honger Monger and Mister D’s regularly make “must try” lists for the country and are more than satisfying. And both aren’t going to bust your budget. Talk about old-fashioned entertainment!

A look inside Mister D’s
Mister D’s is known for its donuts, which you can get at any time of the day. You can fancy them up with a syringe of glaze, some of which come in alcoholic flavors

Speaking of old-fashioned entertainment, Napier also makes it easy to be home by curfew: except for the Rose Irish Pub which stays open to a late 12:30 am, the city mostly shuts down at 10 pm. There are no modern-day clubs or bar fights to tear you away from your return to the art deco era.

Napier has less art deco buildings than Miami Beach, and it’s certainly less of an overall tourist attraction. But what it lacks in population, nightlife, and frankly beaches, Napier makes up for with atmosphere. This place, like much of New Zealand, feels like a step back in time. So while this Florida-girl isn’t ready to say Napier is “The” Art Deco Capital of the World, it can certainly be one of them. (Or even, The Art Deco Capital of the Pacific.)

Napier, like Miami Beach, has palm trees. So that means I love it
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All Eyes on Hurricane Irma

UPDATE: As many of you know the Hurricane ended up not being too bad for this part of Florida, although some of my friends did end up without power and a little bit of flooding. I am happy to report they are all safe and I am relieved.

Original Post:

One of my favorite views from one of my favorite cities: West Palm Beach, Florida

It is weird watching things happen to the places and people you love from the other side of the world. Right now, Hurricane Irma is just beginning to be felt in Florida, a place I still think of as home and a place I hope to return to someday. Just about everyone I know there has evacuated to “dryer” places or is holed up in a news station providing 24-hour coverage to viewers. And while I don’t envy the danger they are in, this oddly doesn’t change my longing for home; part of me still wishes I was there. Maybe this is because I left for the “wrong” reasons, or just because I am worried about lots of people whom I love. Who knows, but Florida is weighing heavily on my mind today. There is some good news: the hurricane looks like it won’t hit the area I am most familiar with directly, and as I said previously all of my closest friends are in places I know are safe. But the danger isn’t over, and I will have to ride this one and wait and see what happens just like everyone else. Fingers crossed.

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Where I’ve Been

So first, I want to apologize for my growing absences from this blog. It is not intentional, but there is a lot of reasons behind it, and I want to bring you up to speed.

I’d like to say by absence is just an unfortunate reality of having a full-time job for the foreseeable future. Yes, almost immediately after my last post I got offered a long-term contract with the company I am temping for. Funny how that worked. (Heck, I even am getting paid time off!) This is all great news as I have one less thing to stress about, but it also means I am much busier than I was when I first arrived in New Zealand, and that means I have less time to explore, and therefore a lot less to write about. (I do want to mention, however, I am still exploring in bite sized amounts and have a lot of fun adventures lined up in the future, so stay tuned!)

But as I said, this isn’t the only reason I’ve disappeared. I’ve also disappeared because I am struggling with the cold. (Yes, it’s the end of summer for most of you, but in the Southern Hemisphere it is very much still winter.) This is making me very homesick for warmer temperatures, and particularly Florida, to the point I was making plans to return there as early next month. My bags were all but packed, and I didn’t write because this reality was a hard one for me to admit, but one I think you should know. As excited as I am to have this time in New Zealand, it is also not an easy transition, especially now that life is becoming a bit more routine.

The homesickness is more than just the temperature. It’s hard seeing my friends in the States go through big life changes, both positive ones, and negative ones, and not feel like I can be there for them. Sure, the internet makes this a bit easier these days, but I am still 16 hours in the future, so that means when most people I love in the U.S. are free to chat with me, I am either asleep or at work.

I am also missing my old life and frankly, having a career. I miss having a car and a place to call my own. I miss having a freaking closet, central heat, and even a video game console. These are all things I would’ve said didn’t mean much to me before I left but once I got here, I find myself daydreaming about these simple and strange things.

Don’t get me wrong, I would not trade my time here in New Zealand for anything. Even though it hasn’t been all positive, it has been great. Wellington is as amazing as everyone says it is, and many of the friendships I’ve made here are ones I will take with me for life. I’ve even bought hiking boots because, well, it’s an activity I’ve actually come to enjoy and one that’s hard to avoid here in New Zealand. (Honestly, even some of the walking paths here are basically mini-hikes.) But it doesn’t make missing my friends and family any easier, and it doesn’t mean I prefer hiking to Disney World because let’s be honest, Star Wars Land is going to be epic.

So where do I go from here? I’m not entirely sure, and I guess that’s always been part of the adventure. I am making strides, however, and learning to embrace my new surroundings in both old and new ways. To combat the chilly winter, I have started going to the gym again, something I did regularly in the States. I’m also meditating and saying “yes,” to opportunities to experience new things both in and outside the city. I’m also trying to find things to make the tiny space I live in feel more like a home because living out of a suitcase has been really difficult.

To end on a positive note, I plan to make a photo post soon of all the “mini adventures” I’ve taken throughout the area. Also, know that I do plan to get back to updating this now that I am in a better space, and ready to get things back on-track instead of just “existing.” I mean, I did buy hiking boots.

Cheers to better days from Titahi Bay
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Taking off!

Taking Off Title Picture Amiekays Adventure

If you had a chance to change your fate, would you?

Right now, I am waiting to get on my one-way flight to New Zealand via Los Angeles and Fiji. I am much calmer than I feel I should be, given my history of anxiety and depression. But I’m not. Maybe that’s because I’m taking the leap and doing something I never thought would be available to me as a daughter of a single mother with 7 kids.

Just a week ago I would be arriving at my job as a news producer in sunny, West Palm Beach, Florida. But I’m not there, and chances are after 8 long years I may never put together another newscast again. Instead, I have chosen to be unemployed so I can pursue a bigger, more important dream: to see the world despite growing up poor, and despite the mound of student debt I have to my name.

Getting here was not easy; there was a lot of tears and sleepless nights. There were goodbyes I wasn’t prepared to say and lots of second-guessing. I will take you through that journey in posts to come, but right now…it is time to fly.