Tuesday Talk : Homesickness

So today's post is about something a little closer to home, literally! Just a little chat about feeling homesick..I'm sure it's something a lot of people either have or will experience and it's a maybe not so fun side to travel but it happens and that's just life! I've been in New Zealand now for almost two months and since I've been here I have gone through an array of different emotions. Naturally I was nervous and anxious about the unknown before I left, but also extremely excited and ready to leave.

Then upon leaving I felt hardly any sadness (I barely shed a tear while my mum was in floods- soz mummy)band even when I got here I still just felt completely buzzed. Now fast forward a few weeks and being past the 'holiday' phase I guess I feel kind of stuck in a rut. 

To be honest I don't know if I'm just a typical female who doesn't have a clue what she actually wants and just being emotional or if I am going mad (maybe a mixture of them all). Either way..it doesn't feel good. To be honest I think it all boils down to the fact that now that I am working again and everyday life must go on without exiting  adventures all the time, I'm starting to feel a little bored and restless. 

We are here, in Queenstown NZ living in a beautiful house with two other friendly housemates,with jobs..I literally have nothing to complain about but I guess where there's a will there's a way! Only joking I don't mean to moan..I'm all about positivity but from time to time we can all feel a bit down without having any other reason other than being a crazy biatch.

I made the decision to leave my home, in search for excitiment and adventure! I love it back home, but I just wanted a change of scenery for a while. I'm so fortunate that I can do this because a lot of people don't get to do this in their whole lives and I managed (even being the biggest airhead) to get myself to the other side of the world. It's just that life goes on back home, and although I knew this and I am in no way wanting to go back any time soon, I guess I just wish I could have my family and friends close by from time to time. The chit chat and greeting everyone with a smiley face gets tiring and sometimes I just want my mum to hug, my friends to get drunk with and have the banter, my dogs or my little baby niece to cuddle or my moody teenage niece to have the girly chats with. Basically to just be around people who know and understand me. I am mainly afraid of missing so much but I know that's crazy. I have had siblings who have travelled and when they returned it was like they were never gone. And I know one day I will be home and in college and back to normal life and I will be waiting for my next travel adventure, but you know we all have our off days and if you are unfortunate enough to be like me in the sense that you over analyse everything, then I truly feel for you!!

At the moment here in Queenstown the weather is pretty bad. Most days are rainy with the clouds so low you cant see any of the beautiful mountains. It's pretty f**king cold and just overall pretty gloomy. I suppose this is reason enough for anyone to feel a little glum. 

I think I am happiest when I am moving about going from one place to another, especially if these are places that happen to have sun..oh sun how I've missed you. From what I gather from work etc a lot of people are in the same boat..just going home from work and not doing anything due to money or the weather etc. 

For the meantime until the ski slopes open and we actually have something fun to do, I'm going to try keep myself occupied.  Falling into a slump is the last thing I want to do. Keeping busy is probably the best thing to do so if you are looking for ideas (and are on a budget like me) here are a few things I have been finding useful over the last week or so:

•blogging of course!

•exercising - I know it's the last thing anyone wants to do when they are feeling  fed up but it's the best thing you could do. If you can't find the motivation to go outside then do some workouts in home watching YouTube.nEven just 15/30 mins will make you feel better. Plus by the time we do see the sun we don't want no muffin tops up in here.

• Study/read - at the moment I am doing an online psychology course just to keep my brain working and for something to do! I eventually want to go back to college at home and study so this kind of keeps me focused aswell. There are so many courses online even free ones and even if they don't give you a great qualification, it's interesting and keeps your mind occupied.

•Cooking - I loooove eating out. It's one of my favourite things to do because I just don't like being cooped up in home all the time. I usually am too lazy to cook aswell haha! Since we've been in New Zealand though we haven't had the money to eat out all the time so we've been cooking a lot more. I'm actually really enjoying it and I personally like to have the music blaring while I cook up a storm!!

• listening to music - I personally use music as a sort of medication. I think it effects my mood a lot..like if I'm any way emotional I can't listen to sad song! So if I put on something upbeat or a little cray cray it always puts me in a better mood (Beyoncé always works wonders)So if your sitting/lying in silence basking in your own self pity..honestly just put on some music. It will help so much :)

•Talking about it - now maybe don't scare off all your new friends or soon to be friends by saying how much you miss home and all your way cooler friends back there ( haha). I mean talk about it to people closest to you..for me it's my boyfriend because well he's here with me, but even sometimes he doesn't understand me ( being a male and all)so I would email a friend or my mum. Sometimes it's good to just get an outside perspective because your own thoughts will drive you mad. When I told my friend back home that I was having trouble making friends she just laughed and said it was basically because I'm a freak and could I not just rent some friends haha! What a friends for eh...

Moving on..

•Pamper yourself - I've been having a lot of long warm showers (mainly because it's freezing everywhere else) and making body scrubs etc. The days are very short at the moment and it's usually long dark cold evenings so even though it was just winter in Ireland..I just see it as extended preparation for the summer I hope to one day see!! Haha. 

•Taking vitamins- I try to take a cod liver oil capsule everyday along with a vitamin D or C supplement..I think for me at the moment Vitamin D is really important since I haven't been having much sun. Just basically keep yourself healthy.

• Finally , work on your hobbies - for me it's drawing. I haven't drawn in so long but I went and bought some charcoal and a sketch pad and I've been doing a lot of it since I've been here. I'm also become involved in the #ArtyProject for something to do (you can read about that in my previous post). Another thing I've been wanting to start here is yoga but again money is a big factor and things are expensive here, but I'm going to make it a priority. Tonight there's just a meditation class for $10 which is really good and I hope that will clear my mind a bit. I've also finished Orange is the new black, am totally up to date on all the Game Of Thrones and have started watching Mad Men and Friday Night Lights....so ya I've become a bit of a Netflix freak. I've never ever been big into watching shows, usually only ever watching Game of Thrones but you know, winter will do that to you!!

Anyhow I know this has been a lot of rambling but I hope this has helped even a little bit for someone who is in a similar situation!! 

<3

Finally I just want to add that one of my favourite quotes is 

'This too shall pass'

Basically meaning ...nothing last forever and everything is temporary. Happiness, sadness, life! So whatever way your feeling right now, it won't last. This crappy weather in Queenstown haha..it won't last.

I just wanted to add that in!! Hope you all enjoy the rest of your week :) 

I'm in Queenstown baby

WE ARE HERE! and it has lived up to all of our expectations.

To fill you in so far...Myself and my boyfriend Lorcan decided to leave Ireland in March and our plan was to come to Queenstown (with a short stop in Auckland on the way- Amazing!!) and then just see what happens. We don't have any major plans but we know we want to stay in Queenstown for snow season and enjoy everything it has to offer (except for the extremely low temperatures).

Our first impressions were that this place looks like something from a fairy tale (as you can see from my picture above which was taken from my bedroom window). I don't think I will ever ever tire of the scenery. Sunset is my favourite time of day anyway but something truly magical happens here when the sun starts to set and it's at times like that I wish I had a proper camera and not just my iphone (i am investing in a proper one). So far we haven't done much in terms of the usual adrenaline junkie stuff people do here, but we will get to that. We love just going down by the lake, grabbing some smoothies in Patagonia chocolates (a little cafe by the lakefront- amazing) and watching all the ducks. We then started feeding them and making up stories about their lives. We know they aren't as innocent as they seem to be!! No no..those ducks have some crazy shit going down. I know you would think our favourite thing to do in Queenstown so far would be a bit crazier than watching ducks but it's honestly so therapeutic. 

(Just as a little side note: whenever I go to Type 'fuck' autocorrect changes it to duck..and honestly when I wrote 'duck' it changed it to 'fuck'. LOL)

The Queenstown gardens are another favourite place to relax and feel at peace. They also have tennis courts there and it has a lovely walk that brings you right back around to the lakefront.

So far I got work in a hostel, called Nomads Hostel. We stayed here our first week or so and I got chatting to a few of the staff, and next thing they told me they were hiring and then wadayaknow I'm hired!! Apparently we are in quiet season now so I feel very fortunate to have got a job so fast. I'm a housekeeper in the hostel and I won't lie and say its glamorous, BUT it will do. The hours are good (like 30-40 a week) and my pay is $15 and hour which isn't too bad. The word apparently on the street is that you won't get much bettter than that here.

I feel very fortunate but as if that wasnt lucky enough...our friend here knew a girl who was looking for a couple to move into her place...what are the actual chances?? I'm telling you this positive thinking thing really works. Only now that I am writing it all down am I realising how weirdly lucky we got....freaky shit.

As far as I can see from other people looking for places to live, Its difficult. Every place that gets advertised in the lakes ( the local free paper) seems to be snatched up pretty much straight away, and if you go through an agency they charge a letting fee, plus a couple weeks rent PLUS a bond and you will need references. So ya...a bit of a hassle. My advice would be to ask around..in a place like this its all about who you know unfortunately. A lot of agencies want people to sign year contracts etc so it will be difficult to find a place, but some people might be looking for someone to stay for a couple of months. Same goes for work..you will just have to keep asking around. A lot of jobs don't get advertised so just be really friendly and keep asking. In the busy seasons apparently there is work everywhere but if your timing is great like ours and you find yourself here in quiet season..that's just what you'll have to do.

At this present moment I am sitting in my living room over looking lake Wakatipu ( I don't know how to say it either..) the main lake of Queenstown. The town centre sits right on the shore of the lake which is then nestled in by the surrounding southern Alps. As you can imagine this makes for quite a view. Our house is out a bit from the town center and is with everything that is out of the town center..its uphill. As if our balcony with spectacular views wasn't enough, we also have a nice big window in our room so when I sit up in bed, I look straight over the mountains and lake. Its pretty surreal. It hasn't quite sunk in that we are here, let alone living in our own place with such beautiful views. A few days ago I woke up at stupid o'clock for work (6.30 am starts..I told you it wasn't glamorous) and as I was walking down I could see that all along the tops of the mountains were covered in snow. It was quite a magival view to wake up to first thing.

Although its not quite winter just yet the snow is still just on the tops of the mountains and it is getting super cold AND to my shock and horror it appears it is perfectly normal for houses not to have central heating Here in New Zealand! They must be made of thicker stuff than us Irish. The temperature can drop to -19° and with single glazed windows and no heating they would want to be. At least we have a stove where all of us can huddle around and not leave the one room, like the good ole days!! And I knew my boyfriend would come in handy for something along the way. My very own personal heater. 

Most of the days have been really nice though, still chilly but sunny, although the sky just suddenly got very dark and angry looking and I can hear the wind howling down through the stove..I think I spoke too soon. The word on the street is that we should have nice weather for another few weeks until the real winter kicks in, and then we have to somehow brave it through the harsh winter and hope we make it out alive. Only joking..but seriously. I feel like I am in Game Of Thrones... Winter is coming and I'm daenerys of course and daenerys don't do cold. I won't lie I'm not really looking forward to the whole freezing our asses off. I'm all for being snuggly in the snow with some hot chocolate and fluffy slippers but that's only if I actually AM snuggly. I am feeling seriously sun deprived if I'm honest but it's still amazing here.

The one thing I am looking forward to this winter is of course skiing! I've never been before and I cant wait to finally experience it. There are three different ski resorts here so I think we are going to try them all..only joking. We missed the early bird offer so it really just comes down to the cheapest place. I literally cannot wait. I just know that I will love it even though I'll probably be crap. Ahhh the excitement. I'm not sure if you can stay up at any of the resorts but how cute would that be..staying in a little winter cabin looking out over the snowy mountains. A girl can dream. 

Speaking of girls and dreaming..if you are dreaming of coming here for shopping you better dream again. One thing Queenstown is known for is for being really really expensive. I mean of course it is..it has it all. Mountains, lakes, snow, sun...not to mention it's the adrenaline AND nightlife Capitol. The town centre itself is small and so I guess places can afford to sell overpriced merchandise. There are bus loads of tourists flocking in every single day, it's actually crazy. So many people from so many different parts of the world. I'm sure New Zealanders don't really feel like this is New Zealand. It's quite an extraordinary place though so with that being said..it comes at a price. 

I stupidly only brought one backpack with me and small little carry on bag. I was trying to be super efficient but turns out I was just being super dumb (I want to do a whole other post about what to pack for New Zealand). As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm a bit of an airhead so of course it's only natural that I forgot something, I'm surprised it wasn't my head. I left practically all my major items of makeup that I ALWAYS used behind. How you may ask?? Well basically I was staying in my boyfriends house a few nights before we left and we had a big going away party so of course I had my makeup there, and then I forgot it all because I'm just totes smart. 

Anyhow it was not the end of the world but when I did finally get paid after a couple of weeks work (I was awaiting my IRD number which you need for working here for tax purposes, just FYI) I went..yes..shopping. Firstly we bought food because well..food. A weeks worth of shopping came to about $120. Bare in mind this is getting the cheapest option of pretty much everything. It comes as a bit of a shock to the system. I'm so used to having an Aldi, lidle, and a tesco within  walking distant where I could buy all my ingredients for dinner with less than €10. 

But that's not where it ends...oh no. Of course I just had to go and buy me some makeup. I mean I was doing pretty well for the last month and a bit but I couldn't wait a minute longer. So I got these four items 

plus a small bottle of bondi sands tan (it had to be done..) and it all came to $136. I did feel quite ashamed of myself I won't lie, but also worryingly happier. No money to pay rent?? ..ah well, at least my eyebrows are on point. 

That last parts a joke by the way..I swear. 

Well that's pretty much the low down so far. We are settling in and adjusting to the new life style which is pretty relaxed. It's such a lovely safe place to live but it also has a wild side which makes it even better.

Today is the big mayweather vs pacquiao fight and I'm off work tomorrow so yes you guessed it...time to get my  party pants on. 💃

Let me know what you think in comments:) do you ever want to visit Queenstown? Have u ever been here? 

I'd love to hear all about it so drop me a comment if you like!