Mission Accomplished

Well, it arrived: my approved application for visa renewal. So yippee skippy i get to stay in this country another year. The letter also suggested I apply for residency within the next year so that is encouraging. Something to think about, right?

In sadder news, my uncle passed away recently. I'm not too sure what to feel right now, it is so hard when you're away from home. Of course I had the typical Nicole breakdown, tears, and the like, but this whole situation really started me thinking about how precious life is. I know it sounds cliche and that everyone says that when someone they love dies...then three months later they begin to take things for granted again, but it's the truth. This life is so short...too short to be miserable and not doing the things we love. For those who didn't know my uncle, he was a good person, but unluckily handicapped from childhood and unable to walk without crutches. He suffered from many different illnesses his whole life, never deserving what came his way. It is things like that, people who endure so much, who inspire me to get over the petty issues of day to day life. For instance, I have to get a tooth pulled soon. I was freaking out about it. To be honest, after considering everything my uncle went through, i'd be glad to have my tooth pulled...hell take all of them...as opposed to what he went through. This whole thing also makes me think twice about what i'm doing here, away from my family and home. I'm missing such key times in my life. I'm missing out on seeing people who I may never see again. Missing out on my nieces and nephews growing up. Missing out such precious and crucial time to spend with my parents and other family members. Will I look back thirty years from now and regret missing these times? I guess I just feel so selfish...I feel as though i've abandonned my family. Like I've left them behind. And I hate that, because I think about them every single day, probably more than I did when I saw them every single day. I just hope they are aware of how much I miss them.

How do I follow a paragraph like the above without sounding fruitless and frivolous. I suppose I can't. There are a lot of new things to tell but for now, I suppose the best thing to do would be leave it at that. More to come sometime.

-NMK

A Hanmer Birthday

Craig and I at the summit of Isobel

What a lovely way to spend my first days of 23. Craig took me up to Hanmer Springs for an incredible hike and relaxing spa pool weekend. Needless to say, after a winter of indoors and inactivity (not completely but close enough) the hike up Mt Isobel was intense. 1300 plus metres of slippery, steeps, rocky track. But it was worth it, because upon reaching the top, the world was ours. We could see mile after mile of mountain range, blanketed in snow, quiet save for a slight breeze. With not a single other person to be found, we played in the snow atop Mt Isobel, ate lunch at the summit and then started the long, even more intense trek down. I think the down was much harder than the up, and it proved so the next day when our thighs were burning when walking down the stairs. After the amazing climb, we had a walk around town, a tasty dinner (almost disrupted by a brief power outage) and then a quiet night in the gorgeous cabin Craig rented. The next day we woke to the birds chirping and, well, nothing else. For once. Usually we wake to the city trucks rumbling outside our house so the peaceful awakening was more than welcome. I know I won't be able to live in a city forever. After packing up, we ate a yummy breakfast, went to the hot pools and put our poor muscles at ease. The pools are amid a sweet thicket of trees and other vegetation, surely planted to give the place the proper atmosphere, but the view of the mountains made me feel like heaven. And there was a strong wind blowing that made it possible to sit in a 40 degree pool without getting too hot (That's celsius mind you). All in all it was a wonderful birthday and one I will remember forever.



















Me at the summit point of Mt Isobel



The above and below pictures are views of the town of Hanmer from the summit of Mt. Isobel




But now I am sick. Again. Damn hayfever and pollen. I just can't kick this cold. Everyone is sick though, so that doesn't make it easy. Anyway, I just wanted to put up some pictures from my amazing birthday trip. They certainly don't do the view from the summit of Mt. Isobel justice.

-NMK