After returning to New Zealand in January 2005 things were pretty cool for a while, but after a few months something started to feel not quite right. The warts of New Zealand were starting to show and the place just didn’t have the same spark I felt in ‘04. Whether is was the sometimes striking sense of public apathy or the gruelingly slow pace of technological adoption, I was getting increasingly annoyed with the rough edges of everyday NZ life and started thinking about a change. (In hindsight, I was being overly critical of the place and not totally aware of how my own attitudes were affecting my perceptions, but that’s the topic of a later post.)

I still had a great time with friends, including my new mate Brian from Iowa, and I also had success with helping the New Zealand Blood Service promote on-campus blood drives, but I seriously needed to change things up. Hmmm, where could I go and what could I do? Where’s a place I’ve never lived that has an opportunity waiting for me? That’s right, I was off to Phoenix to work full time for the software firm I had been doing research for.

This is the part where you might think I’m insane. In the space of about three days I went from realising that the opportunity really existed, to fleshing out the details with my boss and university, to making the final decision and letting everyone know about my plans. Does that seem a little quick to you? I’m guessing you might think so, but it was similar to when I originally decided to study in New Zealand. Just as with my research job in Phoenix, I vaguely knew that studying in New Zealand was a possibility, but after a few months of subconsciously mulling it over, the idea finally percolated to the surface, and once that happened, it was only a few days before I had made my decision and put my plan into action.

A cool guy named Jesse turned out to be one of my very good Kiwi friends. I thought I had fully appreciated him, but this transition period I was going through made me truly realize what a good guy he is. We were flatting together at the time, and on the day I realised what I wanted to do, I came back to the flat in a little bit of a funk. I hadn’t fully digested my thoughts so I didn’t want to say anything, but Jesse knew something was up. In the space of about 5 minutes he not only perfectly guessed what my plans were, but actively encouraged me to follow them even though that meant us parting ways. Sometimes I wonder if I would’ve been as supportive if the roles were reversed. I honestly can’t say, but when trying to help other people these days, I always remember back to that and try to put their interests before my own in the same way he did for me.

So I said my goodbyes, and I was off to Phoenix. There was just one thing to do first: month-long meetup with my Cincy friends Sean and Tim in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, and Edinburgh. Were you expecting something else? That was a really great trip despite a few regrets. I should’ve been a little bit more “cultured” in my attitude and saw more castles, monuments, etc. But at the same time I enjoyed chilling out, soaking in the local vibes, and doing all of the things you can only (legally) do in Europe. And it’s amazing how only a major trip can help you learn new things about your friends, even after knowing them for 10 years.

This is the third of nine posts recapping events between April 2004 and November 2006. Click here for the overview.