I'll be home for Chanukah this year

(Nov 27 Correction: Actually I won't be home in time, I didn't know Chanukah was so early this year, but I'll still be home in time to see leftover Chanukah decorations!)

I'm flying home on Dec 15.

The job search hasn't been perfect. Lots of interesting national research departments expressed interest in hiring me but nobody had enough room in the budget this year. WWOOFing has been good but at this point there are only a handful hosts out there who jump out at me. I could give the skilled job search more time, or I could settle down in a touristy area and look for unskilled work, but I'm ready to go home.

This morning I took the ferry across to the South Island, and tomorrow marks the start of a long series of bus rides down to Fiordland National Park. After a few days kayaking and hiking there, I'll be off to work for accommodation and free surfing lessons at a surf school/hostel on the Catlins Coast before finally heading home to the chilly but lovely US of A. The Catlins Coast is, I'm told, one of the great uncommercialized parts of NZ (uncommercialized is of course a relative term, almost anything in NZ that's within eye-shot of any signs of residency or civilization is considered commercialized). The remote stretch of coastline is the natural home of sea lions, seals, and yellow-eyed penguins.

By my standards, my life here has been out of control. There has rarely been a time when my guess of where I'd be sleeping two weeks later turned out to be right. This kind of lifestyle certainly has its perks, but it's very comforting and relieving to have some kind of certainty in my plans now. And it should be a pretty amazing couple of weeks

From ferry ride through narrowish straits on the way to Picton

Next time on Kiwi Soup: Photos and blurbs from interesting WWOOF hosts/stays

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!