i am feeling cheerful, how about you?

this is my first christmas home in several years.

its kind of exciting. all i want for christmas is you.

make it happen santa!

love,

colleen

my passport expired

Ohayo gozaimasu! Watashi wa Colleen desu.

America no, Oregon shuuno, Portland kara kimashita.

Anata no namae wa nan des ka? Doko kara kimashita?

Haijimemashite!!!!

(i was going for nerdy english teacher... successful? HAI!)

hot 'n spicy

If I had a home I would make one of these, than I would make a feast and sit at the dining room table staring at the coolest spice rack in the world.

I keep on telling people, "No thanks" when they try to pawn off arts, crafts and other object on me these days. I have too many projects and not enough space at the moment. But this is one 'to-do' I could make room for:

neighbors

nightmare on couch street

AOTEAROA

Maori for New Zealand: ao = cloud, tea = white and roa = long or "land of the long white cloud"

I miss New Zealand, its the first thing i think about every morning... and at night I dream of ways to someday return.

"New Zealand, so far behind its ahead" i completely agree. I enjoyed hanging my clothes out to dry, living with people who don't rinse bubbles off after handwashing dishes, and having to build a fire to stay warm.

post script... home is a good place too

video gems

These are completely different...one is cute-filled with love, puppies, loyalty and a happy ending. The other is rude, hilarious and a great critique of modern youth!

(courtesy of new zealand mate!)

AND

(courtesy of London)

culture realization

So i think i am suffering from a slight case of culture shock. I ordered a small latte the other day and received a mug of coffee that i could stick both fists into comfortably. I didn't want it after that. I wanted a dainty mug, filled with good milky coffee made by a short, punky girl named Chev.

I don't feel like I am home yet. In fact I haven't stayed in one place longer than a week since I left Wanaka. I am currently at my Mother's house (which is great) and she has started rescuing small Pomeranian dogs (which is even greater), but I still feel like I am on the road.

This is my to-do list to get back in the swing of things:

- ride my bike

- season pass Meadows

- get a job

- handstands on the beach

- dance at Holocene with carin and shola

- film huy skate boarding

- stay still

- run

amster-damsel

thanks caitlin for reminding me about how amazing you are and of how much fun we had in your tattered bunny outfits. i am looking forward to returning home and putting mine on, then making breakfast in banks, oregon and wierding out my folks.

THEORIES...

Perhaps you may or more likely may not have noticed, but I haven’t written in the blog in ages. In fact the only change that has been made to it in more than a month has been the title. I think it suits the purpose of the blog better and maybe that’s why I haven’t written in so long, because I’ve was settled in the town of ye ol’ Wanaka. I had a regular life- made friends, worked 40 hours a week, developed habits (pool night on Wednesday, family dinner, snowboarding every free afternoon, nannying on Saturdays) that there weren’t too many traveling adventures or things out of the ordinary to write about.

Regardless, things have changed and I am back on the road. My life’s belongings have been whittled down to one large suitcase on wheels, two backpacks, a ukulele and an annoying pair of snowboard boots that I am painfully lugging across the world.

When traveling goes smoothly, it generally doesn’t matter how much stuff you are totting around with you. The plan was to get dropped off at the airport, picked up by a friend and get a ride to my campervan… what actually ended up happening was I got dropped off, flight canceled in Queenstown, 8 hours bus ride to Christchurch, taken to a hotel at 1am, early morning manic 7.4 earthquake at 4:30am, ran out of hotel, abandoning all belongings, returned to collect said belongings in pitch black while heart was pounding and my head was wondering “if the building collapses while I am collecting all this shit, would it be worth it??!!”. Thankfully I spied an airport luggage cart in reception and quickly snatched it up. For the next 12 hours while myself and hundreds of others set up a make-shift refugee camp in the Chirstchurch airport’s green spaces I wouldn’t let that cart of convenience out of my sight

Once power came back to the city I managed to snag a flight out that evening to Australia. *!?#*!?!! amazing

So here I sit now, three days later. Upon a futon, in a guy named Michael’s living room (couchsurfing.org host) on the Gold Coast, staring at a beachfront that reminds me of Miami or Rio De Janeiro. Australia is grand. Far different than I imagined… and not at all like New Zealand. It’s wild and populated, fast and flash.

I am still in slow mode and am hoping to find a beach to perch myself at for the day and read my book, swim in the waves and drink copious amounts of tea and juice.

A nesting female with amazing eyes. I got too close to her and she didn't appreciate it. Her companion came running at me making growling noises.

Doped up Koalas (not wild) saw them at the Australia Zoo!

My first night out in my extremely discreet campervan, I woke up to this family of KANGROOS outside. I fed them toast :) and the big one on the left (male) got kinda of pushy and I got scared. hehehe not very experienced with roos!

SEE THE JOEY???

Saw this beauty at the Noosa National Park- along with sea turtles and koalas! Wild OZ
Me and this guy became friends- I let him touch my camera.

lloovvee tthhiiss ssoonngg......

OR

get it?

fond farewells...

david, oh david.

a lovely man, dare I say a good friend is leaving the township of wanaka today. not really of his own accord, but because he is being deported.

*weep*

tonight we celebrated his gentle giantness, sense of humor, appreciation for women's clothing and his amazing ninja skills (aka The Ginga Ninja).

i enjoyed meeting david, and here's to hoping that someday hopefully we will reunite in an amazing place, lick each other's bowls clean, eat fancy meals, be penpals, and go camping again.

miss you already,

love colleen

I AM GLAD I SAW YOUR FACE TOday...

It's nice to see you too

I LOVE YOU!!!

BEST DOG IN THE WORLD... (dont tell alibi i said that)

Fourth meal...

there is no better way for me to spend this gloriuos saturday morning than with my internet blog.

2:24am - Pasta bake, eaten. Onto Whitaker's Hazelnut chocolate bar. LIFE IS GOOD. colleen is kinda drunk again.

XOXO

p.s. so what if i am not a burlesque dancer...

sweet dreams world