A year in your ear...

Well the year is nearly over so its time for a short reflection on what I have found as the most remarkable year of my life so far...

January
Summer under way and four months away from leaving on the big OE. Starting to feel the nerves but busy planning and once more overworking myself with the aim of saving as much before I left...

February
More work, this time on public holidays and thats about it.

March
All booked and making final plans for the road trip.

April
Finished work at the National bank after 5 years and 4 different roles. Sold my trusty Honda Civic for a fair price and mentally psyched myself for the trip of a lifetime. Game on as I flew out on the 30th to spend my 26th birthday on the plane.

May
If you're going to San Francisco, "dont ever take the subway" according to the locals, unless you want drown when there is an earthquake. Lovely. But it was a great 7 hours! Then up to Vancouver to celebrate my birthday with Amy (road trip buddy) and her extended family. Great stuff guys that was a great welcome to the hospitality of Canadians! The of on the Road trip, Seeing the amazing Rockies, Yellowstone National Park, Chicago, and plenty of other scenery!

June
Beginning of June saw us Hit Toronto and 40 degrees plus. It was pretty darn hot for a place that also sees many metres of snow over the winter. Graduation in Peterbourgh was a raucous night out, and then up through renegade Quebec and onward to the Sea-faring provinces of the east coast. Sydney was a great chill out and once again great scenery that reminded me of home. The green was a relief after all the flatness and brown plains. Then down to Halifax, a nice city which has a peacetime explosion that nearly blew up half the city. flying to Wasington DC was a lesson on what a busy sky really is, with planes flying past us all the time at disturbingly close range. A strange house sized bus moved us around the airport and fanstastic luck saw me meet two other great people who were staying at the same place as me. I saw the Whitehouse (of course!), The Senate including John Kerry, the house of Representatives, many, many set locations of Forrest Gump, including the memorial pond and the Lincoln Memorial, the Pentagon and JFK's grave. (How much of a legend are you to simply be known by your initials!). The Amtrak up to New York and a lucky guess that Penn Station was the one I wanted. (Lesson learned, know where you are getting off before you get on a train!). The USS Intrepid with all Americas retired Fighter Jets and Bombers was the highlight. On the opposite side of Manhattan, the legless institute for global peace, the United Nations was also very interesting. The statue of liberty, the Museum of Modern art, and the World Trade Centre site were all very interesting in their own special ways. Hitting the 20th and it was time to shave off my beard after my hockey team the Edmonton Oilers came a valliant second in the Stanley Cup final. Then off to London, my new home.

July
Home sweet home, almost. A trip to Brussels on the Eurostar so I could re-enter the UK properly and get my visa stamped, a months of dossing, ridiculous heat waves, drought and job interviews. England Lose the world cup, what a surprise. Italy wins. Viva Italia!

August
Probably the worst month, well definitley. Lose my naive trust on other people and clue into the fact that different cultures really can't get along sometimes. (Not even if they want to). Get ripped off $600 by my landlord and very, very nearly quit the country and my OE.

September
This might have been August, but I prefer to just compartmentalise my bad experience into on single month. I find a new flat in zone one. Its expensive but by a stroke of luck I got a good payrise early on at Deutsche Bank by leveraging my being in demand by Goldman Sachs. (A bank that has a reputation for being the best). Good on you guys! Move into my new flat. Have deeply spiritual experience with homeless guy in Whitechapel after indulging in the amber, white and gold liquid a little too much. Decide not to go drinking in Whitechapel again!

October
Big decision about work, decide to stay on for my own good. Commit to 50+ hour weeks for the next three months, all in the name of correctly paying people thier massive bonuses. Go to Morocco. First visit to a developing country. Loved the exchange rate of 15:1. Bought a carpet. Its red and nice and the most expensive momento I'll ever buy. But I'm glad I got it.

November
It finally starts to get cold. Coats, hats and gloves come out. I wonder what all the fuss is about as throw on my suit jacket. Work continues with 55 hour weeks. Still manage a little bit of a life inbetween eating and sleeping.

December
John visits, as well as Annes brother Will and his freind Jessy. They have had 5 months on the road around Europe! I set a PB of 64 hours in one week at work. Calculate it into NZ dollars and I'd have a 6 figure salary. Hold onto to this fact to get me through the next couple of weeks. It starts to get proper cold. I submit yesterday and buy gloves, a scarf and some thermal socks. That should keep me warm Init!