We made it!!

Auckland skyline from Mt. Eden at dawn

Well we're finally here in New Zealand if you can believe it.  Only 16 hours ahead of all of you in Ohio.  It was a horribly long flight but the time passes a little more easily when you can watch as many episodes of 30 Rock, Modern Family, and The Office as you want.  We are staying in a nice little hostel just outside of Auckland in Mt. Eden Village called Pentlands.  It feels very much like a seaside town - all the houses in the area are beautiful Victorian style homes with tons of lush plants and flowers.  Steve said it reminded him of Oakland, CA a bit.  Our hostel is very clean and quiet and everyone is really nice.  The guy that works the reception desk is named Vinnie and he is incredibly accommodating and sweet.  Everyone we have come across so far is super friendly - every person you pass on the street smiles and says hello.

It's going on 7pm now and we're trying to stay awake a few more hours before bed so we can get up early and start car-shopping!!!  There is a Backpackers Car Market in downtown Auckland and they help you with insurance and offer mechanical checks and all that jazz.  There are a lot of notices in the local grocery store and in our hostel for cars as well but we're going to try our luck on the lower end of the market.

Cheers!

Voluntarily jobless and homeless?!?

What's wrong with us?  Isn't this great nation in the middle of a great recession?  Aren't 10% of Americans out of jobs?  Isn't the economy still in the dumps?  So why the hell would we walk away from solid employment at companies that actually want to employ us?

This, of course, is the attitude of many folks that Carly and I encounter.  It seems that most people can't grasp what has inspired us to quit our jobs, uproot our life together and travel halfway around the globe to farm - voluntarily.  And I don't blame them!  We've given up that sense of security that keeps us warm at night; going to bed knowing you can pay your rent, buy your food, and put clothes on your back.  We've abandoned up the post-college repertoire of establishing a career and taking on monthly car payments.  We're backtracking.

This isn't a rant against the corporate, white-collar American dream.  I certainly don't condone this kind of behavior and wouldn't hold it against anyone for not following in our footsteps.  It's not like we really know what we're doing!  But one thing is for sure... we're taking a chance.  Rolling the dice.  And whatever happens, we'll have some killer stories for our grandchildren! 

For the past three and a half years I've worked for a local concert promoter in Columbus, Ohio.  It was an ideal beginning to a career in the music industry.  I was fortunate enough to land an entry level position merging my major of strategic communication with the thing that I love most - music.  And it was a fine time.  My time at this company introduced me to the music industry, the office environment, and the bottom line.  It became my job to promote hundreds of rock 'n roll concerts each year to the city of Columbus, and it really didn't get much better than that.  Sure, there were unavoidable office politics that shattered my optimism, but it builds character - right?

It was a good run.  I worked my ass off and gained insight into what I want out of my career.   But now it's time for a change.  It's time to deviate from the norm and experience something completely human.  New culture, new landscape, new hemisphere. 

New Zealand.