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to A letter from Elena

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  • Apr 23, 2021
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Attempting to form friendships during the covid era as an expat

In January 2021 we took the plunge and uprooted our lives from the UK and moved across the world to Australia. When we arrived one of my first priorities was to socialise with other people. Integrate myself into the community. This is what I was longing for, even in London I felt that there was not one there. I had friends, but not really what I’d call a community. I decided to research local community social groups, and I found the Country Women’s Association.

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  • Apr 09, 2021
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How to Choose the Right Footware for Hiking and How to Look After Your Feet

With three treks under my belt, I have learned a little something about hiking shoes. I’ll explain the good and the bad about different types of shoes and what you should avoid buying. You work hard for your money, so you want to know that the shoe you invest in is going to be right for your feet. I would firstly advise that you don’t buy the cheapest option on the market.

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  • Mar 26, 2021
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The Year of Less the Book That Inspires Change

The Year of Less: The book that inspires change. When you move from your home country can you really keep to a budget? I remember buying this book around the end of christmas time in 2019 in my parents home town. I then lost it in our house and found it again when we were preparing to leave the country. As we were in MIQ in New Zealand I read the whole book in a space of two days.

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  • Mar 19, 2021
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Delayed and Dismayed, Our Entry Into Sydney

The story of how we eventually got to Australia and to Sydney is both short and long. The reality of us leaving England during the midst of a global pandemic was difficult in itself. That flight was cancelled within a weeks notice and we had to very quickly find new flights to be able to quarantine in New Zealand before loosing our spot in Managed Isolation. I would never wish that kind of stress on anybody, neither of us slept that night and it was upsetting to me to have to cut time with my parents and sister short.

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  • Mar 13, 2021
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Trekking Versus Tramping a Guide to the New Zealand Pastime

When Colin suggested that we went on a tramp, (the New Zealand version of hiking) I thought it was the perfect opportunity for us to bond over our shared love of walking. Little did I know what I was getting into… Five years ago I did a trek across Iceland 50 miles in 5 days and it was a fantastic experience. I did spend eight months training before taking the challenge on, and didn’t drink alcohol in that time.

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  • Feb 20, 2021
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Welcome to New Zealand

Welcome to New Zealand I’ve been out of managed quarantine isolation for three days (at the time of writing). We woke up at 4am on the day we left, 6am we left Auckland and we were back to our refuge in about eight hours. If you are not used to twisty turny winding roads, because you are used to a flat terrain you will feel queasy through this trip. Or at least this was my experience.

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  • Feb 20, 2021
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Population Unmasked

Imagine a world where wearing masks outside, or inside was not mandatory. Imagine not feeling fear around being around other human beings. Imagine if you will, being able to go into a pub without having to buy a full meal I say this because in the UK this is what life was like for us when we left. Once out of isolation in New Zealand another outbreak was found and we had to yet again go into our fourth ‘lockdown’ scenario.

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  • Feb 20, 2021
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Dairy Free Quarantine

When we were booking our managed isolation tickets I had specified dairy free as a dietary requirement for our stay. One of the things that I noticed about the dairy free menu is that nearly all of the food I had was also gluten-free. Food was delivered to us at set times of the day. We were given breakfast, lunch and dinner. With the option to always have snacks with each meal and an option for dessert at dinner time.

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  • Feb 20, 2021
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Welcome to Quarantown

Or should I say ‘Quarantine’. We had no say in where in New Zealand that we would be placed in a quarantine hotel. We learned once we got there that allocation of the hotels is completely random. Luckily for us, there was a hotel in Auckland that was half an hours drive from the airport that we went to. After travelling for upwards of 30 hours, you are both physically and mentally exhausted.

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  • Feb 20, 2021
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Deaf and Distressed

The title here pretty much sums up my feelings towards how our flight over to New Zealand went. Born deaf, the global pandemic did not make my hearing any easier. My hearing loss has recently worsened to severe in one side and moderate to severe in the other. Although, that is a story for another time. There are some voices I can understand better than others, such as my partners and my parents.

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