you can rationalise anything

I feel as though I should explain my reasons for resurrecting my OE plans.

When I left the last time (late 2000) I was following my girlfriend on her OE. I don’t think I was ready in any sense to take such a step. I was not mature enough, and I hadn’t even finished university. I arrived in London to an already set up flat in a nice, quiet, leafy suburb with two Kiwis I already knew. I didn’t really meet anyone new nor did I do anything that I wouldn’t do at home. It turned out that most of my OE was spent working, and I saw precious little of the place I was living, let alone other cities or countries. I was afraid of venturing outside the insular cocoon of familiarity that I had built around myself. I was constantly looking for an excuse to come home, and the triple blow of the September 11 attacks, my grandfather becoming ill, and girlfriend returning to NZ was more than I needed. I turned tail and fled back to NZ. That said, I don’t regret a second of that trip, as I had some of the best times of my life, and saw some of the most amazing things with the best people.

Why now? I have realised that there will be no better time than now. If I don’t start living my life, instead of just treading water, I will never get a chance. Right now I have no attachments; my girlfriend of nine years and I have split up, I am finally going to graduate, and although interesting at times, my job is not inspiring me. Now that I am older, I feel that I am far better equipped to handle the full OE. It is time to step outside my comfort zone and challenge myself. The last time I had things handed to me, whereas this time I am going to take them for myself. It is also a way of proving my own value to myself - proving that I can stand alone and succeed. That is an aspect of the OE that I haven’t considered before. It is actually a rite of passage, a statement that you can make on your own. I am also desperate to see the things I missed the last time: Spain, France outside Paris, England outside London, Germany, Holland, Greece, Austria, America, the list goes on and on…

Although it looks, on the surface, like I’m running away; when you really get down to it, that’s exactly what I’m doing! Responsibility be damned!