Saturday, March 1, 2014
Katharina and I parted ways in Kaikoura, and I went back to Nelson to spend the weekend. It was the first time since the beginning of January that I traveled by myself, and my loneliness hit me instantly. Especially when I got put in a four share room with an Asian family of three. Up until now, I have had reasonably good luck with my roommates, but this was probably the most awkward arrangement for me since living in a hostel. It also probably didn’t help that they didn’t speak a lick of English and went to bed at 8 o’clock. I felt like such a rebel night owl coming back from a movie in the TV lounge at 10:30pm. They were as nice as could be, but I mildly felt like I was intruding on their space being the odd roommate out. Often, you look to your roommates to give you the confidence to be social when you aren’t feeling up to it, but since this wasn’t the case, I did what any self-respecting solo backpacker would do and sought human interaction elsewhere.
Despite my uninspiring mood, I made friends with some of the long stays and the guys working for accommodation. The group of us piled into the Sprig & Fern in town and I proceeded to have a rather eventful, yet unexpected, fun night out on the town. One of the Scottish guys with us got up and sang, or more like slurred, on stage with the Irish band, I met the Kiwi twin of one of my best friends from home, and we walked through the drive thru of Burger King to enjoy a gourmet meal at around half 4. Allow me to elaborate on that second part. Have you ever been slightly, dare I say it, “homesick” and start to see familiar faces from home in other strangers? Maybe I was hallucinating, or maybe I drank a bit too much New Zealand water, but tell me if these two guys do not look freakishly similar. The first picture is of Brendon from New Zealand, and the second picture is of Slightly, one of my best friends from Virginia. Not only are their ginger hair, glasses and fashion sense similar, but even the way they smile in pictures is the same! Am I not the only one who sees this? The only part that freaked me out was when Kiwi Slightly started talking with an accent. I wonder if we all have twins somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere?
Steph Dobson 