A Love Letter to New Zealand
Written 18/3/19 Dear New Zealand, I fell in love with the idea of you long before I married my Kiwi husband. You were the island country of my childhood dreams and I couldn’t wait to move there and make you my home forever. In April of 2015 I moved to Mount Maunganui with an open mind and heart, but not long after, I let fear take root as I faced the many cultural, climate, and living condition challenges that naturally come with living in a new country. Once fear led to anger, my human brain only wanted to pick out all your flaws and be angry at you. I didn’t want to make friends with your people. I didn’t want to understand your culture. Probably because of the similarities I saw there, not different from my own culture. The racism and intolerance, and shocking ignorance and indifference I saw... And where was this paradise I was promised? Cold, damp, and mouldy homes that caused my respiratory health to plummet so fast, it left me gasping ...