the (un)plan

Not surprisingly, I get a lot of questions whenever I tell someone I'm moving to New Zealand in the next few weeks. I don't have answers to all the questions - that's part of the fun! - but here are some FAQs and associated answers, if known, about the upcoming year...

When are you leaving (variation: Wait, you're still here?!)?
I leave Richmond on July 1, Virginia on July 9, the U.S. on July 12, Rarotonga on July 18, and arrive in New Zealand July 19 - the day before my 26th birthday.

So...what are you doing until then?
Craigslist-ing, eBay-ing and autotrader-ing nearly everything I've accumulated over the past four (25?) years. I'm not putting anything in storage, although my brother & parents might take issue with the accuracy of that statement. I'm also getting everything else in order - trip stuff, converting all paper files to electronic, slowly learning how to use Blogger, etc. Also, most importantly, trying to catch up with everyone before I leave.

Why New Zealand?
It's English-speaking, I can get a work permit and a job easily, and I've heard it's a beautiful country with friendly people and lots of outdoor activities.

Why one year?
It's pretty arbitrary, and could change - right now, it seems like long enough to get a feel for what it's like to live somewhere else, but short enough that I won't get off track from savings and career perspectives.

Will you be in New Zealand the whole time?
No. I'm planning to use NZ as a 'home base' for a lot of other trips - Australia, Asia, islands in the South Pacific. Also, if/when I've figured out the whole living-abroad thing, I might move to a non-English-speaking country so I can try to pick up a new language.

Where will you be living? Do you have an apartment?
I don't know, and no - not yet. I've heard a couple of votes against Auckland, and a few for Wellington and Queensland. Anyone else want to weigh in? If possible, I'd like to remain pretty mobile, so I'll probably stay in hostels for a while and look for short-term leases/sub-lets, and hopefully get to live in a couple of different cities/towns along the way.
I do have the first couple weeks of accomodations planned out - beginning July 9, it's 2 nights in Vegas, then off to L.A., with a couple of airport/plane/internat'l date line nights, then five nights in the Cook Islands, and two in Auckland hostels. Oh, and yes, I did finally buy all the plane tickets.

Do you have a job there?
Not yet - I plan to find 'casual employment' with the help of BUNAC, the organization sponsoring my work permit and providing various other useful services. I'll be looking for short-term jobs so I can earn money to live and travel, but I want the flexibility to pick up and travel anytime, so I'm not looking for a 'career-job.'
My plan is to just break even for the year, excluding the round-trip plane ticket and, of course, lost salary/savings from my 'real job.'

Are you traveling with anyone else? Do you know anyone there?
Yes, and no - not directly, although I'm collecting 'second-degree connections' if you have any you'd like to share!
Sabrina is going for the first six months or so. For those of you who don't know her, we met when we were RAs together at UVA, she was my roommate in Richmond for the first two years, we traveled to Ghana in December '05, and we've had all sorts of other adventures over the past six years. Sabrina's also the only person who told me I couldn't/wouldn't move to the other side of the world for a year, and, well, if you know me well enough to know about my competitive side, you know what that means.

And the big question - why?
That's the subject of a whole other future post. But really, why not?