The Obligatory Introduction

I was here writing from my (albeit temporary) home, Cardiff, Wales. While i’ve moved on, how exactly I ended up there is unique to say the least.

The iconic Animal Wall and Cardiff Castle

Less than a year ago I was 24 and had just finished university. It is at this crossroad in life where the decision on how you’re going to live your life prevails in the expectation of a newfound career and the money to finally do those things on your list. At first, I had decided I was going to put off my year of travel in lieu of work experience and funds, and thus, I transferred my job and moved to Dunedin in search of the ‘next big thing’. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out in the way that you’d hope. The small city had slim pickings in the job market and four months later I had hit a wall. Big time. Long story short, my job in retail was not where I wanted to be, and unfortunately, it also does not land you with a giant media mogul. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, 4 months is not a long period of time. But, with a delayed start at university, and beloved friends getting their lives together one by one, my patience was wearing thin.

Ultimately, a conversation between my partner and I was had which led to us impulsively buying one-way tickets to Europe. I mean, we were eventually going to do this anyway… but  by fast forwarding this step in our lives, we could hope to delay the inevitable of growing up and being an adult. Instead, we could indulge in what it meant to be a traveller. As I said, my patience was wearing thin, and not 2 months later we had set the departure date.

It was a whirlwind of packing up my life into boxes (again) and trying to boost the piggy bank in an attempt to elongate this quest in the midst of a cost of living crisis. What ensued was an exploration of unique travel locations, a tour de hospitals (so to speak) and climbing… lots of It. After 30 days in Europe, the money had slipped out of our wallets and we turned to the United Kingdom to become our home away from home.

A look into our tent (and sanity) after a month in a Cardiff Caravan Park

“Why here?” Is the question most residents ask after incorrectly guessing my Kiwiness for Australian. The answer is simple, why not? The entire decision to pack up our lives was based on a ‘why not?’ so why not come to Cardiff. See, most kiwis end up in London and for good reason. But due to the cost, for us, that wasn’t much of an option. We had just spent a month in Europe camping and climbing, and still burned through our funds in attempts of car hire, campsites, and not to mention the food and wine. Our top option was to go to where the ‘outdoors’ were and Cardiff was it.

And so, we flew into Bristol and made our way to a campsite in Cardiff. Here, we began the next phase of our journey. We became close with the workers, or, I became close with the workers, studying in the café day by day whilst also finding a job. So it wasn’t until after a month in the tent before finding a solid roof over our heads. And let me tell you, after constant showers with a timed button, and possibly one of the wettest summers yet, that first night in our new home, I slept like a baby.

After 2 months in a tent, we finally found a place to call home.