Moving Forward in 2018.

As I sit here on this cool summer morning listening to the rain I'm grateful for the moment to just sit and write to people that are so dear to my heart but just so far away.  I go back and forth with living abroad.  The hardest part is that I miss my friends and family.  I miss being able to hug their necks, I miss being able to look them in the eye and have a conversation, I miss the easiness of being together, I miss laughing so hard that we cry, I miss sharing our lives, I just miss THEM.  

We have now been in Tauranga, New Zealand for over 2 ½  years!  This is the longest we have been in one place since leaving our home in Lubbock, Texas for the Race back in 2011.  That's over 7 years of travels.  Over 7 years of constant change and adaption. Over 7 years of our community changing and saying tearful goodbye's more often than we say anxious hello's.  Over 7  years of new places and cultures. And, most importantly, over 7 years of growing and changing as individuals and as a couple. 

The road has been a beautifully bumpy one.  Sometimes it is wide and inviting other times it is narrow and shady.  It is a road I would journey down again  time after time, through highest of highs and the lowest of lows.   A road that has lead from one road to the next like a maze that takes me all over this beautiful world to unknown and exciting places.  It takes me to places where I'm overly stimulated and way out of my comfort zone and to places where my breath is taken away by the beauty and the people.  My heart is spread out over the 39 countries and 100's of people that we have come into contact with around the world.  They are in my thoughts often which is sometimes hard knowing that the reality of me seeing them again is not always likely, but I have to choose to remember all those wonderful memories that we shared.  The awkwardness, the language barriers which lead to some confusion, the interesting foods both good and bad, the smiles, the serving in selflessness and most importantly the love and companionship.

 I wouldn't change our last 7 years for anything.  Although, it is weird to think about what life would be like for the Hanes had we not quit our "career" jobs and left Lubbock, Texas back in January of 2011.  We will never know.  

So what are some things that have been brought to our minds through this crazy journey we have had?  Funny you ask.  I think the main thing is that our world view has been broadened.  (This should happen to everyone by the way.)  We have experienced love, compassion and generosity in so many places, through so many cultures and by a wide array of religious beliefs.   We have met Hindu's in India that just saw us walking down the street and invited us into their homes for food, gifts and to share our stories.  We worked with atheists in Korea who had no spiritual backing but would gladly give you the shoes off their feet, the food off of their plates and drop everything to help a person in need.  We have opened our home through Couch Surfers and Air B&B and hosted people from all walks of life:  From the new travelers who were 18 year olds from Europe who had never been on an airplane before coming to visit Korea.   And the young man from Turkey who was traveling around the world without using airplanes and who was on an almost nonexistent budget.  And the 70 year old American man who has been travelling the world for the last 20 years with nothing but his low social security payments and his girlfriend from the Canary Islands.  HA.   All the way to a 60 year old woman who kite surfs almost every day and lives life to the fullest here in New Zealand!  The list goes on and on.  We have shared our lives with so many people through conversations over wine, guitar playing, cooking and sharing our favorite meals and excursions.  This has been very eye opening for two kids from the "Bible belt" who grew up with parents that worked in the church.

A friend of mine once said this about traveling and experiencing other cultures. "They taught me that there is a bigger world out there that my privilege can blind me to. They taught me the true meaning of hospitality and joy."  -Crista

So now as I sit trying to plan my life.  Possibilities are really endless which is one thing we have learned over the last 7 years.  It’s not always easy but it has taken us on this incredible journey.  

With that being said we have decided to make New Zealand our “home” for the time being. We have now been here long enough to feel settled and we feel that we want to continue our life here.  We have met and continue to become close to people, we have friends!!! And we are enjoying life here at Mount Maunganui.  We have started the long and time consuming process of applying for residency and will hopefully hear something before our current work visa expires in April of 2018.  It will be nice to not have to plan our lives in just months at a time.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.  They must be felt with the heart.  Wishing you happiness. -Helen Keller.