So, Morgan and I have been in Queenstown for nearly three weeks and it has really had its ups and downs. After Milford Sound we arrived here optimistic that our life would just fall right into place. We would find a house and a job within days and skip all of life's worries. I think we had the idea that we would pass out a few CV's and bam, a job will fall from the sky.
This isn't how life works. I have seen it happen to me and everyone I know time and time again. See, since our arrival to Queenstown our trip has been one long string of highs. Our biggest worry seemed to stop at what sandwich to make, or where to park the van tonight. It makes sense that eventually reality would strike, the cold weather would roll in and our money would roll right out. The pendulum must swing. Our peace wouldn't be grounded in the highs, but in our strength in dealing with the highs AND the lows.
But before we let all of these anxieties creep right in we would celebrate my birthday. We went for dinner Saturday and caught the early bird special! We each and a nice glass of red NZ wine and had our steaks medium rare. We spent the night exploring the tiny streets, popping in and out of bars, dancing, and figuring out the culture of the town. We finished the night with a Fergburger! We had heard so much about this magical lump of meat, wedged between fresh baked bread, onion, lettuce, tomato relish, and garlic aioli. The place is opened from 8:00 am and doesn't close until 5:00 am and believe me, people are eating burgers at all possible hours.
The following morning was my actual birthday. Morgan treated me to a delicious breakfast of coffee, bacon, and pancakes at an adorable cafe. I received many phone calls from home which I loved. That evening we went to a tiny stone lined pub to listen to a boyfriend and girlfriend duo play folk music and then went for some Mexican food. We called it an early night. I found myself watching Ted Talks at ten before dosing off.
At around four in the morning our phone rang and I did not answer in my sleepy stoop er, but I did feel the need to check facebook to see if the caller contacted me there. To my surprise I read a message from Katherine, my twin, saying she got into a bad car accident but she was OK. A lump welled in my throat as I stumbled for my Ipad to sign on Skype, catch a decent signal, grab my headphones and coat and step outside of our shared dorm room. She explained that she was driving too fast in the pouring rain and hydroplaned around a turn. Her car flipped, strangers gathered to help, the ambulance arrived, and shortly after, her husband... The whole thing. She told me she was OK but shaken up. The bruises would appear on her body over the next couple of days and she would begin to see how her seatbelt really had saved her life.
All this to say, I am so unbelievably thankful that nothing worse happened. It shook us all up. As a sister of such an amazing and precious person to me, I felt both lucky and incredibly vulnerable. My family is a gift to me that is so delicate. It is not just worldly things that can destroy their presence in my life, but also the intangible connections that we chose to strengthen and not weaken that can disappear.
The greatest gift in my life, on my birthday and everyday, is my family. I am so far from them yet I have never felt closer. I am loved by them and I love them keenly.
The following day would be met with worry about money and jobs and a place to live but we will get to all that on the next post.
Liz
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