My night is winding down at 2:30 a.m., and sleep seems like a good idea. Looking at my arm, the relentless mosquitoes must have read yesterday’s post; they have practically drained the life from my left arm. What I really meant to say is that my time in this flat is finally nearing its end. Today I listed the networking equipment I used to work away from the office on Trade Me (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Networking-modems/ ADSL-modems/auction-46922291.htm). Wish me luck! I could not have been more fortunate with the group of flatmates I ended up living with. I genuinely intend to visit Hayden and Tanya in Melbourne and travel with Kate and Owen to Moscow via the Trans-Siberian Railway. I hope to …

I realized tonight that there is one small part of New Zealand life I have not yet made peace with: mosquitoes. Mozzies, as they are called here, seem to have a special talent for appearing just when I am trying to concentrate. The small ones are the worst because I cannot always tell whether I am seeing a mosquito, a speck of dust, or just my imagination after too much time staring at a screen. I refuse to spend the evening clapping randomly at the air, though I admit the temptation is real.

I close my eyes and write in my blog in an attempt to fall back asleep. As many of you know, I have never had a problem falling asleep. I have slept in the dirt while camping, in a bathtub, on a concrete balcony, and on countless trains. In fact, name a place and I have most likely slept there. Except when I have had coffee. My body responds very strongly to caffeine, and last night was no exception. At about midnight, I decided to have a cup of tea, pouring not a teaspoon of leaves into my cup but a heaped tablespoon. Oops. I could not get to sleep until almost 6 a.m. Then my alarm went off at 9:55 a.m. for a meeting, only for it to be cancelled!

I’ve had several requests to confirm that I’m alive. Are you alive? I think so. pinch Yup. Good! For those of you who want more information, read on. Please forgive any rough edges; it is past 3:00 a.m., and I’m rather tired. I have now joined the JAFA ranks, i.e., Just Another Very Aucklander. What can I say? I’m worse than a statistic. While I love the countryside, I prefer city life, and Gisborne was very rural. As you can tell from this belated entry, my journey back was several months ago, so I’ll recap only a few stories.

Gisborne = Roseburg. For those of you reading from Oregon, and in particular Ashland, you know what I’m talking about. For those of you who don’t know about Roseburg, let me explain. My time in Auckland was drawing to a close — I had managed to use an internet connection from McDonald’s so was able to get online for free — but who wants to work from McDonald’s? I had an itch to go and play in the ocean, so when Friday came I departed. Nigel and Tina went to Taupo and dropped me off at the bus station at 7:00 a.m. or some similarly ungodly time. Problem was (and I didn’t make this apparent) — I was up until 3 a.m. working. I also had a New Zealand dial-up account, so I was able to sort of get online if there is …

Upon arriving in New Zealand, my uncle met me at the airport and, after teasing me for trying to get into the wrong side of the car (I was still getting used to that), we took off. The flight was overnight and the final three hours were rather bumpy, so I was quite tired. We had dinner, chatted for some time, and I fell asleep. The bed was warm and comfortable, and it was my first experience with an electric blanket. I have fallen in love. As I learned bits of family slang from my cousin, I began to realise how alike my father and uncle are. Their mannerisms are remarkably similar: the way they talk and the way they use their hands. Apparently, the way I talk and use my hands also reminds my aunt Tina of my …