In No Particular Order

1. Seeing Jem waiting for me at the gate at the Auckland airport as I stumbled out of customs, all tired and jetlagged and confused.

2. My first bowl of hot chocolate at Espressoholic.

3. Going work clothes shopping in the rain with Cherie on Lambton Quay, not sure of any of the brands or of my NZ size.

4. The hug and Crunchie bar A. gave me when I came back early from Taupo.

5. The day that eggs on the shelf and refrigerated dog food became ordinary.

6. The day I started saying “Yip!” and “Eh?”

7. Mat going in for mussels with his dive bag the morning of Christmas lunch in Whitianga.

8. Buying a bag of mint imperials every week and keeping them in my purse.

9. Going from one cup of tea a day to two, to threee, to occasionally four in times of stress.

10. Dancing at Good Luck Club and Mighty Mighty in my cheap Supre going-out tops and then taking the night bus home.

11. Every walk to the beach at Island Bay.

12. Lunches with Shirley at the Mediterranean Food Warehouse at my old job.

13. The walk to Newtown from Berhampore.

14. Visiting Tapu Te Ranga.

15. Seeing the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra.

16. Seeing, now that I think about it, Fat Freddy’s Drop (twice!), Ladi 6 (twice!), Age Pryor, and Phoenix Foundtion.

17. Going to Cuba Street Carnival with Abi and Lydia and Mat, totally stupid from getting no sleep the night before, and seeing that naked girl dancing around on top of the roof of Floriditas.

18. Making pasta at home with A., settling in for a cozy night of wretched reality TV in our yoga pants.

19. The first long talk Alice and I had at Fidel’s.

20. Going with David to take pictures at the Karori Bird Sanctuary.

21. Seeing Eagle Vs. Shark, a movie set in Wellington…in Wellington…and leaning over to hiss at the aforementioned David HEY IS THAT MANNERS MALL?

22. Meeting my cousin at Te Papa and bringing him back to the flat for Tim Tams and L&P.

23. Hell Pizza, Limbo with no bacon or tomatoes, extra olives, please.

24. Satay Kingdom with Jill, when it was finally finally finally spring.

25. Putting on makeup at Sylvia’s old house before our freakin’ awesome duet.

26. Learning the words to He Honore, He Kororia at my last job.

27. Receiving a beautiful pounamu at the aformentioned last job.

28. Going to Raumati and singing Justin Timberlake songs in the car with Steven when he came to visit.

29. Learning to make ANZAC bickies and koko rice.

30. Sitting on the suede couch with my mom as she helped me mend some too-big t-shirts.

31. Every single meal Giulia has ever made for me, ever.

32. Seeing sea lions with Lydia.

33. Looking around the Southern Cross at my leaving do and seeing so many people I cared about, all there at the same time, talking and laughing and screaming and making coffee dates with one another.

34. Running into eight people I know every time I walked down Courtenay Place.

35. Being told: “Oh, we forgot you need a visa, we just think of you as one of us,” at the last job.

36. Getting my Wellington library card.

37. Walking back from the stadium along the waterfront in the autumn sun.

38. Fish and chips at Deirdre and Nahum’s, that first night in Wellington.

39. Feeling like I had climbed Everest after the Tongariro Crossing.

40. Whitebait fritters and hair straighteners at Danica’s.

41. “Cheers driver!” on the number 1 bus to Island Bay.

42. Giggling and gossiping on the floor with Anna in the flat, just as we have on so many other floors in so many other houses.

43. Kayaking in the Abel Tasman, of course.

44. Holding hands with Davide at Cape Reinga the other day, looking out over the end of the world.

45. Saying “See you when I get back,” to everyone, looking forward to that day more than I can say.