Hot Christmas

Sunshine...
Beautiful crimson Pohutukawa (the New Zealand Christmas Tree)...
Exchanging presents...
Eating delicious turkey...
Drinking lots of wine...
Crackers...
Playing outdoor bowls...
Table games with friends...
Walking along the Wellington Botanic Garden...
Watching a Korean love story on DVD…

These are some of the things to describe my Christmas this year. This is the first time away from home and the first time for me to spend it in warm weather. I have to admit, it has been quite different and strange. Christmas decorations, sunshine and brightness just somehow don’t match with Christmas. Nevertheless it feels fantastic. I love going outside and not having to spend 10 minutes to get dressed. I’m happy because I can finally enjoy summer after 1,5 years:)

I will be spending the New Years Eve in Wellington as well. Quite a few people from overseas are coming over, so we’ll have a big party and loads of fun. On 1 January 8.25am we start our South Island road trip by taking a ferry from Wellington. Not much point to go to sleep I think:). Our trip will last 12 days and we drive through 3000km. I probably won’t have the chance to write anything to my blog until the second half of January. I’m so excited about the trip. I finally get to experience the true New Zealand.

The year 2006 has been an interesting and a life changing year for me. It’s hard to describe the whole journey, it’s hard to find the right words...It’s been a year of success and failures, a year of progress and unfortunately also disappointments in myself. It’s been a year of travelling and exploring, growth and reflection, a year of answers but also a year of more questions about my life and where I am heading...

Life is often peculiar and puzzling. I think it was Kaisa who once wrote „life is what happens when we make other plans”. It is true. Things may go the way you plan, but they may not. But you know what, it’s so peculiar how it always seems to be the best way. Early in 2006, when I became sure I was not going to stay in AIESEC Estonia any longer, I remember this beautiful and touching letter I received from a special friend that said „while one door closes we suddenly discover that there is another door that we haven’t seen before. Maybe it was too small. But you know what: the size of the door doesn’t say anything about the room or the rooms that are behind. Small doors often lead to big rooms and big doors often lead us to small rooms. Quite paradox…Sometimes we are just not able to recognize that we stepped through some doors that led us to new rooms. Maybe we do so in some years, maybe we never recognize them. But what I am sure is that you Kristi will step through a lot of those doors, the right ones, the ones that lead you to new rooms…”

Instead of Estonia, I ended up in New Zealand, instead of internship, I ended up dedicating yet another year to AIESEC. I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if things would have turned out differently. But there are no regrets, actually the opposite...

I’m looking forward to the year 2007. I’m intrigued by what the world has to offer. I wonder where I will be a year from now. Will it be New Zealand or some other part of the world? What will I be doing...who will I be with...?

I am not sure of my plans yet at this point, but I’m sure of 2 things, it is the last year for me in AIESEC and I won’t be returning to Estonia, not yet anyways...

Enjoy the last of 2006.
Cheers!