When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. This rather famous quote can quite simply not be used in Australia as Australians do not have lemonade as we North Americans (and Europeans) know it. When one asks for lemonade here they are given a glass, can and/or bottle of Sprite or 7-Up. It's not even necessarily a "lemon-flavored" one either. Just a drink of carbonated sugary liquid and Aussies all around are damn convinced this is the "true" lemonade. They are missing out.
So - as I am Canadian and from the land where proper lemonade consists of freshly squeezed lemons mixed with sugar and water and then served in a class with a few ice cubes - as I am a Canadian where kids actually are able to set up lemonade stands on their front lawns, dreaming of making big money - as I am a Canadian where people understand what it means to "make lemonade" when "life gives you lemons"... I intend to do just that.
Within the past couple of days, life has come to a standstill here in Broome. Besides the fact that a bird decided to sit in the tree above my tent and decorate the top with it's droppings, Alex and I have been pushing hard to move our jouney's momentum to the next level and it has apparently decided to push just as hard right back. As I have received word that I have been approved for my working Visa in New Zealand, Alex has received no such notice. Immigration New Zealand has taken note that as Alex has travelled rather extensively in the past few years, they are unsure as to whether she would be a suitable candidate to come to New Zealand. The theory is that they do not think she has enough money to come to New Zealand. You are required to have a minimum of around $4-5 thousand dollars in your bank account for start-up expenses. So she is now in the process of re-contacting them to prove that, yes, she has been travelling to many countries in the past couple of years, but she has also been working and saving extensively during those years as well. The bottom line is, it will be rather difficult to do a two person trek in New Zealand if only one of us is allowed to get into the country.
And as far as I go, yesterday I logged onto one of my email accounts only to find that for the second time in the last six months, all my emails from my inbox along with my contact list had been wiped clean. It baffled me the first time this happened and again this time as I had never opened a single questionable email - which means tthat whatever virus wiped me clean did it through somehow automatically getting into my account. Fortunately, it wasn't the main email account I am using for contacting people regarding the Te Araroa Trek, but it still left me a little worried of what could be. I have now begun the frantic buisness of backing up absolutely everything in that account, whether that be contacts, emails or otherwise - on the off chance that the same thing happens to that one.
That being said, not all is a frustrating experience. I just have yet to make the lemonade.
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