On December 3rd, 2013, I stepped onto a plane, sat down with a sigh, and took one last good look at my hometown in New Zealand. I was not going to be back for a very long time, even longer than I was anticipating. But in that moment, the full realisation of a life overseas had not hit me. I had no bloody idea what that next year and a half would hold, nor how much I would change.

I was headed for France, via Colorado and the house of my brother's best friend. The next year would be spent studying in both France and Scotland, and if I had anything to do with it, I was damn-well going to make sure I spent all of my spare time in galleries and cathedrals. No new friends for me, thank you. 

Well, that plan did not turn out quite the way I was hoping...

Instead, things turned out to be a whole lot better!

Here is a small extract of my thoughts after leaving New Zealand: