Coming Clean

So, I need to share more about this trip than I have. And now I think I can. For at least 10 years, I've had this weird thought stuck in my head about living in New Zealand. You know when you get a thought in your head and it just sticks there? Last year, Bobby and I started talking more and more about New Zealand. And we started thinking that the timing might be right. Our trip to NZ in January of this year was part vacation and part scouting trip. If we were entertaining moving across the planet, it might be a good idea to actually be there to see what it's like. So we did just that. And we both love NZ. It has breathtaking beauty. The people in this country are bizarrely friendly. At one point in our trip in January I actually started thinking that everyone here are actors hired to see the country to tourists. The food is good. The pace of life seems a bit more natural. As soon as we got home from that trip, I started looking for a job, off-shore. I had a few leads, several phone conversations, a couple of Skype interviews with hiring companies, but nothing was panning out. My recruiter friend in Wellington flat out told me that I was going to have to be on the ground to interview. Apparently NZ companies are a bit gun-shy working with people in my situation, because they've extended offers only to have the candidate back out at the last minute. A month or so ago, I determined that due to being at the tail end of one project at work and prior to the beginning of the next, that the timing was right for just such a trip. So I booked the flights. And told my recruiter friends in both Wellington and Auckland that I would be here in NZ to talk to companies. At the point, it was like the doors flew open. To jump ahead a bit, I landed in Auckland 4 days ago. I had my first face-to-face interview on Tuesday morning, with a development manager and a team lead. This was a company with which I'd already had a phone call technical screening interview a few prior, as well as taking a couple of psychometric tests for. I had a second interview yesterday. First up was a product director and another development lead. After them, I met with another product director and the CEO of the company. After that, I took a technical test. This morning I got a call from my recruiter that they were offering me the job. This afternoon, I signed the offer letter. So, I will be moving to New Zealand in a few weeks. For those of you wondering why I came by myself without Bob, you now know this wasn't just a vacation trip. And Bobby will be joining me at some point in the future. We have a lot of stuff to figure out, and he'll hang back for a while to get some things settled while I'm getting settled here. We are both excited, scared, happy, and terrified. And I think I may still be in shock a bit. This happened so fast. Have you ever thought about visiting New Zealand? You'll now have someplace to stay for free in Auckland. And the other thing - it's currently mid-winter here. And the sun is shining and the temperature is 12 degrees. Celcius. It's 54 Fahrenheit.