There is no place where I freak out about light more, blink harder at the staggering beauty of contrasting landscapes, and feel the need to point out every farm animal I see while driving than in New Zealand. Finishing out my working holiday visa this fall was marked by opportunities to learn from a generous visual journalist, get a permanent addition to my body placed there by an incredibly talented artist to remind me of this place that feels like home, and go on a beautiful trek across the South Island. After I returned and began processing my experiences, I found I developed a stronger sense of self and have, perhaps, become more prudent in how much emotional labor I do for people. As Zora Neale Hurston once said, "There are years that ask questions and years that answer" - and it's propitious when the question and answer happen to come in the same year.

Also, I did run over a possum while traveling in the South Island. We had just finished the Routeburn Track and it was a dark and windy road in the mountains. In my defense, I had just learned from the DOC ranger at the Lake Mackenzie Hut that possums are killing off many native bird species in New Zealand so, I guess, I did it for the birds.

*The Pinnacles, The Coromandel, New Zealand*

*Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park & Coromandel Forest Park, Waikato, New Zealand*

*Bag-End, Hobbiton, Matamata, New Zealand*

*Crown Range Lookout, Otago, New Zealand*

Routeburn Track, Mount Aspiring National Park, South Island, New Zealand

Routeburn Track, South Island, New Zealand

Key Summit, Fiordland National Park, South Island, New Zealand (Photo by: T. Allison)

Tongariro National Park, Wanganui, New Zealand