Thank you thank you thank you thank you

When on a trip like this, it's difficult to make friends. Every couple of days you leave a place and you leave behind all of the people you met there, often never to cross paths again. I'm beginning to get tired of the conversation we've been having the past nine months... Where are you from? How long are you traveling for? How do you like this place? Yeah, the volunteering was great, we loved it. Thailand was nice. I would go back there again. We're going to Australia next, then South Africa. I know, penguins, weird, but it sounds pretty cool. We'll be home for Christmas. Yes, we do get homesick. Which part of America are we from? The Canadian part.

Anyway, a person you've known for a week becomes an old friend. We have, to be fair, met a number of really great people, some that we've met up with again through our travels, some that have let us crash in their homes on a patch of floor, and some that we plan to travel with in a 4x4 vehicle through the deserts of Africa.

Even better than old friends are family. In the absence of true blood family, then family-of-friends is just fantastic. Here in New Zealand we have been truly lucky to be introduced to certain family members of a certain friend from home, and we have been truly spoiled by these certain family members. We were not only introduced to these wonderful people, but invited into their homes and treated like -- family.

So, a million thanks to the family of this friend (you know who you are!) for making our time in New Zealand a heartwarming and memorable experience. I'm certain that our moms thank you too, for keeping us warm and comfortable in your homes. I hope that we'll see you again soon, perhaps when you decide to come to Canada!