Three months later,
once I had somehow gotten used
to working at the café,
I set off on a trip around
the South Island.
With my backpack
on my shoulders,
I took local buses
from place to place.
I worked packing apples
at an apple orchard,
and I was also given
the precious opportunity
to work at a café
deep in the mountains,
run by a German couple.
About six months into
my working holiday,
I came across a town
called Dunedin —
and I fell in love with it
at first sight.
While working as a cleaner
at a backpackers’ hostel,
I was also lucky enough
to work day and night
at a Japanese restaurant
there.
There were all kinds
of little dramas
along the way,
but by the time
I was 24,
I began to feel
the limits
of my English ability
overseas.
I felt that I needed
a stronger skill —
something solid
I could rely on.
So I decided
to go back to Japan once.
But deep down,
I still wanted
to work properly
in an English-speaking
country.
I wanted
to get permanent residency.
With that thought
in mind,
I had already decided
that my next destination
would be Australia.
8
