Dream. Plan. Do!

NZ Maori call the newborn, unfurling fern frond a koru. It symbolises new life,
growth, strength and peace. The image seems appropriate here.

Since I left my ex-husband 5½ years ago, I’ve been dreaming of living and working overseas, and in just under 4 weeks my dream will finally come true.

I had originally been planning a 6-month volunteer placement with Globalteer in Peru from the beginning of August. I had had discussions with Globalteer’s general manager, Jim Elliott, about how I could best help out, I’d been in contact with his project manager, South America, Judy to make the necessary arrangements and my travel agent cousin Paul had booked my flights. I was supposed to pay for my flights by Friday 11 March but then, somewhat unexpectedly, Paul suggested I wait to see if a special price might come up.

The following Sunday Judy phoned from Peru to give me more information about their project and discuss details of my trip. Half way through our conversation, she said she was sorry she wouldn’t get to meet me. I was surprised and asked, ‘Why not?’ She replied that she was leaving in June.

As soon as she said it, something clicked in my brain – call it instinct, or fate, I really don’t understand what it was, though this same thing has happened to me before. Here was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass! By the end of our conversation I had applied for Judy’s job and later that afternoon I emailed off my CV and application letter to her to send on to Jim. It was a very good thing that I hadn’t paid for my tickets!!!

Jim sent me an email and we set up a phone interview – he was then in Cambodia. We had a really good long chat and, after taking the weekend to mull it over, Jim phoned early the following week to offer me the job. I could hardly believe my luck!

And, since then, everything has fallen into place – which to me is a sure sign that this was meant to happen! My tickets are now booked and paid for; my travel insurance is also organised and paid for; my new passport has arrived; I’ve organised a property management company to look after my apartment and it's already rented – to their Auckland rental manager, which should certainly guarantee it will be well looked after.

I still have a lot of things on my ‘To Do’ list: clearing out and selling off and tidying up, but I'm trying to get at least one thing done every day so that I won't be rushing round too much at the last minute.

It’s amazing what opportunities present themselves when you are open to the possibilities. I just love it when dreams come true!