I’m the kind of person that enjoys listening, rather than speaking.
Which is why I love this profession because it pushes me to go out into the world and listen to people and their stories.
But, nevertheless, I have been asked to deliver a few thoughts of my own.
I’ve been in the North Island for over two weeks now, and I am still forming my first opinion.
That’s because I think there is so much more to see and discover, and I want to have more to say than, “It’s beautiful” which, of course, it is.
From the wildflowers that line the highways, the many beaches, and the breathtaking ocean views, the soaring eagles, the North Island is a hidden gem, and I’m glad to have found it.
One of the things I’ve found remarkable about the North Island since arriving here, is the strong sense of community.
It’s remarkable to me because a sense of community is sometimes hard to come by in bigger places like the Lower Mainland.
I think community is something that I have taken for granted in the past.
It’s not something I ever realized was important, until it was gone.
Of course, communities form in cities as well but they are harder to find and even harder to join.
I used to speak with a coworker of mine, who had recently moved back to Vancouver, about this topic.
He joked he was so eager to find a sense of community in his life that he was willing to join a new religion or even a cult.
While this may be an extreme example, it does illustrate that a sense of community can be really important in a person’s life.
What excites me about discovering more about the North Island, is getting to know the communities here and understanding more about them.
I have only been to a few places so far on the North Island, and I can already tell there is a lot more to learn about this unique place.
I’m also excited to enjoy hiking and beaches this summer without having to fight off the crowds of people.
There is something incredibly frustrating about taking a two hour transit trip to the beach, only to find it so overcrowded, there’s not an inch of sand left to lay your towel down.