Hannah Rosa

Well, here I am, New York.

I’ve been trying to reflect on all that I’ve experienced over the past few months.. And it still feels like a dream. In fact, I feel as though I am living in a dream-state constantly. My brain seems to be trying to play catch-up.. and failing miserably.

Alas, here I am, very much alive, and having the privilege of staying with a wonderful couple in Pelham Manor, New York (20 minutes out of Manhattan for those not familiar with NYC) More on that to come.. But here’s a run down of what the last month or so in the mighty U.S. of A.

April/May were a whirlwind in a new kind of way.. My hours at the office calmed down and then began the day in/day out push to get through the backlog of work. But it was delightful in so many ways. I had amazing times with my team of fellow interns— laughing through the ridiculousness of what we were all experiencing and trying to be ever-present and make the most of our time together. The time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. We were sent off in style and attended a glorious goodbye-dinner at a gorgeous venue in San Diego. We danced, ate too much, and took some ridiculous photos. Fantastic. (I also managed to spill red wine on my dress. Oh haaaii, San Diego drycleaner) I seriously had such a good time with the people I’ve come to love so much. It has been amazing to see them all grow and develop throughout our internship together and I already miss them.. but know they will remain life-long friends.

The goodbyes were bittersweet, and before I knew it I was in LA and on my way to see ‘Follies’ at the Ahmanson. WOW! What a show. Simply stunning. I wept through about 70 percent of it and it was a perfect end to my time in California. The production takes the audience on an incredible journey, exploring the characters forgotten dreams, past regrets, and search for hope in the midst of disillusionment.

I bid farewell to sunny California, and headed off to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.. with a delightful stop in Chicago on the way. Delightful because it was the terminal featured in the Home Alone film franchise. I took too many photos.. Don’t even worry about it.

A bumpy plane ride later in the smallest plane you’ve ever seen and I found myself in Cedar Rapids.. the good ol Midwest. I stayed with a good friend and her brother for 5 days. Bliss! I was treated to a massage at the local day spa, had saunas at the family-owned gym, went on bike rides, had delicious meals and long walks. It was everything that week needed to be following the intensity of the past few months.

Then it was on to Omaha, Nebraska, to catch with another friend. I met some lovely people on the train ride there, and was picked up by my friend an taken to yet another Midwestern suburb. Again, was treated so kindly by the couple we stayed with and had a great time. It was a short visit, however, and before I knew it, I was back on a plane and on my way to the Big Apple.. And here I am.

The last 2 days have been quite the adventure already. But more about that later in the next chapter of what I am now titling, “Kiwi Abroad 2: Lost in New York”

The last month has gone in a blur. A crazy blur. I have been so blessed to be a part of such an amazing time at Invisible Children. Following the excitement of going to Disneyland for the first time, I’ve been lucky enough to be part of a campaign that produced the most viral video in history. Kony 2012 is so much more than we could ever have imagined. I’ve really seen it all— overwhelming acts of kindness, generosity and grace. And of course, outrageous criticisms, disheartening accusations and also, thankfully, some thoughtful and useful critiques. It’s insane how quickly time is going by. It seems like only yesterday I was landing in San Diego and about to embark on the most varied internship one could imagine.

As I approach the 12 week mark of living and working in California, I am feeling settled and happy— despite the intensity of my working/living situation. In the past few weeks many alumni from Invisible Children have moved into the house I share with my fellow interns in order to help us with the increased workload we are facing. We are up to around 27 people in the house! It has been fantastic to meet so many new people from all over the States and from all walks of life. I have a much more  balanced routine, and am beginning to make the most of the access I have to Farmer’s Markets and the like. The days are getting warmer and I can’t wait till it’s hot enough to go to the beach. I was a tourist again on the weekend and visited Seaport Village in Downtown San Diego. It is a cute little village with touristy shops, horse & carriage rides, and people flying kites. It reminded me of Auckland a little bit with it being situated right on the harbour. I spent a long time looking round the bookstore and drinking a latte— very refreshing to be out and about.

Today Invisible Children launched the second part of Kony. You should all watch it. And a little insight into why I have been so slow in updating this… Because I work in this busy, amazing office. Here’s a tour with one of the most interesting guys you could ever meet, Jed Jenkins. Seriously. He’s the man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFkZlBw3DeA

Disneyland is amazing. I want to live there. Actually I just want to get a job as Tinkerbell so I can fly above the castle in a harness during the firework display. Best. Job. Ever.  But seriously, so much fun. I was there till midnight. With two amazing Disneyland regulars (who are friends from work), Hailey and Bert. They were amused by my excitement and were patient in my endeavour to find the perfect sweatshirt and Mickey Mouse ears. Also Bert’s friend works there and got me in for free. So much winning.

It really was a dream come true to go to Disneyland— and it was the greatest end to a very intense time at work. It was a week of 7 am starts and very late nights but it all paid off and our lovely roadies at IC set off in their vans to share the latest documentary at venues all across North America. This means I’ll be moving into the next phase of my internship and I can’t wait to see what’s in store!
Hours are getting back to normal for a while now, which will be nice. I am living in a lovely new house which is massive and so much fun! It’s ridiculous how much fun it is, actually.

So yes, a new phase of my time abroad has begun and hopefully I will be able to keep up with this blog a little better now that I have some more free time.

Highlights of the last few weeks include:
-Disneyland, obviously (Teacups, Indiana Jones and Star Tours being some of my personal favourites)
-Coming to the new house and finding that the roadies had left an amazing amount of delicious food. Nutella, ice cream and pretzels for dinner, anyone?
-Launch day— a stunning morning up the top of Mount Soledad. Incredible views and tearful goodbyes followed by a delicious lunch with fellow Invisible Children peeps.
-Launch dinner: We had a top notch feast followed by the screening of the new IC media, dancing and photos.
-Sharing my room with two lovely Ugandan girls— for a week and a half I had two extra roommates, Connie & Sylvia. They are incredible and are now on the road with the other roadies but it was so great to get to know them. They are super inspiring, kind and very funny. Love them.

I’ve also been able to experience more of the city of San Diego. The trolley system is great and have used it to go book shopping at Barnes and Noble, movie- going and plenty of trips to coffee stores. I’ve still yet to find coffee as good as a NZ Flat White, but I live in hope. There are a couple of cute espresso shops near work that do a pretty good latte, so I can’t really complain. Yesterday I went to Oceanbeach and saw those long pier/jetty things that you see in every movie set on a Californian beach. Good times.

There have been so many great moments over the past few weeks and no doubt there are plenty more to come. I’m still debating getting a season pass to Disneyland so I can go there every weekend. I mean, as I heard a frazzled mother telling her child who was having a tantrum while in line for Pirates of the Caribbean, “This is the happiest place on earth.. If you can’t be happy here.. Well..”

Classic.

Thanks to the lovely Hailey for the photos below:

I have been in the USA a grand total of 3 weeks! Nearly a whole month! Amazeballs.

It’s proving difficult to keep up with this Tumblr business.. Partly because the internet at my house is slow.. But mainly because my job is hard work. Seriously… so much work. But the people are incredible and I feel honoured to be working alongside them. This really is so much more than a job… It’s a lifestyle. A crazy, full- on and completely wonderful lifestyle— living and working in a dynamic community of people all united for a common purpose. Hippie commune meets Greek Frat/Sorority meets Full House meets *insert tv show about workaholics* Loving it.

The job is serious business though— learning about the history of a war in Central Africa that has been going on for over 26 years. The horror of the situation sometimes seems too hard to comprehend… I am being pushed to capacity to absorb it all and, in between trainings, manage to cold call schools and churches in Utah to book screenings for the latest Invisible Children documentary: Kony 2012. Funny story: I rang an Assistant Principal from a Middle School in Utah.. Only to have him say after a couple of minutes, “Is that a New Zealand accent? I ask because I grew up in Hamilton…” It really is a small world. I can’t work out whether Utah is an improvement on Hamilton or not…

I had a fantastic weekend of shopping, walking and then I went to a Pizookie party on Saturday night. Pizookie is a giant cookie covered in ice cream. God bless America.

Speaking of culinary delights, I am in love with Mexican food.. have bought some toaster waffles and discovered a wondrous place called Yoghurt-land. There is seriously every kind of soft serve yoghurt you can imagine with toppings ranging from lychees to oreos to mini peanut butter cups. The flavours are so rich you only need a little bit AND you get to serve yourself and get charged based on its weight. So cheap!! The supermarkets here are also amazingly inexpensive— And I even manage to find NZ cheese and lamb at Trader Joes (cool Organicy/hipster chain supermarket).

Well, that’s all for now. This weekend I am going to Prom. Yes, an actual Prom. 80’s Prom, in fact, with 70 other interns and roadies. I am more excited that Rebecca Black on a Friday.

And I was one of them! After a 12 hour flight, half hour bus trip to Union Station, Los Angeles, and then a 3 hour-ish train trip down the coast of California, I arrived in San Diego! My home for the next 5 months. Crazy.

The trip went smoothly— other than the initial delay getting off the ground (a passenger had medical issues, then it turned out they had overloaded the plane or something too. Sigh) everything went smoothly. I watched a couple of movies and some How I Met Your Mother before managing to have a sleep.. And got ice creams as a midnight snack! Amazeballs.

Upon landing and trying to carry my bags through customs and onto bus etc, it quickly became apparent that I had far too much stuff. However, I am somewhat glad I have every possible thing I need because I doubt I am going to have much time to get out and buy things (hours at the office are long!!) I went straight to work from the train station, and then on to a documentary screening and finally got back to my house at around 10 pm. So was overwhelmed to say the least! A few tears the first night, but seem to have found my feet a bit more now. This job is already so full on. But such an incredible opportunity.

I am living in a former frat house with 18 others and sharing a room with another girl (who is absolutely lovely!) It’s hard to even describe how surreal it feels to be over here and I am completely immersed in my new job.

I don’t have time to write much more at this stage but here’s a few fun things that I’ve seen/experienced so far:

-After 5 minutes at Union Station I got Starbucks, read the front page of the NY Times and saw a guy get arrested. By the LAPD. They had guns.. It was weird. One of the cops put the guy in cuffs while the other one went and got them Frappuccinos.

-There are American flags EVERYWHERE. On people’s houses, general buildings. They are all about the flag.

-I have been to Target twice. It is awesome. I got a pillow for 3 dollars on the first night. Groceries last night. Like a boss.

-There was an alcohol store on the way to Target called ‘Keg’n’Bottle’. Lol.

-On the train down to SD, there was border patrol questioning a dude. One of the officers looked like a cop from an 80’s police drama.

-The taps here are weird. It took me 5 minutes to figure out how to turn on the shower.

Well, for now, that’s all folks.
Love Han x

A very good place to start. In just two and a half days I shall be boarding a plane headed to sunny California!! I have wanted to travel for as long as I can remember so am thrilled to be off to explore another part of the globe.. But more than just a casual holiday abroad, I am so overwhelmingly excited to be a part of something so fantastic. So here is the story of why/where I’m going:

A little while ago I heard about organisation, ‘Invisible Children’ (www.invisiblechildren.com). Upon further investigation, I discovered that not only are they just amazing in general in their efforts to see terrorist Joseph Kony brought to justice, and the lives of those affected by the LRA restored, but they also offer incredible internship opportunities to young people from the States and beyond. So I applied.

Next minute (hehe), well actually 2 or so months later, here I am attempting to pack up my life into one suitcase and a small carry on bag (which matches my suitcase.. of course). Pack ALL of the things!!! I will be living in San Diego for five months and then.. well, we shall see!

So this will be my blog. Such a hipster… I will attempt to keep it up-to-date with my adventures, learnings and an occasional celebrity-spot photo. Like Perez Hilton minus all the Kardashians.

Hopefully the blogging experience will work out better than my attempts at keeping a journal.. I think my last entry was New Year’s Day 2007.

No doubt as I learn more and more about the conflict in Central Africa I’ll be able to provide some pretty interesting updates. So keep an eye out for that :)

For now though, the main things I have learned as I am getting prepped to leave:

1. I have way too many pairs of underwear

2. I have way too many clothes in general

3. Trying to decide which novel to take to read on the plane is a huge call

4. Most people agree that me taking my tap shoes and sheet music collection is a silly idea (I intend to take them anyway… Tap class in NYC, yes please)

5. I am not very good at goodbyes.

It feels very surreal that I am leaving in such a short time.. A few nerves are starting to creep in. But I am trusting that I am going where the Lord wants me to be and I can’t wait to see what the next year holds!