Grace | Palmerston North, Manawatū

“Over the lockdown, I ended up having a heart-to-heart with my husband. So, we got married in February, so just before the lock-down, and we had a bit of a heart-to-heart over the lock-down about my need for personal connection.

I went a little bit crazy over lock-down with not being able to see people, see friends, and so we ended up having a conversation. He’s not like that. So, he’s quite introverted, and has been coping wonderfully over the lockdown, but I really needed that so we had a lot of video calls and things like that, but I needed to express that, about how I was feeling. It’s been good. I felt a lot better after sharing, to be honest, and I needed to share, because when you’re more extroverted, and your partner is more introverted, I suppose they don’t necessarily understand straight off that bat. So, a conversation needed to happen, but he was really good about it, and made sure that I did get in touch with friends, and the day that the lockdown was over, he organised so that I could go and see people, and made it easier. 

I come from quite a small family, but a family of people who don’t talk, and so, I’m someone who, growing up with people who don’t really talk about their feelings, or what’s going on, found it really difficult. I tend to have a lot more heart-to-hearts with people than I think is normal, I suppose. We’re not going to know what’s going on with the people around us if we don’t have honest conversations. I think it’s really important.

So, I grew up in New Plymouth, and then I moved to Palmerston North to go to Massey University in 2014, and I’ve been here ever since, I did my under-grad and my masters, and I’m doing a PhD. So, I’ve kind of never left. In that time, I met my husband and we’ve settled in Palmy here, which has been really nice. 

It’s funny to kind of have these questions at the moment, because I think I, like a lot of people over the lockdown kind of considered what’s important when you have that time to breathe and think, and honestly it’s the people in my life, friends and family is the most important thing and I couldn’t live without them.”