Kate | Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty

“I would say home is definitely about the people you’re surrounded with, because my home-base is actually in Canada, but I’m all the way over here, and I still feel like I’m at home, just because of all the people that make me feel like I’m at home, all of the friends that I’ve met here, all of the people I work with, all of my managers and bosses, and everyone that I’ve met, basically has made it feel like home.

Just, everyone’s so welcoming, and I think that’s a big thing, and being able to be comfortable around people, be yourself around them. 

I definitely think it’s important. I feel like that’s when you feel comfortable. When you feel at home, you feel comfortable, and so I think it’s really important to have a safe space to be yourself, and to be around people, and everything. 

I was working in Wellington in a café for five months, and I became really close with my boss. She’s a little old Irish lady, and when I was leaving it was really hard to leave her, because I felt like I was her daughter. I really felt a part of her family, and she gave me this St Christopher’s necklace and I didn’t even know what it was, but it’s like a travelling keepsake. He keeps you safe when you’re traveling. So, I felt that was really nice, because I felt super close with her, and it made me feel like I was a part of her family, in a way. I thought it was really special.

I was born in Ottawa, in Canada, and I’ve lived there for most of my life. I spent two years abroad in Qatar, and then I went back home, and then I was traveling a lot with my mum, when we were in Qatar, and then I decided to do a year in Australia. Then I thought I was going to go back home and study, and I didn’t, and then I decided to come out to New Zealand, and I love New Zealand. I want to stay. That’s me.”