Heading Home

8:00am and I'm sitting at Nelson airport waiting for my flight home. I can not believe that it has only been 3 1/2 weeks since I came down here. It feels like a lifetime, and I mean that in a good sense. It's just that so much has been packed into that time that 3 1/2 weeks just doesn't seem possible. On the whole I had an absolutely amazing time, the only downer being that my last exam yesterday didn't quite have the desired result. Never mind, it's not the end of the world. I'll give it another go in a couple of weeks.

The aim of this blog was originally to give those who are thinking about delving into an aviation world an idea of what is involved. In the end though it is turning into a bit of a social commentary. I thought my lasting memories would have been of hours sitting inside the classroom or buried in books. Those are some of the memories of course, but in the end the outstanding memories for me will be of the people. My classmates, those that I lived on site with, the instructors, those in the office and the kitchen. All awesome people.

To be honest I was surprised at how hard it was emotionally, and wonder what it must be like for those who have been here for months, especially those who are new to NZ. It ain't easy. What I found though is that in the end a support network just seemed to evolve to help everyone out. From helping out each other with study and preparing for flight tests, to just needing a lift somewhere, there was always somewhere there to help out.

So what particular things am I going to remember? First and foremost is the laughter. There was lots of it. And being in class trying to be serious and barely containing myself. The weird flavours which would come out of the kitchen on the weekend when we had to prepare our own meals. Brendan and his liberal use of chilli powder seemed to feature. Games of touch. The look of disbelief on the face of those whose cellphone went off in class and the realisation that that meant adding to the number of cakes that had to be brought to class. We're still waiting Arnie. Swimming at the river with the good ol' kiwi swinging rope. Being burnt to a crisp at the beach. And everyone will forever remember Halley and his daily rendition of I want to be a billionaire. Man that guy can play a guitar!! And let's not forget having nights out together and just generally having an awesome time!

I truely hope that at some time in the future some of us end up working together. That would just seem fitting.