Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1397791
43 F A L L Q 3 I S S U E F E A T U R E industry attracts migrant professionals from all around the world. Sometimes, I was hard-pressed to find native Kiwis. Amanda became a citizen of New Zealand from her birthplace of Ireland, a proud life event to have happen during my stay. Since I couldn't go home for the holi- days and was on my own, I expanded the extent of my #TalesOf PandemicTravel from my morning walks in Lyall Bay, where I lived, to the earthquake ruins of Christchurch, the glaciers of the South Island, Hobbiton, and the volcanic activ- ity of Rotorua. But it was in Queenstown that I participated in a single activity that blew the USAPTSD of 2020 out of me... I catapulted across the Nevis River! The catapult is a human slingshot that sits 300 meters above the river floor. I chose this thrill adventure over bungee jumping because I didn't want to have to jump off the platform myself, I figured it would be easier if someone else did the launching. It wasn't easier. The accumulation of nerves as I was being harnessed in was so immense that it would take being flung 150 meters across the valley with 3Gs of force at about 100 KPH in 1.5 seconds to blast all of the anxiety about the pan- demic — and culture shock — out of my system. As I dangled on a string and fo- cused my gaze on the river floor below, all of the nerves disappeared. The pandemic was and remains an invisible threat, but the catapult, being purely physical and visceral, was exactly what this astro- naut needed to leave 2020 behind but not forgotten. Spending New Year's Eve in Auckland with a close-together crowd and fire- works off the Sky Tower, I thought about all the people back home who were living vicariously through my posts. And for the first time, I finally started to feel no guilt for this opportunity to live and work in New Zealand. Looking at our tight schedule, I don't see a scenario where editing could have worked remotely. Joe is such a hands-on and collaborative artist, the episodes re a l l y t h r i v e d a n d to o k t h e i r s h a p e with the intangible creativity that can only exist when people collaborate in person in a cutting room. I know that my colleagues reading this have a leg up with remote editing and all the ease and frustrations that Work from Home affords: no commutes, fewer internet problems, separation of life and work, Zoom overload, and other facets I will know soon enough. But I think my unique Kiwi experience will prepare me for our re-entry into society when there is a re- turn to in-person editing rooms. Contact and energy between people is something to be savored, and New Zealand shows how the pandemic can be dealt with if we all do our part and work together. At my farewell lunch, I was gifted a P o u n a n u To k i ( g r e e n s t o n e n e c k - l a c e ) f r o m P a m e l a H a r v e y - W h i t e , t h e p r o d u c e r. T h e T o k i , o r A d z e , signif ies strength, control, and per- s o n a l g r o w t h , w h i c h I c a r r y w i t h me today. I equate my time in New Zealand with their national mascot, the Kiwi bird — fragile and endangered, unable to fly, but magical in concentration. I am forever grateful for the experience, and I hope that sharing the beauty of the land and the people in #TalesOf Pandemic- Travel can give people a glimpse into a life returned. Kia Ora, New Zealand. ■ To see more New Zealand photographs go to Instagram @Puppicasso "Mr. Corman" streams on Apple TV+. ZIP IT: Sotelo catapulting across the Nevis River. P H O T O : C O U R T E S Y S H A R I D A N S O T E L O