Kia Ora! 🇳🇿

Jul 22, 2022

Hey missed yaaaa😁

If you couldn’t guess by the title, I’m currently in New Zealand🤗🇳🇿 I’ve been out here since Mid-June and it’s been an experience unlike any other. The country is beautiful, the people are so sweet, anddddd they speak English🥲 (with the coolest accents lol). Most of my days consist of working out, doing community activations with the local youth, and making random TikToks 😅

Ky…How did you get to New Zealand??

I’m glad you asked😊

So I got back home from Slovakia at the end of April and was beyond excited to see everyone and feel a sense of normalcy again. It was great seeing my family and my people, plus finally getting some real Mexican food (I missed it so much😩). Then after 3 weeks of seeing people, working out, and paying US gas prices⛽️🤢 I was like “It’s time to go”😂

My agent hit me up in May: “You want to go play in New Zealand?”

Me: “Absolutely.”

Him: “Okay”

Done. Boom, I’m here.

💀Okay it wasn’t that simple, but y’all get it. This was a really cool opportunity, in a country I may never have visited otherwise, so why not come across the pond?🌊

Kiwi Livin’🥝

The Māori culture is rich throughout NZ, seen in the language, traditions, and love amongst the people. The Māori people hold the kiwi bird in high regard and their feathers were used to make ‘kahu kiwi’, which were valuable cloaks worn by the tribal chiefs. They call people from New Zealand ‘Kiwis’in reference to the bird which is unique to the country.

Many members of my team and our organization are Māori, and they’ve allowed us to witness and partake in their culture and traditions which has been incredible🙌🏾 June 24, 2022 was the first time New Zealand celebrated ‘Matariki’ (The Māori New Year) as a public holiday. They invited us to join them in their celebration as guests❤️

Matariki feast for friends and ‘whānau’ (family) 🍽

Going anywhere overseas, you never know what you’re gonna get or what people are like. But, it’s only been a little over a month and I feel like it’s been forever with these ladies. We have a mix of personalities and interests, and the best part about us is we all genuinely want to see each other succeed🙏🏾 Blessed to have these women in my life #Whai🤍 Speaking of ‘whānau’, here’s some of mine🤗

If you’ve never been to NZ, I highly recommend visiting (or moving lol) because this place is stunning. Y’all already know I love anything to do with nature and water, so this has been the perfect place for me. The city I’m in is Tauranga. It’s on the east coast of the North Island. Everywhere you go in the city you’re either driving over the water or by the water.

Mount Maunganui Beach 🌊

Right now it’s winter time here, so there aren’t many people on the beaches or in the water, but on a nice day, when the weather is in the low 60s, people have their surf boards, sunglasses, and kids ready to soak it all in😎🏝 Plus, I don’t care how cold it is, I’m gonna take a walk and catch a sunrise🌄 #BundleUp

Took this my first day in NZ😍

Until Next Time🫡

All in all, I just wanted to take a moment to stop and appreciate this life I live. I’ll update y’all on how basketball is going soon. Right now though I’m just extremely blessed, humbled, and grateful to be where I am.

Thanks for reading and always rocking with me! Like, comment, and subscribe🙌🏾

Love y’all ✌🏾❤️