A fellow author posted this position on Facebook and I thought, "You know, I could totally do this. Maybe not this year, but in a few years. When my youngest finishes high school. Five years to be exact." Excitedly, I started to think about the possibilities, how I would take a leave of absence from work, how my three oldest would already have their Bachelor's degrees (at least) and on their own, how I could leave the house in their capable hands while I flit off to New Zealand to write my heart out for three months AND get paid for it. Then reality slapped me in the face with its ugly, ring-laden hand. Right square in the eyepolos. I read the fine print. Where it says you have to be a New Zealand citizen or hold permanent residency. Um, yeah. Strike one and only. Of course all of my justifications for NOT applying came back as, "Yeah, I couldn't make it work anyway. Well, who knows if they will offer this in five years when I could MAYBE try to apply. Eh, just write on your own and keep self publishing." I applaud New Zealand and its ever forward-moving thinking and initiatives that support Pasifika peoples. How do we start something like this here in the USA?
