Patriotism?

As often happens, it was music that stirred memories and strong emotions in me this afternoon. The Manchester wind blowing through my hair cycling "home", Tom Scott and Avantdale Bowling Club echoed through my headphones, yet all I could hear was Home. From 18,000 kilometres away I could hear it. The squawk of tūī. The rain lashing against weatherboards. The karanga from a marae. The cicadas relentlessly chirping. The waves crashing against the beach. The woof of Bailey. The meow of Ziggy. The babble of Lily. The laughter of all my loved ones. 

I miss Aotearoa. I've often pondered patriotism and whether I'm proud to be a Kiwi. Often I've seen the negatives of New Zealand and thought that patriotism was for short-sighted, small-minded, and at times, racist, people. But this time away from home has made me reassess my opinion of patriotism. I've visited roughly 35 countries in my life now, only scratching the surface of the whole world really, and certainly very Europe-centric, but man, I have come to appreciate Aotearoa New Zealand.

Of course our wonderous nature - our maunga, our beaches, our forests - but also our approach to life. Politeness, kindness and care I feel are a part of our identity, and I have seen we possess these traits in a general sense more than many countries. Our approach to life - she'll be right, no worries mate, get on and do stuff without a fuss. Our multiculturalism, especially our integration of Te Ao Māori into a lot of life. 

Do I miss the fickleness of our politics, our short-sighted approach to infrastructure and any sort of structural change? Our remoteness and the eye-watering expense to travel anywhere out of the country? Our expensive and disappointing food selections? Our car-centricity, our sprawling cities? Well no. 

But. 

I miss home. And I feel much more comfortable saying now, I am a proud to be a Kiwi.