Name?
Charlotte Lawlor
Where are you from in NZ?
Christchurch
Where are you currently living?
Glasgow, Scotland
How long have you been living here?
Glasgow for 10 months, Scotland for 3.5 years. Was previously living in Edinburgh.
What is your current profession and who are you working for?
People Management – Abellio Group. (Abellio operate Scotrail and Greater Anglia England).
Tell us what it is like where you are living?
Scotland is a cold and beautiful place! Living in Edinburgh was like stepping back in time, a bit of a fairytale place. Glasgow is a pretty laid back city, with some real characters. The people really do make Glasgow!
What have you done for fun/entertainment throughout Covid and the lockdown?
I have been in lockdown since the start of March and we have only had restrictions lifted this week. So it has been a very long 4 months! Name it and I have done it… home workouts, baking, painting, cross stitch, homemade cocktail nights and a lot of Netflix! I have been very fortunate to still be working full time, from home too.
Are there any particular challenges throughout this period that stand out for you?
To be completely honest.. the UK Government has been the biggest challenge. I’m sure you would’ve seen the ‘Don’t go to work, go to work’ memes. The poor communication and the total lack of common sense has been a nightmare. However, it has highlighted how lucky New Zealand is to have a strong, empathetic and respected leader.
Beer or wine?
Wine – NZ Sav of course
Choice of takeaway?
Ramen! 100%
Are you more of a hunter or gatherer?
Hunter…?
What inspires you?
Travel. Learning about new cultures, food and people. We all have a lot to learn from others.
What is the most useless talent you have?
I can pick most objects up with my feet..!
What is your favourite place in the world, and why?
This is hard. But I’m going to say Montenegro, which is where my husband and I eloped. It hasn’t been taken over by tourists, the people are friendly, the beaches are to die for..oh and the mountains are beautiful!
What is your funniest travel story?
We were on the Salt flats in Bolivia and had just spent the entire day learning about the beautiful birds and how some of the Flamingos are protected species… That night we sat down for dinner in a house made completely of salt and the hosts then served large slightly pink skinned meat for dinner. We all justed pretended it was chicken, as some of the guests were getting upset. But we asked the host the next day, who just chuckled and confirmed it was Flamingo!
If there was one thing you could recommend to someone about to go on their OE, what would it be?
Do it! New Zealand is an incredible country, however we are very sheltered. You need to experience other parts of the world to truly appreciate New Zealand, but also to broaden your opinions past rugby (lol).
What is something that people don‘t know about you?
I couldn’t speak until I was 4 or 5. Haven’t shut up since though!
Do you have plans on moving back to NZ?
Not currently - we are waiting out Brexit and Corona. I think eventually we may end up back over that side of the world. The winters are hard here!
What home comfort do you miss the most?
Long blacks!! And wearing jandals all summer.