Jenny Suo’s favourite summer item
your own little circle and you make less of an effort to make friends. But when you’re on your own, you meet and talk to locals and get a real sense of the culture and the people. That’s the main reason for travelling.
When I was in Thailand, people thought I was Thai because I nailed some of the greetings and they would start speaking Thai to me. But, in fact, I grew up in New Zealand. I’m originally from China. My family came here when I was 4 and I grew up in Auckland’s Half Moon Bay.
When I wore my bumbag overseas, lots of people noticed it. It’s one of those things that when you notice somebody staring at it, you don’t know if they think it’s awful or not.
Then you think they’re being polite when they go ‘‘oh, I like your bumbag’’. But I wonder what they’re really thinking and if they think it’s odd to see an adult with a bumbag.
I love the summer and I get out as much as I can. I love Northland. My favourite place in the world is Spirits Bay, just south of Cape Reinga. It’s beautiful, to the point where I don’t want to go back because it might ruin my memory of it.
In my previous role at
1 News, I picked up the environmental round, and also science and technology.
The environmental aspect was great, I got to explore different places around the country and I love science because I’m a bit of a nerd. I love my job as a reporter because I like getting out and about.
One of my big passions is writing. When I’ve got all my interviews done, I love getting back into the office and crafting a story. I get a kick when I’m writing a line that I really like.
Although I’m not ashamed to wear my bumbag, I don’t wear it in the office. People do think I’m a loser but I’m trying to bring bumbags back.
– As told to Aroha Awarau