I'm 52. I'm an RN and a recent immigrant to New Zealand, now living in beautiful, multi-cultural and creative Wellington with my gorgeous teenage daughter and (soon) my adult son. I left South Africa 18 months ago to begin a new life here and so far, apart from missing my beloved family and my closest friends, I love it here. Turning 50 was a hard, hard thing for me to do, but I survived it and am only now beginning to truly embrace the older me.

How did you get to where you are now?

With difficulty. :-) I felt as if I was being dragged, kicking and screaming, out of my forties and into my fifties. The years from 40 to 50 were good years. Newly divorced, I healed slowly with the support of my best girl friends and also rediscovered my love of writing and creativity (and the internet!), but all the time I was aware of the cold, hard ticking of the clock, forcing me forward towards a day whose dawn I could only think of with fear, loathing and despair. I managed it by gathering together a group of close female friends, hiring a cottage by the sea for the weekend of my birthday, and celebrating our closeness, our quirkiness, our love for each other and our joy in being friends and being alive.

Then I turned my world upside down all over again and emigrated to New Zealand, with my teenage daughter - my son had just moved away too, going over to London on a two-year working holiday. My life was suddenly totally and completely different to what it had been up til then. I was almost alone in a foreign country and had the chance to start from scratch, building up a new life.

Having spent many years in risk management and elder care, in NZ I moved back into clinical nursing and surprised myself by rediscovering old skills, learning new ones, and proving to myself and my new employer and colleagues that I was still a capable, confident, warm and empathetic  nurse.

How do you see yourself differently now than you did 10 years ago?

I'm confident about who I am and what I have to offer -and when I stop and think about it, I can truly say I like me!

Spiritually, I have changed the most. I have walked alone through the valley of despair, where I finally laid down my belief in a God I could no longer find. My beliefs are still a WIP as is the rest of my life and I'm ready to DO the things I've only hankered after up to now. :-) Like acting - I joined a local theatrical group and have taken part in one production already - and it was fabulous! :-)

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

A very good question. My hopes are:

1. to gain a degree

2. to do work that stirs my heart, and follows my love for all things literary, intellectual and creative.

3. to find real joy in life

4. maybe to be with a partner?

5. to come to terms with my spirituality ...

Please don't  hate yourself so much - you are so much more than a shy girl with chunky thighs, social phobia and metaphorically itchy feet!!  Your intelligence, your creativity, your willingness to embrace changes and challenges, your limitless love for your kids, your pretty eyes and gorgeous smile - you are someone I would treasure as a friend.

My mother for her kindness, generosity and compassion.

My late grandmother for the wicked twinkle in her eye and her independent spirit.

My daughter for her focused enthusiasm, her ability to love without fear, her totally infectious laugh and her amazingly healthy self-esteem!

I love you all.