Andy Boyens admits it. He could not really lie, could he? He's got a pretty good life as a professional sportsman, with an apartment in New York, one of the most exciting cities in the world.
And he plays for a team which is about to debut in a new arena.
And then there's the small fact that he is set to play in one of the biggest, if not the biggest, sporting tournaments in the world in about six months.
It is all pretty rosy for him, a fact he says is not lost on him.
"I miss New Zealand, I really do, but I can't really complain, that is for sure. I'm a professional sportsman doing something that I really love doing," he said.
"Sometimes in the morning I'll wake up and roll over and then can hardly believe what has happened in the past two months. It is definitely a dream that has come true. You talk about them and this one has happened."
Boyens (26) is back in his home town with his wife, Claire, for a few months in the Major League Soccer off-season.
He is taking coaching clinics in Dunedin, Central Otago, Oamaru and Timaru during his break.
Yesterday, rain forced him, and the youngsters, indoors at Sunnyvale, but it could not deter Boyens, who is giving back to the sport which has given him plenty of pleasure.
His team moves to the new Red Bull arena this season, away from the Meadowlands stadium in New Jersey.
Home will be a 25,000 capacity stadium built specifically for the football side.
The Meadowlands held more than 80,000 and Boyens said it seemed like playing in front of no-one when only 15,000 turned up.
But even after playing at one of the largest stadiums in American sport, nothing would compare with the crowd at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on November 14.
Boyens, a defender, started on the bench for the World Cup qualifying match against Bahrain and came on with three minutes to go to be part of a great day in New Zealand football.
"It was an amazing atmosphere. I don't really know how I could describe it. I don't think I will ever experience something like that again - even at the World Cup.
"We were at home, the whole nation had brought into the match and got behind us.
"I can still remember it quite well. I was on the bench for most of the game and then got on with about three minutes to go.
"It was pretty cool to be on the field when the whistle went. I looked around, looked at all the other guys and it finally hit us in the face - we were going to the World Cup."
He said he simply concentrated in those final few minutes when he got on the field on not making a mistake.
The side had slowly built through the qualification matches, he said.
"It was a real distant dream to start with. But it became more vivid after we had played those Oceania countries.
"Then after we played the first leg in Bahrain [a 0-0 draw] there was a bit more belief in the camp, about how close we were.
"I think we were quietly confident. And it slowly built throughout that week. The nation got behind us.As we walked out on to that field we said to ourselves `This is our night, boys. We can't let these 36,000 people down'."
Boyens was on a plane back to New York the next day, after what he said was a "great" night, but was bombarded with emails and congratulations during the next few days.
Everyone at his New York club was thrilled about the the All Whites' qualification, and though he said his bread and butter was playing for his club, the World Cup was always at the back of his mind.
He said no-one could take their place for granted in the national side, so he had to play well for his team in the United States.
Boyens said the standard and popularity of the league in the US was improving.
Boyens and his wife have been granted green cards, so his wife, who also hails from Dunedin, can now work in the US.
She, along with Boyens' parents and two brothers, will all travel to South Africa for the World Cup.
"I wasn't even born back in 1982 but know about what that team did, heard the stories.
"I think we've got to remain realistic. We've got to remain positive. We can't be just happy to play and settle for being there - that's mediocrity.
"We've got to think about trying to get a draw against someone like Italy, trying to get to the second round.
"It is a different level but that is only because we don't play against those teams very often and on the big stage.
"If we can play a few more big teams then we can get used to playing at that level," Boyens said.
For the record
Andy Boyens
Age: 26
Born: Dunedin
Position: Defender
University: University of New Mexico
Clubs: Dunedin Technical, Otago United, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls
Debuted for All Whites against Wales in May 2007
Played 13 games for All Whites
