Thanksgiving

November 28, 2010

On Thanksgiving Day I didn’t even think about it being Thanksgiving until late at night.  I woke up early so I could shower, pack up, and move over to the house from the hotel room.  I wasn’t sure what to do after that.  I felt at a loss.  Chris had pointed out a mountain bike in the garage that I could use.  Caroline was asleep and I didn’t want to wait around for her to wake up.  I didn’t want to seem like a weak, little person.  So I grabbed the bike and rode to town.  I got my bus ride from Fox Glacier to Nelson arranged and then I went to ride the bike down to Lake Matheson.

The bike kind of needed some air in the tires, but I was too nervous to stop by the gas station and get air.  So I rode this bike 6 km to the lake.  I felt really ridiculous but I didn’t want to walk all the way there and then walk around the lake too.

When I got to the lake there were two buildings.  One has a gift shop in it and the other has a beautiful cafe with a large deck.  They aren’t really on the lake just on the prairie.  I walked out to the lake and around it.  The lake isn’t very large and I would hardly call it a lake.  The thing is that at certain times of the day you can see the mountains perfectly reflected onto the lake.  It was a nice walk and very hot.  I hadn’t expected it to be so warm.  I wore a long sleeved shirt and I just broiled so I took it really slow walking back to the cafe.

I ordered some lunch at the cafe and then also had a coffee and a gluten-free brownie.  Wow! It was delicious.  There are a lot of gluten-free options here in New Zealand.  I saw several gluten-free stores in Auckland, but I had supposed that was just a city thing.  But even out here in Fox there are gluten-free options.

As I was finishing off my dessert and coffee, a couple ladies came and sat at the table next to me.  I pretty soon realized that one of them was Caroline from work.  I went over and she introduced me to her friend Kaylyn.  We just sat and talked for a while.  I really enjoyed their company because I had had no idea what I was going to do with my afternoon.

I rode my bike back to town and got the courage to put air in the tires.  I didn’t know what I was doing so I hope it worked out.  It looked like the tires fattened up, but I really don’t know!

Back at the house, I met up with Caroline again and I was introduced to the other housemates.  I met Jessica.  She is from Taiwan and is also on a working holiday.  She works in housekeeping.  She is fun and is known for making crazy concoctions with her food.  I also met Jason.  He is a Kiwi.  He works mostly in the kitchen at the hotel.  He’s a lot of fun.  He made us tea and Caroline, him, and I all chatted over tea.

I learned a lot from all of them about living in Fox.  They really made me feel a lot better about the whole thing.  We decided that after Jason came back from work that we would go to Cafe Neve for Thirsty Thursdays.  Until then I just sat at the kitchen table and talked with either Caroline or Jessica.  We munched on some leftover food from the restaurant for dinner.  There was even pumpkin pie because they had cooked a Thanksgiving meal for some American guests.

On Friday I woke up and quickly got ready and caught the bus.  I got the front seat so the trip was definitely fine.  I had no car sickness at all.  I did have a bit of a headache but it wasn’t that bad. The trip was beautiful!  My favorite part was the Tasman Sea and the Buller River.  Both are magnificent!  I only fell asleep during one section right after we left Greymouth.  I wanted to stay awake to see all the scenery.

The driver stopped at the pancake rocks at Punakaiki.  I thought that was great because I had been kicking myself for not going to see those while I was in Greymouth.  There isn’t that much to see, but I was still super thankful to get the chance to see them.  Basically they are rocks that look like stacks of pancakes.

When I got to Nelson, I texted Sophie, Penny’s daughter, and she walked over from her church to get me.  We went back to her church and I dropped my stuff there while they had their youth service.  I went next door to an Italian place.  I ordered some pasta, but it wasn’t very good.  And there wasn’t much pasta either.  Either American portions are just oversized or this place makes small dishes!  I tend to think it is the former, but I don’t want to admit it.  I want a lot of pasta!

I went back to the church just as they were all ready to go out and play the “laying down game”.  I’d never heard of this game but apparently it is an universal game.  The gist of it is that you have to lie face down on the ground (or anything really) and put your arms by your side and flex your feet.  This way it looks like you are standing up but on the ground.  I went with one of the groups and they tried to find as many random places to lie down.  This was my introduction to Nelson: running around watching young people lie down in odd places on the ground.  Well it was unique to say the least!

After youth group, Penny came to pick us up.  She is such a sweet woman.  She has been so kind to me and really uplifted me.  We also picked up her other daughter Alice from her youth group.  I met Mark, Penny’s husband, and Jeremy, her son, when we got to her house.

Penny’s house is amazing.  It feels like a California type house.  It’s on a large hillside overlooking the mountains and the sea.  The sea is a perfect turquoise blue.  You walk into the house from the top floor where the master bedroom is.  Down the stairs in the middle is the kitchen, sitting area, dining room, lounge, and the guest suite.  Down the next set of stairs are all the other bedrooms and the craft room.  

Saturday morning was pretty chill.  I just had some breakfast and watched the taped finale of X-Factor with Penny.  We went grocery shopping for our Thanksgiving feast.  I bought some groceries to take back to Fox with me.  Once back at the house we just started in cooking.  Penny had never made stuffing or pumpkin pie before.  I’ve discovered that this isn’t because she’s a Kiwi, but just because she hasn’t.  Other people here have made them before.  But in general I do think that pumpkin pie is a novelty here.

Cooking with Penny gave me a chance to really get to know her.  We had such a good time.  I can tell that Penny likes to host and have people over.  She spent a good deal of time decorating the table.  She has one of those huge tables that you can just keep pulling out and extending.  Everything came together really well.  For dinner there was Penny, Mark, Alice, Alice’s friend Thalia, a Dutch-Canadian couple, and the neighbors from across the street.  We had such a good time.  It really felt like Thanksgiving to me.  We didn’t have turkey because no one in Penny’s family likes it and I don’t either.  So we had lamb and chicken.

The dessert was also great!  It was a bit of a mix between Kiwi traditions and American and Dutch traditions.  We had pumpkin pie, Dutch apple pie, and a pavlova roll.  Pavlova is the traditional New Zealand dessert.  It’s so so good.  I tried all three.  For never having made pumpkin pie before Penny did a great job.  I was a bit worried because it was made with real pumpkin and at home we usually use canned.  But Penny’s pie was delicious!

I can tell you I went to bed exhausted.

We went back to Sophie’s church on Sunday morning.  Sophie led worship and I loved being back in a church service with other believers.  I haven’t been to church since I left Hawaii!  It was almost enough for me to chuck the job in Fox and stay in Nelson just to go to this church!  The pastor actually spoke on thanksgiving just like any pastor at home would have done!  I loved it.

Later Penny, Mark, and Mac (their dog) and I went for a walk on the beach.  Mac just ran loose on the beach and in the water while Penny, Mark, and I enjoyed a stroll in the sand.  I’ve been to so many beaches lately that I feel spoiled.  I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep them all separate in my head!  We had lunch with a lot of leftover dessert.  Then I took a lovely nap.  It felt like being home.

I'm so thankful to be in New Zealand and for all the wonderful people I've met here!

The Fox

November 24, 2010

I woke up this morning still at the hostel in Greymouth.  I was nervous about packing up, getting out by 10 am and what I was going to do with my morning.  I was also nervous about going to Fox Glacier.  It sounded so small and I was nervous about meeting Chris, the GM of the hotel.  I was worried that maybe I got something screwed up again like I had with the original dates.  But I just kept going.

I went to Greymouth and visited a photo gallery.  The girl working in there was so sweet.  She asked all about me and showed me pictures of some of the places I was heading to.  She recommended a coffee shop in Greymouth too.  

I love talking to New Zealanders.  They have such an endearing way of talking to a person that makes one feel so loved and welcomed.  It’s more than that though.  It’s a sense of being accepted, appreciated, and comforted.  Their words are very comforting.  I love when a stranger calls me luv or darling.  It’s just wonderful!

I took her advice and went to the coffee shop.  I had never noticed it before really and I’ve walked through downtown Greymouth countless times!  The cafe is called DP: One Cafe.  It felt like a vibey Seattle coffee shop.  The girl at the counter had dreadlocks and it was all very funky. I noticed that the cafe was filled with working people.  I felt like I had found a local’s hangout.  Pretty soon I realized that while there were quite a few locals there were also a lot of the camera crews and newspeople.  They are in Greymouth covering the trapped miners.  

I sat on the couch and sipped my flat white.  I read a gourmet food magazine and people watched.  It felt lovely.  The cafe was warm with the sunshine shining through the front door.  I felt quite at home.  I love the moments like that that I’ve been having while here in a foreign country.  Moments like that go a long way to making this trip even better.

I love to be in places I’ve never been before but I also kind of feel like an outsider.  So when I have moments like that in a cafe or on a train or bus, I just feel better.  I need that mixture of adventure and belonging.

After the cafe I figured I needed to find something to eat for lunch because my bus was coming at 1:30.  I went to the grocery store but couldn’t find what I wanted.  I stood in line for a minute to check out, but changed my mind.  I didn’t really want what I had decided to purchase.  The guy in line in front of me talked to me briefly.  Then I left the store and walked back to downtown Greymouth.  The man who had been in line with me caught up with me on the street.  

He asked me if I lived in Greymouth.  He said he’d seen me around the last couple of days. I laughed and replied that I wasn’t surprised!  I figured people would start to recognize me.  He said I stood out because I was tall and gorgeous!  We had a little chat as we walked down the street and he left to go back to work.

I finally got to the bus station.  Now I was really nervous.  I had had that coffee and sometimes that just makes me more nervous.  I got on the right bus and everything was okay.  The first bit of the road was fine.  We even went over a one lane bridge that also had the train tracks on it!  (Can you picture this?  Cars drive on it in both directions.  They take turns.  But if there is a train the train also goes over the bridge so the cars have to yield to the train!)  But after a bit the road became very windy.  I had chosen a seat as close as I could to the front of the bus, but still I began to feel a bit car sick.  It was a tough 4 hours.  We stopped half way between and that helped.

I moved up closer to the front when we got to Franz Joseph Glacier.  It was around this time that I began to feel like an old-fashioned schoolmarm from the 1800s going out to a small community from the east coast.  You know how those stories go.  Some young woman is leaving behind everything she knows to go to a small, harsh community to teach.  Someone has come to pick her up at the train station and take her in their wagon to the community.  They tell her all about it and how much she’ll love it.  But she still feels a bit apprehensive.  This is kind of what happened to me.  The bus driver found out I was heading to Fox Glacier to work at Te Waheka.  He told me it was a great place and that I’d love it. 

I also started to imagine Fox Glacier as something like Glacier, Washington, where our family cabin is.  First of all, they kind of share a name.  Plus from the descriptions I’d heard of Fox Glacier it kind of sounded like Glacier.  

The driver dropped me off right in front of the hotel and I walked up to reception.  I was pretty nervous.  There was a sweet, Scottish girl named Caroline who greeted me.  Then Chris, the general manager, showed up.  He walked me around the hotel.  It has 21 rooms and all of them are named after a settler from the area.  He walked me through some paperwork.  He is letting me stay the first night here in Fox in a hotel room.  

This is about the nicest accommodation I’ve had so far beside Rachel’s home.  They are very nice rooms with nice amenities, but somewhat simple.  They don’t have a very warm feeling to them.  In fact the rooms are quite cold!  But beside that they are kind of plain.  Maybe that’s just this hotel or that’s the New Zealand style.  It might just be that we are so far out in the middle of nowhere!  The bathrooms are exquisite and have a shower and extra long bathtub!

Tomorrow I’ll move into the house I get to live in.  I’ll just be there one night because Friday I will go to Nelson.  I’m pretty excited about living in a house.  I’ve never shared a whole house before!  At least not with flatmates.  

For dinner I went to the very popular Cafe Neve. I ordered a small margharita pizza.  It was delicious!  This was the first time that I’ve gone out to eat at a restaurant since I’ve been in New Zealand.  I decided to treat myself afterward with a hot chocolate.  Yum!  It was also very good.  

By this time two ladies had joined me in order to free up a table.  They were finishing off their drinks.  We started chatting.  They were two very sweet sisters from the Netherlands.  I really enjoyed chatting with them.  We laughed and talked about travel, family, and what they’ve seen so far in New Zealand.  They were the perfect finish to my meal!

I walked slowly back to the hotel.  The birds here are beautiful.  I haven’t seen many yet, but I could hear them as I walked to the hotel.  They make such different sounds than any birds I’ve ever heard before.  They kind of sound like a cell phone or door bell.  It’s odd but beautiful.

When I arrived at the hotel (the first time) Chris told me that there had been another explosion in the mine.  They are no longer calling it a rescue mission.  I’m really sad about this, but I also have some hope that the miners might still be okay.  With God all things are possible.

Sorry for such a long post!  I had so much to say!

Dawdling

November 23, 2010

My key has been found!  It was with the reception this whole time!  Can you believe that?  The girl at reception told me they had all the keys accounted for for my room and that one of the guys must have turned my key in!  So I have a new key now!  Yay!  Praise God!  He answered that prayer for sure!  It was in a safe place this whole time!

I went for a couple walks this morning.  I made sure to get up before the bathrooms and kitchen closed.  So I got clean and got food and marched out to the Tasman Sea.  I feel so honored to be here in New Zealand seeing the Tasman Sea.  I feel like half my time here is spent pinching myself. Is this real?  Am I really in New Zealand?  Have my dreams really come true?  

So yes they have.  I stood on the beach today and looked out over the Tasman Sea.  I was in a place that I have never been before.  That’s the best thing in the world: to be in a place where I’ve never been.  If I could spend my life going to places I’ve never been before I think that would be so amazing.  

I then walked across town to the King Walk.  This was a steep muddy walk!  But it was well worth it because I had so many fabulous views of the surrounding countryside.  Again, can I just say how great it is to be here!?!  Every time I turn around there is something more beautiful and brilliant to see.  You’ve got rivers, mountains, seas, farmland, and towns.  The landscape is varied and that gives it more room for the imagination.  I’m so blessed to be here.

So I climbed and climbed up through the mud and dirt through what they call “bush” here in New Zealand.  I think the reason it feels like bush and not a forest is all the ferns.  They have some of the tallest, most majestic ferns I’ve ever seen.  In fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen ferns like these ferns.  You look across to the hills and see not evergreens, but ferns!  The first couple views were of the Grey River, Greymouth, and the Tasman Sea.  Then the higher I climbed I came to the other side of the hill and looked back toward the mountains and the farms.  My breath was just taken away!

Climbing back down was harder than I thought it would be and I almost slipped a couple times.  Yuck!  That wouldn’t have been fun at all because then I would have had slimy, mud all over my butt!

I came back to the hostel in time to get some washing done.  Let me tell you my jeans really needed it.  The girl at the reception was so friendly. She even moved my wet clothes to the dryer and started for me.  

I went back to town for some ice cream.  I keep seeing regular people walking down the street with an ice cream cone in hand. I had to have one.  On my way I also looked for my bus stop for tomorrow’s bus to Fox Glacier.  I kind of wandered around and ran into some of the camera news crews.  Then I realized that I was across the street from the police station.  Just as I was passing I saw the CEO of the mine company exiting the police station.  Well I just kept praying under my breath.  I really want to see these miners rescued!

I’m kind of tired and my mind seems to wander a bit too much to keep up this blog tonight.  My thoughts range from crossing the street in this country to food to sleep. . . 

I think I’m going to just say this is good.  I have more I want to say but not the energy to say it.  Wish me luck tomorrow because I’m headed to Fox Glacier and a possible job!

I love you guys.  Thanks for reading. 

Greymouth

November 22, 2010

Yesterday everything worked out really well.  I got on the train in Christchurch with no problems.  The train was set up with a table and four seats around the table.  I had a set of four seats all to myself. Across the aisle from me were two older couples and I eavesdropped on most of their conversation on the trip.  There was also a guy who came over the speaker system every now and then to describe what we were passing by or to tell a funny anecdote.  

The scenery was so beautiful.  It was postcard picture perfect throughout.  Even their rivers here look like a tropical sea--all turquoisey and such.  The Southern Alps are glorious, but no one lives out there!  I really felt like we were in the wilderness.  There used to be some towns out there but they are mostly ghost towns now.

One weird thing about looking at the scenery is that there is no chance of really seeing wild animals.  New Zealand has no indigenous mammals.  All the animals are birds.  So you won’t see a bear, a mountain lion, or a deer.  I did see a rabbit, but I don’t think he was natural to the area!  I also so a lot of sheep and cows.  New Zealand is known for it’s dairy industry.  Even though the scenery was so beautiful I couldn’t help falling asleep toward the end of the train ride.  I’ve been so sick and so sleepy lately. It felt good but I tried to keep my eyes open!

When I got on the train I called ahead to a hostel in Greymouth and booked a dorm room for three nights.  They even came to pick me up at the train station, which I didn’t know they would do before I booked them.  The hostel is in an old hotel near the Grey River.  It even has one of those old fashioned upper balconies that us Americans would associate with a hotel in the old Wild West.  

Sundays are a very quiet day anywhere but it seemed especially quiet in Greymouth.  The people here are suffering through this mining disaster and it really kind of leaves a heaviness over the town.  I went to the grocery store and their version of Walmart.  I also had a “coffee break” at the Subway and tried a flat white.  I’m not really sure how it is different from regular coffee, but it did taste a bit different.  It was really good!

The hostel has free internet and DVDs for rent so I spent a good portion of Sunday just lolling around in my bed with movies and the internet for company.  My other roommates are all men.  Three of them are from Chile.  It took me a really long time last night to be comfortable enough to fall asleep but I eventually did.  I think it will be easier tonight.

I had a tough Monday morning.  I have lost the key to my room and I can’t find it anywhere.  I had it last night and now I don’t know where it is.  Plus I woke up at 10 am and the showers and kitchen were closed for cleaning.  I couldn’t take a shower or get breakfast.  I did however get to talk to my mom and I even video chatted with my sister!  How wonderful that was!

When I finally got going this morning I headed to the bank/post office.  This town is so small that I’m starting to recognize people!  At the post office I saw someone I’d seen the day before in the Subway.  By the time I leave on Wednesday I’ll be a local because so many people will probably recognize me too!  

Then I went to the I-sight.  The I-sight is like a local information/concierge stop.  They booked me a 2 PM tour at the local brewery called Monteith’s.  It was 1:50 when they booked it for me so I just walked over to the brewery and we started the tour.

My guide’s name was Lee Ann and there were only two other women on the tour from Australia.  So it was quite small.  The brewery was very nice and small.  I went on a brewery tour of Heineken when I was in France, but this was so much more intimate.  They only have two brewers and we got to meet one of them and talk to him.  Lee Ann was so nice and friendly.

She told us about how hard this mining crisis is for their community.  She said things are really quite a bit more quiet than they usually are because of this.  In fact she had heard that someone she had grown up with and worked with at the brewery was stuck in the mine.  (Later she had found out that he wasn't there.)  Then this morning on her 11:30 am tour he pulled up to the brewery.  She just came down in tears, she said, right in front of her tour group.  She was so relieved.  This man’s brother had just finished his shift when the explosion happened.  He is okay as well. So everything is really different here.

At the end of the tour we of course had a tasting.  Their beer is really good and this is coming from someone who isn’t a real big beer drinker.  I loved their apple cider and their Radler.  Lee Ann says they sell Monteith’s at Trader Joe’s.  So if you are a beer drinker and like Trader Joe’s you should definitely check out their beers.  They have won a ton of awards!

After that I came back to the I-Sight and they helped me figure out some walks to do tomorrow to see some more of Greymouth.  I hope the weather is as good tomorrow as it is today!  Today has been sunny and warm with a bit of a wind.  

I came back to hostel and got some lunch and chatted with some other people staying here.  Then I got to have an hour long video chat with my whole family including my nephew Samuel!  Well he doesn’t really “chat” but he does say things like: ti-ta (auntie), baby, and bottle.  He also blew some very nice kisses all the way to me here in New Zealand!

Please pray for me that I find my hostel room key!!!

What's going on?

November 20, 2010

Wow.  I can’t believe it is already the 20th of November.  Before you know it this month will be completely over. Soon 2010 will be over.  I’ve been living so within time and now that I’m here I feel a bit out of time.  Before I left everything was leading up to November 4th and the family trip to Hawaii.  In September I had just barely figured out that I was really coming to New Zealand and I was somewhat dreading and somewhat anticipating  the month of November.

Now I’m finally here and I’ve lost track of time.  The days feel short but the weeks feel long.  I can’t believe I’ve been New Zealand just a week!  So much has happened to me and I’ve done so much.  It’s bizarre.  I’ve barely been aware that it is the month of November.  This might be due to going to the beach twice this week and getting a sunburn in Auckland.  It doesn’t feel like November has always felt to me.  In fact I’ve spent most of November in summer weather.  When I left Seattle it was about 70 degrees!

Yesterday Rachel let me do some laundry and it has been hang drying because it’s too expensive here to use a dryer.  It’s incredible the things we take for granted, like doing laundry.  If Rachel hadn’t asked me if I needed to do laundry I don’t know what I would have done or where I would have done my laundry.  Even the dryer at home I take for such granted.  

Today has been awesome! I had a wonderful Mueseli breakfast with tea and Rachel and her mom and I went to do some errands.  We visited a fabric store to get some fleece for Rachel and her big trip to  Colorado.  We went to the grocery store which was in a little kind of mall.  Their version of Walmart is called Warehouse and we visited that too.

’ve been packing up today because I think I’ve stayed long enough with the wonderful Williams family.  I don’t want to overstay my welcome.  The place I’ve booked looks good and Rachel and Richard said it should be quite an experience.  It is a hostel that has been modified from a jail.  That’s right it used to be an old jail!  It’s near to the train station too, which I didn’t know before I booked it.  That will come in real handy because on Wednesday I’m taking the TranzAlpine train to Greymouth.  I got that all changed today and it was way easier than I thought it would be.  

In a lot of ways everything has been way easier here than I thought it would be.  Getting a job, meeting up with friends, booking travel and accommodation, changing my travels have all been much easier than I think it would be in the US.  It’s kind of nice and I’d say everyone here is quite a bit more relaxed than at home.  People aren’t high strung!  They go with the flow.  It can be perplexing for me because I expect everything to be harder than it turns out to be.  But it is also a relief.  

I mostly just hung around the house the rest of the day and packed up my things.  Then Richard came over and wanted to watch the news about the miners who are stuck near Greymouth.  As we watched it I felt this tingling type of sensation all around my body.  I felt I should be there in Greymouth.  That’s where all the families of the miners are.  I knew that if I hadn’t changed my ticket this morning that I would be on my way there tomorrow for three nights.  I felt like I needed to be there, but I didn’t want to go.

The news is horrible.  There are 29 miners stuck in this mine north of Greymouth.  They don’t know if they are dead or alive.  They haven’t spoken to them or anything.  They just know there was a large explosion.  They’ve been trying to put oxygen through to the mine hoping that the men will be able to breath it.  I feel I need to be there even if it is just to pray for them and be near it.

Rachel’s mom had some friends over for light bites before they headed to an art exhibition.  We sat down and had fun eating and talking.  I love Rachel’s mom’s cooking!  I had some of her roasted vegetable salad today for lunch and then these snacks tonight were just fabulous.  Before she left for the event she invited me back anytime to come and stay with them.  I loved hearing that.  Being a guest in someone else’s home is harder than being a host and I wanted to be a good enough guest to get welcomed back.

Rachel and Richard took me to my hostel and dropped me off.  It’s really a perfect hostel for me because it has a free shuttle to the train station!  I’m going to go there tomorrow morning and see if I can get my train ticket changed back to Sunday morning.  I already called a hostel in Greymouth and they have availability and it’s cheaper than the hostel I’m in now and has free internet.  So I’m thinking it will be good all around.  I’ll be in Greymouth where I feel I should be and I’ll pay less per night.

But let me tell you this hostel I’m in here in Christchurch is amazing!  It’s so much better than the hostel in Auckland.  At one time this hostel was a jail and if you walk up the stairs to the second floor the sound of your footsteps is just like the sound they use in movies for jails.  It’s amazing!  The rooms are comfortable and large for a dorm room.  Most of my roommates are girls which makes me feel so much better.  Plus three of them are older than my mom!  Crazy!  I never would have expected to see three older women staying in a dorm hostel room.  But it’s really comforting!  The hostel even has free towels, a cup of tea, a clean kitchen, free movies, and free adapters.  The free adapter allowed me to charge my camera battery which was quite helpful since I haven’t bought an adapter yet.

Christchurch

November 19, 2010

I gave my mom a phone call today.  I hadn’t called her since I left Honolulu.  I decided to bite the bullet and use my cell phone to see if I could call the US.  It worked!  It actually worked!  How wonderful to hear her voice!  How wonderful to hear the sounds of home!  My mom sounded more tired and less upbeat at first than she normally does.  I had a feeling last night when I went to bed that perhaps she might be a bit worried about me.  

When I came to New Zealand I was able to go online quite a bit and keep in touch with my family and friends.  Since I came to Christchurch I have been quite busy with my friends here.  They’ve showed me about their hometown and taken me to the beach twice.  We’ve had wonderful times together.  But that meant that I was leaving everyone at home a bit in the dark about things.  I thought I had been pretty clear that I was going to Christchurch to be with my friends, but I should have been clearer!

I might explain a bit who my Christchurch friends are.  Two winters ago I went to live and work in Colorado at Beaver Creek, a large upscale resort.  I lived in employee housing and my roommates were randomly assigned to me.  Rachel came to live in one of the rooms of our apartment and she is from Christchurch, New Zealand.  Her boyfriend Richard was also along with her, but he didn’t have a housing voucher so he had no place to live.  Us girls worked it out that it would be okay if he stayed with Rachel.  This is how I came to meet two Kiwis from the south island.  

After enjoying a talk with my mom, Rachel, Richard, and I headed out to Taylor’s Mistake.  This is Rachel and Richard’s favorite beach.  It was lovely and the drive out their also reminds me of a picture on my dream board* of a red convertible driving a curvy road with cliffs on one side and the ocean on the other.  There is a big palm tree in the photo too.  It would have been perfect if only Richard drove a red convertible rather than a black Subaru!

The sun and surf was fabulous and I know Rachel and Richard really enjoyed it as they will be spending their summer in North America so they will be in winter.  We watched people try to surf and Richard bemoaned not bringing his surfboard.  He’s encouraging me to try surfing and I just might!  

Later I got some errands done and then Rachel’s cousins Sky, Hope, and Judge, came over to play games.  Rachel made some delicious pizza and made me my first gin and tonic.  We played New Zealand Trivial Pursuit and had some laughs.  I love being surrounded by a family even if it is not my own.  No, I don’t understand all their little inside jokes or their family quirks, but it’s just comforting to be around people who love one another.

As far as the job in Fox Glacier goes I’ve got about half of my trip reworked so I will show up on time.  The other half I will work on tomorrow morning when I wake up!  

*Some of you may not know what my dream board is so I will explain it here.  Around 2008 my mom encouraged me to make a collage filled with things that I wanted to do with my life.  Well I kind of started it, but then I went out to Colorado and didn’t finish it.  Then around the New Year of 2010 I finally sat down and finished it.  Basically it is a large collage filled with the dreams I have in my life.  I’ve described some of the images in these blog posts, but there are also things like a woman reading a book, a map of Europe, and picnickers at a mountain.  

Two Days in One Post

15/11/10

Today consisted more of the working part of the trip than the holiday part of the trip.  I had a small, insubstantial breakfast at the hostel and then went to orientation at the IEP office.  The IEP is my contact here in New Zealand.  They have an office which is kitty-corner from my hostel.  They provide complimentary wi-fi, mail forwarding, advice about travel and jobs, phones for use, and basic information.  But before I went to the orientation I wanted to make sure I had some tissue so I wouldn’t be sniffling all through the 2.5 hour orientation.  

The orientation was great.  It got me excited about being in New Zealand again after feeling a bit down yesterday.  They helped me get a tax number and a bank account.  They gave us advice about finding work and where to travel.  For the most part it got me really excited to be here and eager to get on with things.

I bought a cell phone for $45 at store that sold phones and perfume.  What a combination!  Then I bought a pay as you go chip for it and got set up with a New Zealand phone number.  I think this will be very helpful in finding work as I can give future employers a number where they can reach me.  

In the evening I went to buy a quick meal at a convenience store.  Not the most appetizing thing, but I figured it would work in a pinch. When I got back though my roommate Beth, from Canada, offered to share her dinner with me.  So we went down to the hostel kitchen and she made pasta.  It was really busy down there and she almost burnt herself on the stove, but it was a good meal and it was free! See God is already providing in so many ways.  Yesterday I got a cookie for free and today I got a whole meal for free!  

I offered to do the dishes and she and I planned to go to the Auckland Museum tomorrow.  I’m excited I have a traveling partner.  I was going to go there by myself tomorrow morning, but when I mentioned it to Beth she said she’d come with me.  The only thing is that I have to make sure I’m back at the bank by 2 PM to finish setting up my bank account.

I’m still not feeling too well and I kind of wonder if everyone who lives and travels in hostels doesn’t get sick.  It’s not a very sanitary place.  It’s just barely livable.  But at least the beds here are amazing!  Oh so comfy! I think they are better than the hotel beds I’ve been sleeping on for over a week!

The girls from the UK in my room are leaving tomorrow for the Bay of Islands.  They got jobs working in the Kiwi picking industry up there. They have been here for about a week.  I’m really happy for them and encouraged by their progress.  I could tell Laura, whom I met on Sunday, was a little worried and stressed.  I tried to cheer her up a bit, but that isn’t really my forte.  At least I tried!  

Well all in all it has been a good day and I am really looking forward to tomorrow and the museum!

16/11/10

Today has been one of the best days of my life.  I wasn’t sure this morning what I would do tomorrow because that was the last night I had booked at the hostel.  I was just going to think about that later and get ready to go to the museum with Beth, one of the girls in my dorm room.  As I was walking through reception to get breakfast someone called out my name.  It happened to be my Kiwi friend Richard.  I was completely stunned.  He was so out of place to me.  What was he doing in a hostel in Auckland when he lives in Christchurch?  

Soon he had it all explained that he and Rachel, his girlfriend, were here to get their visas for their trip to the US.  They are headed back to the resort where I met them in Colorado in a few days.  He walked me over to where Rachel was and I got a big hug from her!  It was so great to see them.  It was so great!  It wasn’t planned or anything.  I had no clue they were coming to Auckland at all.  No clue.  They knew I was here in New Zealand but they didn’t know where or anything.  

After visiting a bit they had to head out to get their visas sorted.  We planned to meet later for lunch.  So I went to get breakfast and then head to the Auckland Museum as planned.  Beth decided not to come with me as I had to be back in time to meet Rachel and Richard for lunch and she didn’t think she’d get to see all that she wanted to see in that short of time.

I walked to the Auckland Domain.  It has several large fields and when I say large I mean massive!  I had to walk through these fields to get to the museum which is located in the center of the Domain.  It was really warm; warmer than I had expected.  I wore a tank top and carried my sweatshirt over my arm.  

The museum is beautiful and regal sitting up on a hill that overlooks a good portion of Auckland.  The style is greco-roman but with a very odd dome shape.  The first floor was all about early settlers and such to New Zealand and also a lot of Maori carvings. The best thing was the canoe built out of one tree that could seat 100 warriors!  

On my way to the second floor there was a glass box with an axe in it and a picture of Sir Edmund Hilary over the top of it.  Inside the box was the actual axe that Hilary carried and used on his climb up Everest.  I thought this alone was well worth the price of admission.

When I left the museum I went to the Wintergarden which is also in the Domain.  It was so beautiful filled with ferns, roses, and the largest water lilies I have ever seen!  I met my friends back at the hostel and we walked down Queen Street to Subway.  We took our sandwiches out to the Viaduct where all the ships are.  It was sunny and beautiful and I began to worry that I might burn.  (Which I did.)  We walked around and looked at all the ships and humongous sailboats.  Then we walked up to the Sky Tower.  

Rachel and Richard invited me to come and stay with them in Christchurch before they leave for the US.  Rachel had already asked her mother if I could come.  While the three of us roamed about the Sky Tower, Chris from the hotel in Fox Glacier called me.  He invited me to come down and meet him and take a look around.  He said Sunday would be a good day.  After my phone call I devised a plan with Rachel and Richard to fly down to Christchurch as soon as possible to stay with them.  Then from there I would head to Fox Glacier.  

We parted ways so I could finish some things up at the bank and book my travel to the South Island.  I went to the IEP office to get some help and use the internet.  I got everything booked up and called Chris to tell him my plans.  When I said I’d be there on Sunday he said that wouldn’t work at all!  This completely confused me.  He had meant the following Sunday but somehow I hadn’t understood.  So now I have to go and rebook my train and bus rides to Fox Glacier.  Other than that this has been a most amazing day!

The joys

I made it to New Zealand!  Finally!  I’m really here!  It’s amazing.  I’ve been thinking about this place and dreaming about it for a year now and I’m here.  It’s nice.  I was trying to think of what it reminds me of and it kind of reminds me of everywhere I’ve been.  Some Canadians we met in Hawaii said Auckland was kind of like Vancouver.  I would agree with that.  It also reminds me of San Francisco, Seattle, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.  

Then when I got to the hostel the computers were down so I couldn’t check in.  I went to get some lunch at a Subway and the girl sitting next to me gave me a cookie.  I thought that was a good beginning.

When I came back to the hotel to check in everything was fine until a man used a key and walked in to my room.  I freaked out.  I had assumed that I would share my room with other women, but no.  This was a co-ed accommodation!  The front desk let me move to a women only wing when I gave them $3 per night.  I feel so much more comfortable.  The new room smells better and is neater.  It’s also bigger!

I walked around Auckland in the afternoon even though all I felt like doing was taking a nap.  (I think I might be coming down with a cold.) I forced myself out and decided Albert Park would be a good start.  It is only two blocks from my hostel and it is located next to the University of Auckland.  There is a statue of Queen Victoria there and you can see the Sky Tower from there as well.  

I went to the University Clock Tower which has beautiful Art Deco architecture.  I also visited the Old Government House where the government was located before Wellington became the capital of New Zealand.  The rose garden next door to the Old Government House was stunning in the late afternoon sun.

I stopped at a convenience store on my way back to the hostel and picked up a Magnum bar.  I don’t know why they don’t sell these in the US.  They are the best ice cream bars in the world.  Whenever I travel oversees I seek them out.  I first tried them in South Africa and then discovered they had them in France too.  I even remember eating one in  Prague.  They are the very best.  I enjoyed my first one in New Zealand on a bench by the harbour.  

The tears

Tonight I’m sitting on the lanai of my hotel in Fiji.  There are frogs leaping to and fro in front of me on the lawn and pathway.  There are tiki torches lit all around the pool and across the pool a band plays happy and sad romantic songs. 

I’m thinking about my last couple days.  I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much in public in my life.  On Thursday morning I said goodbye to my family at the Kona International Airport.  When they left for their gate I got in the TSA line.  I wore my Target sunglasses and tears rolled down my face.  The other people in line were mostly older couples and I’m sure they’d never seen anyone cry in a TSA line before!  

I couldn’t help myself.  It was all I could do not to run out of that line after my family and say, “Screw New Zealand.  Screw adventure.  I’m going home with you guys!”  I’m being serious.  I cried while I waited in the outdoor seating of the airport with happy Hawaiian vacationers all around me.  I cried on the plane.  When we landed in Honolulu and sat on the tarmac for an extra few minutes before deplaning I thought I would go crazy!

I cried as I waited for the airport hotel shuttle to come pick me up.  I cried after I checked into the hotel and was waiting outside for the city bus to take me to Waikiki.  I didn’t stop crying until I got on the bus and felt the comfort of having someone else in control of me for a while: the bus driver. 

But then when I got dinner at a huge Honolulu mall I cried again.  Not only was I crying but food made me feel queasy.  My mom purchased some peanut brittle right before we went to the airport.  We nibbled on it as we waited for the last possible minute to say goodbye.  She gave me some to take on my trip but I couldn’t eat it because it made me feel so homesick.  I finally threw it away when I got to Fiji.  

Then today on the plane to Fiji I began to feel better--almost confident.  I had a window seat and as the plane took off over Honolulu I looked down on the high rise hotels doused in the early morning light and put my sunglasses on.  As we flew away from Honolulu I suddenly remembered an image from my dream board back home in my bedroom.  It’s an image of a young woman sitting by an airplane window.  She is looking confidently forward.  She has short straight hair and an impossibly long neck.  She wears oversized sunglasses.  My sunglasses may not be oversized, my neck isn’t impossibly long, and my hair isn’t straight, but suddenly I felt like her.  I felt like I was flying forward.  I actually felt like that dream of being a confident traveler was actually coming true.  I sat up a little taller and straighter.  I looked forward and imagined I had a long neck.  I imagined I was that woman.  For a few minutes I felt like I’m really chasing my dreams.  They are coming true.  

Then I got to Fiji.  First I have to say the Air Pacific airline staff truly do make up the friendliest airline in the world!  The plane service and ground service were spectacular even when I was a bumbling traveler.  Here in Fiji I can tell I’ve made a lot of mistakes and blunders.  And I feel lonely.  That’s worse than feeling like a fool.  

There are groups around me playing in the pool and making friends with strangers here at the hotel.  But I sit on the outside.  I can see that one of the challenges of this trip for me is going to be speaking up and talking to people I don’t know.  I wish tonight I had had the courage for that.  But I know I’ll get there.  Pray for me that I will.  I want to truly be that confident woman by the window seat not just pretend that I am.  She’s not going to be afraid to talk to anyone, and she will make friends.  Tomorrow is a new day!  Tomorrow I will be in the country that I’ve been thinking about and dreaming about for a year.  Tomorrow I will be in the land of the long white cloud.

Goodnight my loves.