Sunday, August 15, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Ze Next Installment (Yes, this is the same as the email)
Dear Comrades and Family and Loved Ones,
I greet you from a flat in the heart of Queenstown, New Zealand, a rather rich tourist city driven by poor travellers like myself who work housekeeping jobs and then visit the bars every night (well, I don't do that last part.) So what am I doing here? How did I get a fllat? Do I have a job?
Let's rewind a bit. Last we talked, had I landed in Akaroa and was staying at a hostel there, doing housecleaning to earn my keep? Well, I did that. Akaroa is stunning. But I'm fairly certain I've told you all about this part.... My Mother came to visit for a week after that, and it was truly wonderful. 6 days is not a long time, but Time bowed to us and we were able to fill it with memories, if you'll excuse the phrase, to last a lifetime. We salmon fished, touched a glacier, taught a Brazilian woman to say the word "Awesome," and swam with the dolphins in the good ole deep blue. My mother has a photo website with pictures from her visit-- http://sgdsoon.spaces.live.com/ so check it out! There are a few pictures of me where, in my opinion, I look a bit sub par, so overlook those and focus on the scenery, s'il vous plait :) Remember I'm a backpacker with no money who doesn't often get to shower and only has three outfits...so cut me some slack.
On the last day of my Mom's visit, she and I went to see an Italian film entitled Marcello, Marcello, which was quite cute. In the cinema, I began to converse with an older woman, who later introduced herself as Prunella. Prunells is retired lawyer (among many other things) who now cleans houses, cares for animals, and cares for the local elderly. She offered me free accommodation and free food for a few weeks of wwoofing work. When my mother left, I had the rental car for two days, so I drove myself all the way down to the very tip of the South Island--for the heck of it! Beautiful drive. And then I visited Steve in Queenstown and returned to Pru, who lives just outside of Akaroa in a place called Takamatua. Let me paint you a picture: Pru's house used to be a backpackers, and is a deep green, wooden house with a huge porch laden with firewood and other assorted items, such as a piano, and a picnic table used to crack walnuts. the table didn't do the cracking of course. But anyway. For the first week, I lived in a caravan deep in her backyard (which is huge and full of baby fruit trees) practically teeming with character. The walls were of a certain kind of material that held onto chalk well--so, there were messages scrawled all over the walls--some inspirational, some crass (ex: If the Pope takes a crap in the woods, does it make the forest sacred?) I drew a clown with the light bulb as a nose, and contributed a favourite phrase--"if not love, what?" I eventually moved into the main house when another wwoofer, an Israeli woman named Jafit, arrived for four (much too short, she was wonderful) days.
During my time with Prunella, I helped clean houses, worked on her property tending to trees and raking up copious amounts of dead grass and weeds, cracked walnuts, and helped take care of three elderly individuals, May, Frank, and Tom. May Curry is a woman in her early nineties, but she is still incredibly private and independent. She continues to look after a garden and cook all of her own meals, and in her youth, used to ride her horse down into town. This is impressive because she lives in a large house on top of an unpopulated mini mountain. Frank, a man in his late eighties, has recently lost his wife and has taken to having a bit of a romantic liking for Pru, but besides this (and perhaps because of this) he is quite endearing. His wife used to play the piano, and now that it isn't used, he loves it when people play. Earlier, Pru had asked me if I played any piano, and I told her I played a wee bit, so she had told Frank I would play for him. A tad bit nerve wracking, since the last wwoofer had been a concert pianist (big shoes to fill) and I am, well, nothing of the sort. But I knew my strengths--I could only plunk out melodies on the piano, but I could sing any lyrics. I found a book of songs from the musical My Fair Lady and took to singing Wouldn't It Be Loverly with gumption. Frank loved it. And Tom, bless him. Tom is in his mid nineties and is not very well at all. He is a chain smoker and was quite the drinker in his lifetime. Although he is housebound and mainly chair bound, his health doesn't seem to concern him and he chain smokes and watches television all day. However, it's obvious that either he or his late wife had a great love of art--masterpieces hang around the house, abstract and post-modern, mainly. Tom has a reputation for being a bit surly and demanding, but he took to me for some mysterious reason, and by the time it was my last day, he honoured our time together with a blown kiss, a rather affectionate gesture from not typically an affectionate man.
Prunella also had a son, Michael, who at one point took Jafit and I out on a speedboat through the Akaroa Bay and into the ocean. It was there, standing at the front of the speedboat, whipping across blue gray water under blue gray skies, that I felt heaven. From that moment, however silly you may think I sound, I believe that if there is an afterlife, for me, personally, it will be that. I will ride a speedboat into the horizon for eternity, I really believe that.
At the end of three weeks, I left Prunella in order to pick up a rental car in Christchurch, because I wanted to do a little bit more site-seeing before I had to settle myself down somewhere and shovel myself out of debt. I spent a week sleeping in my car, listening to Dolly Parton and Joni Mitchell, driving beautiful roads and visiting places like Steward Island (closest you can get to Antarctica without actually going there--plus, Stewart Island is home to a place called Fern Gully!) and the Mt John Observatory where the star gazing was INCREDIBLE and I got to see a zoomed in galaxy, Saturn's rings, the milky way, mars, an astounding yellow moonrise, and the Southern Cross constellation.
During that trip, I stopped in Queenstown to visit Steve again, and during that time one thing led to another, and I decided I wanted to stay there for the next few months. The view there is terrible. I stopped at a temp agency which assured me (falsely, but oh well) that if I showed up Monday morning at 7, I should get housekeeping work or something similar, so with promise of a job (which I desperately need...still) I hunted down a flat, paid for a week (you pay a week at a time here) and continued back to Christchurch to turn in the car. Once the car was turned in, I had to make it back to Queenstown, and I was lucky enough to find rides with several different people, as Queenstown is a long way from Christchurch. In fact I was in Christchurch overnight, and didn't have the money to pay for a hostel, so I hung out in the only 24 hour place in the city--the casino. I stood out a bit, but I was able to stay there all night, passing for a gambler, but mostly hiding in the restroom and reading. My life is a fascinating adventure novel.
Anyway, after an eventful trip back to QT, I arrived exhausted, but happy, and unpacked in my new room with a tired contentment. There are about 11 people living in this big house, and they are all as different and as friendly as they can be. I directly share a space with Charlotte and Jenn, both from Britain, and we already get along great after two days. As you probably have surmised, when I showed up Monday morning for my temp job, I was informed they didn't actually need me. Because I am in a bit of a financial rut (I'll spare you the details--just a bit in the hole, but I'm climbing out, this tends to happen when you backpack for four months,) I took the opportunity to job search for the day and hit up every job agency in town (there are five) as well as other walk in advertisements. But right after I sent this email today, I received a phone call and now have a telemarketing job everyday, 6 hours at 15 bucks an hour, for 5 days a week! I'll probably need to get another part time job because it won't really be enough for my Australia and Samoa plane tickets, but it's definitely an improvement! I was certainly ready to go to extremes--earlier I had walked into a budget store (think dollar store) and found ared nose, white make up, wigs, and an assortment of masks including a neutral mask and variations of. I've decided that this is probably the universe telling me (if the universe talks) to get creative in my money making--so this weekend I think I will get an act together and perform down near the harbor street and see if I can make some grocery money! We'll see, anyway.
Despite any natural traveller's hardships, I feel very happy. A bit hungry, a bit tired, but completely content. I already have friends here, new and old, and I am optimistic about the next few months. At this point in my year, I need to stay in one place for awhile in order to get myself back on my feet and make enough money to begin travelling again mid-June. It'll be strange to not be constantly moving around, but I'm ready for a little bit of stability. I'm not sure if there's any more news--I'm reading like crazy and writing equally as much. My ipod is broken (quite a bummer), as are my headphones, so that's a shame, but I just sing to myself. I am blessed beyond humble imagination, and I never forget this.
I hope you are all living your days with gusto and joy. And relish the warm weather--we're losing it here, so now you can make fun of me, shivering in the cold. With much love and zest, Sarah Duncan
I greet you from a flat in the heart of Queenstown, New Zealand, a rather rich tourist city driven by poor travellers like myself who work housekeeping jobs and then visit the bars every night (well, I don't do that last part.) So what am I doing here? How did I get a fllat? Do I have a job?
Let's rewind a bit. Last we talked, had I landed in Akaroa and was staying at a hostel there, doing housecleaning to earn my keep? Well, I did that. Akaroa is stunning. But I'm fairly certain I've told you all about this part.... My Mother came to visit for a week after that, and it was truly wonderful. 6 days is not a long time, but Time bowed to us and we were able to fill it with memories, if you'll excuse the phrase, to last a lifetime. We salmon fished, touched a glacier, taught a Brazilian woman to say the word "Awesome," and swam with the dolphins in the good ole deep blue. My mother has a photo website with pictures from her visit-- http://sgdsoon.spaces.live.com/ so check it out! There are a few pictures of me where, in my opinion, I look a bit sub par, so overlook those and focus on the scenery, s'il vous plait :) Remember I'm a backpacker with no money who doesn't often get to shower and only has three outfits...so cut me some slack.
On the last day of my Mom's visit, she and I went to see an Italian film entitled Marcello, Marcello, which was quite cute. In the cinema, I began to converse with an older woman, who later introduced herself as Prunella. Prunells is retired lawyer (among many other things) who now cleans houses, cares for animals, and cares for the local elderly. She offered me free accommodation and free food for a few weeks of wwoofing work. When my mother left, I had the rental car for two days, so I drove myself all the way down to the very tip of the South Island--for the heck of it! Beautiful drive. And then I visited Steve in Queenstown and returned to Pru, who lives just outside of Akaroa in a place called Takamatua. Let me paint you a picture: Pru's house used to be a backpackers, and is a deep green, wooden house with a huge porch laden with firewood and other assorted items, such as a piano, and a picnic table used to crack walnuts. the table didn't do the cracking of course. But anyway. For the first week, I lived in a caravan deep in her backyard (which is huge and full of baby fruit trees) practically teeming with character. The walls were of a certain kind of material that held onto chalk well--so, there were messages scrawled all over the walls--some inspirational, some crass (ex: If the Pope takes a crap in the woods, does it make the forest sacred?) I drew a clown with the light bulb as a nose, and contributed a favourite phrase--"if not love, what?" I eventually moved into the main house when another wwoofer, an Israeli woman named Jafit, arrived for four (much too short, she was wonderful) days.
During my time with Prunella, I helped clean houses, worked on her property tending to trees and raking up copious amounts of dead grass and weeds, cracked walnuts, and helped take care of three elderly individuals, May, Frank, and Tom. May Curry is a woman in her early nineties, but she is still incredibly private and independent. She continues to look after a garden and cook all of her own meals, and in her youth, used to ride her horse down into town. This is impressive because she lives in a large house on top of an unpopulated mini mountain. Frank, a man in his late eighties, has recently lost his wife and has taken to having a bit of a romantic liking for Pru, but besides this (and perhaps because of this) he is quite endearing. His wife used to play the piano, and now that it isn't used, he loves it when people play. Earlier, Pru had asked me if I played any piano, and I told her I played a wee bit, so she had told Frank I would play for him. A tad bit nerve wracking, since the last wwoofer had been a concert pianist (big shoes to fill) and I am, well, nothing of the sort. But I knew my strengths--I could only plunk out melodies on the piano, but I could sing any lyrics. I found a book of songs from the musical My Fair Lady and took to singing Wouldn't It Be Loverly with gumption. Frank loved it. And Tom, bless him. Tom is in his mid nineties and is not very well at all. He is a chain smoker and was quite the drinker in his lifetime. Although he is housebound and mainly chair bound, his health doesn't seem to concern him and he chain smokes and watches television all day. However, it's obvious that either he or his late wife had a great love of art--masterpieces hang around the house, abstract and post-modern, mainly. Tom has a reputation for being a bit surly and demanding, but he took to me for some mysterious reason, and by the time it was my last day, he honoured our time together with a blown kiss, a rather affectionate gesture from not typically an affectionate man.
Prunella also had a son, Michael, who at one point took Jafit and I out on a speedboat through the Akaroa Bay and into the ocean. It was there, standing at the front of the speedboat, whipping across blue gray water under blue gray skies, that I felt heaven. From that moment, however silly you may think I sound, I believe that if there is an afterlife, for me, personally, it will be that. I will ride a speedboat into the horizon for eternity, I really believe that.
At the end of three weeks, I left Prunella in order to pick up a rental car in Christchurch, because I wanted to do a little bit more site-seeing before I had to settle myself down somewhere and shovel myself out of debt. I spent a week sleeping in my car, listening to Dolly Parton and Joni Mitchell, driving beautiful roads and visiting places like Steward Island (closest you can get to Antarctica without actually going there--plus, Stewart Island is home to a place called Fern Gully!) and the Mt John Observatory where the star gazing was INCREDIBLE and I got to see a zoomed in galaxy, Saturn's rings, the milky way, mars, an astounding yellow moonrise, and the Southern Cross constellation.
During that trip, I stopped in Queenstown to visit Steve again, and during that time one thing led to another, and I decided I wanted to stay there for the next few months. The view there is terrible. I stopped at a temp agency which assured me (falsely, but oh well) that if I showed up Monday morning at 7, I should get housekeeping work or something similar, so with promise of a job (which I desperately need...still) I hunted down a flat, paid for a week (you pay a week at a time here) and continued back to Christchurch to turn in the car. Once the car was turned in, I had to make it back to Queenstown, and I was lucky enough to find rides with several different people, as Queenstown is a long way from Christchurch. In fact I was in Christchurch overnight, and didn't have the money to pay for a hostel, so I hung out in the only 24 hour place in the city--the casino. I stood out a bit, but I was able to stay there all night, passing for a gambler, but mostly hiding in the restroom and reading. My life is a fascinating adventure novel.
Anyway, after an eventful trip back to QT, I arrived exhausted, but happy, and unpacked in my new room with a tired contentment. There are about 11 people living in this big house, and they are all as different and as friendly as they can be. I directly share a space with Charlotte and Jenn, both from Britain, and we already get along great after two days. As you probably have surmised, when I showed up Monday morning for my temp job, I was informed they didn't actually need me. Because I am in a bit of a financial rut (I'll spare you the details--just a bit in the hole, but I'm climbing out, this tends to happen when you backpack for four months,) I took the opportunity to job search for the day and hit up every job agency in town (there are five) as well as other walk in advertisements. But right after I sent this email today, I received a phone call and now have a telemarketing job everyday, 6 hours at 15 bucks an hour, for 5 days a week! I'll probably need to get another part time job because it won't really be enough for my Australia and Samoa plane tickets, but it's definitely an improvement! I was certainly ready to go to extremes--earlier I had walked into a budget store (think dollar store) and found ared nose, white make up, wigs, and an assortment of masks including a neutral mask and variations of. I've decided that this is probably the universe telling me (if the universe talks) to get creative in my money making--so this weekend I think I will get an act together and perform down near the harbor street and see if I can make some grocery money! We'll see, anyway.
Despite any natural traveller's hardships, I feel very happy. A bit hungry, a bit tired, but completely content. I already have friends here, new and old, and I am optimistic about the next few months. At this point in my year, I need to stay in one place for awhile in order to get myself back on my feet and make enough money to begin travelling again mid-June. It'll be strange to not be constantly moving around, but I'm ready for a little bit of stability. I'm not sure if there's any more news--I'm reading like crazy and writing equally as much. My ipod is broken (quite a bummer), as are my headphones, so that's a shame, but I just sing to myself. I am blessed beyond humble imagination, and I never forget this.
I hope you are all living your days with gusto and joy. And relish the warm weather--we're losing it here, so now you can make fun of me, shivering in the cold. With much love and zest, Sarah Duncan
Sunday, January 24, 2010
House Buses and Vests: A month later
Alrighty, so you know the dealio with having limited internet time ever since I left my darling laptop (how I miss it, but how I cannot carry it) with an equally darling (two) friends... well, we're still in that dealio. It's like a canoe. Aaaand it's sinking. Don't judge me, I know that was terrible, I'm tired.
So I thought I'd make a list, because, hey, I owe y'all, and hey, I only really have about 10 minutes...
1. I've been getting really into vests. Wearing funky vests over t shirts, stuff like that. I credit this fashion faux pas to my dear friend Ximena from New York--she made vests sexy. So far, I think I just look like Annie Hall, but if I can't be sexy, I'll settle for quirky.
2. Where have I been? Oh you know... around. Apple Thinning (blech) while living out of a tent for two weeks, making not that much money and now currently burning through it like incense, down to Westport, met back up with Molly, down through Arthur's Pass (EFFING BEAUTIFUL) to Christchurch, then to this tiny little mostly french village (I know, you say to yourself, French? Yes French) at the corner of this inlet on the bluest of blue blue ocean bays I have EVER seen. "On an island in the blue bay..." The street names and places are in French, there are French people, and there is French food. I am currently working for accomodation (no, I'm not building my own bed, I'm just making other peoples) at this adorable pink (yes pink) backpackers called Chez La Mer (or, Sea House.) It's adorable. Tonight, because I am early, they don't have a bed for me till tomorrow, so I shall sleep majestically in.. a hammock. Yes please.
I am writing, and I am reading. Just finished (hey where did the list go?) The Time Traveler's Wife (pretty good, not earth shaking, but I still recommend it, especially if you like romance) and am now moving on to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'm pumped.
My Momma is coming to visit soon, and I have planned the trip all out for her... The only thing I need is... a car. Which I am in the process of procurring. More on this soon. Hopefully. I want to get a cute roomy but little car, and paint Daisy Fay on the side, from the book Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg (author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe) because Daisy Fay was dammmn spunky. And so am I, sweet Alabamy.
Still haven't pierced my nose yet--but I'ma gonna. Molly, Cole and I met a really cool guy who showed us his... drum roll... house bus! So cool! I got to sleep in it! (He let us stay) And eat in it and everything. I listened to oldies music in the damn thing. It was rockinnnn. Dude. Now I know what I want for my birthday. Or Christmas 2011. Heya Santa....
Bought the movie Juno because I have been DYING to watch it, and I figured this hostel (like 95% of them) would have a dvd player and a tv... it doesn't. Well, the boss does, in her office. I better become her friend soon, I really want to watch Ellen Page say, "I'm on my hamburger phone." Marry me, Ellen.
After my Mom's visit I'm pretty sure I'll need to find some work. I'd really like to not work until March, and I'd like to travel around the south for the last two weeks of Feb, but it unless Mom is feeling particularly generous before she flies away, I will be rather broke as a bloke out of tokes (bad joke.) Hopefully I will have a car by then, but paying for gas will probably max out my credit card, which I now regard as an inevitability. But it's only 2,000 (very small in the big shadows of debt world) so I'm not too worried about paying it off... but I am, a bit. Eh, I'll make it all work. I'll get work as soon as possible, and then maybe travel some in March or April, even if it is cold (it'll be cold, ugh.) Then my plan is to still fly to Oz and Samoa or Fiji, then back, then home. But who knows?! Not I, sandfly.
Well, that's the sitch, Mario. This Luigi's gonna go make herself some dinner before she bundles up and gets cozy in the hammock--or perhaps they'll have a bed (they're waiting on some guy to show up and if he doesn't, yahtzee for me)--life is apparently a game of chance.
UPDATE: So, Karma must be mad at me. Yesterday, the money machine ate my credit card, so all plans to purchase a car have been put on hold. I had a bit of a freak out, but this morning, everything is coming up roses. Literally, since I got a job doing a bit of gardening.
Love you all to pieces,
Sarah
So I thought I'd make a list, because, hey, I owe y'all, and hey, I only really have about 10 minutes...
1. I've been getting really into vests. Wearing funky vests over t shirts, stuff like that. I credit this fashion faux pas to my dear friend Ximena from New York--she made vests sexy. So far, I think I just look like Annie Hall, but if I can't be sexy, I'll settle for quirky.
2. Where have I been? Oh you know... around. Apple Thinning (blech) while living out of a tent for two weeks, making not that much money and now currently burning through it like incense, down to Westport, met back up with Molly, down through Arthur's Pass (EFFING BEAUTIFUL) to Christchurch, then to this tiny little mostly french village (I know, you say to yourself, French? Yes French) at the corner of this inlet on the bluest of blue blue ocean bays I have EVER seen. "On an island in the blue bay..." The street names and places are in French, there are French people, and there is French food. I am currently working for accomodation (no, I'm not building my own bed, I'm just making other peoples) at this adorable pink (yes pink) backpackers called Chez La Mer (or, Sea House.) It's adorable. Tonight, because I am early, they don't have a bed for me till tomorrow, so I shall sleep majestically in.. a hammock. Yes please.
I am writing, and I am reading. Just finished (hey where did the list go?) The Time Traveler's Wife (pretty good, not earth shaking, but I still recommend it, especially if you like romance) and am now moving on to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'm pumped.
My Momma is coming to visit soon, and I have planned the trip all out for her... The only thing I need is... a car. Which I am in the process of procurring. More on this soon. Hopefully. I want to get a cute roomy but little car, and paint Daisy Fay on the side, from the book Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg (author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe) because Daisy Fay was dammmn spunky. And so am I, sweet Alabamy.
Still haven't pierced my nose yet--but I'ma gonna. Molly, Cole and I met a really cool guy who showed us his... drum roll... house bus! So cool! I got to sleep in it! (He let us stay) And eat in it and everything. I listened to oldies music in the damn thing. It was rockinnnn. Dude. Now I know what I want for my birthday. Or Christmas 2011. Heya Santa....
Bought the movie Juno because I have been DYING to watch it, and I figured this hostel (like 95% of them) would have a dvd player and a tv... it doesn't. Well, the boss does, in her office. I better become her friend soon, I really want to watch Ellen Page say, "I'm on my hamburger phone." Marry me, Ellen.
After my Mom's visit I'm pretty sure I'll need to find some work. I'd really like to not work until March, and I'd like to travel around the south for the last two weeks of Feb, but it unless Mom is feeling particularly generous before she flies away, I will be rather broke as a bloke out of tokes (bad joke.) Hopefully I will have a car by then, but paying for gas will probably max out my credit card, which I now regard as an inevitability. But it's only 2,000 (very small in the big shadows of debt world) so I'm not too worried about paying it off... but I am, a bit. Eh, I'll make it all work. I'll get work as soon as possible, and then maybe travel some in March or April, even if it is cold (it'll be cold, ugh.) Then my plan is to still fly to Oz and Samoa or Fiji, then back, then home. But who knows?! Not I, sandfly.
Well, that's the sitch, Mario. This Luigi's gonna go make herself some dinner before she bundles up and gets cozy in the hammock--or perhaps they'll have a bed (they're waiting on some guy to show up and if he doesn't, yahtzee for me)--life is apparently a game of chance.
UPDATE: So, Karma must be mad at me. Yesterday, the money machine ate my credit card, so all plans to purchase a car have been put on hold. I had a bit of a freak out, but this morning, everything is coming up roses. Literally, since I got a job doing a bit of gardening.
Love you all to pieces,
Sarah
Monday, December 28, 2009
Eating Pumpkin Seeds in the Nelson Public Library.
Isn't it funny that pumpkin seeds are green? You'd think they'd be orange and slightly eery looking.
To business.
Well, I made it to the Rainbow Gathering--spent 7 days living out of a tent, bathing in a waterfall (and washing my hair in a bucket), pooing in what was termed a 'shitpit'--dude, it was totally a moat, not a pit, twas a big dug trench in the ground--, singing and om-ing and spending almost all of my time around a campfire talking to fellow travelers, (learning how to make one big trip around the world, talking to a woman who spend three months in Pakistan by herself!) and trying to avoid some of the hippie purists. There are extremists everywhere.
Things I've learned:
1. Never ever ever am I taking acid. The guy camping next to me had this violent, scary as shit trip and that was enough for me. Not that it had ever been on my quote unquote bucket list, but now it's damn sure never making it on.
2. Trust my instincts. Even if I hate them.
3. Conversely, there is such a thing as being *too* careful.
4. ...I'm not a hippie. I have hippie tendencies, (I like hippie chic, I like the social justice aspect) but I am not a full blown one. I like to bathe at least somewhat regularly, I prefer shaven legs, I like soap, I appreciate nature but I don't worship it, I don't really believe in crystals, (though I have a moonstone that is a 'traveler's stone' and stands for new beginnings that I'm partial too) or any form of paganism, I have no real desire to meditate no matter how good it probably would be for me, and I don't care if sunscreen or bugspray is evil, I'm using them.
5. Conversely, I learned a lot about all the things I think I need, that I really don't. But I have a hard time walking past an 'op shop' (second hand store) and not leaving with a new sweater or skirt. I no longer horde books, however. But I am reading like a maniac.
6. My ipod is not one of those things I can live without. I need that. At Rainbow, I missed that.
7. Being a lesbian woman like myself, with my characterists and preferences towards independence, selected isolation, and opting out of the party scene, will very likely be a bit lonely this lifetime.
8. David Mitchell is an incredible writer. See more below.
9. I miss acting. And I am THRILLED about this. This means I am healing from my last four years, and remembering that I love the art form and craft of performing separate from a certain destructive social dynamic.
10. Pushing myself to do something will probably make me miserable.
11. I am impatient.
12. I turn into a HUGE baby when I'm hungry, cold, or tired. Worse when it's all three. Thus, the wilderness living was rough.
13. Annie Hall and Being John Malkovich are excellent films.
14. I have some serious librarian tendencies. Also, I want to work as a book editor sometime. I also am an excellent book reviewer, and I know it. Knowing I'm good at something is key. It isn't pretentious to let a potential employer or partner know this. Turns out the 'go confidence' camp of folks was right.
15. I'm getting my nose pierced. And I *really* want a tazer for when I travel around the world by myself, which I'm going to do in 2011.
Alright, enough of that list. The point is this, I went to the Rainbow Gathering--traveling all the way with my friend Molly--and met along the way some of the most incredibly kind individuals I have ever ever met. My faith in people and human kindness has been completely renovated. The gathering itself was really quite an experience, and I am really really glad I went. I enjoyed it, but I was also really very ready and happy to leave. Being back in society is both a blessing and a curse. Things cost money here, but I really enjoy the nature/city balance. So where am I now, you ask? I am in Nelson City, bumming around for a few days till after New Years, and then I am searching rapidly and rabidly for seasonal work (aka fruit picking) in the surrounding areas, or going to Blenheim for vineyard work, or hitting up a connection I may have in Dunedin, or going up to Takaka to apply for a job at this really kickass cafe called the Wholemeal Cafe (Takaka is AWESOME) and then hopefully working at a festival called Luminate so I can get in for free. Basically, trying to make money so that after my mom's visit in Feb, I can take to the roads, traveling again all over the South Island, by myself or with some merry company if the opportunity presents itself. I am currently CRAVING a big traveler's van that I can put a bed and stuff in the back of. I want one SO bad. Anyway. Ideally, Mary, April, May I will get a steadier job, and then make my way to Australia for a month or so, then back to NZ (or maybe to Fiji?) and then home. Which reminds me--I definitely have to move my plane ticket to september (they couldn't book that far advance) and I have to find a way to do my taxes from New Zealand. Headache, yes, but I can do it. I can do anything.
My New Year's resolution is to learn to stop apologizing for myself. I've already made some progress. I've been wanting to do this for years and years, but something finally clicked. It's damn well time.
I am traveling with a German named Fabian, a guy from Australia named Cole, and a guy from Southern England named Sam. Fabian has a car, which is pretty helpful. We're a good group. This entry is REALLY scattered.
I've recently gotten into reading work by a British author named David Mitchell. I read his book Black Swan Green and it was quite possibly one of the best books I have read in the last 10 years. Actually, not quite possibly--positively. I'm now reading his book Ghostwritten and I'm already excited. He's most famous for Cloud Atlas. If you're a reader you must must MUST read these books. I've also got a Kafka book that I'm moving onto after that. Books, yum.
Which brings me to my next issue--there's a movement out that I discovered (I can't remember the website, but it's out there somewhere) called READ THIS BOOK: Reading Around The System, or RATS. The slogan is Be the RAT, which means to be someone who is part of the movement. This is all you have to do:
when you finish reading a book, open up the front cover. Write:
"read
this
book
and leave in public place." (i'm pretty sure you have to write it in that format, but i suppose it doesn't really matter?)
then you write underneath it: Your Name, the RAT.
And then guess what you do? (This is so crazy but cool, I'm so excited about it.) You ditch the book. ANYWHERE. The idea is to promote literacy by reading around the system--the system being the monetary exchange of money for books, and it also declutters personal libraries. Liberate your personal books, and someone else will pick them up, read them, and then pass them on. It's sort of like that movie Pay it Forward. Anyway, my friend Molly's friend Katie found out about it, and so I'm doing my best to pass it on completely.
Anyway, I think that's about it for me.... Christmas was good, but uneventful. Not festive enough for me, really. Well, the sun is coming out, and my computer time is running out....
if you read this crazy broken entry, congrats. I didn't mean to jump from subject to subject...
Happy New Year all you crazies--I love you each.
Be a rat,
Sarah
To business.
Well, I made it to the Rainbow Gathering--spent 7 days living out of a tent, bathing in a waterfall (and washing my hair in a bucket), pooing in what was termed a 'shitpit'--dude, it was totally a moat, not a pit, twas a big dug trench in the ground--, singing and om-ing and spending almost all of my time around a campfire talking to fellow travelers, (learning how to make one big trip around the world, talking to a woman who spend three months in Pakistan by herself!) and trying to avoid some of the hippie purists. There are extremists everywhere.
Things I've learned:
1. Never ever ever am I taking acid. The guy camping next to me had this violent, scary as shit trip and that was enough for me. Not that it had ever been on my quote unquote bucket list, but now it's damn sure never making it on.
2. Trust my instincts. Even if I hate them.
3. Conversely, there is such a thing as being *too* careful.
4. ...I'm not a hippie. I have hippie tendencies, (I like hippie chic, I like the social justice aspect) but I am not a full blown one. I like to bathe at least somewhat regularly, I prefer shaven legs, I like soap, I appreciate nature but I don't worship it, I don't really believe in crystals, (though I have a moonstone that is a 'traveler's stone' and stands for new beginnings that I'm partial too) or any form of paganism, I have no real desire to meditate no matter how good it probably would be for me, and I don't care if sunscreen or bugspray is evil, I'm using them.
5. Conversely, I learned a lot about all the things I think I need, that I really don't. But I have a hard time walking past an 'op shop' (second hand store) and not leaving with a new sweater or skirt. I no longer horde books, however. But I am reading like a maniac.
6. My ipod is not one of those things I can live without. I need that. At Rainbow, I missed that.
7. Being a lesbian woman like myself, with my characterists and preferences towards independence, selected isolation, and opting out of the party scene, will very likely be a bit lonely this lifetime.
8. David Mitchell is an incredible writer. See more below.
9. I miss acting. And I am THRILLED about this. This means I am healing from my last four years, and remembering that I love the art form and craft of performing separate from a certain destructive social dynamic.
10. Pushing myself to do something will probably make me miserable.
11. I am impatient.
12. I turn into a HUGE baby when I'm hungry, cold, or tired. Worse when it's all three. Thus, the wilderness living was rough.
13. Annie Hall and Being John Malkovich are excellent films.
14. I have some serious librarian tendencies. Also, I want to work as a book editor sometime. I also am an excellent book reviewer, and I know it. Knowing I'm good at something is key. It isn't pretentious to let a potential employer or partner know this. Turns out the 'go confidence' camp of folks was right.
15. I'm getting my nose pierced. And I *really* want a tazer for when I travel around the world by myself, which I'm going to do in 2011.
Alright, enough of that list. The point is this, I went to the Rainbow Gathering--traveling all the way with my friend Molly--and met along the way some of the most incredibly kind individuals I have ever ever met. My faith in people and human kindness has been completely renovated. The gathering itself was really quite an experience, and I am really really glad I went. I enjoyed it, but I was also really very ready and happy to leave. Being back in society is both a blessing and a curse. Things cost money here, but I really enjoy the nature/city balance. So where am I now, you ask? I am in Nelson City, bumming around for a few days till after New Years, and then I am searching rapidly and rabidly for seasonal work (aka fruit picking) in the surrounding areas, or going to Blenheim for vineyard work, or hitting up a connection I may have in Dunedin, or going up to Takaka to apply for a job at this really kickass cafe called the Wholemeal Cafe (Takaka is AWESOME) and then hopefully working at a festival called Luminate so I can get in for free. Basically, trying to make money so that after my mom's visit in Feb, I can take to the roads, traveling again all over the South Island, by myself or with some merry company if the opportunity presents itself. I am currently CRAVING a big traveler's van that I can put a bed and stuff in the back of. I want one SO bad. Anyway. Ideally, Mary, April, May I will get a steadier job, and then make my way to Australia for a month or so, then back to NZ (or maybe to Fiji?) and then home. Which reminds me--I definitely have to move my plane ticket to september (they couldn't book that far advance) and I have to find a way to do my taxes from New Zealand. Headache, yes, but I can do it. I can do anything.
My New Year's resolution is to learn to stop apologizing for myself. I've already made some progress. I've been wanting to do this for years and years, but something finally clicked. It's damn well time.
I am traveling with a German named Fabian, a guy from Australia named Cole, and a guy from Southern England named Sam. Fabian has a car, which is pretty helpful. We're a good group. This entry is REALLY scattered.
I've recently gotten into reading work by a British author named David Mitchell. I read his book Black Swan Green and it was quite possibly one of the best books I have read in the last 10 years. Actually, not quite possibly--positively. I'm now reading his book Ghostwritten and I'm already excited. He's most famous for Cloud Atlas. If you're a reader you must must MUST read these books. I've also got a Kafka book that I'm moving onto after that. Books, yum.
Which brings me to my next issue--there's a movement out that I discovered (I can't remember the website, but it's out there somewhere) called READ THIS BOOK: Reading Around The System, or RATS. The slogan is Be the RAT, which means to be someone who is part of the movement. This is all you have to do:
when you finish reading a book, open up the front cover. Write:
"read
this
book
and leave in public place." (i'm pretty sure you have to write it in that format, but i suppose it doesn't really matter?)
then you write underneath it: Your Name, the RAT.
And then guess what you do? (This is so crazy but cool, I'm so excited about it.) You ditch the book. ANYWHERE. The idea is to promote literacy by reading around the system--the system being the monetary exchange of money for books, and it also declutters personal libraries. Liberate your personal books, and someone else will pick them up, read them, and then pass them on. It's sort of like that movie Pay it Forward. Anyway, my friend Molly's friend Katie found out about it, and so I'm doing my best to pass it on completely.
Anyway, I think that's about it for me.... Christmas was good, but uneventful. Not festive enough for me, really. Well, the sun is coming out, and my computer time is running out....
if you read this crazy broken entry, congrats. I didn't mean to jump from subject to subject...
Happy New Year all you crazies--I love you each.
Be a rat,
Sarah
Monday, November 23, 2009
All You Need is Love: Life in Wilderland
If you hate spiders, you should probably not come here. If you need to shower and shave every day, you should probably not come here. If you love the taste of steak and can’t live without it on a weekly basis, you should probably not come here. If you need constant internet and have a favorite weekly television show, you should (you guessed it) probably not come here. If you need a toilet that flushes, an electric stove, a dish washer, cubed ice, soda, guaranteed hot water showers, water that’s bottled or purified, a microwave, a clothes dryer, alcohol and/or cigarettes, marijuana, (and any other substances even more illegal), indoor heating, air conditioning, a bathtub, clean nails; and if you have an aversion to peeing in the bushes—you should probably, really, honestly, and sincerely not come here.
A few days ago my friend Josh (another Wwoofer--Willing Workers on Organic Farms) asked me quite earnestly, "So. When did you discover you were a hippie?" Good question, Josh. I suppose I've always had an inner hippie...
Funnily enough, the main people who run Wilderland at the moment don't identify as 'hippies'--and they aren't, but they are fascinating, determined, and all around excellent individuals. Shaki and Avner are a married couple from Israel with two lovely (and hilarious) little girls, and they care deeply about making a life outside the typical expected system. From what I understand, they wanted to break the cycle most people get stuck in in their life--working and working and working to afford a place in a world that expects us to keep working until we die. They felt that there must be something better... so they bought tickets to New Zealand and embarked on an adventure--a quest, if you will... and eventually settled down here in Wilderland, keeping it going after the previous residents had retired. Avner and Shaki oversee everything along with a man named Russel because they are all residents--they deal with all the official work of the markets and marketing, sale of honey, land issues, etc, etc. There is plenty more to it than that, but I don't know the details because I'm simply passing through. It's a lot of work to be a full time resident, and although I admire them greatly--I don't envy them their workload. Truly inspiring people, though.
Sustainable living takes a lot of work, but when I look around at the place where we all live right now--it seems truly worth it. There are gardens and orchards all over, and if you want a salad--you can go pick it. Carrots, snap peas, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, silver beet, rocket, mescuna, spinach, turnips.... you name it. For fruit, there are heaps and heaps of tangelos (a cross between tangerines and oranges--amazing, and the juice is honestly I kid you not the best juice I've ever had. Liquid. Sunshine. Liquid. Happiness), tangerines, mandarins, plums, apples, loquats, lemons, goldfruit (a sweeter kind of grape fruit), and avocados. They also grow nuts (do people 'grow nuts'?) and keep bees and bee hives. Wilderland is famous for their honey, and it's well deserved. I recommend the Manuka Honey--very good, and it has some medicinal qualities. People do some flax weaving too, and there's a current candle making enterprise taking off in hopes to bring in further income.
Here's a typical day:
8 o'clock we can do morning warm-ups (of the tai chi variety) with J.P. (from Israel, he's hilarious.)
8:30 is when we all meet in the hall and have porridge made from rolled oats, water, raisins (and I like to put peanut butter, honey, and cinnamon in mine.)
9:00 we start work. We can go to Hena Hena--a place of large garden beds and primarily tangelo and avocado trees. We work there digging beds, weeding beds, composting and putting mulch on the beds.... harvesting tangelos and avocados, raking left over grass clippings... pretty much whatever needs to be done. Other jobs we do usually take place at other gardens--the Hot House garden, and so on. It's pretty much the same kind of stuff, but we move around some times. Once a week, I work at the Wilderland Shop, which is a really cute little shop off the side of the road that sells honey and fresh organic produce... as well as freshly squeezed tangelo juice (squeezed by me.) Also once a week (unless there are a lot of people and I manage to weasel out of it... like this week, hopefully--sue me) I am responsible for cooking a big lunch for everyone here. Last Friday, I cooked vegetable curry, brown rice, salad (with home made citrus dressing) and a fruit salad with coconut. FOR 13 PEOPLE. It was rather successful, though the curry was a bit spicy. Some people liked this, others, not so much. Regardless, it was quite an accomplishment....
1:00 We stop work for the day (when we hear the loud lunch bell... or rather lunch gong) and head in towards the Hall for a big communal lunch. Our meals here consist of loads of veggies, beans and lentils, brown rice, raw sugar and organic honey, herbal tree, fruit (especially citrus right now, as it's in season...) and the occasional potato. Also, every two or three days someone makes fresh brown bread, and we go through that so quickly, it's ridiculous. But, well, it's very good! We have a refrigerator for individual food--for instance, I have my own rice milk, and when someone goes to the store, I like to get apples, or kiwi fruit, or tomatoes. I spend very little money here, but some gets spent because of special requests to the store--like for things like bug spray (I am getting EATEN up here) or...less necessary things... like dark chocolate. Cough.
After this... the day is free. I've spent afternoons doing crafty things (making a wall hang out of bamboo, string, gold foil, keys, shells, and purple ribbon that read Aroha--which is Maori for 'Love'. I gave this to my housemate at the time, Ilana as a going away present because she and three other close friends are going to buy some acres on the West Coast of NZ and name it Aroha... Ilana was seriously awesome. Still is... but she left, sadly. It's the traveler's curse--meeting cool people but having to say goodbye...) I've been reading a lot too. I read The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Pigeon (weird book), Little Johnny's Confessions (a book of poetry) and I am currently halfway through An Unexpected Light (Travels in Afghanistan) by Jason Elliot. I've spent a good amount of time making my living space my own, and for about two days I completely reorganized the Wilderland library--I made a cool Library sign out of canvas and glued on teal string, and then I redid all the labeling as well. It looks badass now, and Shaki and Avner were thrilled. I had dust in my nose for quite some time after, however... I've done some kayaking (always an adventure--I went yesterday and almost got stuck when the tide went in...oops. But I got quite the arm work out!) I wander, I read, I occasionally check my email, I explore, I talk to people, I listen to music...
That's a typical day.
On the Wilderland property, there are loads of houses (or more like Cabins), and I'm living in the Magnolia House because it's right next to a Magnolia tree. I absolutely ADORE the name of our house, and I also adore the house itself. It's wooden, dusty, and beautiful. I have a double bed that looks out through the windows out onto our porch that looks out over the whole property, including the ocean. Everything is so incredible green--and the pathway to the Magnolia house is pretty much canopied by trees bent over each other--it looks magical. It can get cold at night, and there are rats running around under the house and on the roof at night, but by day, it's not a problem.
Yesterday, I had to empty our compost toilet. That was hard core. And... kinda gross, but perhaps not as bad as I expected.
The shower here is communal, and sharing between so many people is hard... which pretty much means that most of us smell... some worse than others. I'm getting used to lots of smells, including my own. I'm getting used to dirt permanently under my fingernails, and not caring, because what am I going to do about it? I've got sun kissed skin, and my acne has been clearing up for the most part... I pee in the bushes all the time here. You know how they say that the bedroom floor is a shelf? Well, that idea can be changed to--the whole world is a shelf--so many places to put things. And then take it further from there to... the whole world can be a toilet. I'm getting a lot better, too. I don't fall over anymore... ;-)
The group of people here is pretty excelent. Occasionally I'll hear some what I like to call 'preaching' by some folks passing on through (people don't really stay here more than 3 weeks, unless they want to try for residency, like a lovely young Australian named Luna is doing) about yada, yada, yada. 95% of the people here are completely cool ALL the time... but occasionally, you can get some real pious few who are just as bad as "the man" they are against. Luckily, all those folks are gone at present....
Anyway....Wilderland has a good amount of wwoofers--Myself (USA-IL), Maria (Germany), Clara (Germany), Andy (UK), Tony (UK), Luna (Australia) Johnny (USA-Seattle), Molly (USA-Connecticut), Josh (NZ), Zach (USA-New York)... Ilana (Israel, France, UK, NZ) was here for two weeks, and there was Jim, an older man from the States who believed strongly in the power of homemade yogurt, and a man named Mike also from the States who (I've got to be honest here) really did not strike my fancy whatsoever. He didn't have much worth sharing, but he said it loudly. And he was also rather racist. I was not sad to see Mike go... Too honest? Perhaps, but I'm not apologizing.
Maria and Molly are considering taking off this weekend, and I intend to stay for a bit, but I'm really hoping to travel with either Molly or Josh around mid-December to a BIIIIIIG hippie event in the South Island called Rainbow Gathering. Apparently they are very popular in the States, but this is the first one here. I would go for a week, and then head up to Auckland for Christmas... we'll see what happens! I really do love Wilderland, but you know me, full of Wanderlust. Plus, Ilana gave me a long list of cool things to explore in the South Island. Around February, I intend to load up on actual backpacking supplies, and just going full throttle backpacking--I want to backpack through both islands, fruit picking, wwoofing, etc for money along the way. I plan to camp and the like at approved campsites.... should be fun :) And then ideally, in around April or March, I'd like to go to Australia to see my friend Chloe, in Melbourne. I intend to check out Melbourne and Sydney... and then I have *no* idea. But I'll probably stay North, because in the USA summer months, it will be wintery here, and we all know how Sarah feels about cold....
So that's my life right now :) I'm going to try and put up my pictures on photobucket or something... but if you're my facebook friend, check out all the pictures I took of Wilderland and the cool people I reside with.
Ah yes, and how could I forget? The Beatles are very popular at Wilderland. This is in part because they are simply awesome, and because the two little girls here--Zoe and Anna--LOVE them, and are particularly partial to All You Need is Love and Yellow Submarine, both of which they get someone to play daily if they can manage it. The girls like to alter the lyrics too--things like, All You Need is Glove, All You Need is Avocado... you get the picture. Anna is actually rather incredible--she can keep pitch like you wouldn't believe. And, um... she's THREE.
Well, I'm going to go see if I can get photo bucket working for y'all...
All is well here--and hopefully your lives are full and brimming with Aroha.
If you ever get down, remember...
all you need is glove.
A few days ago my friend Josh (another Wwoofer--Willing Workers on Organic Farms) asked me quite earnestly, "So. When did you discover you were a hippie?" Good question, Josh. I suppose I've always had an inner hippie...
Funnily enough, the main people who run Wilderland at the moment don't identify as 'hippies'--and they aren't, but they are fascinating, determined, and all around excellent individuals. Shaki and Avner are a married couple from Israel with two lovely (and hilarious) little girls, and they care deeply about making a life outside the typical expected system. From what I understand, they wanted to break the cycle most people get stuck in in their life--working and working and working to afford a place in a world that expects us to keep working until we die. They felt that there must be something better... so they bought tickets to New Zealand and embarked on an adventure--a quest, if you will... and eventually settled down here in Wilderland, keeping it going after the previous residents had retired. Avner and Shaki oversee everything along with a man named Russel because they are all residents--they deal with all the official work of the markets and marketing, sale of honey, land issues, etc, etc. There is plenty more to it than that, but I don't know the details because I'm simply passing through. It's a lot of work to be a full time resident, and although I admire them greatly--I don't envy them their workload. Truly inspiring people, though.
Sustainable living takes a lot of work, but when I look around at the place where we all live right now--it seems truly worth it. There are gardens and orchards all over, and if you want a salad--you can go pick it. Carrots, snap peas, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, silver beet, rocket, mescuna, spinach, turnips.... you name it. For fruit, there are heaps and heaps of tangelos (a cross between tangerines and oranges--amazing, and the juice is honestly I kid you not the best juice I've ever had. Liquid. Sunshine. Liquid. Happiness), tangerines, mandarins, plums, apples, loquats, lemons, goldfruit (a sweeter kind of grape fruit), and avocados. They also grow nuts (do people 'grow nuts'?) and keep bees and bee hives. Wilderland is famous for their honey, and it's well deserved. I recommend the Manuka Honey--very good, and it has some medicinal qualities. People do some flax weaving too, and there's a current candle making enterprise taking off in hopes to bring in further income.
Here's a typical day:
8 o'clock we can do morning warm-ups (of the tai chi variety) with J.P. (from Israel, he's hilarious.)
8:30 is when we all meet in the hall and have porridge made from rolled oats, water, raisins (and I like to put peanut butter, honey, and cinnamon in mine.)
9:00 we start work. We can go to Hena Hena--a place of large garden beds and primarily tangelo and avocado trees. We work there digging beds, weeding beds, composting and putting mulch on the beds.... harvesting tangelos and avocados, raking left over grass clippings... pretty much whatever needs to be done. Other jobs we do usually take place at other gardens--the Hot House garden, and so on. It's pretty much the same kind of stuff, but we move around some times. Once a week, I work at the Wilderland Shop, which is a really cute little shop off the side of the road that sells honey and fresh organic produce... as well as freshly squeezed tangelo juice (squeezed by me.) Also once a week (unless there are a lot of people and I manage to weasel out of it... like this week, hopefully--sue me) I am responsible for cooking a big lunch for everyone here. Last Friday, I cooked vegetable curry, brown rice, salad (with home made citrus dressing) and a fruit salad with coconut. FOR 13 PEOPLE. It was rather successful, though the curry was a bit spicy. Some people liked this, others, not so much. Regardless, it was quite an accomplishment....
1:00 We stop work for the day (when we hear the loud lunch bell... or rather lunch gong) and head in towards the Hall for a big communal lunch. Our meals here consist of loads of veggies, beans and lentils, brown rice, raw sugar and organic honey, herbal tree, fruit (especially citrus right now, as it's in season...) and the occasional potato. Also, every two or three days someone makes fresh brown bread, and we go through that so quickly, it's ridiculous. But, well, it's very good! We have a refrigerator for individual food--for instance, I have my own rice milk, and when someone goes to the store, I like to get apples, or kiwi fruit, or tomatoes. I spend very little money here, but some gets spent because of special requests to the store--like for things like bug spray (I am getting EATEN up here) or...less necessary things... like dark chocolate. Cough.
After this... the day is free. I've spent afternoons doing crafty things (making a wall hang out of bamboo, string, gold foil, keys, shells, and purple ribbon that read Aroha--which is Maori for 'Love'. I gave this to my housemate at the time, Ilana as a going away present because she and three other close friends are going to buy some acres on the West Coast of NZ and name it Aroha... Ilana was seriously awesome. Still is... but she left, sadly. It's the traveler's curse--meeting cool people but having to say goodbye...) I've been reading a lot too. I read The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Pigeon (weird book), Little Johnny's Confessions (a book of poetry) and I am currently halfway through An Unexpected Light (Travels in Afghanistan) by Jason Elliot. I've spent a good amount of time making my living space my own, and for about two days I completely reorganized the Wilderland library--I made a cool Library sign out of canvas and glued on teal string, and then I redid all the labeling as well. It looks badass now, and Shaki and Avner were thrilled. I had dust in my nose for quite some time after, however... I've done some kayaking (always an adventure--I went yesterday and almost got stuck when the tide went in...oops. But I got quite the arm work out!) I wander, I read, I occasionally check my email, I explore, I talk to people, I listen to music...
That's a typical day.
On the Wilderland property, there are loads of houses (or more like Cabins), and I'm living in the Magnolia House because it's right next to a Magnolia tree. I absolutely ADORE the name of our house, and I also adore the house itself. It's wooden, dusty, and beautiful. I have a double bed that looks out through the windows out onto our porch that looks out over the whole property, including the ocean. Everything is so incredible green--and the pathway to the Magnolia house is pretty much canopied by trees bent over each other--it looks magical. It can get cold at night, and there are rats running around under the house and on the roof at night, but by day, it's not a problem.
Yesterday, I had to empty our compost toilet. That was hard core. And... kinda gross, but perhaps not as bad as I expected.
The shower here is communal, and sharing between so many people is hard... which pretty much means that most of us smell... some worse than others. I'm getting used to lots of smells, including my own. I'm getting used to dirt permanently under my fingernails, and not caring, because what am I going to do about it? I've got sun kissed skin, and my acne has been clearing up for the most part... I pee in the bushes all the time here. You know how they say that the bedroom floor is a shelf? Well, that idea can be changed to--the whole world is a shelf--so many places to put things. And then take it further from there to... the whole world can be a toilet. I'm getting a lot better, too. I don't fall over anymore... ;-)
The group of people here is pretty excelent. Occasionally I'll hear some what I like to call 'preaching' by some folks passing on through (people don't really stay here more than 3 weeks, unless they want to try for residency, like a lovely young Australian named Luna is doing) about yada, yada, yada. 95% of the people here are completely cool ALL the time... but occasionally, you can get some real pious few who are just as bad as "the man" they are against. Luckily, all those folks are gone at present....
Anyway....Wilderland has a good amount of wwoofers--Myself (USA-IL), Maria (Germany), Clara (Germany), Andy (UK), Tony (UK), Luna (Australia) Johnny (USA-Seattle), Molly (USA-Connecticut), Josh (NZ), Zach (USA-New York)... Ilana (Israel, France, UK, NZ) was here for two weeks, and there was Jim, an older man from the States who believed strongly in the power of homemade yogurt, and a man named Mike also from the States who (I've got to be honest here) really did not strike my fancy whatsoever. He didn't have much worth sharing, but he said it loudly. And he was also rather racist. I was not sad to see Mike go... Too honest? Perhaps, but I'm not apologizing.
Maria and Molly are considering taking off this weekend, and I intend to stay for a bit, but I'm really hoping to travel with either Molly or Josh around mid-December to a BIIIIIIG hippie event in the South Island called Rainbow Gathering. Apparently they are very popular in the States, but this is the first one here. I would go for a week, and then head up to Auckland for Christmas... we'll see what happens! I really do love Wilderland, but you know me, full of Wanderlust. Plus, Ilana gave me a long list of cool things to explore in the South Island. Around February, I intend to load up on actual backpacking supplies, and just going full throttle backpacking--I want to backpack through both islands, fruit picking, wwoofing, etc for money along the way. I plan to camp and the like at approved campsites.... should be fun :) And then ideally, in around April or March, I'd like to go to Australia to see my friend Chloe, in Melbourne. I intend to check out Melbourne and Sydney... and then I have *no* idea. But I'll probably stay North, because in the USA summer months, it will be wintery here, and we all know how Sarah feels about cold....
So that's my life right now :) I'm going to try and put up my pictures on photobucket or something... but if you're my facebook friend, check out all the pictures I took of Wilderland and the cool people I reside with.
Ah yes, and how could I forget? The Beatles are very popular at Wilderland. This is in part because they are simply awesome, and because the two little girls here--Zoe and Anna--LOVE them, and are particularly partial to All You Need is Love and Yellow Submarine, both of which they get someone to play daily if they can manage it. The girls like to alter the lyrics too--things like, All You Need is Glove, All You Need is Avocado... you get the picture. Anna is actually rather incredible--she can keep pitch like you wouldn't believe. And, um... she's THREE.
Well, I'm going to go see if I can get photo bucket working for y'all...
All is well here--and hopefully your lives are full and brimming with Aroha.
If you ever get down, remember...
all you need is glove.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
I'm Off to the See the Wizard...
that title isn't really appropriate. I'm not off to see any wizard, but I am off. If I meet a wizard on the way, all the better.
This can't be long--I am currently chilling in Steve's room for my last night in Auckland. We had a HELLA awesome day. Walked all along the coast, starting in Takapuna and ending up in Devonport. We found a rope hung from a tree and swung from the rocks--and took awesome pictures. I also forged my way through the ocean to conquer some epic free standing rocks.
Anyway--tomorrow I am off to the Wilderland Intentional Community up in the Coromandel, and I am buzzing with excitement. I have loads of packing and tying of loose ends to do tonight, but Steve and I are also going to watch Arrested Development and Buffy, because get this--I'm leaving my Buffy at his place. I figure, I don't want to be glued to my laptop while I'm immersing myself in wilderness. Learning is about sacrifice, right? Maybe not, but I'm doing it anyway...
I've been taking a lot of risks (good risks, climbing trees, trying to ride unicycles, etc) and discussing things like fate, universal energy and God, etc.
In summary, I love my New Zealand life.
But, I may be rather incommunicado for the next few weeks/months. I'll have my phone and computer (for writing, I've got projects saved) but I doubt there will be wireless, SO if you message me and I seem to be flaking, I'm probably just climbing a tree somewhere or picking fruit or harvesting honey. But I will eventually get back to you.
I love you all!
This can't be long--I am currently chilling in Steve's room for my last night in Auckland. We had a HELLA awesome day. Walked all along the coast, starting in Takapuna and ending up in Devonport. We found a rope hung from a tree and swung from the rocks--and took awesome pictures. I also forged my way through the ocean to conquer some epic free standing rocks.
Anyway--tomorrow I am off to the Wilderland Intentional Community up in the Coromandel, and I am buzzing with excitement. I have loads of packing and tying of loose ends to do tonight, but Steve and I are also going to watch Arrested Development and Buffy, because get this--I'm leaving my Buffy at his place. I figure, I don't want to be glued to my laptop while I'm immersing myself in wilderness. Learning is about sacrifice, right? Maybe not, but I'm doing it anyway...
I've been taking a lot of risks (good risks, climbing trees, trying to ride unicycles, etc) and discussing things like fate, universal energy and God, etc.
In summary, I love my New Zealand life.
But, I may be rather incommunicado for the next few weeks/months. I'll have my phone and computer (for writing, I've got projects saved) but I doubt there will be wireless, SO if you message me and I seem to be flaking, I'm probably just climbing a tree somewhere or picking fruit or harvesting honey. But I will eventually get back to you.
I love you all!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
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