Varied Musings

Full disclosure: I wrote this as the large part of an email to Rachel, and it ended up being much broader in subject and scope than I thought.  It touched upon things I thought others might be interested in, so I decided to modify it a bit and stick it on here.  I didn't have internet last night, so I just kept typing out things that came to mind instead of stopping and clicking send.  


I am currently in Kaikoura NZ on the South Island (Wellington is at the southern tip of the North Island). I took a ferry across the strait today to Picton, where I stayed for an hour as I waited for a bus to take me down the eastern coast to Kaikoura. It was absolutely beautiful and reminded me that I love the South Island. The water was wonderfully clear, even at the ferry terminal, and there were birds all around, the sun was shining, and kids were playing on the playground. The South Island just represents unbridled joy for me I think. I only spent a little less than 2 weeks on the South Island traveling around last time I was here, and it was a time filled with exploration, which was great. I didn’t have anything to do except travel and soak in the sights and have a great time. I am alone this time, but that is okay, I am only here for the next few days. Why am I here you might ask? I am going whale watching! It should be good fun. I am excited. Whales put Kaikoura on the map, so I figured I should come. I want so badly to bring you all here, to this country, to Wellington, to the awkward beautiful hills and mountains of the South Island. I want to just take a car and drive all around with some people I know from home. I thought about this last time I was here – this desire to share this wonderful place with someone else.


*There is a girl just outside my door in a common space talking to her grandmother about her travels. She is from somewhere around the north of England judging from her accent. She is talking about how she really wants her family to be there with her to see all these beautiful sights and to share the beauty that is New Zealand, the same thoughts that were running through my head. *


Already on the bus I was thinking about the next time I come back. I don’t know if I see myself living here when I’m older, because I can’t quite fathom the whole education system here (this is thinking about having children at some point in the future…totally unsure when). I can see myself living here (when I say here I mean the country of New Zealand – I haven’t quite figured out where in this country it would be) in a few years for a few years perhaps. I don’t think I would live here forever, but it’s so damn far away any decision to visit has to be deliberate and not just on a whim. Or maybe inspired by a whim but then followed by some planning. I can see myself coming here and working on a farm, or a vineyard, or some sort of adventure job, or even just working at a hostel or café somewhere. I figure you meet lots of interesting people in either of those positions.It’s kind of funny because last summer biking around made me think about how much there is to offer in the US – why would you want to travel internationally when you haven’t even scratched the surface of your own country? There are so many amazing awesome adventures to be had in little country stores in Vermont, or roaring rivers in Oregon. I love the US because there is such geographic diversity over such wide swaths. It’s a very westward ho explore uncharted territory mind in a way. I want to travel the country one way or another next summer, granted I am woefully unemployed, or gainfully employed but with some time on my hands. 


I’ve given some sort of serious thought to biking across the country. I know it can be done, as I know people who have done it. I think it would be an amazing experience, and one that would definitely put a feather in my cap. I have also thought about hiking the Appalachian Trail, but somewhat ironically I think biking across the country would be easier, and shorter. I also think the potential to go batshit crazy is higher on the Appalachian Trail. I’ve definitely met some thru hikers close to Katahdin who were not totally with it and definitely not totally bathed/shaved. The fact that SHP had a trip go out both last summer and this summer with people that I know on it plus a handful of teenagers that crossed/are crossing the country makes that goal that much more attainable. The only issue would be finding someone to do this with. Alternately I was considering the idea of driving across the country, which I think would be a much more appealing prospect to some people, mostly the people I might potentially proposition for such an adventure. I feel as though I want to have some sort of last hurrah after college, and I don’t quite know what that will or should be. In some sense I feel as though I don’t have the right to go off and travel as I’m here right now, this summer, albeit for research.


There is also that perennial lurker, employment. I truly have no idea what I will be doing next year. I am scared I will have nothing, but I am also scared of what I might have. I can see myself either finding a job that actually pays me but in which I am not totally into, or finding a job that appears to be transient and temporary, and only requires me to wear quick dry clothing. Of course, these are really kind of two extremes, and there are options in the middle, but my list of ‘things to be when I grow up’ is all over the place. Rest assured I plan on finding something that will feed and house me. The newest additions are whale photographer and museum person. There are many museum people, and I haven’t really decided which one I would explore. There is this guy who takes pictures of whales – Bryant Austin I think - I believe he is based in CA, and takes the most magnificent photographs of these creatures with a very high res camera underwater. It’s a small operation, but I was thinking about emailing him sometime, and just saying hey, I think you are cool, please think I am cool. He prints these photos life-sized and these whale eyes just stare at you. It’s fantastic. I also want to apply for fellowships, because hey, if I can delay employment in a socially acceptable and financially feasible way, why not? I think my favorite is one based on a Mark Twain quote about not letting your schooling getting in the way of your education. I’m pretty sure you just get a chance to study something totally unrelated to anything practical to your life at Cambridge for two years.


It is odd to think that I have less than a month left here. A month sounds like a longer period of time than 4 weeks. I need to stop thinking about this because it’s getting me antsy in contradicting ways. I don’t know if I can quite explain it but I go back and forth between not wanting to leave and then not quite wanting to leave but looking forward to going back to the states kind of. Now I’d say I feel as though I want more time to roam about here. Especially within the country there are just so many opportunities.


I keep meeting these people – at events and around. I met two internationally renowned Maori artists on Saturday, which was amazing. I loved the artwork of one and the other one was okay but she had interesting stories behind her work. I got a book from the first one, whose name is Darcy Nicolas, and we are going to have coffee on Friday after I get back from Kaikoura. I need to come up with questions and sound intelligent and understanding by then! It’s really just a matter of not getting tongue-tied and sitting there having my mind go blank. Sadly that tends to happen to me when I am faced with someone who would be an amazing resource. It kind of happened to me last Friday when I sat down with this woman who has been studying whales here for a while. She’s actually an American who fell in love with a kiwi here oh so many years ago.


A quick idea of what my life in Wellington has been like for the majority of the time here. I wake up not too early, make some breakfast, and then walk down to the waterfront where Te Papa is, the national museum. I then sit in the research library taking notes and reading from around 10 until 3. For a few days I would then go back to my flat and change clothes to go to hot yoga (there was a deal - $10 for 10 days), which was interesting. Then I would come back take a shower and then most likely go to another place in Wellington where a bunch of American girls are living. They are here doing what I did last time I was here – unpaid internship. They are all pretty awesome and get a long with each other, which is much more than I can say about the last time I was here. I have become stronger friends with about 3 of then than the other 3 – well now 2 because one of them left two days ago. I remember being really lonely at times last time I was here and these girls have saved me from that fate. I am a different person than I was last time, and I went into this bracing myself for the loneliness, but I actually think today will be the first day that I don’t see one if not all of them since I’ve been here. The one I get along with best is actually leaving on Saturday to go down to ski in the South Island. She is trying to get to the Olympics for the halfpipe, a new event. She goes to Cal, and her name is Allie. She’s a lot of fun and we just get each other. I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again, but I hope so at some point. Not stressing.


I’ve been eating pretty well here, and I don’t really quite have a handle on how much money I have been spending but I think I am all right. I should check that again at some point soon. I definitely am consuming less instant food than last time I was here. I think it’s partially because I don’t necessarily have regular meals here, and have been eating eggs, kiwis, apples, porridge, honey, tea, avocados, and pasta. Oh, and cheese. I have a large block of cheese. I love that there is an outdoor vegetable and fruit market every Sunday, even though it’s the dead of winter. To be fair, it’s not actually that cold in Wellington. I guess it’s technically sub tropical, so it’s consistently been in the low to mid 50s. I go to the market every Sunday to fill up on kiwi apples and avocados. This week the kiwis were extra cheap, and I got 5 for 50 cents. The Avocados were a NZ dollar per, so about 85 cents US. It’s great. I’ve been having an avocado as a meal sometimes – I found some lemon juice in the flat (people who lived there last left food there) and then I had bought some garlic seasoning to make burgers. I cut the avocado in half, take out the pit, then squirt lemon juice; salt and the garlic seasoning into the holes in each then mash it up with a fork. It’s modified guacamole! It’s delicious is what it is.


I want to get some things to bring back – I have been stockpiling chocolate and will probably get more – but I don’t really want to blow my bank account before I leave. I wasn’t thinking about it before that much, but now I keep alternately being proud of myself for feeding myself on free events and then feeling like I am just buying coffees everywhere and going wily nily. I think in the end my inherent desire to be thrifty comes out, but at the same time I see things and think, well if not now, when? Like forking over a few extra dollars to get a four-share room instead of a ten here at the hostel in Kaikoura. Funny story, that. I arrived this afternoon and checked in and the woman at the desk gave me a bed in a six share room, booking me for 3 nights, saying that if I was lucky they wouldn’t have to put anyone else in the room and I would have it all to myself. I thought this was quite nice. I walked into the room and was bombarded by the smell of stale smoke. It was kind of nasty. I went out, explored the hostel a bit and then bought an Internet card. I went into get my computer and decided to tell the front desk that my room smelled like ass/someone had been smoking. There was another woman at the desk this time, and I told her that the room smelled, and she was a little standoffish as if no one could have possibly been smoking in there as they have smoke detectors. I don’t smoke and I know ways to get around such things. She asked if I wanted to move and I said yes please if it was possible, expecting to be put into another six share maybe with some other people. They are putting new carpets in for one half of the hostel so I guess they didn’t have any more, I don’t really understand what happened, but now I am in my own room with what appears to be a queen size bed. The room is about the size of the bed, but that’s fine, I don’t need much space. I was basically upgraded a few levels and I don’t have to pay more! This is great. I think the fact that I am staying more than one night, and the fact that it’s winter here and not the tourist season helped.


I just took a wonderfully hot shower here that got rid of my literal cold feet. Before that I walked a bit down the road to get some “fish bites and chips”. Aside from the lack of enough ketchup – I had to buy more and they came in teeny tiny little plastic cups – it was totally delicious. The fish bites were the best because they were moist and crunchy on the outside and greasy in a good way with salt. The fries were quite potato-y and needed more ketchup. Oh well, that was my dining out experience in Kaikoura. I figured I was so close to the sea I should have something fishy. Kaikoura actually means to eat crayfish. I don’t think I’ve ever had crayfish, so perhaps I shall have to try some the day after tomorrow. I have brought a bag of food with me so I don’t have to go out all the time for food, which is good, and I’ve brought more than enough to sustain me for the time I’m here, but it’s always good fun to go out a see what the town is offering.