July 30, 2009
This is the end of my trip! It’s been a wonderful month down under but I’m definitely ready to be back home. There was frost outside of Raven’s house on the 28th and now it’s the 30th and it’s 104 degrees in Seattle. Yipes! That’s like a 70 degree jump. This’ll be interesting.
I got up, got ready and tried to be quiet because of the other occupant in my room. She was STILL asleep. She had gone to bed at 9 or earlier and was still in bed. I packed and got ready to check out at 10 and she was still asleep. I don’t know why it annoyed me so much but it did. I guess it’s because I hated being quiet the entire time. LOL. Anyway, I went to a cafe for breakfast and finally had kiwi french toast. Yummy! I then headed outside to wait for the bus to the airport. I was incredibly early but knew there wasn’t anything really worth doing in an hour so I waited for the bus. The bus came behind another bus and didn’t wait to pick up their passenger. The other bus driver honked at him, trying to get his attention but he wasn’t interested in stopping. It’s a good thing I was early! I waited 20 more minutes and this time I got on no problem. I headed to the airport, got my luggage, checked in and headed to the duty free area to buy more last minute stuff. I went through customs, which surprised me, and then waited for my gate to be called.
I had an aisle seat on the plane but it was in the middle row, being a 747. No one sat next to me or next to the guy on the other side of the middle row so we had two seats open between us. Score! I could actually lay out to sleep, not that I could sleep a lot. Really, nothing to report on the plane. LOL.
I landed in LA and went through customs. Raven had told me that she loves coming back to NZ because the customs agents say “Welcome home”. I’m happy to report that when I went through US customs, the agent said exactly the same thing to me! Yep, welcome home! No issues going through customs and the atmosphere felt so much better than 5 years ago when I came back to the US. I’m not sure if it’s just time passing after 9/11 or if it’s the change in administration or both but it was nice to not be made to feel like a criminal going back to the country. Yay! I had a 6 hour layover in LAX and headed back to Seattle. My dad picked me up at the airport, we went out for dinner and I headed back to Olympia where Chloe was waiting for me. I’m home!!!
July 30, 2009
This is the end of my trip! It’s been a wonderful month down under but I’m definitely ready to be back home. There was frost outside of Raven’s house on the 28th and now it’s the 30th and it’s 104 degrees in Seattle. Yipes! That’s like a 70 degree jump. This’ll be interesting.
I got up, got ready and tried to be quiet because of the other occupant in my room. She was STILL asleep. She had gone to bed at 9 or earlier and was still in bed. I packed and got ready to check out at 10 and she was still asleep. I don’t know why it annoyed me so much but it did. I guess it’s because I hated being quiet the entire time. LOL. Anyway, I went to a cafe for breakfast and finally had kiwi french toast. Yummy! I then headed outside to wait for the bus to the airport. I was incredibly early but knew there wasn’t anything really worth doing in an hour so I waited for the bus. The bus came behind another bus and didn’t wait to pick up their passenger. The other bus driver honked at him, trying to get his attention but he wasn’t interested in stopping. It’s a good thing I was early! I waited 20 more minutes and this time I got on no problem. I headed to the airport, got my luggage, checked in and headed to the duty free area to buy more last minute stuff. I went through customs, which surprised me, and then waited for my gate to be called.
I had an aisle seat on the plane but it was in the middle row, being a 747. No one sat next to me or next to the guy on the other side of the middle row so we had two seats open between us. Score! I could actually lay out to sleep, not that I could sleep a lot. Really, nothing to report on the plane. LOL.
I landed in LA and went through customs. Raven had told me that she loves coming back to NZ because the customs agents say “Welcome home”. I’m happy to report that when I went through US customs, the agent said exactly the same thing to me! Yep, welcome home! No issues going through customs and the atmosphere felt so much better than 5 years ago when I came back to the US. I’m not sure if it’s just time passing after 9/11 or if it’s the change in administration or both but it was nice to not be made to feel like a criminal going back to the country. Yay! I had a 6 hour layover in LAX and headed back to Seattle. My dad picked me up at the airport, we went out for dinner and I headed back to Olympia where Chloe was waiting for me. I’m home!!!
UPDATE: Oh my goodness, how could I forget to mention the flight from LAX to Seattle?! First of all, in my LONG layover I was getting close to boarding the plane when I looked over at the seats and saw a girl that looked a lot like one of my former students. Then I saw her twin. OMG, it was the Drama Twins!!! Joyce knows of whom I speak. They were in California with their mom and partner and they were very excited to see me. It was funny because they were freaking out saying "Are we really in California?! We're not in Shelton". Ha ha. THEN I got on the plane and while I was walking down the aisle I saw one of my favorite professors from HUC, Dr. Cutter. He was happy to see me and arranged so that I traded seats with someone so that I could sit next to him. It was a wonderful 2 1/2 hours talking with him. He said that the school sees it as one of its biggest failures that I left the program. Wow! He said that a lot of people assumed I'd be back after a leave of absence, including himself. There's no way I'd pursue that path again but it's nice to hear. Funny how no one from the college ever contacted me if they were so concerned about me leaving. He also asked me about my thoughts on our year in Israel. A few years ago, I may have sugar coated what I thought but not now. I told him exactly what I thought of my experience and he thanked me for my honesty. He really was one of my favorite professors in LA and I may have blogged a few years ago (it would have been in 2005) about when he took me to a Dodgers game and when he called my phone and left a message when he heard I was leaving. I should go back and reread the post because I seem to remember transcribing the message onto here. Anyway, it was strange to have my own students and my own professor on the same flight as I'm feeling very jet lagged and out of sorts but it was truly an amazing conversation and I was glad that I hadn't flown standby for an earlier flight.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Masterton to Auckland
July 29, 2009
This is the beginning of my journey back to the States. I woke up this morning, Raven had made breakfast and we got ready to leave for Wellington. She had an errand to run downtown so we were there much earlier than would otherwise be necessary. We drove to the Immigration office so that they could get permanent residence visas for their passports. We got into the office, sat there for a while waiting for our number to be called and I decided that I needed to get something from the car. I left Raven and went back downstairs chatting with this other girl on the way. She asked if I was immigrating to New Zealand. I said that I wasn’t but my friend was and she asked if I would want to move to New Zealand. I said I wouldn’t be opposed to it. LOL. On the way back from the car, I ran into Raven who was not happy. Apparently, in order to get the visas they need to fill out a form she didn’t know about. All the way to Wellington and all for naught. We went to give G the form that she would have to fill out, sat with her during her lunch hour and then headed over to Te Papa because I wanted to eat at One Red Dog and get their lamb salad one more time (OMG, it’s DELICIOUS). We found it and had that amazing salad and then headed out to the airport. Thank you, Raven, for being such an amazing host and making this trip so memorable!
I said goodbye to Raven and headed inside to see about getting my luggage to Auckland. I was worried because my luggage is within the limit for international but not domestic. Just like in the States, there is now a baggage fee for checking luggage and because I was not flying Air New Zealand to the States, only to Auckland, they wouldn’t waive the fee. Bastards. I checked my luggage and headed over to my gate. You don’t have to go through any security until you get to your gate and you’re boarding the plane. I thought those days were gone forever. We got on the plane, no problem. Flew to Wellington, no problem. Transfered to the International terminal no problem. Stored my suitcases overnight, no problem. Got on the shuttle to downtown, no problem. Checked into the backpacker... kept getting placed in a top bunk. The guy gave me four different keys before I got a room with a bottom bunk. If there are no other options, I can deal with it but there were other rooms available so I kept trying until I got the room I wanted. No one was in there yet so I took a bottom bunk, set down my stuff and headed out into Auckland. I decided on an easy evening so I went to the local movie theater, had dinner, book shopped and got a few last minute things before my flight the next day. I came back after the movie and there was another person asleep in the room. I grabbed my laptop and headed down to the main area. While I was online, I overheard this group of obnoxious backpackers, one of them American. The American was going on and on about how he doesn’t think that backpackers should allow people who are over 30 into them. Yes, us 30 somethings are really ruining his backpacker experience. *Grumble, snarl, young whippersnappers, growl* I was so annoyed and almost said something but then decided it wasn’t worth it. While fuming about this conversation, my laptop decided to give me the blue screen of death over and over again. I had it with that darn computer (I’m writing this from the States a few days late and I’m now typing on my new mac!!!). I paid to use the computers at the hostel and stayed up for a while before finally heading up to bed. My last night in New Zealand!
This is the beginning of my journey back to the States. I woke up this morning, Raven had made breakfast and we got ready to leave for Wellington. She had an errand to run downtown so we were there much earlier than would otherwise be necessary. We drove to the Immigration office so that they could get permanent residence visas for their passports. We got into the office, sat there for a while waiting for our number to be called and I decided that I needed to get something from the car. I left Raven and went back downstairs chatting with this other girl on the way. She asked if I was immigrating to New Zealand. I said that I wasn’t but my friend was and she asked if I would want to move to New Zealand. I said I wouldn’t be opposed to it. LOL. On the way back from the car, I ran into Raven who was not happy. Apparently, in order to get the visas they need to fill out a form she didn’t know about. All the way to Wellington and all for naught. We went to give G the form that she would have to fill out, sat with her during her lunch hour and then headed over to Te Papa because I wanted to eat at One Red Dog and get their lamb salad one more time (OMG, it’s DELICIOUS). We found it and had that amazing salad and then headed out to the airport. Thank you, Raven, for being such an amazing host and making this trip so memorable!
I said goodbye to Raven and headed inside to see about getting my luggage to Auckland. I was worried because my luggage is within the limit for international but not domestic. Just like in the States, there is now a baggage fee for checking luggage and because I was not flying Air New Zealand to the States, only to Auckland, they wouldn’t waive the fee. Bastards. I checked my luggage and headed over to my gate. You don’t have to go through any security until you get to your gate and you’re boarding the plane. I thought those days were gone forever. We got on the plane, no problem. Flew to Wellington, no problem. Transfered to the International terminal no problem. Stored my suitcases overnight, no problem. Got on the shuttle to downtown, no problem. Checked into the backpacker... kept getting placed in a top bunk. The guy gave me four different keys before I got a room with a bottom bunk. If there are no other options, I can deal with it but there were other rooms available so I kept trying until I got the room I wanted. No one was in there yet so I took a bottom bunk, set down my stuff and headed out into Auckland. I decided on an easy evening so I went to the local movie theater, had dinner, book shopped and got a few last minute things before my flight the next day. I came back after the movie and there was another person asleep in the room. I grabbed my laptop and headed down to the main area. While I was online, I overheard this group of obnoxious backpackers, one of them American. The American was going on and on about how he doesn’t think that backpackers should allow people who are over 30 into them. Yes, us 30 somethings are really ruining his backpacker experience. *Grumble, snarl, young whippersnappers, growl* I was so annoyed and almost said something but then decided it wasn’t worth it. While fuming about this conversation, my laptop decided to give me the blue screen of death over and over again. I had it with that darn computer (I’m writing this from the States a few days late and I’m now typing on my new mac!!!). I paid to use the computers at the hostel and stayed up for a while before finally heading up to bed. My last night in New Zealand!
Masterton
July 28, 2009
I woke up, got ready and went into Raven’s house to start my day. We didn’t have any definite plans but quickly went into town to stop at the pharmacy and run a few errands. While out, I mentioned my interest in seeing a kiwi school while I’m here. Raven called R and we looked in the phone book for schools. We called a school nearby and the secretary told me that the principal would call right back. Well, the principal did not call right back and I kind of gave up. R called back and said that his coworker knew the principal at another school and to give them a call. I did so and the principal took my call. He was very gracious and invited me to come to his school at 1 pm to meet him and get a tour of the school.
Raven dropped me off at the school and as promised, I met the principal and he told me about the school. It’s a public school and I think I remember him saying that it’s a high poverty school (well, the kiwi term for high poverty, anyway). I was so impressed by the school. He said that the staff and students all take ownership of the school and that it’s a tight knit group. They created their own vision a few years ago that I really liked.
So, this school lived their vision. I loved the habits and I heard teachers using them in their interactions with students. “Now Eddie, was that a peaceful action?” I loved it. I had 3 kids walking me around the school. They’re all grade 6, which seems to be 4-5 grade in the States. This is their final year at the school and they made a point of telling me that because of this fact, they didn’t have to wear uniforms. They called themselves counselors, which I guess means that they’re the leaders of the school. They plan social activities, organize the class garden and work on the radio station. The principal told me that the kids are taught how to think for themselves and work for what they want. He gave an example of a local company offering solar panels for 7 schools on the North Island. The kids decided that they wanted this and filled out the application themselves. The company came to the school and interviewed the students. The kids showed them around the school and answered questions. Not surprisingly, the school won the panels. While I was there, the 6th grade teacher took her kids outside to take a vote on where they wanted to put artwork that they were designing for the school. They were about to submit a proposal to the principal with permission to create this artwork, which was going to reflect the different cultures at the school. I got the email address of the teacher and we are hopefully going to have our kids write to each other via email next year. Yay!
After school, Raven picked me up and we went to Moore Wilson to buy some yummies to take back to the States. We then headed back to her house where I tackled my suitcases and she cooked dinner. I don’t know how it happened, but I had sooooo much stuff to take back with me. My lovely fantail iron coat hanger hanging wouldn’t fit into my suitcase so Raven said she’d bring it next time she’s here. I was really at a loss on how the stuff would fit when Raven brought out these vacuum bags she uses when she travels. They did the trick and with her help, I got most of my stuff into both of my suitcases. The rest fit into my carryon, phew!
Raven had been promising me a lamb shank dinner since I got to NZ and she did not disappoint. She made a wonderful feast and it was a terrific way to end my trip. After dinner their neighbor David came over and I got to meet him. He was hilarious. He is from the UK and listening to Raven and David in conversation was quite funny. It was a really nice evening.
I woke up, got ready and went into Raven’s house to start my day. We didn’t have any definite plans but quickly went into town to stop at the pharmacy and run a few errands. While out, I mentioned my interest in seeing a kiwi school while I’m here. Raven called R and we looked in the phone book for schools. We called a school nearby and the secretary told me that the principal would call right back. Well, the principal did not call right back and I kind of gave up. R called back and said that his coworker knew the principal at another school and to give them a call. I did so and the principal took my call. He was very gracious and invited me to come to his school at 1 pm to meet him and get a tour of the school.
Raven dropped me off at the school and as promised, I met the principal and he told me about the school. It’s a public school and I think I remember him saying that it’s a high poverty school (well, the kiwi term for high poverty, anyway). I was so impressed by the school. He said that the staff and students all take ownership of the school and that it’s a tight knit group. They created their own vision a few years ago that I really liked.
So, this school lived their vision. I loved the habits and I heard teachers using them in their interactions with students. “Now Eddie, was that a peaceful action?” I loved it. I had 3 kids walking me around the school. They’re all grade 6, which seems to be 4-5 grade in the States. This is their final year at the school and they made a point of telling me that because of this fact, they didn’t have to wear uniforms. They called themselves counselors, which I guess means that they’re the leaders of the school. They plan social activities, organize the class garden and work on the radio station. The principal told me that the kids are taught how to think for themselves and work for what they want. He gave an example of a local company offering solar panels for 7 schools on the North Island. The kids decided that they wanted this and filled out the application themselves. The company came to the school and interviewed the students. The kids showed them around the school and answered questions. Not surprisingly, the school won the panels. While I was there, the 6th grade teacher took her kids outside to take a vote on where they wanted to put artwork that they were designing for the school. They were about to submit a proposal to the principal with permission to create this artwork, which was going to reflect the different cultures at the school. I got the email address of the teacher and we are hopefully going to have our kids write to each other via email next year. Yay!
After school, Raven picked me up and we went to Moore Wilson to buy some yummies to take back to the States. We then headed back to her house where I tackled my suitcases and she cooked dinner. I don’t know how it happened, but I had sooooo much stuff to take back with me. My lovely fantail iron coat hanger hanging wouldn’t fit into my suitcase so Raven said she’d bring it next time she’s here. I was really at a loss on how the stuff would fit when Raven brought out these vacuum bags she uses when she travels. They did the trick and with her help, I got most of my stuff into both of my suitcases. The rest fit into my carryon, phew!
Raven had been promising me a lamb shank dinner since I got to NZ and she did not disappoint. She made a wonderful feast and it was a terrific way to end my trip. After dinner their neighbor David came over and I got to meet him. He was hilarious. He is from the UK and listening to Raven and David in conversation was quite funny. It was a really nice evening.
Kaikoura to Masterton
July 27, 2009
We woke up, had breakfast and packed up, ready to leave Kaikoura. We had a ferry to catch in Picton and a 2 hour drive ahead of us so we headed out and drove north. I had wanted to stop at some wineries while in NZ so we made a point of stopping at some wineries in Blenheim. We came across Montana Winery, the largest winery in New Zealand so we stopped. We walked in and one of the employees was walking out. She smiled at us and walked out the door. No one was in the wine tasting area, even though they had just opened. We walked around the shop for a little while, hoping that someone would come help us. Finally, the same lady came back in and seemed surprised that we hadn’t been served. Apparently, there was another employee that was supposed to be helping us. Anyway, she was very gracious and let me sample a bunch of their wines. They sell wine in the US under the label of “Brancott” because they don’t want to confuse people with Montana. Raven wasn’t impressed with the idea of wine tasting at 10 am so she let me try the wines on my own. Since I have already exceeded the booze quota I can bring back into the US, I didn’t buy any but I did take note of the label and I’ll be sure to look for their label at home.
We arrived in Picton pretty early and had over an hour before the deadline for check in. We went to the ferry terminal and it was still closed so we drove into the heart of the town to go get some lunch. After all, the ferry food is disgusting in New Zealand. We decided on a cafe based on liking the name (of course, I’m writing this a few days late so I can’t remember the name... something to do with dogs ... bad sign). It was not the best lunch I’ve had in NZ, that’s for sure. I ordered a sandwich with salad and asked about the dressing (learning my lesson in Kaikoura). Sure enough, they only had that icky mayonnaise dressing so I skipped the salad. Ew. They had a wall with a map of the world on it. New Zealand’s place on the map had a 1 inch hole where the country should have been because people kept putting in pins of where they’re from. There was room for Olympia, surprise, surprise.
We headed back over to the ferry gate and were still early but the gate was open so Raven handed the lady our reservation. The lady handed it back and waved us through to a specific lane. Raven commented that she didn’t give a ticket to us. I figured that might be normal since we had our printed reservation and she’d confirmed our reservation but Raven commented that we got a boarding pass on the way over. Well, after waiting in the car for an hour it was time to board and she was right about that boarding pass. The guy taking tickets said we needed one to board, called the lady, she confirmed that we did check in and then made us pull over to see if the boarding pass fell onto the floor. We insisted there wasn’t one, looked on the floor and told him. He then said to look around the car. UGH! THERE WASN’T ONE! He let us through and we hurried out of the car and onto the boat to search for a seat with an outlet. On the way to the South Island, we were on a different ferry, one that had tables with power outlets, much like the States. We were now on a fancier ferry, one without power outlets and lovely tables by the window. It even had an elite area where only those who pay $40 extra per person can go. Ugh. Well, we finally found an outlet and two French guys were using it. :( There were no other ones accessible on the ship. We sat above them on a loft and a little ways into the trip, I noticed that they had left for a bit. Raven and I moved down there, unplugged their computers (yes, we did. LOL) and took the table next to theirs. They soon came back and looked quite disgruntled until Raven told them that we could all share the power with her power strip. Much better. I walked around the ferry a bit and I really didn’t like it as much as I did on the way over. It is a fancier boat but I’m a northwest girl and I like the other ferry, which has a closer resemblance to the ferries in WA. It didn’t even have a good deck to go outside and take pictures from so I mostly sat at the table and worked on my computer with Raven. We got close to Wellington around 3 or so and noticed that we could already see the ferry dock but we were suddenly traveling at a snail’s pace and it took forever to get into Wellington. We arranged to meet up with G for dinner so we drove over to her work. We were a bit early so we walked over to a drugstore and looked at magazines for a while until it was time to meet her. We went out for Indian food at a place next to her office and had a good chat before saying goodbye and heading out to the Rimutaka, a crazy, windy road between Wellington and Masterton, where Raven lives. I personally think Raven has become a pro at these crazy, windy roads especially after the roads we’d been traveling on all month. We made it back to Masterton, unpacked the car and I called it a night, staying in the sleep out trying to figure out how I would repack all of the stuff I had bought.
We woke up, had breakfast and packed up, ready to leave Kaikoura. We had a ferry to catch in Picton and a 2 hour drive ahead of us so we headed out and drove north. I had wanted to stop at some wineries while in NZ so we made a point of stopping at some wineries in Blenheim. We came across Montana Winery, the largest winery in New Zealand so we stopped. We walked in and one of the employees was walking out. She smiled at us and walked out the door. No one was in the wine tasting area, even though they had just opened. We walked around the shop for a little while, hoping that someone would come help us. Finally, the same lady came back in and seemed surprised that we hadn’t been served. Apparently, there was another employee that was supposed to be helping us. Anyway, she was very gracious and let me sample a bunch of their wines. They sell wine in the US under the label of “Brancott” because they don’t want to confuse people with Montana. Raven wasn’t impressed with the idea of wine tasting at 10 am so she let me try the wines on my own. Since I have already exceeded the booze quota I can bring back into the US, I didn’t buy any but I did take note of the label and I’ll be sure to look for their label at home.
We arrived in Picton pretty early and had over an hour before the deadline for check in. We went to the ferry terminal and it was still closed so we drove into the heart of the town to go get some lunch. After all, the ferry food is disgusting in New Zealand. We decided on a cafe based on liking the name (of course, I’m writing this a few days late so I can’t remember the name... something to do with dogs ... bad sign). It was not the best lunch I’ve had in NZ, that’s for sure. I ordered a sandwich with salad and asked about the dressing (learning my lesson in Kaikoura). Sure enough, they only had that icky mayonnaise dressing so I skipped the salad. Ew. They had a wall with a map of the world on it. New Zealand’s place on the map had a 1 inch hole where the country should have been because people kept putting in pins of where they’re from. There was room for Olympia, surprise, surprise.
We headed back over to the ferry gate and were still early but the gate was open so Raven handed the lady our reservation. The lady handed it back and waved us through to a specific lane. Raven commented that she didn’t give a ticket to us. I figured that might be normal since we had our printed reservation and she’d confirmed our reservation but Raven commented that we got a boarding pass on the way over. Well, after waiting in the car for an hour it was time to board and she was right about that boarding pass. The guy taking tickets said we needed one to board, called the lady, she confirmed that we did check in and then made us pull over to see if the boarding pass fell onto the floor. We insisted there wasn’t one, looked on the floor and told him. He then said to look around the car. UGH! THERE WASN’T ONE! He let us through and we hurried out of the car and onto the boat to search for a seat with an outlet. On the way to the South Island, we were on a different ferry, one that had tables with power outlets, much like the States. We were now on a fancier ferry, one without power outlets and lovely tables by the window. It even had an elite area where only those who pay $40 extra per person can go. Ugh. Well, we finally found an outlet and two French guys were using it. :( There were no other ones accessible on the ship. We sat above them on a loft and a little ways into the trip, I noticed that they had left for a bit. Raven and I moved down there, unplugged their computers (yes, we did. LOL) and took the table next to theirs. They soon came back and looked quite disgruntled until Raven told them that we could all share the power with her power strip. Much better. I walked around the ferry a bit and I really didn’t like it as much as I did on the way over. It is a fancier boat but I’m a northwest girl and I like the other ferry, which has a closer resemblance to the ferries in WA. It didn’t even have a good deck to go outside and take pictures from so I mostly sat at the table and worked on my computer with Raven. We got close to Wellington around 3 or so and noticed that we could already see the ferry dock but we were suddenly traveling at a snail’s pace and it took forever to get into Wellington. We arranged to meet up with G for dinner so we drove over to her work. We were a bit early so we walked over to a drugstore and looked at magazines for a while until it was time to meet her. We went out for Indian food at a place next to her office and had a good chat before saying goodbye and heading out to the Rimutaka, a crazy, windy road between Wellington and Masterton, where Raven lives. I personally think Raven has become a pro at these crazy, windy roads especially after the roads we’d been traveling on all month. We made it back to Masterton, unpacked the car and I called it a night, staying in the sleep out trying to figure out how I would repack all of the stuff I had bought.
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