It's been such a whirlwind moving from being on vacation to settling into my new home, I'm just now catching up with all of the adventures I've been on in the past few days! So, I beg forgiveness, but please enjoy a trip through the last half of my Welcome Holiday: Wednesday my host mom, the girls, and I took a glass-bottom boat tour of the cliffs and beaches around the Coromandel coast. We passed towering white volcanic cliffs and striking teal water with snapper, mau mau, leatherbacks, and much more teeming beneath our feet. We went into sea caves dripping with sea water and mystery, and snorkeled in the (first freezing, then refreshing) ocean. We had lunch, played on a cool playground that would not still be standing in the States (too many legal traps like tall jungle gyms and metal accessories!) and set off for Hot Water Beach, a thermal beach with hot water seeping up from the sand. Huge tourist trap apparently, since there were about 200 people crammed onto a tiny stretch of beach digging holes in the sand to sit in. But hey, you have to be a tourist sometimes, so we dug on in as well. Some of the water that pooled up was way to hot to even stand in, it was insane! Eventually we were able to craft our own little hot tub on the beach, where we sat and played and watched the throng of international visitors file past. On Thursday the girls' grandparents took us all for a hike (or “tramp”) up to a huge gold mine tunnel in the Coromandel Forest State Park. We climbed up a gorgeous mountain over the countryside, forests full of ancient and varied trees. Just when I think the NZ forests look like home, a tropical fern pops into view and I’m blown away by this country’s myriad beauty once again. Near the top was a 500 meter (app. 550 yards) long tunnel once used by gold miners for sending their bounty down the mountain, which we bravely set into with flashlights (torches!) and glow sticks. It. Was. Fantastic. I felt completely removed from reality in the tunnel, with wayward water drips and tiny green glow worms twinkling overhead. It really was magical! The girls were very brave as well; the tunnel was loooong and dark and drippy, but they trooped through it nonetheless. A bonus: the entire hike reminded me so much of good old Mt. Pisgah, or DuPont, Turkey Pen and the Parkway. These mountains are sharper, more insistent and dramatic than the gentle Appalachians, but something in their soil, their roots and rocks and spirit seem similar. A gentle melding of my two homes. It’s been such fun to go on so many adventures with my new host family; I feel very lucky and spoiled. But I am looking forward to getting back to Auckland and settling in to my new life: room, house, cooking, cleaning, DRIVING. I have to learn to be more organized, more prepared for every situation. I knew I had a long road ahead when, during a scooter trip to the playground one of the girls fell and I had not brought any sort of first aid kit whatsoever. Rookie mistake. I’ve also: Maneuvered through bedtime in the completely wrong structure Not found shoes/hats/snacks/etc. in appropriate time Not gotten further with cooking than pouring milk over cereal Generally not known what to do about So. Many. Things. Things have been difficult and astounding and comforting and alienating and everything in between so far. But my favorite moments, even more than the fantastic outings I've been able to have, are the sunset dinners with the whole family. Afternoon tea chatting with three generations of New Zealanders, learning about bird calls and Celcius and rugby. I love that I am able to experience this country as part of a family unit, through the eyes of its people. I love seeing the girls get excited about spotting birds, or searching the bushes for dragons and unicorns. I love listening to my host grandmother talk about her child development experience, and getting suggestions and advice from her. It can be frustrating to be a home-body so far from home, but I am so appreciative of this time I've had to begin to weave myself into a new family quilt. |
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Saturday was my first full day with the family, and it was, in Kiwi lingo, “sweet as!” We started our day walking the dog at the south end of Pauanui Beach. Dogs are only allowed on the beach at certain times of day, since NZ has so many rare birds that are in danger of being eaten up by curious doggies! We walked and raced and climbed some dunes, stopping a few times to draw in the sand or play a game of tic tac toe. Then the girls got to have a horse ride at a picturesque little riding ring in the neighborhood. It was decided that I am a "cowgirl", being an American who technically grew up with horses, though my grandmother (an ACTUAL horse lady) would say I am woefully ill befitting that title. But hey, I got to impress with my knowledge of hay and ability to name things like "bridle" and "halter". I'll take the moniker! Our afternoon was spent making art, reading some books that I had brought (all the way from Mast General Store!), having disco parties in the garage, eating some lunch, and having our own sink side adventures with Polly Pocket. After the mid-day sun had spent its rays we went back to the beach for some swimming, both in the seaweed-filled tidal pool and the choppy surf. We put on our" togs" (bathing suits!) and boogie boarded for awhile in the gorgeous teal waves that broke against towering swaths of green hills, a juxtaposition that I seem to never get tired of. There are two mountains that sit next to each other in the distance that my host mom told me people call “Dolly Parton”. Of course, then I had to tell her about the great pride of the Smoky Mountains: Dollywood. She was appropriately baffled and amused. On Sunday I took my first steps toward becoming a true Kiwi: I climbed a mountain! Mt. Pauanui to be exact. My host mom and I hiked to the top, and though I thought I might collapse before the summit, the views were absolutely astounding. We could see all the way across the Coromandal mountain range and out into the open sea. In the past few days, I have played countless games of house and Tea Party, and learned that Furbies are just as insufferable now as they were when I was a kid….except now they have iPad apps. I’v played puppies at the park, bandaged skinned knees, cleaned teeth, wiped bottoms, and learned that I’m both better prepared for this job than I thought and woefully unprepared in ways I had not imagined. Children are hard work! News to pretty much no one, but it’s much different living the au pair life than just imagining it. I will say though, it’s pretty magic to be able to swing a stuffed animal with a smiling little girl at sunset on a New Zealand beach. That’s the good stuff right there. Wow....just, wow. What a week(ish) this has been. Let's start at the very beginning...a very good place to start. First of all, if I never see another airport again it’ll be too soon. After enduring 36 hours of standing in line, sitting in uncomfortable chairs, sitting/trying to sleep in even MORE uncomfortable plane seats, and trying to irrigate the craters left behind by my wisdom teeth in airport bathrooms I finally FINALLY made it to Auckland. Along the way I: Almost flooded the airplane toilet when the sink refused to turn off Watched about 10 seconds of “The Lucky One” before cringing and turning to the slightly more palatable We Bought A Zoo Spent 15 minutes at customs while a very dedicated staff member searched the NZ bylaws to ensure I got to bring my package of country ham with me. Success! Despaired for humanity in the humid, bare, despondent Fiji airport Cried actual tears when I saw the green hills of New Zealand for the first time. What a loser. Along the way to the hotel for orientation, I met two other girls from Au Pair Link, which was a great start. I ended up meeting so many great ladies from all over the world: Oregon, Texas, Germany (sooooo many Germans, haha!) Sweden, Denmark, and France. I felt immediately accepted and understood, which was so helpful in a new and unfamiliar country. We played cards and talked through our collective delirium that first night: a perfect introduction to this new journey! DAY TWO! Thursday we had an early start for orientation, going down for the most extensive hotel breakfast I’ve ever seen. Cereal, bread, pastry, coffee, sure. But homemade greek yogurt with fresh fruit? One of those fancy one-button gourmet latte machines? SPAGHETTI?! There was even a full section with noodles and rice and kimchi and other Asian dishes, which was pretty cool. Oh, and our hotel rooms had kettles in them instead of coffee makers! Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore! Orientation was a day-long affair, teaching the basics of Te Whariki (the NZ ECE curriculum), and how to drive on the left side of the road, among other things. Then we were treated to a tour around Auckland, complete with dinner by the beach. We visited the Mt. Eden volcano, one of 48 in the city (there’s two in Devonport alone! Welcome to the Ring of Fire)! I felt like a textbook tourist jumping off our little bus with my camera ready, but I didn’t care. There were some lovely views of the city and its many suburbs, and it was a nice chance to get to know the other au pairs better. We drove down Auckland’s main drag, K Road, and headed down by the harbor where what looked like every boat in the world was anchored. Honestly, the best part of the whole outing was just feeling the sense of camaraderie building between our little au pair group. So many emotions and misgivings and anticipations that were difficult to express were automatically understood between us, which made making friends quite easy. DAY THREE! I feel like such an ugly American for this, but: Friday was the first time I’ve ever filled out a form that had no box for ‘US’ when asking for nationality! Our CPR/First Aid form had spaces for SO many nationalities (even “Other European”), but nothing for little ol’ me. I checked off “other” and felt bad for all the other times I’d absentmindedly checked the first box marked “US” on literally every other form Ive ever filled out. In addition to this little life lesson, Friday was the day I said goodbye to the friends I had just made and set off to meet my host family! My host dad (and the family dog, Disco) picked me up from the hotel and we drove about two hours from Auckland to Pauanui, where my host mom’s parents have a beach house. The drive gave me my first views of NZ outside of its biggest city, so I felt like I was finally seeing the “real” New Zealand! We drove through some absolutely breathtaking mountains, dense with endless types of greenery. Every shade of green in existence seemed to sprout from the mountaintops; I half-expected a velociraptor to poke its head out of the forests. We finally pulled up to the house, and the big moment had arrived: Meeting The Kids. I was so nervous and elated and curious and frightened all at once. How would these girls react to this strange person from the computer suddenly appearing in real life to enter their family? Well, I count myself extremely lucky to be with these girls for a year: it’s only been a few days and I already feel quite at home with them. They are so easy to love! They have boundless energy, and are so eager to share their passions and experiences. And of course, my host parents have just been so lovely. I am so grateful for the warm welcome I’ve had. The first night we had classic Kiwi fish n’ chips, straight from the bag with “tomahhhto sauce”. I explained that in the States we call potato rounds “tater tots” and that got a big laugh. All in all, it was as good first evening as I could have hoped for It's insane that I have been constantly preparing myself for this moment since I began applying for the Au Pair Link program, yet now that it's almost here I feel like I've accomplished nothing. I keep thinking and rethinking tiny decisions; do I bring that extra hat? How many books can I conceivably stuff into my suitcase? Is it ludicrous for an adult to sacrifice clothes to make room for her faithful old teddy bear?! I want to push past the long bout of travel and just BE there, ready to listen learn and explore and bond with my host family and teach and be taught. It's harder to sit here on the other side of the world and anticipate every opportunity and obstacle; I'd rather just experience them already! I keep having dreams of drifting into the wrong lane of traffic, or being immobilized trying to calculate meters and feet, grams and pounds and Celsius to Fahrenheit (curse America's insistence on teaching the Imperial system)! But as stressed as I can get over conversions and airlines and packing and teddy bears, I'm ready. I'm ready to go. “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien |
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