What a whirlwind life has been. After a 1.5 hour drive to JFK, 3.5 hour wait for the plane, 6 hour flight to LAX, 3 hour layover, and a 12.5 hour flight to NZ (pronounced EN - ZED), I was toast. Even with a Tylenol PM I didn't sleep for more than three hours total. Even though I generally don't sleep very well, 3 hours is still not much for me. Maybe it was because I expected to get no sleep that I didn't (the NZ portion of the trip is the one I most dreaded). It didn't help that I felt really sick four or five hours into the NZ trip. I think I had a bad piece of chicken. I woke up feeling really queasy. I had a cold sweat, my skin was clammy, I was shaky, and at it's worst I saw a flash of purple. It felt like I was going to pass out. I never did, not did I vomit, but, wow, it sucked. One of the flight attendants gave me a cold cloth and it felt better. After four hours of undulating recovery I felt almost new. I didn't have much to eat, though. Note to self, drink many more fluids while flying half way around the world.
So I arrive in NZ, must recheck my bags (backpack, camera, 46 pound bag, and an 83 pound bike box [thanks Chris]) and hurry up to wait in the international airport in Auckland that is much smaller than I thought it would be. If you look at the previous blog you will see the end of the trip to the Wellington airport. Boy did that feel good. It still does.
Upon arrival, and in order to keep me awake, we did a "small" tour of Wellington. This tour included a ride up the tram to the Botanical Gardens, a great playground for the kids, a view of the harbor (see previous post and the picture of all of us) and a stroll through the rose garden. It also entailed getting lost, driving back to Paekakariki, and getting stuck in some really bad traffic due to construction. It is my understanding that traffic doesn't happen here like it does in America. I pushed through dinner, which consisted of a wonderful baked honey and oat bread, fresh caught tuna on the grill, tasty salad, Kiwi beer, and incredible company hosted by Jennifer and Michael. I was able to stay awake until 9:15. Sleeping until 7:15 was nice! Day two was a nice walk on the beach, to the dunes, to "the rocks" (pictures to follow), and a nice dinner at home. Carolyn really is as good a cook as I think she is. I was again in bed before 10:00 and woke up at 7:00ish.
I missed home a little. It's not so different here that I feel lost, but it is different enough to feel unfamiliar. Home is familiar and comfortable, NZ is not...yet. The major theme of my trip is to experience the unfamiliar; to try things and think about things in a different way. To think about myself in a different way. I know I have written this before, but tough noogies, you're going to see me write this a lot. On the next entry you will get a look at my first dad/sabbatical opportunity to get into experiential education.
The first picture you see is of Kapiti Island. On a map it looks so small, and I guess that it is, but it dominates this area. It's a cool thing to see outside the window of our house. The next picture is of a great young woman I met on the flight to LAX. She is from NYC and is engaged to a New Zealander. She really helped me transition from USA to NZ. I thought she needed to get a shout out for her incredible kindness and help getting me through to the new world. I still need , but don't worry, I won't have an entry for each day to write about day three. (no promises) Wow, it's a wonderful life!
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