The Weekend I went West.

Five months ago, there was a guy from New Zealand in Niagara Falls. He got a ride with me to Toronto. Now I am driving his car around Auckland. Odd how things turn around, huh?

Last Saturday, a train (and, later, a bus) took me to the west side of Auckland City where I journeyed to pick up said car. An older couple waited for me at the bus stop and waved, smiling me off to join them. They have been hosting the girls that were driving the car before me, but those girls have left for Germany. So this couple had the car. They drove me around to make sure I knew the safest way back to the motorway before taking me to their house and making me come in for tea and scones. Yes, New Zealand hospitality is perfectly suited for my tastes.

It's beautiful having tea and scones and conversation with complete strangers. There's not much better in the world probably.

The remainder of my day was spent driving the car to some beaches out west I had been aching to visit. One of the perks of coming to New Zealand was to be able to see the sun set over the ocean. A good reason to head west. Black sand beaches, deep rock caves, giant seaweed, quicksand, and rolling blue-green waves as far out as a short girl could see. Waterfalls in a fairy forest, massive trees, and streams you can hear all around you. The only thing more I could want was a camera. And, luckily, I have one. So here are some photos.

the sand walk to Bethells Beach

unfocused love & a log

No swimming. Don't even think about it. 

seaweed & people among the hills

Bethells waves & a gull

keeping watch

one of few Bethells seashells

The trail to the falls.

Fairy Circle

Fairy Falls

Piha Beach

sky in the water

sitting on a log

watching the waves

Piha at sunset

This country is beautiful. 

So, yeah, that community thing.

One of the many things that made me fall in love with my college was that I learned a word there. And this word means a lot to me. This word may eventually become overused and cliche, and may even be making it's way there, but it is there just the same. Community. 

We used it to describe a sense of belonging we felt for our fellow students, or for our fellow Christians. Maybe we even used it to describe any sort of connection we felt to anyone who was remotely the same as us. The definition is, obviously, nothing more than what the word literally means. But, the idea of the word is such that, like words such as love and friendship, it tugs at the deep places of your heart. When the word is combined with your beliefs, let's say religion or spirituality, it tugs at the deep places of your soul. It becomes a word that signifies, to me at least, the deepest relationship a human being can have with another human being. Community is a connection that is never-ending, and a camaraderie for which there are no words, only a sense of complete belonging to something important and incredibly beautiful.

The first church I attended here in New Zealand is now the one I will continue attending. It is a little ways to drive, so I had been trying to find a closer place to go. But this one church really drew me in with her genuine, loving people. Going to a church where you can't slip out from the back row without being asked at least three times whether you have time to stay for tea is really a great thing. It's impossible to be invisible in this place, and I love that. The first Sunday, early in January, the pastor found me immediately after, then found out where I was from, and talked to me about his 5 years at the seminary in Dallas. In between services, I was introduced to another au pair the pastor had searched out for me, then made to feel completely welcome by everyone else for the entire next service. They were disappointed when I couldn't stay for tea (I was still getting used to driving on the other side of the road, and didn't drive myself to church).

Tonight was my second week at a house church - or what they call a Life Group. The group rotates between about three houses, and I already feel at home with these people I get to see twice a week. The quote that inspired this blog, "Wherever I sat, there I might live", resonates with me now as I type. As I sat with these young men and women tonight, I lived in a community where I was at home. 

I have always thought, since my first visit to Mexico when I was very young, that worshipping with a group of people in another country is one of the most wonderful experiences a person could have. That will always be true for me. Whether in the same language or a completely different tongue, the community is the same. The connection is the same. It's the sense of connection, and the piercing truth of Jesus' love. 

It's the feeling of being home. The feeling of living. And it's good. 

The Art of Festival-ing

Two festivals in two days. Today was the Pacifika Festival - from what I understand, it is the largest Pacific Islander festival in the world. Then the Auckland Art Festival is going on for two weeks, and I have been quite excited about it since I got here. It makes me miss my college friends who are all artsy and cool, but no worries. A lot of art is created to make people feel better. Here are some photos from Pacifika.

a small part of the festival (two islands)

fire dancer in "Samoa"

art in "Kiribati"

Pukeko baby with his mummy :)

After the festival, I hopped back on the bus to K'Road and explored a bit. I was going to go to White Night, which is the night during the Arts Festival that galleries open from 6pm until late and have special programs that they don't have any other time of the year. However, I got a bit shy and didn't really know where to go anyway (places were spread out all across the center of Auckland City). So I got some dinner, wrote some poems and came home. These photos are from my explorations...

Yup. That's why it's called K'Road.

there's a gay community along K'Road, so there were lots of rainbows.

my favourite creeper photographer photo of the day

"Where You Belong"

alien @ a metal art store - corner of Queen St & K Road

there was a lot going on here, so i took a photo to remember

Myers Park - behind K Road, beside Queen St

a copy of Michaelangelo's "Moses", brought to NZ in 1971

"thought flags" - an open for anyone project by an nz artist

Ava made this one.

I'm working on a poem on my experiences on K'Road today, but here's one I wrote between dinner and a coffee shop. Please enjoy, and I'll leave you with this. Much love, and thanks for reading. 

The Patio

above cities

front porch patio

on the side of a wall

hanging on to this

dying building

for dear life

as a setting sun says

goodbye to an already-old day, 

shops close, clubs open,

and plastic lights glow

slowly, eventually becoming

the raven darkness

that turns today

into memory

and that man down there

has no where to go

and neither do we - 

we, on this island, 

no where to go

tonight

but tomorrow - 

tomorrow he will wake

and roll up that moth-eaten mat

and do the same thing,

and so will we...

what we did yesterday

before the sun

waved his burning hands

and coarsely whispered

goodnight

with those fading yellow arms

we'll see again soon -

maybe even tomorrow

when he waves hello again

to us and to the man

who spent the night 

with the moon instead

and will do the same thing

tomorrow

when the sun waves goodbye

again.

Earth Shakes

Almost two weeks ago, the earth shook loudly on South Island, here in New Zealand. The first report we heard, not even three hours afterward, was that seventeen people had been killed. I remember talking to my NZ mom, thinking how awful that was. Seventeen people. Seventeen lives. Seventeen families changed forever. In the fourth hour, the prime minister of New Zealand announced that 65 had been confirmed dead

Today on the radio, the dj announced that another body had been found today, raising the death toll from 165 people to 166. One. More. Person

Those of you reading this prayed for New Zealand when you heard about the earthquake two Tuesdays ago, and are probably praying still. The people all across the country are helping Christchurch immensely in any way they can and are able. This morning at church, the speaker said that he has been wondering when the last time he saw the country come together like this - in this sort of community where a neighbour seeks out and helps his neighbour or the elderly lady down the street. He thought about 9/11 and then when Princess Diana died, neither of which were New Zealand's tragedies, but they were eerie and invoked a desire to stick together, but not necessarily the need. He thought about a time in the 1970s when they weren't allowed to drive on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and how people had to come together in that time. Then he thought of the wars and the Depression, but even then, it was a matter of planting a garden and sharing your crops rather than a natural disaster like what has happened in Christchurch. The prime minister said on that day that New Zealand may experiencing its darkest day.

I don't have a point. There's not really a point when these things happen. I am here during a difficult time in New Zealand history, and it's a bit surreal. But Kiwis are moving on as they can with the cheery attitude that they are known for. I can learn a lot from that, and maybe we all can.