27 Feb 2010

I've been posting a lot of pictures and videos simply because it's easier, cooler, and much more effective in describing this place. It's simply beautiful. Manuel, Nicole, and Michelle live in this cute little house way up high on a hill in Island Bay, Wellington. It's quite a hike to get up to their house (not so bad getting down, but the walk up is a killer), but the view is way worth the trouble. We are in a rare position in Wellington to see the South Island. You can't really see it from anywhere else, but since we're so high up it's easily seen in the distance. It looks a lot like something in Italy or something with the mostly white houses placed nonstrategically on the side of the green hills. The downtown part of it is equally as great, even though it's not quite as beautiful. There are cute little local shops (not many chain stores around here) run by the nicest people you could imagine. Everyone here seems to be in a good mood, which is quite a contrast to the American way - especially in the airports. Even the customs people were super nice to us. It was a great welcome to this country. Today we walked along the coast for an hour or so looking for a place called "Red Rocks." It took us a good hour or so just to get to the coast, so we soon gave up on the attraction and enjoyed the scenery. I can't imagine anything looking better than the coastline anyways. The water here is incredibly blueish green, exactly as it's seen in pictures, and the coastline is rocky and jagged with some slightly blackish sand. We walked through a small town on our way to not going to Red Rocks when we stumbled upon a warehouse full of artists, musicians, and rock climbers all hanging out and drinking coffee. It was an open house where they were looking for someone to rent space in the warehouse, but we had fun just talking to some artists and listening to music while looking at the local art. I hope we meet some of these people again. They seemed like great people.

After walking around the coast and town all day today and yesterday, I'm pretty tired and slightly sunburned. They say the sun is much stronger down here, and I now believe them. You can get burned in the shade if you're there only 15 minutes. Jetlag hasn't really affected me too badly. It's mostly the excessive amounts of walking that is exhausting me. I have already learned a few strange ways of New Zealand. I'll try to remember some for your entertainment...

Always thank the bus driver. "Thank you, driver." It's weird if you don't.

Napkins are serviettes. Bathrooms are toilets. Swimsuits are togs. Sweater are jumpers. Flipflops are jandals. etc.. It's almost like learning a new language.

They don't have Mexican food, ketchup, or hotdogs here. Don't be fooled by imitations.

Driving/owning a car is rare around here. Walking is the way to go. You learn to go without a lot.

You don't have to take a test to get your driver's license. Shawn got one legally for $43. Scary.

Watch out for hedgehogs as you walk the stairs.

The wind is ridiculous here. We have to tie down anything outside, and it's pointless to do your hair before going out. It all ends up looking like a hot mess anyway.

Everything is backwards or upside down. Even the lightswitches.

The weather has been unusually great the last few days. Everyone is out and about enjoying the sun while it lasts. Nicole has been rushing around trying to do laundry and letting it dry before it gets rainy again. Using the dryer is too expensive. I hope that the weather holds up for a while. I'm not too cool with rainy and windy weather, but I guess I'll get used to it very quickly. Manuel said he's rarely seen the weather so clear and consistent. Maybe our presence has changed the climate or something.

I'll think of more to post later about this amazing place. I wish you all could experience it first hand. I'd say to come on over, but the job market is less than desirable. Please pray for jobs for us all. We can't rent a place til we get jobs. The Hobbit won't start for a few months probably, and even then jobs are not guaranteed. Pray for safety (even though this place is probably one of the safest places I've even been) and peace among us. Living with these people for a whole year will be trying and exciting. Pray that God gives us love for eachother.

Thanks for all your support and prayers. Talk to you soon!

Our Beautiful New Place (Temporarily)

The view from Nicole's house here in Wellington. Videos don't do it justice. This is what we will see everyday for the next year. I wonder what the poor people are doing today.

Hollywood/LA

We arrived in Hollywood/LA last night from the train and slept great in Heidi's living room. Today we went and saw Hollywood Hills and went walking around Glendale, a nearby city. L.A. isn't as dirty as I've heard, but people say that the smog here is so bad that it's like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. We went to a park today, and it seemed clear and beautiful. The weather is fantastic and the sun is shining. The mountains are so pretty and the landscape is awesome. We're going to sit in one of Heidi's flim classes tonight and maybe go see her friend play music downtown afterwards. After surfing and traveling all yesterday, Scott and I are pretty tired, so we're hoping to get to bed at a decent hour. Tim is still sick, but he finally got some antibiotics. Hopefully he'll be feeling much better for our 20 hour flight tomorrow. Overall we've been pretty healthy and safe. It's been quite a good time so far.

Shawn and I in Hollywood. Enough said.

Jackie Jumping

Bart demonstrating "Jackie Jumping," a popluar sport in S.L.O.

Farewell, Friends

My two favorite people [Bart and Nate] saying their final farewells to us as we rode away on the train. Picture taken through the window of the train. Their handprints are still on the window.

S.L.O. Train

A brief look at our beautiful train ride from S.L.O. to L.A. It was way way way better than flying. However, the three girls next to us (you can hear them in the background WAY better than you can hear me) were so loud and girly. It was a bit ridiculous. Plus, we were really tired from surfing earlier that day. It was Scott's first time surfing ever and my first time surfing the west coast. It was really hard, so we were pretty beat.

S.L.O. #2

This is the coastline of S.L.O. where our friends go surfing sometimes. It was really windy, so the audio is not so good. But, it is so beautiful.

S.L.O.

This gives you a general idea of where we stayed in San Luis Obispo (SLO), California. It's much prettier in real life. And, I'm really bad with a camera, so it's very spastic and hard to follow. Sorry about that.

California

Well, we got to L.A. safely after our flight from Raleigh to LAX (with a layover in Memphis). We took a shuttle from LAX to Shawn's friends Heidi's house in downtown Hollywood. It took us a good 2 or so hours to go 30 miles because we hit rush hour. That was nuts. We hung out with Heidi and went out to eat and stuff. Nothing too crazy. Tim was really really sick, so we got him some meds and went to "bed" around 12 or so. But, keep in mind, that was about 3 in East Coast time. All four of us slept on the floor in the living room...a very tiny living room. Scott's friends from San Luis Obispo decided to drive down to Hollywood and spend the night with us. So, about 3 that morning, Bart and Nate walked in the door and crashed on the floor with us. It was pretty great. We woke up around 8 and left with Bart and Nate to go to their house (3 hours away.) Tim was going to his friend's house in L.A. and Shawn was staying with Heidi. The ride up north was super super fun. These guys are quickly becoming my favorite people ever. They are definitely Lords of Dogtown types, and I'm already starting to talk like them. I have to say, these are my kind of people. We got to their house and chilled for a while. The time difference is already kicking my butt. This place is unbelievable, though. There are beautiful green rolling hills, huge rock formations, beautiful hacienda-looking houses, and an unbelievable coastline. We made dinner and had game night with their friends. We met some great people and did some awesome things yesterday, but I honestly don't remember too much of it. I was sooooo tired and out of it. We stayed up watching a movie at a theater til about 1:30 (4:30 in my mind), so I went right to sleep when we got back. I slept great, too. I really needed that.

Today we went with Bart and Nate to see the elephant seals. The coastline is so incredible. It looks like something from Hawaii. I can't believe how beautiful it is here. There are volcanic rocks and huge HUGE surf. The grass is so green and the water is so blue. The rolling hills/mountains have lots of cows on them, so it looks like a postcard from rural paradise. The weather has been pretty mellow. The sun is out with some cloud coverage. It rained for 30 minutes or so, but it's been much better than snowy Staunton. We drove by Hearst Castle where there are zebras. CRAZY. We explored the coast and watched the enormous elephant seals for a while. We're hoping to go surfing later, but we're all pretty beat and it's only 2:00. It's been a great adventure so far, and we're not even out of the States yet. I wish I could explain to you how much fun we're having so far, but words and pictures are just not enough. Miss you all.

Portfolio

Hello hello. Here is my online "portfolio." It's just a simple Flickr site, but it'll give you a little idea what I've been doing the last few years.

6 Days and Counting

It's 12:06 a.m. on Friday, February 12th. So, if my math is correct, there are 5 more days til I leave Virginia, 6 more days til I leave the east coast, and 13 days (ish) til I'm officially in Wellington, New Zealand. There has been a lot of thought and prayer and CRAZINESS to this trip, and I am finally to the point where I'm very very very excited. Things were pretty stressful up until now, but this trip has been a long time coming and I cannot wait to see what actually happens. I will be traveling with 3 amazing guys, and meeting up with several other amazing people over there. And, I will undoubtedly be meeting some new amazing people once we get there and settle in. God has orchestrated all of this so far, and I am whole-heartedly depending on Him not only to get me through the next year but also to help me have the overly-used cliche "adventure of a lifetime."

For those of you who will be following along on this journey with me via blogging or skype or whatever, just know that I will miss you all back home. Adventures are fun, especially when there is a home to come back to. I would not be able to leave home without knowing that there will be love there when I return. Your prayers and support are welcomed with open arms, and I'm sooooo excited to be able to share this with you. I will be thinking of you all as I step out into this great new adventure. Happy trails!