Beauty Beyond the View

New Zealand’s landscape is absolutely gorgeous, but the true beauty of this country lies within the people themselves. Kiwis are by far the most caring and friendliest humans I have ever had the pleasure of being around. And I worked for DISNEY. That’s saying something. They are also incredibly laid back. I have a friend from New York, who told me what she loves about California is our laid back culture. Born and raised here, I never really thought about it. However, I think I now understand how she felt! I would say going from California to New Zealand is like going from New York to California. There’s way less people and everybody is just so chill! 

Kiwis are very natural in the way they present themselves. No one I encountered was overly “done up” or in flashy attire. Hair was simple and make-up rare. Shoes were worn as often as not. From children running around school, to grown men walking through the grocery store, bare feet were a common sight. It’s not that people can’t afford shoes, as was the case I ran into most often in India, but rather it’s just not that important. No shoes, no problem. Really.

Now I know in a foreign country you should always be on guard. Which I was, but there were times I felt safer here, than I would even at Disneyland. One Friday at a club downtown, the two local girls I was with left behind their purses and coats at a booth while we set out for the dance floor. Seeing my raised brow and “are you crazy look”, they assured me it would be fine. Not being accustomed to such trust, I made my purse my main dancing partner all night, clutching it tightly to my side. When we made our departure somewhere in the early morning hours, sure enough, their belongings were left untouched and intact.

Unreal.

The first day of our road trip across the North Island, Elena and I (not surprisingly) got a little turned around looking for a grocery store. I don’t know if it was our five mile per hour speed, or the fact that our car was drifting a little too closely to the right on an empty back road that lead a man to drive alongside us and call out his window;

“Hey you girls okay?”
“Oh yeah…thanks… just looking for the Pac-N-Save we were told was somewhere around here?”
“ Yeah, if you turn right here and…”
*Blank faces*
“You know what, follow me”
“Really? Okay, thank you SO much!”

My overly cautious 'anything-bad-that-can-happen-will-happen-to-me' mindset combined with too many Friday nights spent at home watching 20/20 episodes, caused immediate red flags. I had a momentary vision of this man leading us to an abandoned building where multiple men would jump out the backseat of the van, throw us in a barn, treat us like sheep, and use our skin for purses and teeth for tribal necklaces; a hot commodity in the New Zealand underground market, I’m sure. Oh wouldn’t Barbara Walters have a hay day with this one!

Since the sun was out and the streets were busy, I decided to take a leap of faith and follow this kind stranger. Besides, we did have an empty beer bottle and heavy book within hands reach just in case he tried to do anything fishy. Yup, that should do.

Once our destination was in clear sight, I gave a ‘thumbs-up’ out my window. I was ready to pull out the big bucks and buy this man a well deserved ice cream or chocolate bar, but he just smiled and waved as he made a U-turn back onto his original route. He went out of his way for two strangers and didn’t even wait around for a thank you or reward. What a selfless deed!

This kind of behavior became quite ordinary for the entirety of my stay. New Zealanders’ genuine kind nature combined with their relaxed vibe was calming and comforting. Everywhere I went, whether it be the corner dairy, the bar downtown, or the array of hostels, I felt welcomed and at home. 

What a beautiful world. 

Kia Ora from New Zealand!

Finally! After three long years of longing and gut wrenching desire, I have made my way across the globe once again. This time I have landed in Middle Earth, aka New Zealand. 

Ever since my experience living in India, I have had a continuous thirst to immerse myself in new culture and lifestyles. With that said, when I arrived in New Zealand, I was a bit underwhelmed. To the shallow eye, there weren’t many differences from back home that I could easily pin point. Aside from the roads and cars being flip flopped( walking or driving, always keep to your LEFT), the coastlines reminded me of San Diego and the beachy town felt  much like that of Santa Cruz or Huntington Beach.  The people, all English speaking and dressed in familiar attire.

HOWEVER

Four weeks in and I couldn’t have been more pleasantly proven wrong. From the people, vernacular, beauty and overall vibe that is New Zealand, I have found myself in a whole new world and loving every minute. 

Oh and the smell! The air is so clean and fresh -much different from the smog ridden LA air or the ever lingering cow manure scent of Modesto.  Honestly, think of your favorite Disney fairytale land- THAT is the smell of New Zealand.

Okay, now that you have a good “scents” (pun intended) of New Zealand, let me send some sound waves your way. I never knew I could have such a hard time following a conversation in my native language.  Everyone here speaks English, but they speak English rather quickly in accents and unfamiliar slang. The most complicated element of the New Zealand accent is the pronunciation of vowels.  More often than not, “e”s become “i”s, which is confusing when speaking about pit or pet, here or hair, head or hid and so on. They often add “r”s to the end of words, so aww becomes awr and idea becomes idear.  However, the preexisting “r”s  are often forgotten.  Park, shark, and car come out sounding like “pock, shock, and ca”.  

After many weeks of smiling and nodding my way through most Kiwi interactions, I find myself talking the talk and even understanding it (mostly)! Here are some of my favorite words and phrases used.

1)      Kiwi

Most commonly used to refer to a citizen of New Zealand, but also:

-  The flightless bird of New Zealand
- The delicious juicy fruit (This kiwi is always followed by the word ‘fruit’

 ie. “I want to eat some kiwifruit”, never just kiwi. That could take on a whole other meaning)

2)      Heaps & ‘Eh’
Heaps is equivalent to “a lot” or if you’re from NorCal, “hella & hecka”. I am much more fond of using heaps.  

“I’ve got heaps of work to do!”  “I’ve missed you heaps”
“He has heaps of toys”

And ‘eh’, as I am all sure you have heard and or used when imitating Canadians, is used not only in question form but just simply at the end of a statement. 

That’s really funny, eh?  I had a good weekend, eh.

There are heaps of sheep in New Zealand, eh!

In these instances, I realized I usually say “huh”. Again, I prefer the Kiwi way.

3)      Dairy

Surprisingly not referring to the place where milk is harvested, but a small convenience store much like AM PM except with no gas pumps, but still the same overpriced products.  My sister has a corner dairy right up the street from her house where much of our afternoon and/or late night goody cravings are fulfilled.

4)      Sweet as

Awesome, okay, cool

This was by far the most frustrating of phrases.  Sweet as- should I be offended or flattered? Oh you mean you AREN’T referring to my behind in a derogatory yet complimentary manner? Once I figured that out, my frustration only grew because now it is just simply grammatically incorrect.

Sweet as…candy? Sweet as… cake?  Sweet as what?!  Finish the sentence!

Despite my strongest efforts, I may never know exactly what level of sweetness something is being compared to. But, it is a phrase that has grown on me and that I now find to be pretty “sweet as, bro”.

** “As” can also be added at the end of just about any word. I have heard:
                                Cheap as.
                                Sharp as.
                                Brave as.
                And probably my favorite was a sign in a window of a restaurant that was still under           construction. The sign read:
                                                 Grill Meats Beer
                                                Opening Soon As…
I can only interrupt “as” in these circumstances as meaning “really".

5)       Kia Ora
Maori greeting used throughout New Zealand.  The literal translation is “be well/healthy” and is used as “hello”. My nephews use it when they see their friends and I find it to be the most adorable thing ever.

6)      Jandals, Gumboots & Togs
 
“Leave your gumboots at the door” merely means take off your wet, muddy rain boots.  Although I don’t understand where “gum” came from, at least there is the word boots in there which makes sense.  

Perhaps somewhere in a long game of “telephone” the word sandals shifted to jandals, which merely refers to flip flops. Okay, fair enough.

Then there is the word togs. My nephews were going to a swim party in which they needed to bring their togs. Hmm, water shoes perhaps? Goggles maybe? A beach towel for goodness sakes?  It took me far too long to realize it was their swim suits they needed!

And a few other words that became a part of my everyday vocabulary real quick while living with four children ages infant- 7 years old are;

                Mum = Mom
                Toilets = restroom
                Poos & Wees = self-explanatory
                Nappies = Diapers
                Lollies = any type of treat or candy
               

And the most important, most used word I have adopted into my vocabulary is “pardon?” because really you can only get away with the smile and nod for so long.

Village Trip

The day after the visit to the HIV orphanage, we were taken on our rural exposure trip to the Yellachickammanahalli village.   Again my expectations were far worse than reality.

We first stopped at the village school to meet the children. We brought them art supplies and jump ropes as well and they were just as excited as the kids the day before. The classroom was very small and the tables and stools were all on the floor. The children did not speak much English at all, but we were still able to communicate through smiles and play.

We then took a tour of the village where the homes were. The homes were actually all concrete built and well kept. In fact the entire village was very clean, even with the dirt floors, and water buffalo and cows hanging out everywhere. Inside the homes there was one big room, where mats would be laid out for everyone to sleep on during the night. We sat in there and had a chance to talk with some of the local women. Throughout our conversation we asked the women if they had ever been to the city, in which case the majority had not, but honestly, they didn’t care to. The one woman who had been to the city was not impressed. She thought it was too busy and crowded.  

That’s when it hit me- the people in the village actually like living in the village. Here I am having pity on these “poor people who barely have electricity or a bed to sleep on”, when really I am just being ignorant. They are truly happy with their lifestyles and simplicity. They have close relationships and as one lady said- whenever they are bored they just walk next door and visit with each other. Who am I to feel sorry for them? They have a way of life that is working for them; a way I think we could all afford to learn from. 

They were pretending the bricks were cars

just a little safe haven...

Laughing, drawing, coloring, jump roping, shooting hoops, playing games, and eating candy- pretty much sums up my afternoon spent with some awesome local Indian kids. These kids were smiley, happy, affectionate, and did I mention HYPER? Oh how hyper they were! Any child that may have been shy in the beginning ditched that at the first sight of mango candies being passed around. Like all kids, they had a hard time sharing and taking turns and fought over who got the yellow marker next. However, there is something that separates them from other children their age. The very something that has triggered our visit today. Most of them are orphans, and all of them are HIV positive.

They have found a home at Snehadaan Centre- an orphanage/school for children who have been diagnosed with HIV and have lost both or one of their parents, left with no one able to care for them.

When we first planned the visit to the centre, I was anticipating a run-down, small building filled of sick children with very little resources. This was definitely not the case. The facility was large and modern, surrounded by a lot of greenery, gardens, play grounds, and even animals. There were times I forgot they were even sick. Were they even sick? I couldn’t tell. They were filled with life and joy, all speaking English impressively well. They were ecstatic about the jump ropes and loved showing off their skills.

 But then I’d take a step back. Look a little closer, listen a little closer, and I was reminded. Their skin had rashes, scabs, and sores. One little boy moaned in pain when he was slapped on the back by his friend. He unbuttoned his shirt to show me little red bumps scattered across his chest that apparently covered his back. But he was strong and after a few more gasps of pain grunted through tightened teeth, he assured me he was fine and continued playing.

Some of their eyes would flash a sense of sadness when they talked about their parents or siblings. Their overly need for affection and attention was evident in the way they held on tight to any hand they could grasp. Others were quiet and reserved; coloring alone and staying away from all the commotion. By their lack of a uniform, I could tell those children were new to the school-new to what will become the rest of their life.

The stigma that surrounds people with HIV or AIDS in India is sickening and heartbreaking. It’s a disease not accepted here on any level. Families and friends are shunned by not only the community, but those closest to them as well. People are ostracized, rejected, ridiculed, and verbally and physically abuse to such extremes that they aren’t even safe walking on the streets. The epidemic is only growing because people fear being socially isolated, so they don’t seek medical treatment.

Women have it even worse. They are more discriminated against than a man with HIV and even a married woman who has been infected by her husband will be accused by her in-laws. Women are not even protected through the healthcare system. It is so incredibly corrupt here that a man can have his wife tested without her knowledge and even if the woman’s results come back HIV negative, he can pay the doctor to say otherwise.

When seeking treatment comes with risks this high, it becomes clear why there were so many innocent children surrounding me that day. It breaks my heart to look at those kids and think of all the added struggles they’ll have to face throughout their entire life. They were born without a clean slate and

without a fair chance at a normal healthy life. But they have found a home…a little safe haven.. a place where they can fit in. They’ve been given a chance at an education, friends, and hope.

I feel blessed to have been a part of these kids’ lives even if it was just for a day.   

*to protect their privacy, we weren’t allowed to take any pictures of the children where they could risk being identified.