Christmas in the Familiarity

Dec 27, 2015 | Photos, The Great Journey

It might possibly be pretty much one year ago that I reported back from Christmas celebrations.
And now I will do the same. But not as the stranger, more like ‘one of the crew’, to whom I looked up to back in the day.

Well, how did my second Christmas in New Zealand look?
I still don’t care much about parties, so the day was rather calm in its nature. Only this time I had all the advantages of an own flat, the vacant kitchen, the own car for the groceries and on top just a single fellow merrymaker.

We both are very much mature and mind style, which showed the most in the food we made.

We attempted the Kiwi classic, pavlova.
That is a giant wad of meringue that gets decorated with fruit, whipped cream and similar things. We went for self made chocolate whipped cream and a selection of fruit.
It came out well and was..sweet. Tasty and sweet. 🙂

When boys make whipped cream by themselves… 🙂 But is DID taste great! 😉

The meringue looks like this before the oven.

You pavlova could look like this. 🙂

 

 

The days before we tried to make some cold cake. Following the plan and gathering all our cooking skills we ended up with some less ideal looking, but a very nice tasting treat, as well.

 

 

For the main course, we had some colourful and, not worth mentioning, delicious pasta bake!

 

 

More impressive without all the cheese. 🙂

Only then!
Then, on that very Christmas Eve forenoon, the postman came around the corner and brought me the parcel from home!!
Speechless and overwhelmed I unpacked one proof of love after the other and already the day was that much Christmasy! 🙂

 

 

What could I possibly say??

 

 

The actual Christmas Eve I got to witness at 2am that night. Via Skype I took part in the curiously strange feeling handing out of presents at home. Christmas story, Christmas songs, Christmas dinner. Many familiar things, but quite some that I had forgotten over the better year…
One year more and I will make good for 2 missed Christmases at home!

Wonderful Workplace

Dec 19, 2015 | Photos, The Great Journey, Thoughts

These lines are dedicated to my wonderful coworkers. 😉

At work Daddy has asked me to hold a speech for my last day there. As it didn’t particularly come to that, here some speech-like words:

I have never thought that I could love ‘Labouring Work’. Though I have learned before that you could love your coworkers. But to love both, that is something new for me.
When I started working with you I didn’t think that I would be so sad to leave one day. I didn’t think that me being there would become a routine. I didn’t think that the time with you guys would become a major part of my journey.
I have learned much amongst you. Much about Kiwi Culture, much about modern cars, cleaning cars and about not to let the tyres squeal in the washbay when the bosses are around, much about how people treat rental cars, much about myself, and not to forget much about different kinds of lovable people…
I must admit that one of the reasons I loved work is that I could listen to my own music. Cleaning cars itself isn’t all that dull and I found it a rewarding and enjoyable thing to do. But to flee the sound of the local radio station and to have some solitude while removing any trace of use from pieces of technology, that really hit my spot! 😀
You know that as a traveller I have barely any people around me to give love to. But I am so happy that I found such people in you… And I am convinced you appreciated that.
You have seen me expressing that happiness in singing, dance-like movement and lots of smiles. That was all real, because that was the way I want to spend my live! 🙂

You made it happen for me and all I can say is: Thank you for the wonderful time!

Here are some impressions of the workplace I already miss:

 

 

At the end my boss even gave me a goodbye present. An elegant drink bottle! How did she know I just needed one?

 

 

This drink bottle will always remind me of you guys in a pleasant way!
Thank you again! 🙂

Gas buys Pics

Dec 11, 2015 | Photos, The Great Journey, Trips

The headline ‘Road trip to Lawrence’ I found too boring. Therefore, some New Zealand travelers’ wisdom as substitute. 🙂

It pretty much is like that; you learn that any undertaking costs money. But not without a reason you are a traveler and so you sometimes spend a fortune on experiences.
And one of these experiences this road trip was. With Andrej, my Slovak flatmate, with me, I went on the road to Lawrence one Sunday.

There the first saleable gold of New Zealand was discovered, so you can see quite a deal of that past there…

The weather presented us with an engaging mix of rain and sunshine, but we adapted to that quickly.

This eventful day sprouted some pictures I want to show you now. And yes, they are many. 😉

 

 

We walked the paths of the old gold miners…

 

 

Maybe one day a Gold-Uncle has enjoyed this view after a successful day? 🙂

 

 

We took a little walk and were not disappointed by New Zealand for another time! Even in seemingly insignificant corners, idyll awaits.

 

 

 

 

Those who come visit me, will have the exclusive chance to have a picnic with me at this table. 🙂 Wouldn’t that be something?

Returned to the ‘city’ Lawrence, we looked at some of its buildings.

 

 

Luckily there is no standard for street name signs, so these ones show some (gold miners’) style!

 

 

Some feast for the eyes to all the electricians out there.

 

 

 

 

Someone else’s gardens. 🙂

 

 

After lunch and a cup of coffee (a year ago I couldn’t value the treat of a cup of coffee after a meal yet) we left Lawrence and went to Lake Mahinerangi, taking a bunch of photo stops. A nice name, I think I will miss that a lot in Germany… 🙂

 

 

A striking illustration of the weather.

 

 

Sheep are dumb. By nature, so this is no insult. You don’t mean any harm and they just run away right away! You wait for 5 minutes to snap some shots of these stupid things and the field is empty! And all that when I don’t even have a loud DSLR! I was a little fed up with sheep that day and that’s why there is only one picture of them doing what they love the most: Running away!
(rant’s end) 😀 I actually like sheep… When they are there. 🙂

 

 

 

 

The lake with its iconic bridge from above.

 

 

Our last major stop were the Waipori Falls. In the other pictures you have seen the scenery. A few kilometres further we found the waterfalls inside a deep gorge. After a great walk through the bush you can hop over the stones in the water up close to the falls…

 

 

A cute sticker, as I found. 😀

 

 

 

 

Here is another first-class example for a screen wallpaper. 😀

 

 

 

 

Road trips have curious chemistry. I can’t really describe it and sometimes ask myself, whether you can do this in Germany also. And if so, why I never just did it…
You don’t ALWAYS have to drive around with a destination ahead… 🙂

 

 

An itsy-bitsy Interim Report

Dec 5, 2015 | The Great Journey, Updates

Today it has been exactly one year.

Then I just stood there. In front of the airport of Wellington. And I thought by myself: ‘Well. So now I am in New Zealand.’

And now I am sitting here inside my small room in Dunedin and get rest after my (hopefully staying unique) 10 hour shifts at the car wash.

I indulged in a little retrospective and look at my past self as small and unfinished. I didn’t know about so many things. Now I saw many things and there is even more to bee seen yet. I have grown, I have evolved!

The Future

Nov 28, 2015 | The Great Journey, Thoughts

The croaky duet of the industrial vacuum cleaners ceases, I peel the black gloves from my hands, switch from headphones to cassette adapter and leave the airport towards the city.

I listen to ‘I Got a Name’ by Jim Croce, the sun slowly sets in the rear mirror and fills the atmosphere with its warm light. Even though my eyes are tired, I am not spent as much. The work is physically demanding, but you also have much time to zone out with music and your own thoughts.

I often think about the future, while cleaning the cars. For my time in Dunedin ‘just’ has to get me money. After that the future begins and the same I ponder much.

In January, the time in Dunedin will end. After that, in February, I will have the time of my life: My parents are coming to New Zealand!! 😀
Kids you hear exclaim quite often: ‘Look mum, look dad! Look what I did! Just look!’ Now my parents follow these cries in the highest form.
With them I want to travel all the places where I once desperately wished to have them around.
The people I owe the most of who I am I will have the chance to show the other side of the globe that was my home for over a year.
They will meet many people who I came to value and who have become an integral part of my New Zealand.

But that is only the February of 2016 of my future. Directly after that, my best friend will start his own great trip. With him, I will travel the North- and the South Island of New Zealand for the 3rd time and leave New Zealand after 16 months in the beginning of April.
We want to travel Australia for a few weeks and then part. For he will stay and I will fly home-bound. Possibly with one or the other stop-over, but I’ll see what will be in store then… 🙂

And then I am home again.
In what ways will I have changed? Will I have changed? How will I look at all the things I was thousands of kilometres apart from for a long time?
I am looking forward to see the faces who will have aged almost 1,5 years by then. Especially the kids will have grown incredibly. Most of them all, Vincent…

But also in the ‘real’ life I will have my tasks and objectives.
I will have to manage my life setting again. But with the trusty employment office that might not be the hardest nut to crack.

And I have left myself with all the options as I quit my job back in Germany. That was because I wanted to look at all the ways to life here without uninfluenced.

One thing is for sure: No apple picking!
But the once all neglected option to go to university begins to catch my attention. My flatmates ensured me that I could study here at New Zealand’s universities with my current qualifications. Not to think about in Germany with my technical diploma only!

Also the simple life, half work – half leisure, has its perks. At least until the concept of family applies and puts you on all different tracks. But all those things are just considerations, thoughts and contemplations.

First, I want to arrive at home, see all the loved ones, re-adapt to the right hand side driving and eat real bread.
Then we’ll see.