it ain't all good.... but most is :)

So I have gotten a bout of negativity within all my glorious traveling and this time it came in the form of 5 teenage boys while soaking in a natural hot spring with my new friend Mina. I will just paint the scene for ya'all: After our hot and festive day at the Matatini, we ventured to Mina's lovely lakeside house; Mina asked Jack (her boyfriend) Zandra and I if we wanted to go for a soak in the nearby hot spring. Now I was so excited about this because one of my main explorations on this voyage is to look at healing waters. So I jumped at the chance while the others declined (they are used to soaking in hot springs I guess...did I mention that the exchange rate here is great and lakesides houses are affordable... relatively :) Anyway Mina and I drove the 2 minutes to the natural hot pool, which ain't much to look at but whatever. So we pull up alongside a group of young men about 18 years old, we get out and go in for a soak, they do the same, their group and Mina and I are in there for almost an hour. And we are both having our own conversations, not once did they speak to us but we were about a meter or 2 from them. For a second I looked up at them and thought "I wonder if they are gay and if the environment here is accepting and open to gay lifestyles" yep these are the thoughts that go through my mind. Anyway I was thinking that from what I see, most of the people I have encountered seem so relaxed and progressive that that would be great if it generally is an open and accepting community in that way also. So this random thought floats through my brain for a second; then Mina and I continue on talking about ethnicity, communities, racism, history blah blah blah, well the boys get up and leave the pool, they are all in the car and about to drive away when one screams from the window some hate filled comments about gays. I couldn't make out what they were but the intent behind them was something familiar in other words they were full of rage, the only words I could make out were "Gay Locals!!!!" Now at first I thought, oh that really sucks that someone is yelling at those boys like that (I couldn't tell yet that the one yelling was one of them), now you know my ass, I was about to yell back for them to leave the boys alone, when I realized that the boys were yelling at us. I looked at Mina and she looked really worried; but really I was so shocked realizing the irony that I began to laugh. I mean really laugh. Mainly at the fact that I thought they were being yelled at and that these fools sat next to us the entire time and didn't say shit till they (all 5 of them) were driving away in a car. Crazy, anyway I shared with Mina that situations like that have happened to me in the good ole US of A too many times to count, if a bunch of ignorant scared fools aren't screaming about race then its sexuality. Anyway, we stayed there for a couple seconds, realizing that we were alone in the woods, (I had ancestral flashbacks to Mississippi so figured we should haul ass out...though I do tend to feel that it is more of a passive aggressive vibe...but why take chances, Mina likely had some flashbacks of her own) and then we thought it best to leave. We chatted about prejudice and then drove up the road and ended the night with a much needed swim in the lake under a sky full of stars. After we swam in the cleanest lake I have ever see we went back to Mina's house. We shared our tales with Jack and Zandra who were both really surprised. We then watched Matchpoint, which is a good movie but wow what an ending huh; anyway just thought I would share :) Oh and on another note, I made it into the local paper, isn't that a hoot it was for volunteering at the Hui. And I was also happy to assist Zandra with making the sign for her Hapai Te Teko project. It's great to meet so many people, funny, many assume I am a relative visiting or part of a different marae until I open my big American mouth. A kid asked me for the time yesterday and when i spoke he looked at me with such wonder.

I just can't get enough!

So I just could not help myself, when I was invited to go see the dolphins again I jumped on it and this time Zandra was coming with me. She had never gone. So we boarded the bigger boat, Blue Sky, and cruised out with our skipper Shane and our guides Sam and Nino (awesome company Whale and Dolphin Watch, owned by a Maori Trust) We saw hundreds of them. To attract them to you it helps to squeal or squeak and I was squeakling away, Nino and I were really close to them, and when we squealed or squeaked they would squeak back, it was like we were speaking, anyway truly beautiful creatures that are supposedly very promiscuous and also like us have sex for pleasure (many animals don't apparently) the following should be a direct link to a short video of them swimming near the boat. http://s552.photobucket.com/albums/jj346/playakua/?action=view&current=MVI_4089.flv

Te Matatini "the many faces"

I have had an amazing time on my journeys, beyond amazing, I just can't think of a word right now, and I am only about at my month mark. So there are more thinggs to come of course. The last 4 days have been exceptionally special for various reasons but one is that I was invited my friends in Te Teko to attend the Te Matatini Kapa Haka Competition http://s552.photobucket.com/albums/jj346/playakua/?action=view&current=MVI_4028.flv.

Now I will try to upload a video because if you have never seen Kapa Haka then you really will appreciate a glimpse, of course you could always youtube it:) the above should be a direct link to my photobucket account but i will try to uplaod also directly on here. Well this competition (Te Matatini) only comes every 2 years; so I was so glad to be here during it. Anyway I went with Zandra and Mina, who are the main organizers of the Te Teko Community Upliftment Project that I volunteered with. They are such fun! So we made our way to the crowded stadium (about an hours drive away) and found a snug spot to settle in near the cameraman pretty close to the stage, the families around us actually made room for us too. Now one of the first things I noticed was that there were free tubes of sunblock available!!! and that there was no smoking or alcohol. And the performances were so moving, the strength and clarity in the voices was profound and really gave me the chills. Though there are many groups performing, each group still seems to captivate the audience. And the poi dancing is spectacular, very different from what I have seen and what I do- I taught myself how to poi dance off of the internet in 2002 after I saw it done at Burningman, and when I thought that I would need another hip surgery; I wanted a way to exercise and specifically dance, at least with my upper body, well I didn't end up getting the surgery but now I have a new fun usually crowd pleasing skill) Zandra's adorable niece tried to show me some traditional moves the next day but I was having some trouble . But these dancers were flawless. I was left in awe at the Te Matatini event. The performances are done by various Kapa Haka teams from NZ and Aus. Kapa Haka is a powerful and creative form of dance and song that conveys stories, histories, issues, victories, concerns ...that impact the Maori community. I still struggle with finding the words to describe it. oh it looks like the video worked, the link to the other video is above and that is the one with men performing.

Teteko and Dolphin luv

So a couple days ago I helped out at the Teteko community meeting. Teteko is a small town near Whakatane, it is where Waaka one of my hosts is from. Anyway first I cut about 60 large rolls of paper, then put jam on 1000 pieces of bread while chatting away. I even ate a fishhead (okay just part of it, i had to share because i just couldn't eat one all by itself), yep can you handle it. This lovely woman Queenie made fishheads (smoked) and I couldn't say no, and she saw me struggle to find the meat and not the brain (though she says the brains and eyes are the best), so she helped me out and really it was tasty :) I helped her outside also shuck corn, she told me about her life some, she had 9 kids and is the oldest of ten; I couldn't imagine ten babies, many people here have a bunch of kids or are from large families, lack of TV back in the day, is what they say here :) man I love older people, so much history, anyway we set up for a community upliftment meeting. The entire town was invited and about 250 showed up but Waaka says that he could feel the presence of many more. 250 was a really good turn out. I put on an apron and I served up coleslaw (I have never liked it but hey I wasn't eating it...and here, they put it on top of the burger...i made the mistake of putting it to the side on a few plates, opps) and I wore the signature cowboy hat ..which I later gave to a girl that really wanted it and was also helping out. I had a great time and it was inspiring to be a part of the event. The community seemed really excited to be there and came up with some great ideas mainly concerning how to inspire the youth and become more self sustaining. You see gangs have made their way here into various communities, I forget the names but they are also using the colors like red, blue etc...but it was really nice when after the meeting the people that were so helpful were these young men, teens that prior to the meeting were seen as a bit of "gangsters" so it was cool to have that notion explored more. Also I have to say that was the quickest and most efficient clean up I have ever seen, people really came together and hauled ass! amazing. The entire meeting was really nice. And I spent the night at one of the organizers houses, I slept in a bed with Hannah Montana pillows and Bratz posters. Oh the power of the media.

Dolphins!!!! Oh I got a call early in the morning while I was snuggling up on a Hannah Montana pillow. (and yes I surrendered and got a cell phone, making my life much easier) "Akua we are going out to swim with the dolphins this afternoon, do you want to join us?" Now I was groggy and hung over a bit (yes Dad, hung over...I was bonding with people okay :) So basically one of the last spots I could imagine my self on was a boat rocking to the beat of my stomach. But of course I went!!!! And they are the best company by the way, such nice chill folks, Maori owed and run too!!! Whale and Dolphin Watch in Whakatane. So I hung out in Teteko for a bit and helped put away all the uneaten food, then got a ride to Whakatane and binged on water to cleanse my system...which didn't totally work:) then headed out to Whale and Dolphin Watch. We boarded a boat and searched for the dolphins. We found a school..or is it pod...of about 100, and they are a sight to see!!! truly beautiful! So when our guide Megan gave the word we tried to quietly slip into the water, hope my photos come out, I had an underwater camera(these pics don't include those shots), but anyway they didn't play with us or do any socializing like that see these are wild dolphins so they just do their thang and they were doing it. So as I dove down and gazed into the expansive blue around me I could see them swimming away following their own path. It was such a great experience, and we continued following them and jumping into the ocean several times. Eventually we went to Whale island where we just swam with fish and I failed to see the elusive stingray that most others saw. What a great day I just love boats (I am thinking about crewing on a boat for my trip to Fiji....but don't worry i plan to do my research about it Dad) and the ocean, especially being in it, it is a pain free world for me, weightless, free, and occasionally even fast...oh I love water and plan to jump in some fairly soon!! oh what a great day it was, and even more so because I did not get sick.

I love whakatane!

Okay so I have just finished staying with the second Servas couple. I have been having a great time!!! They live in Whakatane which honestly, I could move here! It is a cute active town on the water with great art, music, and cheap hostels (which I am staying in presently...Servas allows you to stay with guest only a few nights) So they stay right near town and he is Maori and she is Pakeh (I don't know if thay is the correct spelling but it basically means European, and from what I can tell it is not offensive, but I could be wrong ..oopps faux pas if that is the case) Anyway, they are retired and really lovely people. Very interesting. It seems that many of the folks I stay with are teachers. Roselind was also a teacher, and her husband was an economist. He also is a chairperson of various groups and Maori trusts. They drove me around and showed me various sights. I went swimming in the ocean a couple times, to their more rural house about 30 min away, and to a Marae, he has introduced me to so many people, I just ran into a girl that wished she knew I was still in town so I could have gone with her to a reggae show the other night...shoot I wish I ran into her sooner because I would have gone!. Anyway he invited me to attend a community meeting in a small community nearby, so tomorrow I offered to assist them in planning a hui (community gathering). Sounds interesting. And, since he is affiliated with the dolphin swimming company we went out on the boat but the seas were too rough so we did not get to swim with them. ( I even had a dolphin dream the night before...a weird dream where the dolphins had grey mohawks and actually semi attacked me---so maybe it is a good thing that I didn't get to swim with them yet...and what is up with the mohawks:)). Well Waaka (my very gracious host) is am amazing story teller; I hope he writes a book. I heard wonderful stories about eels, ghosts, you name it, he had a tale. He told me a fascinating one about a African man that showed up on the beach walking out of the water nearby Whakatane, he said that maybe over 100 years ago a strong handsome African man walked out of the ocean, local Maori men saw him and brought him to their chief. The chief asked the man who he was and where he was from. The man said that he did not know his name and that he was a slave from America that had escaped to Canada and boarded a boat in the town of Duncan, he was due to work on this boat but the conditions were so bad and they treated him so horribly that he jumped ship when he saw land and swam to shore. He ended up in Teteko. The chief liked the man and also noticed his muscles and strength. The chief prompty gave the man a wife. The man was called Duncan and his photo hangs in a Marae here (we didnt have the key to get in so I could take a photo), Duncan was to be the father of a future chief. Waaka told many good stories and all of them true. Anyway I am having a really special time here. And really it is also so moving how the people here also share in the joy of a "Black man" being president. It is really moving how proud and supportive they are of President Obama. It seems like all of NZ is behind him. When I said that to a man that Waaka introduced me to, he replied "the world is behind him". So far in my experiences here, I feel that there is a social cohesivness that I can't really explain, maybe we all need a marae to gather at and share ideas? till next time

a day ahead

Okay so it may say Sunday to you all but it is Monday here, I flew over that dateline thingie so just so ya'all know....not like it matters. Anyway I was supposed to go swimming with dolphins today but not enough folks signed up to go out on the boat. So I will be back to this cute little town to do it again, likely in 3 weeks or so. I have met some great people and the SERVAS organization is truly amazing. I stayed with two couples. Both have grown children so I slept in their old rooms which was sweet. The first couple I stayed with is Maori and I learned some Maori words and customs.
Kohanna (hopefully I am spelling this correctly, sorry if not, but they are likely phonetically spelled) is what they call a preschool, which really means nest. Moanna is beach. Ko Akua toku ing oa - my name is Akua, No California ah how - I am from California , Mo rain na- good morning. Brenda took me to a preschool where she used to work and the kids sang me a song. The preschool is Maori speaking only, then when the kids go to first grade they learn English, though many know some English (some of their parents speak English, and are learning Maori also), they learn their own language first in a school setting. I was really thankful to get to see into the preschool, and the kids were very sweet. English is really not supposed to be spoken in the school so I was limited in what I could say to them, the phrases above were about it :) My Servas hosts had a lovely home and were really welcoming. I stayed in a cute girls room complete with a mosquito net!!! When Brenda met me at the bus stop I immediately noticed that we both have freckles; actually it seems that many Maori women seem to have freckles. Anyway it poured rain (much needed rain!) for a few days so we stayed in and watched Maori TV; which I really enjoyed. Their were cultural shows, documentaries and the news. There was a really cool documentary about a teacher that was instrumental in bring the Maori language back into the New Zealand classrooms.

being free

So I am feeling that so many things have happened, not big ole events just nice little moments, the kind I appreciate most. So anyway, my days out with my little girl power group was really sweet. When I think about it I can't help but laugh. One little girl is going to Fiji to visit family, and I asked her if they have social rules there about bathingsuits (togs they are called here, no one seems to know why) and what she thinks if girls have to wear a t-shirt(covering shoulders and knees) and shorts to swim, her energetic response was "my momma says I am free" she was so spunky and cute, I told her that I will say the same thing too "my momma says I am free" . Seeing that the missionaries brought over the custom of covering up in places (mainly in the Pacific) where heat and humidity is insane (lord knows the sight of boobs would send them into a frenzy) ; I feel a bit less guilty if I show a little shoulder while in Fiji. But I dont plan to be there for another month so who knows if that will change?

mozzie luv

So I just checked out of my Rotorua hostel, but am using their free Internet, though i still can't post photos:( Anyway I have 2 huge mozzie bites on the side of my face near my eye. It looks like I was in a fight. But my fro is attempting to hide them. Well I had a wonderful day yesterday with the girls. And you know, they all can poi dance to some degree. They were so cute, they even got all dressed up to show me around. We went to the museum which had an interesting movie about the history of the city. Rotorua is a city that was known for its healing waters, then there was a huge volcanic eruption right when people were getting greedy. (that is a very brief version) During the movie when the volcano erupts, our actual seats started jumping around scaring me, the girls laughed of course. Anyway then we all went to the Aquatic Center which is the much cheaper and better place where the local folks hang out to swim etc...we stayed for hours (Can you believe that The Office and 30 Rock played from a giant TV over the pool) then one of the girls mothers drove me back to the hostel. It is funny because they assumed that i was part Fijian . Her mother is Fijian and looked at my fro (which is a quite impressive fro with the humidity here) and thought maybe I am Fijian, which brings to mind one of the points I wrote about in my essay for the fellowship: One of the reasons I chose some places where there is a Melanesian presence is because I wanted to travel to areas in which I would physically blend in more and see how different that experience is rather than my usual traveling experiences where say, I go to Moscow or Sorrento and people stare in wonder and occasionally point at me. Now I have still bonded with people and have appreciated those experiences but after spending some time in Capetown and some in Oahu last year, I was more curious about how different my travel experiences were when people assumed I was from that actual location (until I open my big American mouth that is) . And even though it has been almost 2 weeks here it has been interesting because many people here, especially in Rotorua, appear to assume that i am Melanesian. And as I was telling the little girls, if they were in say, New York, most people would likely think they were Caribbean. Interesting thing, identity. Anyway so I am heading out to a small town, Kaweru to have a homestay for two nights with a couple I contacted through Servas. After that I may be back on a farm for a spell, though I cant seem to decide which one, a bunch contacted me and they all seem so nice...but hard work too....I just don't want it to be too hard...hee hee, and I dont want to come in contact with a WETA, the biggest bug ever...oh my even the photos scare the bleep outta me, yep I am a wuss when it comes to bugs, crazy folks I can deal with, bugs, not so much...but this experience is helping me work through it right?...maybe. Okay so I am going off to the market to get some sort of cream that is supposed to make my bug bites look less frightening.

Off the farm

So here I sit in a cramped sweaty hostel in Rotorua watching a mosquito avoid me (mozzies they are called here, and it is avoiding me because I have bug spray on.) So let me begin by apologizing for no photos, I cant upload them now so I will hopefully tomorrow. Well my time with Keith and Beth was really special. They were both so much fun and could really make each other laugh...which is so nice to see a couple do:) We talked at length about politics, (they really like Obama) the banking fiasco, relationships, kids, education, honey, film, (Beth worked on the Shining). So while there I did a bunch of garden-intensive things, my hands feel stronger and my pants are a bit baggier too. I can't wait to wwoof again, hopefully I will have just as pleasant of an experience. I miss it there...let me see, things I learned or got reaquainted with: 60 year-old women kick ass, honeybees will bite the wings off another if it smells that it is from another hive (each hive has their own smell), grass is not really a good thing to have in a garden, some weeds are good for you, there is the most delectable plum called a Louisa, Keith makes his own Honey Meed liquor, there is a bug that sheds it's skin and the remaining skin looks just like the bug (freaked me out at first), . ...oh the list goes on. And I am now just a bit more at ease with bugs...except large flying roaches, but luckily I have not seen any here. At least I thought so until an hour ago when I got out of a mineral sulphur pool and picked up my towel to find a large bug wandering about, it was dark so I am telling myself that it was something else and not a roach..... But my first hour here was rather annoying with a man mistaking a random aimless smile for some kind of "come and bother me please" look. The dude was with his little son and still proceeded to annoy the shit out of me while I was online, yep he even touched my hair, well I gave him the evil stank eye and motioned for him to leave me the bleep alone. He quickly left. Uugh, funny how it bothered me so much, now if I had been in a city dealing with it daily I think I would have forgotten about it quicker, but no, I had been chillin in the country sleeping under daddy longlegs and being at peace with it. So yep here I am, I didn't go to the reggae show because it was just too much loot and really I just didn't have the energy. Instead I actually boarded a Duck tour, my only excuse is that I did it to escape the annoying vibe of the man, (and the loud ass hostel...people were screaming all over the place ...funny I used to be the loud one) anyway the duck tour big surprise was not all that (not like I expected much, but really I should have just taken a regular bus. But the scenery was great). So after it I went to sit at the edge of the lake and all these sweet little girls came up to me, just curious about me. They were really so fun and delightful. Kinda made me wanna run right out and adopt a 12 year old. ...but I wont, anyway they showed me around and I will be meeting up with them tomorrow for some more sight seeing. They are the perfect hosts, seeing that they have lived here all their 12 years, Oh we took really cute photos but alas, I will post them later. So now I am sleepy and will head upstairs to my shared female dorm room and shove earplugs in, because really I think I am by far the elder of the estate :P

In a nut shell

So these first 2 photos are of Waiheke Island, which I went to before beginning my Laura Ingalls adventures. And you guessed it the next two are on the sail boat a couple days ago. Presently I am sitting at Keith's desk typing this while they sleep. It is about 11pm and I should head off to my little Honey Shed :) seeing that I need to rise early, oh how do those farmers do it. Today was a very physical day. I mowed a lawn, a big one too, okay so it may not be the type of adventure people may imagine but it is for me. It was the first time I ever mowed. Wow if I mowed everyday may I would never need a gym again. Oops a bee just landed on the desk, hazards of living with a beekeeper. So anyway while mowing I think I killed a mouse...and then I steped on him, not intentionally of course. But well, hadr to explain. Anyway Sorry lil dude:( So after mowing I weeded for a while. Then Beth and I went for a quick swim at the beach, then we all took a siesta :) I love naps. And lunch and dinner of course were all natural and organic, not even plasitc wrapping in sight. Oh and let me tell you about the peaches. WOW amazing...maybe better than gelato...So while I sit here scratching away at mosquito bites (they love me...thank goddness there is no maleria around) I keep thinking about how healthy I feel and how I have not walked on hard pavement for the last 3 days. For those of you that may not know, walking on pavement is a bit rough on my dear old hips. The feel of the sand, the earth is really underrated usuallly...wow is there spell check on this? Oh well...I still have not got the hang of the phot upload thing...or spelling apparently.

sailing with keith and beth

Yesterday was simply delightful. I was picked up from the hostel by a lovely couple who I will be wwoofing for. But instead of getting my hands dirty in the earth, I somewhat learned how to sail a boat...well maybe not really sail it but just keep it from tipping over. We spent 4 hours on the sometime choppy but beautiful ocean. Perfect day:) and got even better when I saw their house. It is tucked away in nature, a converted chicken coop (make a mental note to buy a chicken coop). The gardens are beautiful!! full of flowers, fruit trees and veggies. For dinner we had homemade pizza...my favorite food!!! Then I set up my little room in the honey shed, my own little cottage. Today we woke up early and began weeding the garden for about 4 hours. My city girl hands have never been so dirty; and I loved it. My grandpa would be so proud. Just this one day has given me even more respect and appreciation for farmers and gardeners. Why aren't they celebrated more in the world. And composting...I love the composting thang, so much less waste with composting, now I know this is common knowledge but wow...hello!!! Anyway homemade bread is waiting for me...and honey, did I mention that he is a beekeeper! :)