The Life of a Dreamer: Did I stay or did I go?

That is the question. According to my mom, a few back home made bets as to what I would do. They thought I would go north. So were they right? Nope. I decided to stay in Queenstown. So here’s a bit of what has gone down since I last wrote.

I have actually been kind of lazy since arriving in Queenstown which is somewhat ironic considering that this is the adventure capital of New Zealand. Although I’m not particularly keen on touristy towns, it does make for great people watching. So that is what I did both Friday and Saturday afternoon. I sat down by the water and watched people for several hours. Some may find this boring but I find it quite enjoyable.

On Sunday, I eagerly awaited the evening to attend the church that Sam, the girl on the plane, had told me about. But I would have to wait. It was a beautiful morning so I walked around the Queenstown gardens and had some good quiet time. I then spent the afternoon watching people again. When 6:15 rolled around, I made my way to the primary school where Freedom Church holds its services. I was greeted by Alistair, the pastor. The girl who I am replacing at the Flaming Kiwi happened to be sitting next to me. I also met Hugh, Sam’s brother. From the beginning, I felt comfortable and welcomed by all those in the church. It is a younger church so many of those there were close to me in age. It was so good to be in an encouraging church family again. Following the service, I went out to eat with a few people. Before the night had ended, I was not only invited but also secured rides to both “youth” group on Monday and Bible study on Wednesday. It was great.

Work at the Flaming Kiwi was to begin at 8am Monday morning. Thankfully, one of the guys in the room had to catch a bus early in the morning so getting up in time wasn’t a problem. I arrived shortly before 8 and in no time I was set to work. Here’s the run down of the Flaming Kiwi. It lies about a minute walk out of the town center. There are 12 rooms, 7 bathrooms, and 3 kitchens (which is very rare for a hostel). I am sharing a room with Matilda (France) who is also a cleaner and Alessandra (

Brazil

) who was a cleaner but now works at a hotel in town. We have our own bathroom in our room. The first day, I was in charge of cleaning the downstairs kitchen and bathrooms. The work wasn’t too bad but being my first day, it took me longer than normal. Upon finishing, I walked to the nearest grocery store and stocked up. Sidestory: When I was at the grocery store, a little boy who was probably 4 years old went up to an employee and looked up with innocent eyes and asked, “where are the Oreo’s?” It put a smile on my face. Going to the grocery store knowing I am going to be somewhere for a while feels so good. When I am just passing through a place, I limit what I buy to things that are simple such as granola bars and apples. To the best of my memory, I will try to recall what I purchased; two bananas, an onion, celery, kidney beans, canned tomatoes, chili seasoning, flour, oil, milk, bread, and yogurt. Thrilled to have yogurt in my possession, I consumed a bit shortly after arriving back at the hostel. I then proceeded to make chili. It was delicious. I appreciate home cooked food. I took a short nap that afternoon before making my way into town where I met Raquel who took me to “youth” group. When I say youth group, I think a better way to describe it would be young adult group. Although there were a few that may have been in high school. I think many were close to my age. The night began with fellowship and food and was followed by a short discussion time. I was asked to share a bit so I talked a bit about my travels and God’s sovereignty for 5ish minutes. It was a great evening.

Tuesday. Again, I had a two hour shift so I was cleaning the downstairs kitchen and bathrooms. The time it took me to finish was reduced in comparison to my first day. After having lunch, I met up with Alena, a German girl that I had met the previous night at youth group. We spent the afternoon talking and playing Frisbee Golf. On my way back to the hostel, I made an excellent purchase. Ice Cream. Boysenberry ice cream. Of course I had to eat some when I got back. I hung out at the hostel the rest of the evening.

Wednesday was my first 5 hour shift. I began at 8am and ended a bit after 1pm. I was in charge of cleaning the two upstairs kitchens, the lounge, four bathrooms, vacuuming, and taking the trash out of the rooms. I must say, I think I have touched enough of other people’s hair to last a life time. I don’t mind the dry hair so much, it’s more so the wet hair that sticks and slides on the sink and shower floor and wall. Showering after cleaning that day felt so good. I ate lunch and sat in the lounge with the intentions of working on the blog. That’s not what happened. I now have another accent to add to the assortment; Israeli. Surprisingly, their accent isn’t as strong as I expected it to be. In fact, their accent may be easier to understand then some of the Europeans I have met. There seems to be quite a population of Israelis in Queenstown. I spent the afternoon talking to two. What began as a casual conversation amongst travelers, lasted close to two hours. They were great. Not that I have a list, but one of them in particular may rank amongst the top 5 funniest people I have met. We talked about the country and cities they came from, trying to convince me that I should come. The one is from Jerusalem and the other is from Yavne. The conversation then switched gears and we talked about Judaism. Although I knew some about it, I would much rather learn about it by talking to someone with first hand experience than reading about it in a book. It was very informative and great to hear their perspective. Before I knew it, time had slipped away. When I looked at my watch it was 5:05pm. I was suppose to meet my ride to Bible study at 5pm. Oops. Apologetically, I had to cut the conversation short. I quickly made my way to the meeting place with hopes that they would still be there. Before I had made it all the way, they picked me up. Before it began, Alena, Suzanna (both German), and I walked around Arrowtown and the old Chinese settlement. Bible study was good and I have plans to go with many of them to the Catlins this weekend. The youth leader, Ben, is from there and we will be having a BBQ and hanging out with people there.

Today, Thursday, I had a 4 hour shift. I had the same job as yesterday but it took me less time because I knew what I was doing. Or at least I thought I did. When I was finishing my work, the guy who manages the hostel came to me asking me to re-vacuum two rooms. It was quite frustrating having to redo something that I thought I had done well. With tongue in cheek, I graciously did as he asked. I made lunch and then enjoyed a warm sunny afternoon in town. When I got back to the hostel, I made bread and crepes. Both were delightful.