I have some catching up to do

After having hives on Friday and Saturday, I have been hive free for the past few days! Praise the Lord! The most frustrating thing is not knowing what cause them but thankfully they are gone.

Let’s back track a bit. I will only give you a brief summary or it would take a significant amount of time to retell. I will warn you now though, because so much time has passed, this will probably be a long post so sit down and buckle your seat belt.

My current place of residence: The Flaming Kiwi

Friday: I worked for a few hours on Friday morning before going on a hike for 5.5 hours in the afternoon. The weather was great and the scenery was beautiful. Surprisingly, there weren’t many people on the trails which made for a quite afternoon. Along the way, I stopped at a waterfall and sat for quite some time to enjoy the sun and think. The journey also included the sighting of a dead and alive goat. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing at the hostel.

A great place for thinking

nature at its finest

DEAD GOAT!

At the top

check out that view!

LIVE GOAT!

Saturday: My morning began early as I ate breakfast and packed some stuff before Raquel picked me up at 8:30am. The church that I have been attending here was going to the Catlins for the weekend and I had been invited along. After less than a week in town, I was already being treated as family. There were probably 25-30 of us going from Queenstown. The purpose of the trip was to encourage the town of Owaka.  We met some others and carpooled to the Catlins. I enjoyed a 4ish hour car ride with Felix (England), Alena (Germany), and Suzanna (Germany). The international car as I like to call it. We arrived in Owaka where we met up with others that were already there and then carried on to a confidence course. The confidence course consisted of various stages involving rope, wood, and balance. From there we drove a minute to a beach where we hung out for a bit and some people played rugby. Throughout the course of the day no one really knew what would be happening next. The soggy weather put a dampener on having a BBQ outside so we went to a nearby Christian Convention center where the BBQ would be held and we would be spending the night. Before things got started, Suzanna and I went on a walk next to the water and through the bush. The rest of the evening consisted of fellowship and food. It was great. As night came, people started tapering off to bed but those of us that remained enjoyed hearing some testimonies. When everyone else had gone to bed, Jess and I remained awake talking until 1 am.

The beach

Jenna and I

Stunning view

Suzanna and I

Hmmm

Who wouldn't want to do a handstand in the
middle of a barren highway in NZ?

Sunday: We were all woken up to the sound of one of the guys playing guitar and singing at 8 in the morning. Although Jess and I would have liked to get up in peace, that was not the case. We were constantly interrupted by a few guys determined to annoy us and get us up by jumping on the bed and other such notions. After a quick breakfast, we cleaned up the center and then went to the church we were there to encourage. After the service, we made our way to the youth leader from Queenstown’s house for lunch and then made our way back to Queenstown. We went to church and then I called it a night by going back to the hostel.

Monday: Monday could be summed up in one word; cleaning. I had a 5 hour shift at the hostel and then had a quick lunch before Jess picked me up and we went to some of the guys from church’s flat. They were moving out and it needed to be cleaned. I spent the afternoon taking down curtains, doing laundry, and washing walls. Jess was there for a bit before she needed to go. She was kind enough to do my laundry at her house. From there I went to Arrowtown for youth group.

Tuesday: I didn’t work at the hostel on Tuesday which meant I was able to have a lazy morning. In the afternoon, I went to the nearby rugby field to enjoy the beautiful weather. I had passed Suzanna on the way and she and Alena later joined me on the field. It was great; very relaxing. They invited me to join them for dinner at their hostel so I went back to my hostel, made some bread, and then walked up the street to their hostel for dinner. When I arrived, they told me about a women’s Bible study that was happening that night. We ate quickly before Jenna picked us up. It was a great evening.

Wednesday: I cleaned at the hostel in the morning and then if I remember correctly, spent the rest of the afternoon at the hostel. I also took a scissors to my hair. Don’t worry, I didn’t cut off that much; just a trim. I must say, I have grown quite fond of cutting my own hair. It saves time, money, and adds a little adventure to life. It turned out well if I do say so myself. Around 4:15 I made my way in to town, sat by the lake for a bit, and then walked to meet Jenna who was taking me to Bible study. I am very grateful for those at the church who do a good job of making sure I get from place to place. Truly amazing. We drove to Arrowtown where Jenna had band practice so I went on an hour or so long hike. It was beautiful. The colors of the leaves on the trees are starting to change as fall is coming. I then walked to Allistair and Adrianne’s, the pastor and his wife, where Bible study was held.

the hairs that are no longer on my head

hiking in Arrowtown

Thursday: I worked for a few hours Thursday morning. If I remember correctly, I then went to the grocery store to restock my food supply and then made a double batch of chili in order to freeze some. I then enjoyed the beautiful afternoon by going to the rugby field again. Although unplanned, Suzanna joined me. Things like that happen when you are in a small town. As we were sitting there, some club rugby teams were practicing. Felix, from church happened to be playing as well. He has a puppy so Suzanna and I played with her while Felix practiced. I than went back to the hostel. It was that night that I woke up several times itching all over.

Friday: I woke up to find hives all over my body. This caused some concern. After contemplating what to do, I went and saw my friend at the pharmacy who gave me something to take. I spent the rest of the day in town, getting bread at the European bakery and sitting by the lake to enjoy the sun and watch people, before heading back to the hostel for a relaxing evening.

Saturday: At 3am I woke up with severe itching to my neck, the palms of my hands, and soles of my feet. Although annoying, I was able to fall back asleep. In the morning they were still there but had vanished by the afternoon. After lunch I walked towards town, stopping to watch a rugby game for a while. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out and it was warm. When I arrived in town, I sat in the park for a short time before deciding to move on. It was St. Patrick’s Day and there was already an abundant amount of people in town, many of which had started drinking in the early afternoon. I moved to the gardens which was much more peaceful. I laid on a bench for a little bit before Korey, a guy from New York who was staying in the hostel, came along. We ended up talking for a while about traveling, culture, education, etc. It was a great conversation. He went back to the hostel and after the sun had gone down, I went that way as well.

Sunday: After Saturday’s festivities, many people slept in which meant it was a quite morning of cleaning at the hostel. I don’t really recall what I did in the afternoon so it must not have been much. At 6:30pm I walked the two minutes to the school where church is held. Church was good and afterwards, there was fellowship over food.

Monday: I worked again Monday morning and after talking to my parents for a bit about possibilities for the future, I enjoyed a sunny yet brisk afternoon on the rugby field dreaming of all the things I could do. Around 5:30, my ride for youth group arrived. We drove about an hour before we ended in Cromwell. We had gotten there a bit later than the others so after a quick bite to eat and one jump on a giant bouncy thing, the 4 cars caravanned up a mountain. The car I was in was unable to make it all the way up, which tells you a little about the grade of the hill/condition of the road/lack of 4 wheel drive in the car. By hopping in another car and walking, we all made it to the top in one piece. The sun was going down and the view was amazing. We sat enjoying the view and listening to Suzanna share before heading back down the mountain. Back to Queenstown we went.