Pictures of the Destruction

This was the very first Church Alison and I visited. It obviously won't be usable anymore.

Cars were marked "CLEAR".

This is the cafe Alison and I would visit every Sunday. We would walk from here to go to Church.

The metal in the background is from the Twin Towers. This is the only place in the world that has remains of the Twin Towers. It is a memorial to firefighters.

A building to the left was completely destryed and taken down. I walked by here everyday to work when I lived in the flat.

A Different Sunday

Sunday 27 February 2011

We went to a different Salvation Army Church today. There were only about 10 people from the City Church. It was nice to see the ones who were there. We all sat together. We hugged and talked a bit. We sang songs and watched a very sobering clip. Everyone was struggling and it was a very emotional service. Near the end, we had a time of prayer. Then, we had an aftershock. I saw major fear in people. One lady gasped and was about to hold on to something when it calmed down. I felt so bad for her.

We ate lunch with a couple from Church. Afterwards, we were going to visit a few people, but traffic was so horrible, that we ended up giving up and going home.

Visiting and Stories

Saturday 26 February 2011

I don't remember if I mentioned this yet, but we have to brush our teeth with bottled water. The water is not safe to drink unless you boil it for at least 3 minutes. It isn't the easiest thing in the world, but I have done this last quake and while camping, so it isn't anything new to me. We headed out and went to visit people from our Church. We visited several people from Church, which was really nice.

We won't be able to go to our Church building for quite some time, so we have to meet elsewhere. We were not able to find a place to meet this Sunday. People will just go to the Church nearest their home. In knowing that, it was really good to see even a few people from our Church, as I won't get to see most of them tomorrow.

I talked to a couple people that I hadn't talked to before. They were nice visits. An older gentleman gave me a hug and kiss and said, "You are lovely!" He melted my heart. I was sad to leave.

We talked to a lady from Church who is a nurse. She actually teaches nurses, but after the quake, she was sent to the emergency room. She was telling us how horrible it was and even started crying. She is not used to that kind of work.

We heard that one of the guys from our Church organised doctors and other people to be sent into the city from the airport. He was really able to think quickly and get organised immediately.

Another guy from Church is in the search and rescue, and they are asking people to give detailed accounts of people who are missing including clothing, tattoos, anything to identify...bodies. People aren't coming out alive anymore. They are there to find anything that can show DNA of people. Bone...It is a horrible job that all of us are so grateful not to have. It's got to be traumatising work.

It was a good, but long day. I think we were all ready for some games, and sleep.

S.O.S.

Friday 25 February 2011

We were awoken by another aftershock. With all these aftershocks, who needs an alarm clock? Anne, Alister, and I left. Alison had a work meeting in the afternoon, so she left a while later. We went to a storage area where the S.O.S. (Street Outreach Service) van was. This van used to go out in the night on the particular streets prostitutes would hang out. People in the van would give tea or coffee to the prostitutes. It went out during the "most popular times" for these ladies so they can talk instead of...going out. It is a unique and good ministry.

Well, as the popular street for these activities is munted (a new word used for horribly affected places), the van is currently going out to serve rescue and other workers in the cordoned off areas. Alister asked if I would go, and I said yes, along with three other people from our Church. Anne and Alister where visiting other people.

It took a long time to get going as it was difficult to charge the van or figure out how to get water. We decided to go to another Salvation Army Church in another suburb to get supplies. So we headed off. There was a driver, navigator, and two servers. I was one of the servers along with another guy named Chris. It was funny, because neither one of us really drink coffee or tea. So the most inexperienced people were serving tea and coffee to these poor people. We never got any complaints...that I know of...

Anyway, we were stacking the van full of baking, spoons, and other things to hand out to people. The boxes were stacked up quite high. So when the van turned, went over a hole, swerved, or anything else, I would have to throw my body against some of these piles to prevent them from crashing on the floor. It was not an easy experienced (seeing as these roads are not in the best of shape), especially when the floor was covered with various items. At times, I would get my foot stuck under something and almost keel over. There was probably an easier way to pack things, but I didn't know exactly how to do that. It didn't help that cabinets and drawers were constantly opening and closing. All the cabinets are quite low, so I frequently crashed my head against them. It was an interesting experience, definitely.

In the first stop, we served a couple people. Chris and I kind of hunched over, as the seats were not set up yet. It was so uncomfortable serving these people while being hunched over, so we quickly figured out how to set up the chairs. We sat in the chairs for the rest of the time, but they rocked when the van moved, so it was a bit unnerving.

Since neither one of us felt comfortable putting the right amount of milk or sugar into people's drinks, we let the people do that themselves. It worked out fine at first. The window that opens and shuts is a little difficult to handle. You have to push really hard for it to open. To close it, you have to push against it so it will gently shut. If you don't push against it, it will slam hard. We learned this the hard way. As we were about to leave, we were fixing a coffee. After the person received the coffee, he shut the window. It would have been fine if the lidless sugar container was not on the edge of the window. The window hit the sugar which, in turn, sent the sugar flying across the counter. We had sugar all over the counter, 1/2 of the banana loaf, both of our pants, and the floor. We were a bit stunned and he said, "Well, we could have handled that better...." We cleaned up the counter, and he tried to put the sugar in the container. What he didn't count on was the banana loaf crumbs falling into the sugar. So then he started picking out the banana loaf chunks. It was decided later that the 1/2 that was sugarless would be the "diet" side.

We stopped at this one place and met a lady who was taking care of cats. People in this area were digging holes in their garden as they were not to use the toilets. The cat lady said she stopped eating a lot, because she hated using the garden. Another guy mentioned that he knew a guy who lost his wife and best mate from the earthquake. It was so hard hearing these stories from people. People are obviously really hurting, and are having a hard time managing it.

We saw a lot of destruction. Cars are buried under collapsed buildings. I saw the Cathedral with the top off. We went around Cathedral Square. The main streets are horrible. Cars were marked clear (I guess showing no one was in there). The place Alison and I went to last year for my birthday has collapsed. The cafe Alison and I went to every Sunday is a mess. These places I went by and to all the time...most of them are gone. It was quite disheartening, seeing the destruction in person. I saw a lot of things that most people haven't and probably won't get to see aside from the TV.

Alister and Anne picked me up and we then picked Alison up. As soon as she got in the car, we asked how it went. It was a meeting to see what was going to happen, as they are not able to go back to the building (at least yet) in the CBD.

"I think I am moving to Blenheim." She was really having a hard time keeping it together. They cannot work in the building in the CBD, so they are sending several people to Blenheim (4 hours North of Christchurch) to work at that branch. She heard she may have to be there for 3 weeks until they can get a building to operate out of. We were all quiet realising even more of the impact this quake has created, just in our little family circle.

We went to bed early and were just about to fall asleep when we had another decent sized aftershock, bringing us back to earth. What a crazy couple of days! What is next?

Preview to a Different Life

Wednesday 24 Feb. 2011


We headed out to the airport to drop Sarah off. Then we went to another Salvation Army Church. Anne and Alister had a meeting with other officers. So, Alison and I walked around the city to catch up on what has been happening. We were out for several hours, and we finally got a text saying to come back.

From there, we went home. It took a LONG time to get home. Traffic was absolutely horrible. Many roads were blocked, so it wasn't easy getting around. We were at a stand still. At on point, a guy got out of the car and took his dog out for a walk. There was no leash (lead) on the dog, so the dog just started running. He went across the road, so the people wen back in the car, went over the median and chased he dog who went in the bushes. After that, several cars went over the median to the other side of the road. Traffic was so bad, people were giving up. At the house, there were several big cracks. The cabinets shifted, the floor is uneven. No water, no power. It seems like we will be staying at Anne's sister's house for a while.

Anne and Alister's car are both under a parking structure, so they had no cars to drive. Sarah had a small car, so we were driving her car. It was a bit interesting driving her car when it is low to the ground, there are 4 of us in the car, and the roads are terrible.

We then went to a couple's home to have a Church staff meeting. Alison, I, and another girl not part of the staff swapped stories.

When we got to the house, I was able to take my very first shower since being back. It was quite nice, but it had to be quick. It was almost 11pm and Alison and I were ready to go to bed. We heard a knock on the door and Anne asked if we would be okay with going out again. Red Cliffs were being evacuated and were being sent to a welfare centre. 200 were expected. We were being summoned to the welfare centre to help serve food. We arrived and tidied up a bit. We waited and waited. We served one person while we waited. We were told the buses were arriving. Then...we were told 3 people were coming. We stayed a bit longer. The three people didn't want food, so we left around 1 am. It had been a very long day.

The Ultimate Deja Vu

From Last Post To Wednesday 23 Feb. 2011

It is sickening how much has happened since my last post. Well, I had a wonderful time being home as I have said in my last post. I tried hard to decide what I was going to do. Do I go back to Christchurch? Do I stay home?

I had a major conversation with my brother, who seemed to understand my feelings better than I did. As we drove around, he asked what I was planning on doing. I told him I didn't make any decision yet (a statement I repeated several times to family and friends). My heart was in Christchurch, but my logic was in California. What to do, what to do? Anyway, Kevin asked if I was leaning more towards going back than staying. This was the first time that I really admitted out loud that I was.

A few days later, I had a major conversation with my mom. I told her that I was really leaning toward going back. She was quiet for a while and asked about the earthquake we had in September. I told her that was part of the reason for me going back. Not that I would be much help, but I was able to participate in helping in small ways here and there. I talked on and on about the Church and how it was wonderful being involved (when I have been going to different churches trying to figure out where to go back at home). I loved the people. All of them are so special to me. During my conversation, I finally admitted that, although I am the logical person, my desire was too great to push down.

The next day, I applied for a visa. It took a little while to process. I had to go through an x-ray and a medical exam. Both were very frustrating, as neither of the places filled out the paperwork properly. I had to go back several times to tell them what they missed and what they messed up on. Even then, there were some things they refused to complete. I worried I wouldn't get the visa in time for my flight (I had to get a ticket to and from NZ in order to apply for the visa).

It all worked out well, and I got my visa late January. So, on the night of my flight (Monday, 21 Feb. 2011), I was with my Aunt, Uncle, and Mom playing games. Right as we were going to leave, we got a call. It was from Jim (a close friend) telling my mom that Christchurch had a big earthquake closer to the city and one person had died. He told her that I shouldn't go for at least a couple weeks. My mom hung up the phone and told me. I started feeling sick with worry. I knew Alison, Anne, Alister, and many people I knew worked in the CBD. There was no way to contact them.

My mom started moving as if to leave and asked, "So, what do you want to do?" I looked up at her guiltily realising the impact of my answer.

"I want to go back."

She smiled nervously and said, "I knew you were going to say that.

So we took off to the airport. The ride was very quiet. We ate in the airport, although I wasn't hungry whatsoever. I knew it wasn't going to be an easy flight, and I had no idea what I would come back to.

The pilot mentioned Christchurch quite a few times, but I had a noisy flight. I couldn't hear what he was saying.

As soon as I touched ground in Auckland, I went through immigration and security. As soon as I told immigration I was going to Christchurch, he raised his eyebrows and said, "You know they had an earthquake, right?" I said yes and asked if the airport was open. He said it was closed this morning, but he wasn't sure about now. I got my bags and went to airport information to ask them if the Christchurch airport was open. They had no idea, and couldn't contact the domestic airport for some reason. It was frustrating.

As soon as I was able to turn on my phone, I texted Alison to see if they were okay. She said, "Yes, but it's really bad." She had tried to call my US cell to tell me, but I was already gone.

I got a shuttle to go into Auckland city. I had to go to an orientation. The visa I got required me to attend a 3 hour orientation to tell me all about NZ. That was a joke. It was three hours of culture differences, phrases, how to set up a bank account and IRD #, and what places to visit. There was absolutely no reason for me to be there and the presenters would ask me questions of what I did. When they would mention Christchurch, they would say, "Well, you don't want to go there for several months..." "Oh, don't go to Christchurch yet..." I was the only idiot wanting to get into Christchurch. Everyone else was scared of it.

After the orientation, I tried to figure out if my flight into Christchurch was cancelled or delayed. I was able to get free Internet access. I found out my flight was on time, so I had several hours to search and walk until I could get to the airport. I saw then that the earthquake was a 6.3 with a depth of 5 km. 75 people had been killed and 300 people were missing. I saw a little bit of the destruction and felt sick again. I knew Anne, Alister, and Alison were alive, but there are so many people I care for that I knew nothing about. I called Mom to tell her what I knew and tell her I was fine and in Auckland.

I was on my way to the airport and received a call. Alison was trying to talk to me, but it was hard to hear her on the shuttle. She told me that Anne, Alister, and Lynly were at the Church when it happened and had a hard time breathing from all the dust. She said she had gotten a ride part way home, but there were so many holes and there was so much liquefaction and water that covered up the holes. Cars were falling in the holes and getting stuck. She had to walk in ankle deep water and Anne and Alister walked in knee deep water. Anne and Alister's cars were stuck in a car park and there was liquefaction running through the Church. The door wouldn't close. The house has lots of cracks. There is no electricity, water, or sewage.

I went to the airport and got through fine. The plane that arrived was from Christchurch to Auckland. I think I saw one of my former co-workers exit the plane. When I boarded, there was hardly anyone on it. It was a full flight, so obviously, people got too scared. It's understandable, I guess. When you don't have anyone to run to, there is no reason to go to go there when it is unstable and uncertain. I had a whole family I needed to see, so I needed to get there...tonight.

The flight attendants were very blase about the whole thing. They didn't even mention the quake. All the passengers were talking to each other. Strangers were asking each other if their family and friends were okay. It was a complete repeat of my Nelson trip. Everyone pulled together and comforted each other. Just like the Nelson trip, as we arrived, everyone craned their necks to look out the window. The silence was eerie and almost unbearable. The landing brought relief as well as weariness and uncertainty.

I got through customs quickly and rushed to the stairs. I saw Alison first and then Alister. I went as quickly as I could. Alison gave me a big hug. Then Alister gave me a big fatherly hug. Then, I met Sarah (another boarder). We got my luggage, and then I was sent to the bathroom to use it and wash my hands. This was the last time I was able to use the water.

Because we didn't have electricity, water, or sewage, we went to Anne's sister's house. She had all three, but water is very scarce. We are back to boiling water at least three minutes or drinking bottled water. Anne gave me a big smile and a big hug. Then I hugged her sister and husband and met another couple who are staying at the house. It is a big house and quite nice. Not a lot of damage happened.

Alison, Sarah, and I were all sharing a bed (2 twin beds pushed together). We had a couple aftershocks. Everyone was a bit jumpy. In brushing our teeth, we didn't use any water until the end. We had to use the bottled water to get the toothpaste out of our mouths. We had sanitiser, but none of us used the toilet that night.

We went to bed and talked for a while. Alison and I were really tired. Sarah said she was going home (she lives near Hamilton) tomorrow. So, she was a bit excited. Alison and I were dazing. We were all about to drift off when we had another good sized aftershock...proving that it isn't over yet.

Back Home

Present Day

I got home safely. My friend, Alicia, picked me up and we talked all the way home. It was so nice to catch up with her. It has been a long time. Then I talked a long time with my mom when I got home. The next day, we went to my Aunt's house. It was wonderful seeing them after such a long time. Christmas Day was fun. We opened a few presents, and then Kevin, Michelle, and Karsie came in. Of course Karsie would just wake up from a sleep and was crying when I tried to hold her. It didn't take her long to be okay with me, and I spent the next few days just catching up with people and playing with Karsie. She is so beautiful and so much fun to be with.
And thus ends my blog. I am not sure where I will go from here. I hope things will start happening soon so I can know, but I know I must be patient and trust in God. I seem to remember this happening before...Anyway, I don't know what more to write, and so...I will stop...

Picture Delay

We finally were able to have our family photo at Anne and Alister's Major Party. They were promoted from Captain to Major. Whoo hoo!

This was on the last Sunday. Alison and I had breakfast in our favourite cafe.

Receivers in the Northlands Mall.

Ron and Ruth were a couple we love! Ruth greeted us from our very first day in this Church.

The Christmas Parade in Christchurch.

Craft night with Anne. We were filling, counting, and wrapping gifts of lollies.

Mainly Music Sunday. This was a kids service. The Brass Band played, but a kid (the one in the red shirt) was conducting.

Coca Cola Christmas in the Park.

Making Pumpkin Pie. So Alister's face shows the NZ feeling of having pumpkin as a dessert. They find it appalling.

Our end result. It was okay, but it didn't look like normal pumpkin pie.

We made Anne and Alister try it. They were being cheeky in this photo, pretending it poisoned them. They ate it though.

Decorating.

Goodbye New Zealand

Okay, so it has been a long time since I have updated, but I don't know how much I am going to update anymore. I am home now (as of 23 December). So, now I will post from the last time I posted till the 23rd, but I will combine everything instead of doing day by day.

Work was getting harder and harder. The kids were getting really noisy and rowdy as it was getting to the end of the year. Most of the primary schools got out early, and I worked straight through the 23, so right before Christmas. I was desperately trying to get stuff taken care of for some of the kids (profile books), since I won't be there next year. We had a couple work meetings, that actually didn't apply to me, but I still went.

On the second to last day of work, there was a party for all the kids. Several kids were recognised since they won't be returning when the preschool opens. Then I was recognised. I received a gift from the staff, which was really special. On the last day, I got so many hugs from the kids. A mum told me that when her son woke up, he was sad and said that it was my last day. Kids are so stinkin cute! It was really hard saying goodbye to so many people.

My allergies were HORRIBLE! It would be bad for so many days, and then the rain would relieve it for a bit. Ah!

So, one of the issues I have not really discussed, but hinted to was the discussion I had with my boss a while back. So, (if you happen to remember) I mentioned in my blog that there were days I didn't want to talk about. So this is the reason: I wanted to come back to New Zealand to teach preschool. I decided to talk to my boss about staying an extra 6 months with them. She was really excited and was working on how to extend my visa. I won't go into detail about what happened, but basically (due to NZ laws), they are not allowed to hire me back, and they actually cannot get a visa for me. They were very willing, but the way the laws are, they would get in trouble. So then I was trying to figure out what to do. I started looking around at different preschools and applied to several. There were two that had me look at the preschool, but I didn't have an interview as they were not working on interviews at that time. Looking at the schools happened the very last week of being in NZ. In other words, I don't think my chances are very good at being hired, since I don't have a visa and I will be in the States when they are going to be doing the interviewing.

So then I had to make a decision. Should I stay in the States and look for a job like I originally planned, or should I apply for another visa and see if I could get work. I didn't end up making any decisions, but decided to wait it out until after the holidays to decide what to do.

As for Alison, she randomly got a good job offer and will be going home and returning to NZ in January. A guy from Church asked Anne if we would be interested in the job. I thought my job would work out at that time. Alison applied, got an interview, and received the job all in just over a week.

Another thing I want to talk about is Church. Things had been really crazy in these couple weeks. There were lots of different services and activities we were involved in. One thing we did was what they call 7-up. It is a Friday night program they do for kids. I guess we were more there for control and interaction. Alison and I participated in carolling. Some of the members of the band (about 4 or 5) would play in a mall and they needed "receivers" to collect money. I was a "receiver". We had a guy ask us if he could sing with us. He sounded good, but he was extremely LOUD! The songsters went to a retirement home to sing some songs. One of the biggest things I worked on was the Christmas Musical. It was so much fun! Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and everyone sounded great. We were all a little nervous when the practise was...less than wonderful.

Anyway, the hardest thing was leaving that Church. We had so many people go up to us. We received several cards and people came up to us to say how well we fit and have added to the Church. They were so supportive and so many people asked me questions about what was happening with me and telling me how much they hoped I would be able to come back. A couple people would say I should just come back in faith that I would get a job. Some people said confidently, "We WILL see you again." It was so difficult to say goodbye. I love them all and they have added so much joy to my life. It is hard to find that relationship with a Church...

Alison left a day before me. It was a quiet ride to the airport, and a quiet ride back. There were sighs from Anne saying we were missing a person after Alison left. The day before, we played games, ate our favourite meal Anne makes and one of our favourite desserts. There was lots of laughter. Chocolate was in the mix, and we even had a late night outing which involved looking at Christmas lights at registered homes.

On the day I left, it made me feel sick. I saw Anne's red eyes and Alister hugged me so tight. I wanted to cry, but I didn't. I sat for a long time and finally left. I went to Auckland first. I had less than 1 1/2 to get to the international airport in Auckland. There was a free shuttle, but it took 30 minutes (they claimed it would only take 10). I had to go through customs. It was frustrating to see a NZ girl go right through without any trouble. As soon as I got through customs, I ran through security. After security, I looked up what gate I was to go to. It said, Final Boarding Call. So I ran to the gate. I made it in time, but I was really nervous. Then I had an incredibly long flight home.

So ends my New Zealand journey of 2010. It has been rough, but it has been an incredible experience. I miss it already, and all the people I have come to know!

Christmas Decorating

Putting up the Christmas decorations. This is Lynly. The tree in the background? I did that. doesn't it look amazing?

Anne and Alison. They are by the tree that Alison did.

26 November to the Present. Finally!

Friday 26 November 2010


I had a nice walk to work today. I really enjoy walking.


Today, a big event was Alison and my attempt to make pumpkin pie. People here don't understand and are actually quite appalled by the idea of making pumpkin into a pie. We wanted to educate Anne and Alister. The problem was, they don't carry pumpkin in a can here, and we hear it just isn't the same with a fresh pumpkin. We obviously had to make it out of scratch. We didn't anticipate having to make the crust out of scratch. We made the crust first. Alison was able to find canned squash, and we put all the ingredients together. It turned out to be a brown colour instead of orange (which apparently, both colours are strange to the Kiwis). We were a bit nervous about it.


Anyway, we let them cool as we got ready to go to 7-up (a kids program for Church). They were going carolling. We got to talk to several people and I met many different kids I have never seen before. There was a little boy who always wanted to sit next to me. There was another cute boy who would ask me random questions like, "Do you like Hot Chocolate?" We went to two people's houses and sang to them. There were three groups of kids and the band split up into three groups. So we sang with one group. The songs were really high, so it was interesting trying to get all the notes properly. It was also interesting trying to get the kids in order. Then we went back to the Church and looked around the Hall. The kids were fascinated with all the decorations. It was really cute. Then we went home and kind of crashed.


Saturday 27 November 2010


We got up later and ate lunch. Then Alison and I went walking. We had plans to meet up with a couple from Church to go to Coca Cola Christmas in the Park. It is a yearly event where concerts are held. We went on a bus that was PACKED. The route was different, so we got off and walked. The couple ended up not showing up, so we stayed a while, and then left. There were two parts of the concert. The first was all about Christmas songs. The second part is entertaining the younger audience. There were HEAPS of people, so we left after the first half. We had to wait a LONG time for the bus to show up. When it showed up, it smelled badly of BO. We felt sick. It took longer than normal. People were very strange on the bus. One guy bought a whole thing of beer and was wobbling down the bus. We got off and heard what sounded like a rubbish bin hitting the walkway. We realised it was fireworks. We both LOVE fireworks and were really sad we didn't know they were going off. If we had, we would have stayed longer. At least we got to see them through the houses.


Sunday 28 November 2010


Today was Mainly Music Sunday. There were kids running up and down the platform at all times. It was cute when a kid got to conduct the band. We met an American couple from Michigan. They were really sweet. They said they have been looking for a Church. When they came in, they were looking for how people welcomed them and how they fellowship with each other. Well, they have come ever since and are now both in Songsters and Brass Band. We understand their enthusiasm for being involved.


Monday 29 November 2010


Today was a hard day. Sorry, but I am not ready to talk about it yet.


Tuesday 30 November 2010


Uneventful again.


Wednesday 1 December 2010


First day of Summer! It was a pretty good day today.


Thursday 2 December 2010


So, I haven't mentioned this in my blog, but there has been a major disaster here in New Zealand. A mine in Greymouth had an explosion. Well, it actually had four explosions. 29 men were down there. One had a fiance. Another was going to be a first time dad. Another was only 17 and wasn't even supposed to work then. Because of all these explosions, there is no way any of them could have survived. So today, there was a memorial service. The entire nation recognised two minutes of silence at 2:00 pm to remember these men who died in the mine. Restaurants were silent (Alison was working). Our preschool was not completely silent, but did pretty well considering. It was a touching time.


Alison has an interview tomorrow for a company. I really hope she does well.


Friday 3 December 2010


Today was fine at work, and then I had a meeting with my boss. I am still not ready to go into detail about why, but I guess it went okay. Alison is not sure how her interview went. We are both a little confused.


Saturday 4 December 2010


I had a lot of trouble sleeping. I guess I have a lot on my mind. Anne, Alister, Alison, and I went to the French Market and looked around. There were a LOT of people there. Then Alison and I went to town and got a few things. then we went to the Gardens and enjoyed the day.


Sunday 5 December 2010


We left early. Alison and I went to a cafe and I saw one of my co-workers there. So Alison finally got to meet someone from my work. Several people from Church told me they were thinking about me. It has been a big struggle. I just feel so confused.

Today was 7-up Sunday. A guy from Tall Blacks (a New Zealand basketball team) came. He is the son of a couple from our Church. I felt like I was meeting someone famous.


After Church, there was a luncheon. Alison and I helped clean up and talk to parents and kids. We were quite the busy little bees running to and fro. We were constantly moving. Today is the Santa Parade, and the Salvation Army Brass Band was on a float (as well as some of the kids). So everyone left the Church either to help drive people to the starting point, or to get a good spot to watch the parade. All except Alison and I. We were finishing up the dishes and made sure the Church was safe. Then Anne came, and we got chairs and picked out a spot to watch the parade. The parade was kind of like the Rose Parade with all the floats and advertisements. There were several bands and cultural floats. The Band was toward the end and went by way too quickly. It was fun to see everything and experience a New Zealand Christmas event. We went back to the Church after it was over and helped set up a Manger Scene. Then we went back home around 4:00 pm. It had been a long, but good day.

Monday 6 December 2010

It was supposed to be 17 degrees, but ended up being over 30. So it was ridiculously hot! We were having trouble being outside. Then, all of a sudden, it got really cold. It happened within an hour. It was crazy. We had a meeting after work, which ended up being longer than normal. So I was really tired.

I came home to an empty house. Anne and Alister were away, and Alison went on a trip to Nelson. She will be gone a couple days.

Tuesday 7 December 2010

It was raining, but I still walked to work. The problem was, my umbrella is completely warped. At one point, the wind blew really hard and turned it inside out. It went back to the right place, but the little metal parts completely came undone. I thought I could figure out a way to put it together, but it is toast. I had to take care of a really sick child. She was wailing and was holding her head and shaking. She eventually calmed down and went to sleep by the time her mother got there.

I got home to an empty house again. I am kind of feeling lonely! I got a lot done (particularly on my blogging).

Wednesday 8 December 2010

Hurray! I am finally caught up! Today was fine. I had to deal with a big injury today, and there was a lot of screaming from a particular child, but I dealt with it.

Now, I am sitting and catching up with my blog. Then I will go to Songsters and have the big practise. That is about it. I am so relieved!

10 November to 25 November

So, now I am finally done with the Australia, Samoa, Fiji trip. Now I have to update what I have been doing this past month. I will try to go quickly.


Wednesday 10 November 2010


I went to work. Yes, the day after our trip. It was not an easy day. I got lots of hugs from work and many kids were asking where I was and telling me I was gone a really long time. It made me feel special. Walking home, a guy on a bike was asking if I would be interested in going to Church. I said I go to Church. He asked if I was a Christian, and I said yes. He continued trying to talk to me, but I couldn't understand him well.


So both Anne and Alison are sick. They both were resting a lot. I went to Songsters and got to see a lot of people from Church. It was so nice to talk to them. The Songsters director asked if I would sing a solo for the Christmas Musical we are working on. I hadn't heard the song, but said I would listen to it and let her know. I am not used to singing solos. I usually just sing the harmony, so I hope it will be okay for me.


When Alister got home (after brass band), he said, "Ah, my three girls." It made Alison and I really happy. We are so happy to be home and back with our family.


Thursday 11 November 2010


I was dead tired. Work was slow. That's about it.


Friday 12 November 2010



Happy Canterbury Day! Each city has a day to celebrate. This is a nice holiday. A day to catch up on sleep. Anne and Alison were still really sick, so I walked into town and spent time in the Gardens and talked to Mom. The Gardens are in bloom. The roses are beautiful! I love this place! It has been too long!


Saturday 13 November 2010


I got up late again. Alison and I played constructionary. It was hilarious. We kind of made up our own rules. Later, I went to one of my co-worker's house for a party. A few girls showed up and we just ate and talked. One of the ladies brought...guacamole! It was wonderful!


Sunday 14 November 2010


It has been really hot, so I thought I could wear a skirt...NOPE! Cold day today. Figures. We got to talk to so many people. It was really nice. We really missed going to Church..Our Church. Anne and Alister said that people have been asking when we are going to come back. Some people thought we just went back to America. For Songsters, everyone moved into two rows instead of three. The thing was, I was left out. No one was moving for me to fit in, so I thought I was just going to have to be in my own row when the director finally motioned for them to move over. How nice. Anyway, as soon as the service ended, the guy behind us tapped Alison and started talking to her. Then he started talking to me, telling me I am a thinker and I need to wait on the Lord or listen on the Lord. He kept going on and on and asking me questions like randomly opening the Bible and words jumping out at me. He said he was Pentecostal. Oh, I know. I have had a lot of experiences with this. I talked to him a while and told him what I believe, and he eventually left.


After talking to several more people, Alison and I left to get something to eat. Alister had to stay for a concert. Anne was at home, sick. She was feeling better later that night. Their youngest son came, so we got to meet him. He is going to a wedding, and dropped by here for a couple days.

Monday 15 November 2010

Work was good. I got to see a few more children I haven't seen yet since the trip. I love these kids!

Tuesday 16 November 2010

It was REALLY hard to get up today. One kid really spazzed out and was trying to beat me up. I had to hold this kid down to keep from hurting me or himself. It was not easy.

Alison helped Anne decorate the Church. The Hall has been decorated for Christmastime. Alison is completely unmotivated to work, but has said that she will work a couple days a week for them.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

I woke up and felt miserable. I steadily declined throughout the day. I stayed at work, and even got a major compliment from my boss who saw me working with a couple girls.

I went to songsters and sang, but continued to feel sick. I even stayed late to help decorate the Hall. It looks really good. I decorated two trees. I went to bed feeling achy.

Thursday 18 November 2010

I felt better, but not the best. Sorry, not much to say.

Friday 19 November 2010

Yesterday, one of my bosses made bread with the kids. Today, one of my co-workers was serving it to them and told me to try it. I got really nervous and licked it. It was SUPER salty. Yup. She mixed up the sugar with the salt. So it isn't just just me! I had to laugh. Several of my co-workers tried it. One did it unsuspectingly, and she ran to get a drink of water. It was so funny! I was so glad it was Friday. I went to bed really early.

Saturday 20 November 2010

It has now been 10 months that I have been in New Zealand! Today wasn't a good day. Well, it wasn't terrible, but I started feeling sick again. I slept a lot and lazed around.

Sunday 21 November 2010

It was another cold Sunday. I was feeling much better. Not 100%, but not too bad. One of the ladies at the Church called us her granddaughters. We talked to several people. Many people started asking us about leaving. Each time we talked to someone, we started feeling sadder and sadder. We realise how short of a time we have left.

Monday 22 November 2010

Today was a pretty typical work day. Once, I pretended to have a car drive on a kid's shoulders or something. He was smiling, then said, "No Mandy. I don't like it. Look at my face. I am not happy." I almost burst into laughter. Wow, this kid must really listen to me. He did all the steps that I do when someone hurts another child. Tell the kid what is wrong. Look at the face...It was a great moment.

After work, we had a meeting. After the meeting, I went to Church. There was a ladies night, so Alison and I helped Anne do what we could to set up. Then we had a devotion and I made a card and ornaments. Then I looked at the Christmas room and talked to several people. It was a nice night.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Not much excitement here.

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Work was fine. In Songsters, I decided to sing the solo. It was funny, because as I was singing it, the Songster's director said, "Wow, you can hear the Canadian accent can't you?" I told Alister and he said maybe the mixing of the American and the New Zealand accent comes out Canadian.

Thursday 25 November 2010

Happy Thanksgiving! "Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate food by eating as much of it as possible." I love Garfield. My boss threw her arms around me asking if you give hugs for
Thanksgiving. I got several "Happy Thanksgivings." It was sweet. After work, we had a Christmas party, but it was also a party to honour me for Thanksgiving. It was a nice day to hang out with the people I work with and their spouses.

Going Home

Monday 8 November 2010

The air conditioning is so cold! For two nights we haven't slept well because of it. We turned the temperature up, but it still continued to blast. You would think from 16 degrees to 25 degrees would make a difference! I am talking Celsius by the way.

Also, there was a major fight going on in the night. A lady was screaming "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME!" over and over. A guy said, "Hey, we are trying to sleep here!" Someone later said, "You have to leave." We don't know what came of it. It went on for a really long time.

We got ready and packed. We went to breakfast, and I had my fourth cup of tea in a row...and my last...hopefully. I finished my juice and poured water in my drink bottle. We weren't sure about the water here, so we bought a lot of water. The problem was, we bought too much. It wouldn't have been a problem if we could board the plane with it. Because it was expensive, we didn't want to waste it. So, we would have to drink it before we went through security. We went in the taxi cab and went to the airport. The taxi driver tried to make us pay more, but we said we were told it only cost $10. He was highly upset, but said he had to accept it. He better. We were told it would only cost $10 and he was making us pay $12. I know it is only $2, but it makes me mad.

We had to wait to check in. While we waited, the Fijian Police Academy came in and played. It was cool to see the Police Academy in two different countries. We finally were able to check in. I had to down 500 mL of water before security. They saw me and laughed. I have had so much liquid today. Probably 1.5 Litres in an hour or two. It actually made me feel sick. We went through and I immediately proceeded to the bathroom. I had to go at least 9 times before boarding the plane. The weather was bad. It was raining a lot, and they kept delaying the flight, because they couldn't refuel. It was really irritating. Our flight was delayed over an hour.

Our flight was very full. Most of the passengers were children. So it was very noisy. My chair was in constant motion as it was being kicked (kind of like many other flights I have endured thus far in the trip). Babies were constantly crying or hacking up a lung or two. It was gross. So...we got a hack, three kicks, crying, two people hacking, chatter, chatter, chatter, hock, kick kick, chatter, chatter, hock, hock, sneeze, chatter, crying, wailing...All 4.5 hours. But wait! We couldn't land!

The weather was so bad in Sydney that we couldn't land right away. So we did circles around the ocean for over an hour. With all the noise, lack of food or water, and the constant circling, we both starting feeling ill. I felt motion sickness and light headed. As soon as we landed, Alison and I bolted out of the plane. We got through customs first, and it was so easy and fast. Then we went to the desk for the shuttle. The girl was talking to someone else and took her time (she was talking to a staff member). When we told her we wanted the shuttle, she kind of brushed us aside and said, "Sit there. It will be a while." The guy said the flights were delayed, so the shuttle would be a while coming. We were getting nervous the hostel would close. We talked to the man, and he said "Let's hope I can call the shuttle in 20 minutes." He wouldn't call the shuttle until there was "enough" people. Planes were being diverted somewhere else, so there were no people coming. We were literally the only plane to land. Most other flights had to land in another city. We waited for a really long time, but two guys had been waiting there over an hour. They eventually left, because it was too long.

Everyone was frustrated. Alison called the hostel to tell them what was going on. We waited about 45 minutes when the guy finally called for the shuttle. He told us where to go. We left and it started pouring. Thunder, lightening...the whole works. The lightning was so frequent, it was more like a strobe light. It was very strange.

We thought we had to cross the street. Just as we did, we realised we needed to go back. Someone was trying to talk to us, asking what we needed. We said we needed to cross the street to gate 32. He kept saying something, but he was wasting our time and getting us wet. We got the shuttle, but we had to switch shuttles in the Domestic Airport. We waited a really long time before the driver left. As we approached our hostel, there were two guys standing in front, in their underwear. The literally lied down in the street on their stomach, and splashed around in the water with their hands as if they were swimming. LOVELY!

We quickly went passed and rang the bell for the reception. The girl couldn't find us on her list. Figures. They were doing construction on the building, so they only had 2 bathrooms in the entire building. How efficient. We said we were supposed to get towels and a free Internet code. She seemed surprised we would want them. We just went straight to bed. We were ready for this day to be over.

Tuesday 9 November 2010

It wasn't raining, amazingly enough, so we got out and went into the city. We went straight to the Opera House. We ate lunch, looked around, and went to the airport. The flight was delayed an hour due to all the problems yesterday's weather caused. We emailed Anne and Alister not to wait up for us. They were planning on picking us up at the airport when we arrived. We were going to come in late, but the delay would make us later.

We started checking in. The gate must have just opened. We were the only ones in line. The guy was in training, I think. He had a lady come over to help him. The lady told us we needed proof of a ticket to leave New Zealand. Neither one of us had our ticket to leave New Zealand. They said we could get it printed off at the Air New Zealand counter. So we went over there, and the lady said it would cost $5 each. She could tell we were upset and said it was because everyone did it. The most we have ever paid to get a printout was 50 cents, and that was outrageous. I'm sure $5 will help the multiple printouts for people to cover the cost.

I was saying something about showing our email, and she said we had to have a hard copy. We got it and went all the way back to the other line, and there was a HUGE line. We were VERY upset by this point. After waiting a while, the lady came over and said we didn't have to wait in line. She said he would finish with the guy and work with us. The guy took FOREVER!!! It actually wouldn't have mattered if we went through the line or not, because the ladies in front of us were at the front by the time he finally got to us. We might as well have waited in line. They did apologise a lot. When we finished, he said, "Do you have different visas? Because you (pointing to Alison) needed to have a ticket home, but you (pointing to me) didn't."

Shocked and appalled silence...

I said, "You mean I didn't need to have proof of a ticket?" He realised his mistake then, because he tried to cover by saying, "You MIGHT need it in New Zealand, so to be safe..." He could sense danger as we said it cost $5 and we didn't even need it. We did not have money to spend, and we would be in the airport a while. I already exchanged all the foreign currency money I had to cover this cost. I had NOTHING. So I spent $5 I didn't need to spend. I was so mad, I could barely see. We walked to cool off. We went through security, and Alison got the explosive test and pat down. We went through and slumped in a couple of seats. We just wanted to go home.

Alison and I were separated by an aisle, so we couldn't really talk. We sat up at the first hint of a decline and waited, hoping it was the descent. Several minutes later, they announced our descent into Christchurch. I cannot even tell you our excitement. We landed and ran to go through customs, which took forever! Alister texted us and told us they would pick us up anyway, so to text him when we landed. Neither one of us had to show our $5 printout. We were a little bitter.

We finally were able to get through customs and walked quite quickly. I saw Alister first, and we started running toward him. As soon as he saw us, he rushed over and gave us big hugs. He said, "Of course we were going to pick you up." Anne was not feeling well and was in the car waiting for us. We gave her a hug and drove home. We gave them snippets of our trip, got home, unpacked, put our clothes in piles, took showers, and went to bed after 1:30 am.
This was in a Sydney bathroom. I got a cup and was trying to clean it out in the sink.

Then I attempted to dry it in the dryer. It wasn't easy.

Our last view and picture of the Harbour Bridge.

Last view and picture of the Operah House.

Fiji

Friday 5 November 2010

We got our breakfast. It was poi, but that is what they called a piece of toast. Sneaky sneaky. We also had tea, guava, and a banana. Then we went back to the room to pack up. Our stuff just seems to grow! We checked out and sat. My legs are still splotchy, so I didn't move until the taxi arrived. He was an hour early. We told him we only had $50 tala. He said that was fine. He was friendly and talkative, but there is only so much you can say on an hour drive. I saw several people carrying baskets on their hip, or a basket on either side of a stick and carried by the shoulders. We got to the airport, and the taxi driver demanded $55. We finally just gave it to him. We also found out that we had a $40 Tala exit fee we didn't know about. We paid AUD instead. In security, both my bags had to be searched.

In the air conditioned and dry airport, my legs went back to normal. Hallelujah! Our flight was delayed quite a bit. We went on the plane and immediately went to the next day. Fiji, here we come!

Saturday 6 November 2010

We got to eat food on this plane! It was the only flight that had free food on. We actually got lunch! None of the other flights provided so much as a snack. We went through customs and asked about our hostel (it had free pick-up). We asked around and they told us to wait for them. They didn't show up, so I tried calling. Nothing worked, so I asked again, and they told us to take a taxi. We did, but fortunately, the hostel reimbursed us. There was another lady in our taxi who told the driver to find a hostel that was cheap and by the bus stop. She had no idea what the name of the hostel was or exactly where it was. I thought that was interesting. The driver did think of a place, and it happened to be the hostel she was thinking of.

Our hostel was the nicest room of our entire trip! It was amazing and had air conditioning! We were so happy. We decided to walk into town. We walked for a really long time, and couldn't find town. It was starting to get dark, and I was getting attacked by mosquitoes, so we just went back to the hostel. Even though we were disappointed, the walk was really nice. Although, the clouds were looking ominous. We got to see an amazing sunset, though. There were so many dogs at the resort. Samoan dogs would leave you alone. These dogs came up to you. I did not care for it.

Sunday 7 November 2010

The alarm went off WAY too early. The town closes at 12:00 on Sundays, so we needed to go into town early. We got a continental breakfast (toast and tea) and took a taxi into town. We looked around Nadi. The biggest tourist attraction is the Buddhist Temple and shopping. It didn't take long to complete the town. We went to a market area, but the guys were jerks.

We went back to the hostel and went on the hammock and relaxed for a while. It took me a good 5 minutes to get on the stupid thing. It was high, and I was falling over a lot. It was quite windy. The ocean was beautiful and peaceful. I stayed there a while, but started getting really hot. So I went under the hut. A couple guys arrived and were setting up for a concert. I did not care for the band. I thought the music was annoying, and the singer was...less than perfect. It wasn't like it was local music either, so it wasn't a cultural experience.

While we were reading, a guy was calling out to us. We just ignored him, but he came up to us anyway. He was kind of disturbing us, and we really didn't want him there. He went to his buddies and said, "Don't worry, I will come back to talk to you girls." He left, and we had no intention of talking to him again. We went to another location, and he came back over to us again! He made us really uncomfortable, but he didn't stay long. He, again, said he would come back. So, this time, we got up and left. He creeped us out.

We took pictures of the sunset. It was amazing! I know these pictures I took will make you think Fiji is so much prettier than Samoa, but it wasn't. Samoa was my favourite of the two. The water was a lot prettier. Fiji definitely had an amazing sunset, but we couldn't see the sunset in Fiji. We were not facing West. Fiji is beautiful, but Samoa is way prettier.

These are all pictures of our first sunset.

Attempting to go into Nadi. On the left are the ominous clouds. Toward the right (even more than the pictures shows), was a cloudless blue sky.

There were chickens and dogs everywhere, and people had their washing out.

The Buddhist Temple,

Those dogs! The one closest here had scary eyes and would always come over to us. I tripped over him several times.

Also at our hostel.

On leaving, we saw the Fijian Police Academy play.

Another sunset in Fiji.

Proof of some of the tea I got. If you put enough sugar in it, it doesn't taste as revolting. I used every bit of my jam and butter. I was so hungry. In case any of you are worried about my Fiji bottle, we bought juice. I put some in there.

Last day in Fiji.

Crossing the International Dateline...

Wednesday 3 November 2010

It was horrible trying to get up again! We were told to be outside by 6:45, so we were out by 6:25. We didn't have a reservation, so we wanted to be positive we would not be left behind. We were freezing our fannies! We just watched five cars pull up and collect dozens of people from the hostel. How do these people know people here? Three other girls came to wait with us.

We didn't have a long flight, but long enough. We got to Sydney Domestic airport and took a $5 train ride to International. Then we got to find out our flights changed 5 minutes later. We had to wait in the Sydney airport for hours. I think we had to wait about 8 hours in the airport. Sounds like fun, huh? We had to get to the Sydney airport in order to get a flight out of the country to Apia, Samoa. We were able to check in 2 hours before leaving. A man asked if we could check his baggage in since we did not have any. First time that has ever happened. The check in lady told him that was illegal. It was really sad actually. I think most of the people on our flight were going to a funeral of a young boy.

For the security check, the people in front of us were having a really hard time separating the liquids. We got through, but Alison's bag was put aside to check. My bag was put on top to be sent through again. The lady was in a bad mood and would shout, "BAG CHECK!" and "SEND IT THROUGH AGAIN" and expect people to hear and do it immediately. Alison and I were just standing there waiting fro someone to check our bags. After a while, a lady asked what to do with my bag. It was sent through, and I was done. When Alison's bag went through again, they checked it. Her padlock was a problem apparently. Finally, Alison got through. We were heading out when the explosive test guy was saying something. As he headed over, I automatically started putting my bag down to prepare, when I realised he wasn't looking at me at all. He was talking to Alison. He put the thing in her bag and around her shoes. Another lady patted her down making sure she wasn't hiding nay liquids. So, she got the whole deal.

We eventually got to leave. We went to the gate and stayed until we were able to board the plane. The flight wasn't full. We tried to sleep, but couldn't at all. It was very uncomfortable seats and the flight attendants constantly asked if we wanted anything. They didn't do that to anyone else, but us. It was as if they were concerned with why we weren't purchasing any of their food. We got in early. Actually, we arrived before we even got up. The whole International Dateline thing is so weird. So we started the day all over again.

We asked the front desk about our shuttle. He said the hostel said we needed the shuttle last week, but it was okay. We went outside and had to sit in a shuttle while we waited for our shuttle. The air was on, and we were freezing. We headed to our hostel and saw the sun rise.

We checked in and looked at our room. We had an amazing view of the water right outside our window. Here was the downside, we purchased an air conditioned room. We had one, but it cost $30 Tala a night to use it, which we didn't. Their electricity is 6X that of LA. Still, we were really sad about that. As we were leaving, we found out we could have free breakfast. The lady asked if we wanted tea or coffee. I accepted tea reluctantly. I drank it as fast as I could. Vile stuff.

We had a fruit mix in a coconut cream with vanilla. It was so good. We also had toast with star fruit. It was a perfect breakfast. We walked to the city centre (Apia). We walked along the water. It is so beautiful with palm trees, bushes flowers, ocean...Along the walls, people would just sit. They stare and say hello. Everyone is very friendly here and always say hello. There are more taxis on the road than regular cars. It is very normal to see a row of 6 or more taxis drive by, and each one would yell out of the window, "Taxi?" We have gotten a lot of yells out the window. We just ignored them. We first walked to the very centre. When we got there, the police academy marched down the street playing instruments. It was pretty neat. Then we went to the fish market. It was dark there, but I could see them fanning the fish with leaves. It was interesting. Then we went to the market. Everyone pretty much sells the exact same thing for the exact same price. So no competition and no haggling. We met a couple girls there. We talked to them a bit and said we would come back tomorrow.

We returned to the hostel and talked to the lady to figure out what to do with the rest of our time here, since it is so short. She was really disappointed we only have a couple days here. She told us a few things and talked about tours or buses we could take. It wouldn't have been bad to take a bus, but we decided not to. We asked about the Robert Lewis Stevenson Museum. We then headed out to walk to the grave sight. We climbed a really high hill. It was HOT HOT HOT! So incredibly humid! It took a really long time and my legs started feeling weird, so I drank water. We made it to the place of the grave sight. At this point, I felt like I could barely walk. We sat in the shade on a bench for a long time. I had red splotches all over my legs. I wondered what was happening. It hurt like crazy. After a long time, I started feeling better, so we headed to the grave sight. We thought it would be a short walk. It was vertical climbing over branches, roots, dirt lumps, a mouse...It was really difficult. It took a really long time and we were so tired when we made it. We sat for a long time taking pictures of the tomb, the view, and a family that was sitting down. A couple of the kids kept saying hello to us. We left and headed down the hill. A couple girls caught up to us and were talking to us. They asked a lot of questions. Then they wanted to take pictures. We took some with them. They were sweet. Then we sat for a while after descending the mountain. We talked to a couple people there, then headed down the forbidden hill. We noticed that everyone hangs their washing outside. I don't know how anything can get dry in this humidity! There are dogs EVERYWHERE. Kind of reminded me of Bulgaria, particularly Kubrat.

We finally made it to the hostel. It actually took us longer to get back, because we were in so much pain. My legs felt like fire, and Alison's feet hurt. We made dinner, then got ready for bed. We went to bed at 6:00 pm, but remember that we have been up for 36+ hours! I woke up around 7:30 to close the windows and discourage mosquitoes.

Thursday 4 November 2010

We had about 14 hours of sleep. CRAZY! It felt so good. We got ready and went to breakfast. We had papaya and Apiu (a type of Samoan fruit). Then we had french toast and molasses. It was good. Then we headed into town. We looked around at the markets again and talked to the girls we talked to yesterday. As I was talking to one of the girls, I started feeling like I was going to pass out. She asked if I was okay, and I told her I needed to sit down. She brought me over to a chair and I drank a lot of water. After sitting down for a long time, I felt a little better. It was really strange. I don't think I ever felt that before.

So it started raining with thunder and lightening. I don't know what the deal is, but in every city we have been in, it has rained...a lot. It was sunny one minute and thunderstorms the next. Still hot no matter what. We went back to the hostel and sat down. My legs still really hurt and are really red, but are doing a little better. I think I need to rest them more, and get out of this humidity!

So, the bathrooms in the hostel are a little intimidating. There are no curtains anywhere...in the shower...in the toilet...No privacy. You would just have to go, and pray no one would pass by. We went to bed early again and heard an annoying buzzing sound. I assumed it was a mosquito and it really made me nervous when I felt it landing on me. We turned on the light and looked around. Alison saw it, and we were frantically trying to kill it. Arms were flying everywhere. All of a sudden, we couldn't see or hear it anymore, which made us more nervous. We started searching our bodies, afraid he found a buffet table. We couldn't see anything. Then I discovered the window wasn't completely closed and insects could easily fly in. GREAT! It was like we were giving them an invitation! We quickly closed it as best we could, turned off the light, and completely covered ourselves with the sheet. The dorms had mosquito nets, why didn't we? We got too hot, so we emerged. We just prayed nothing would happen, but twitched for every twinge or itch. It was not an easy night to sleep to. Plus, a couple came in and tuned the outside light on which blinded us and left. We got fed up after a while and turned it off.
These kids were part of the family we met at the tomb sight.

This is one of the girls we met at the markets.

Another lady we met.

Samoa scenery.

More pretty sights, closer to town.

Apia city centre.

The major hill we had to walk up. We were exhausted.

Here is the complete family at the tomb sight.

Beautiful isn't it?

Our hostel, Princess Tui.

This is our view from our room, out the window.