Leaving New York

Well as always the time has come to say goodbye to a place that I've come to know and love. I'm always excited to get moving and to discover new places but as usual I feel a tiny tug in my heart when I think of leaving Manhattan.

This place has so much to offer and I've been very happy here. I've worked hard and tirelessly for the Caring Community, doing social work and non social work type jobs. I've served meals and washed dishes in the kitchen, I've assisted people with their Medicare- not the easiest job in the world it has to be said!- I've answered the phone, I've filed at least a million ceased files- you name it, I've done it. And I've sincerely enjoyed every minute. I feel that I've been appreciated and I've met wonderful people. The lovely Deyna, Christine and Loretta that I work with in the kitchen and so many members who I will miss.

I also feel so fondly about Manhattan because I started so well with meeting dear friends here- Chelsey, Steph and Ivan are a big part of my memories here. I met Cass here who was such a support to me when I felt down, I met Elouise who was one of the few people that I've met in my life who came even close to understanding the web that is my mind! All good and lovingly remembered.

One of the few criticisms that I must make about Manhattan is the way that people are treated here. Maybe its because I came from places like Australia where in general people are considerate to one another. So it was kind of a culture shock to live here and see the little regard that folks have for one another. One of the main fall guys are elderly people. I remember seeing an elderly woman struggling up the stairs of the subway and being nearly knocked over by impatient people who pushed past her in their hurry to be up there and be important. Not one person stopped to assist her or to make sure that she was ok. The same goes on the subway where older and pregnant people are left to stand for long journeys, while young fit people take up many seats, looking disinterested and uncaring. The attitude of the general public towards marginalised groups such as the homeless is appalling. The stream of thought is that someone must have brought such misfortune on themselves. There is no recognition that this could be any one of us- there but for the Grace of God go I simply does not come into it.

To be fair I must say that I have experienced New Yorkers in many guises and they have ususally come up trumps. They have a reputation for being heard hearted and arrogant and in some cases they are. But they can also be kind, amusing, warm hearted and willing to help. It just depends on how you catch them! I've met the gorgeous Ras and the warm, kind and generous Greg who deserve a mention simply because they are the antithesis to the sterotypical New Yorker.

And thats the Manhattan that I will miss, that has shown me her best and most kindly face.

Farewell, lovely New York.

Spending time on Broadway

I just had to do a quick post on the fact that I went to see The Lion King last night on Broadway. It has to be said that it was not my first choice for a Broadway show- I wanted to see Phantom of the Opera. But my friend Val wanted to go and didn't want to go on her own, so I said ok.

It was wonderful. From the first opening musical notes, I was immediately transported back to Africa, a place that I feel I know well and dearly love. The voices of the actors- all black- were rich and strong and reminded me of the voices of the teachers that I worked with in Tanzania, who would frequently burst into song for no other reason than just to help the day along a little. The scenes in the jungle reminded me of being on safari in S Africa, watching the savannah go by with the occasional leopard or elephant to break the wonderful openess of the land.

It also reminded me of the kids that I worked with in S Africa. The Lion King was their favourite movie, and any time we were trying to get them to settle down a little or go to bed, we would put it on the TV. They would straight off sit to watch it and more often than not fall asleep on someone's lap, secure in the knowledge that Simba would live again to sing another day.

And to be fair to the musical it wasn't just great because it reminded me of happy times in Africa. The singers were great, the costumes were breathtaking and the way that the animals were portrayed was the cleverest thing I've ever seen.

Altogether a wonderful show and a very happy experience. Well worth the $121 (gasp!) dollars that I paid for the ticket.....

New York, New York, so good they had to name it twice!

I was horrifed to see that I haven't blogged anything since I was in New Zealand- where has the time gone. After NZ I, of course, returned to the wonderful continent of Australia where I spent a mostly happy month being a bum and moving around constantly. I did the East coast by bus which is a real experience in Aus. My favourite place was Townsville, although Cairns for the Great Barrier Reef also holds a special place in my heart! The bad times were nothing to do with Australia but all to do with some of the dreadful people that I met in the hostels there- the Irish guys who took it upon themselves to rake through my back pack when I was out and used my camera to take gross pics of themselves, the drunks, the loud hostels where everyone wanted to just get drunk and shag. But a few weeks in Perth and S Australia (Margaret River, Albany, Pemberton, Denmark) with the vineyards and lovely beaches, were balm to a wounded soul. Then Darwin with its beautiful national parks, then Adelaide, then NYC!

Enough about Aus! Manhattan alone is enough to fill this page. I truly love this place. Its certainly not somewhere that is sympathetic, nurturing or caring (I witnessed that myself when I slipped and fell in the rain in the middle of the road. No one offered any assistance and cabs just drove around me shouting at me to get out of the way!) But if you are able to get around and enjoy it, it has so much to offer. The touristy things are of course things like the Empire State Building (wonderful views!), the Statue of Liberty (smaller than I thought but strangely powerful and special) Central Park (where my favourite spot is next to the Jackie Onassis Kennedy resevoir) and things like shows on Broadway. Not to mention Times Square and all that jazz. But what you don't see as a tourist are all of the tiny and out of the way things. The little cafes and patisseries in the East Village. The wonderful and comic pubs and jazz music in the West Village. The deli food in the Upper West Side. The beat and rhythm and soul in Harlem. The snobbishness and uppity manner of those who can afford a place in Midtown. The atmosphere as you stroll the streets on a warm summer night in any of those places. The tiny and inexpensive shopping options on the famous 5th Avenue. I love it. The food, the music, the bars. Oh and the free stuff- even in Manhattan. There are free Shakespeare plays and dance shows and concerts, mainly in Central Park, all throughout the summer. You can sometimes get free trials to the health clubs. And there is always a bargain to be had in the street stalls- whether its bags, boots or bell peppers, its all there!

I'm also enjoying the volunteer work that I'm doing. The Caring Community is one of the few organisations in Manhattan that looks after the interests of older people (in Manhattan, once you turn 60, you're pretty expendable and no one really cares what happens to you.) So they offer food and company and classes to anyone over 60 who wishes to come. I'm doing some work on the social work side of things, since the funding for social workers has been cut very drastically in Manhattan in the last couple of weeks. 4 social workers have had to leave this week because there is no longer funding to pay them to keep their jobs. Of course the one client group that suffers most from loss is the older people, who resent anyone new coming along and don't deal with transitions well. So I'm just doing very basic case management, answering enquiries where possible and helpingout as much as I can. Sometimes this just involves answering the phone- but it saves someone else having to do it!! And I'm working in all 4 centres in different places in Manhattan so it keeps me busy and I get around!

So thats it. Loving life in the good ol' US of A!

Cape Reinga

One of the places that I wnated to visit most in New Zealand was Cape Reinga. Its not quite the most northerly point but it is one of the most important. Cape Reinga is where the Maori believe that the departed souls of the dead begin their journey to the underworld. It goes something like this....

When the soul is sentinent enough to realise that it may be departed, it makes its way to Cape Reinga. On the mountainside there are 2 springs. To drink from one means going onward to the next world. To take from the other means going back to humanity. The spirit must choose and decide which way to go. If they decide they wish to go to the next world, they must drink and then make their way down the path to where the oceans collide. Then they must find the tree on the cliffside. This tree is sacred and only Maoris may go anywhere near it. The roots form rough steps and the soul must make its way down them and be precariously balanced over the rough sea. Then with a great leap and joyousness of spirit, the soul begins its long and arduous journey to the next world.....

The Creation of New Zealand

One day the great Maori warrior, Maui, was out fishing in his waka (canoe) when he caught a giant fish. It thrashed and tried desparately to escape but Maui was strong and hung on, knowing that the fish could feed his family for a long time. But their strength was equally matched and neither could win. The battel went on for so long that they turned into stone. Maui's waka became the South Island of NZ, the anchor for his waka becam Stewart Island and the fish became the North Island. The places where the fish had struggled and beaten Maui with its tail became the mountains and volcanoes of the South Island, which is why its so rugged and mountainous.

Being in New Zealand

Things I like about being in New Zealand:

Being able to walk around at midday in a T shirt. Even though its officially winter.
Being able to look up at midnight and see the stars- and sometimes the Milky Way- without any pollution from lights or other electricity sources.
Being able to smile and say hello to strangers and not have them think that you are crazy/perv/maddo/strange.
Being able to drive for 8 hours and see only 10 cars.
Being able to stop and get out and walk around and be in the country side even though you are on the State Highway- because they are all in the mountains and country side.
Being able to feed the ducks.
Being able to walk sown any street at midnight and not fear for your life/wallet/virginity (ahem!)
Being able to stare into space with your thoughts and not have the locals think you are crazy/perv/maddo/strange.
Being able to be in the rainforest but still admire the awesome glacier- because the live companionably side by side.
Being able to find serviced petrol stations. And occasionally a serviced grocery store (I kid you not!)

Actually....just being.

Fleeting impressions of New Zealand

Photos from top- Queenstown from the bungy platform, me at Abel Tasman National Park and the Remarkables mountain range.

I keep thinking of things while I'm driving or doing something else and thinking Oh I must put that into my blog. Of course by the time I get here I've forgotten all about it and waste valuable compter time scratching my head and trying to remember what it was. So I'm just going to put down a few of my impressions of New Zealand while I recall them. These are in no particular order....

The people. Amazing. Friendly. Helpful. Welcoming. At first we had a few problems with the camper van and folks just broke their necks trying to assist us. Lovely.

The scenery. Awesome. Breathtaking. Loads of mountains and hills and lakes, not to mention the most beautiful coast lines I have ever seen. And the funny thing is that you don't get tired of it, you just get progressively drunker on it.

The peace. So many areas are small with small or no population. So when you turn off your engine all you can here are the birds singing and the waterfall running. Wonderful and soothing for the soul.

The driving. There's been a whole lot of it and sometimes I get tired but in reality it gives me time to think and assess my life and try to figure out what I'm doing next.

Having a friend to share it with. I am so used to travelling on my own that it took my a while to adjust to having Hannah there with me. But for some things its wonderful to Ooohhh and Aahhh over them with someone! Waiheke Island, Auckland, Rotorua- it also helped that she is another LOTR geek so interests in common!

These things deserve a whole entry of their own so I'll just briefly mention them:

Swimming with real wild dolphins at Akaroa. The Hector dolphin is the smallest and rarest fo dolphins so it was a real priviledge to have these intelligent and friendly creatures come up to me and say hello. Really puts life in perspective.

And of course the bungy jump. AWESOME thrill and never been so terrified in all my life. Talk about putting life in perspective!!

The last mention goes to Sarah and John, a couple from Auckland that I met while on a wine tour in Blenheim. We chatted for the few hours that we knew each other and on leaving they provided me with John's business card and their home phone number. Also with strict instructions to call them if I was in Auckland and stuck in any way- from needing bailed out from jail to needing a bed for the night. See what I mean about the people.....