{"id":639,"date":"2010-05-28T23:17:43","date_gmt":"2010-05-29T03:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/blog\/crosscultural\/?p=639"},"modified":"2010-07-01T12:58:29","modified_gmt":"2010-07-01T16:58:29","slug":"new-zealand-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/2010\/05\/28\/new-zealand-2\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"New<\/a>Friday morning, May 21st<\/sup> we woke in one giant circle inside the Marae. After three nights of sleeping in a giant room we were ready to pack our \u201ctramping packs\u201d load the \u201cboot\u201d of the van and go up the road to our next destination. Before we left the Marae though, we returned to the meeting room to participate in the \u201cporoporoaki,\u201d or the customary way to end one\u2019s stay at the Marae. The Maori man leading the poroporoaki deeply blessed us with his words. Especially poignant were his words regarding the untimely death of a fellow student\u2019s grandfather the day before. Although he was speaking Maori his words were deep, strong, and spoken with deep conviction and truth. His words stretched far beyond the barriers of culture, language, distance, or even death itself. Friday morning\u2019s experience was best described with words I did not understand. It seemed fitting that the ceremony was in a different language because any words I know are too trivial to describe what I was experiencing. The ancestral and family lineage is extremely vital to the Maori people and to have the people of that Marae invite us to share in the sacredness of their ancestors while honouring the student who lost their grandfather proved very meaningful. I really enjoy the times we get to hear Maori and really enjoy the fact that I do not understand the words but somehow I believe them.<\/p>\n

After leaving the Marae we drove up to a picturesque backpacker\u2019s hostel resting atop a gorgeous coastline. The grounds were speckled with old cabooses, the cabooses were covered in surf stickers and the horizon was speckled with surfers. We all enjoyed the \u201cno worries\u201d vibe we received at Solscape Backpacker\u2019s. We also enjoyed the giggle when Jim told a student to go \u201cclean their caboose.\u201d After a rainy afternoon spent with the director of a Christian Conservation association, A Rocha, we returned to our quaint little caboose village on top of the hill. Around 4 o\u2019clock the rain turned off and the clouds broke just in time for the sunset. As the sun set over a black sand beach, endless wave trains, and mountains stretching into the lingering fog- I could not be anything but speechless. The day began and ended with experiences of beauty and truth far beyond any words I know. For me- so far- New Zealand has been intensely beautiful and pleasantly hospitable and far beyond any words I know. In keeping with local lingo, New Zealand is truly \u201csweet as.\u201d Needless to say that phrase in a Kiwi accent is NOT a comment on one\u2019s caboose region. Cheers!<\/p>\n

– Julia Johnson<\/p>\n

\"Saturday<\/a> May 15, 2010<\/p>\n

Today was a cleanup day around the Kodesh Community.\u00a0 We were assigned and or volunteered to do random tasks around Kodesh that included washing windows, checking possum traps, raking leaves, sweeping sidewalks, etc.\u00a0 Sam and I volunteered to chop wood that had been sitting around awhile.\u00a0 It was really fun, and we both enjoyed it, although the wood was wet and hard, so chopping it did not go very smoothly.\u00a0 It took us quite awhile to figure out a system that worked, but when we did it went quickly.\u00a0 After the work was finished we had several hours of free time until we went to the rugby game in the evening.\u00a0 I spent some time hanging out with my family at their house in the afternoon; reading and journaling a bit to catch up.<\/p>\n

Later in the afternoon Kacie and I went across Oakley Creek with Ben, a man from Vanuatu who is living with my home stay family, and we played soccer for an hour or so.\u00a0 Ben is really good, he put Kacie and I to shame!\u00a0 After playing a bit we went back to my house for supper, and my host mom, Monika, cooked a delicious meal of rice, chicken, and fish.\u00a0 After supper was finished and cleaned up we started getting prepared for the rugby game.\u00a0 We made sure to dress warmly, because it is starting to get chillier as the days go by.\u00a0 We walked the short distance from Kodesh to the train station, and got onto the train that would take us to Eden Park and the stadium. \u00a0Because we had rugby game tickets, we got to ride the train for free, a small benefit for us poor college students!\u00a0 When we arrived at our stop, we were swarmed with drunk fans for both teams dressed up in their supporting colors and with their faces painted; a much different environment than most American sporting events.\u00a0 Once the game got underway it was easy to see that no one from our group had a clue as to what was going on in the game.\u00a0 We had gotten a brief rugby lesson from Andrew one day on the beach, but we still were attempting to figure out basic situations and occurrences in the game.\u00a0 Needless to say, rugby players put our American football players to shame; they play the same type of rough, hard tackling game, but with no pads on their bodies whatsoever.\u00a0 No helmets, shoulder pads, etc.\u00a0 The experience of the game and the atmosphere of the stadium were amazing though, and an experience I\u2019m sure that no one from the group will forget anytime soon.\u00a0 After the game and the train ride back to our stop, we walked to our home stays and climbed in bed, after a long but very entertaining day.<\/p>\n

-Cody Peters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friday morning, May 21st we woke in one giant circle inside the Marae. After three nights of sleeping in a giant room we were ready to pack our \u201ctramping packs\u201d load the \u201cboot\u201d of the van and go up the road to our next destination. Before we left the Marae though, we returned to the....<\/p>

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