Wandering in New Zealand

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-18 10:29

Hi S&J,
my name is Vivi. I am an outdoor and animal lover. Right now I am eager to spend some time taking care of horses and would like to know if there is still vacancy for help exchange at your place. Usually I can work independently and unsupervised when clear instructions are given.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Cheers,
Vivi

Hi Vivi,
thank you for your lovely email and interest in joining us. Could you explain what previous experience you have working with horses please?
Many thanks and we look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
S

Hi S,
honestly I have no experience in working with horses. My love for horses came from short time I have spent with them during my travel in Northwestern China. And during the 5 months I spent in New Zealand, whenever I saw horses,  I always had strong desire to get closer to them and know them better. Surely, I have noticed that the importance of previous working experience with horses were mentioned. However, I still hope there is possibility for me to work with them.
Cheers,
Vivi

Hi Vivi,
thank you for your honesty. It's important I understand your experience level so I know what to expect.
Given that you don't have any horse experience, the jobs we would like you to do will mostly be gardening, paddock care (collecting stones from the paddocks and 'mucking out' using the quad bike and paddock vacuum) and painting. I am happy to teach you things to do with horse care but it won't be considered part of your 'work' (ie, the 4-5 hours per day expected) until such time as you are able to carry out horse care-related jobs unsupervised. Is that OK? The reason we use Helpx  is so I can spend more time riding, gardening, painting etc so if I have to supervise a Helper to do horse care tasks, it doesn't actually save me any time. Does that make sense?
If you are happy with these arrangements we do have space available from this Thursday(17th Oct). If you're still interested, perhaps we could try it for a week or so and see how you're liking it? We look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
S (and J)

Hi S,
your suggested arrangement sounds great. Right now I am in Blenheim. I think I am going to Rangiora either by bus or hitchhike.
Cheers,
Vivi

Hi Vivi,
Ok, that sounds great. We're impressed at your eagerness to learn about horses although please be prepared for working some long days at least initially, but we promise to provide you with a lovely comfortable home, lots of animals and lots of good food!
If you can arrange to be in Rangiora around 11am on Thursday, I can pick you up while I am in the area.
Look forward to meeting you and having you join us.
Cheers,
S&J

以上是我和host S在10月13日的往来邮件。

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-21 02:30

10月11日，贱价把车卖了。
10月13日，和host确认了10月17日开始help exchange。
10月15日，去Blenheim i-site询问从Blenheim到Rangiora的巴士信息，被告知需要在Woodend下车，等两个小时左右再转乘从Woodend到Rangiora。决定直接hitchhike。
10月16日，没有车子了，必须精简行李，方便搭车和旅行。冬天的衣物全部挑出来，思索再三，无耐徒步鞋和攀岩装备也一并放弃了，寄存在朋友家。食品送给室友们。原先塞满后备箱的行李终于只剩下两个背包。晚上，从纸板箱上剪下一块，一面写了CHRISTCHURCH，一面写了Rangiora。

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-21 05:31

10月17日，在6点的闹钟之前醒来，稍微赖了会床，爬起来吃完早饭，将两个背包一前一后挂在身上，沐浴着清晨的阳光，步行去Main Street的尽头，town的外围。过了Main Street的弯道处几十米的地方停下来，刚好路肩够宽可以停车，还在限速50米的范围内，给了司机足够的反应时间。我把写着CHRISTCHURCH的纸板固定在胸前的背包上，竖起左手的大拇指，张望着过来的车辆。

张望了一会之后，我从背包里掏出kindle，低头看起了Age of Innocence，大拇指依旧竖着，好像这样内心能少些煎熬。不久，一辆白色的车子在前面一两米处停下正倒过来。司机问：“你去Christchurch吗？我刚好顺路。不过我的车有个胎漏气了，需要换。你是想在这里继续等下一辆车呢还是等我换胎？”我说：“没有关系，我可以等你换胎。”

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-21 08:39

这是辆白色Holden，V6引擎，3.0排量。后排座位塞满了东西，司机把它们挪了挪，我的背包才挤进去。上车前，我看了下车牌。
“我叫Graeme。”
“我叫Vivi。”
“不好意思，车子里乱糟糟的。昨晚上一个轮胎没气了，我只好在Seddon住了一晚，一大清早到Blenheim买了个胎，等下我们换好胎后要慢点开，免得其他胎也出什么问题。”
我笑笑说：“没问题。谢谢你搭我。”其实心里很着急，我这么早hitchhike就是希望11点能赶到Rangiora呀。

Seddon离Blenheim大概25公里。到了Seddon后我才明白原来是他的Caravan（可以拖在普通汽车后面的房车）的一个轮胎需要更换。等换好胎再出发的时候已经九点多钟，我知道对抵达时间已经不能有过多期待了。再加上拖了Caravan，限速100的Highway只开到70，比我以为的慢点开要慢很多很多。

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-21 09:07

从Seddon出发后，我忽然感觉真正的旅行才刚刚开始。之前将近5个月的工作和各种不好的遭遇积压而成的抑郁情绪瞬间消散。Graeme头发花白，我猜他应该60多岁了。他是个很健谈的人。一路上我们听着美国六七十年代的音乐，大声说笑。他说自己很幸运搭上了我，开车没有那么无聊。

早上换胎的时候Graeme不小心割破了手，当时没有找到水，我们决定在Kaikoura短暂停留。Graeme顺便在Kaikoura i-site边上的厕所里洗了个快速冷水澡。已接近中午，Graeme建议在Kaikoura吃中饭。我们一人一份海鲜浓汤加面包，他坚持要付钱请我。他在Kaikoura的一位好友去世了，他没能赶上葬礼。于是，饭后我们一起去墓地看望他的朋友。之后，又到附近的海滩上喂他的狗狗吃午饭。

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-21 10:19

路上我得知，Graeme昨天从Napier开到Wellington，又直接ferry到了Picton，半夜里Caravan的左前轮胎扁了才停在了Seddon。因他女儿住在Napier，他在Napier生活了十个月，一直住在房车里。这次是要回他自己在Invercargill的家。

车子开得真的很慢，时不时靠边给后边的车子让行。音乐再大声都挡不住我的困。途中在Cheviot Pub稍作休息。Graeme给我点了一杯orange juice，他自己brandy，说是用来治他的感冒。

我们抵达Rangiora已是3点多钟，我的host今天不可能来接我了。Graeme拖着Caravan在town里帮我找Backpackers。很不幸的，唯一的一家Backpackers因为此前的地震已经关门停业。去motel问了价格，105刀，我说太贵了，不要住。

我问Graeme：“你今天还要继续往南吗？要不我们找个camping site，你住Caravan，你的车子让我睡一个晚上。”最后我们找到了Rangiora Holiday Park。Graeme陪着我在Rangiora停留了一个晚上，他住自己的Caravan，我住的cabin有4张床，35刀，但事实上只有我一个人住。

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-21 11:07

10月18日早上，J开车来接我。Graeme不放心，直到J接上我了他才离开。

S和J的家离Rangiora大概20公里，是个只有马（赛马）的小小农场。到家时，S正在忙，J带我简单参观了一下房子。我的房间在二楼，有小小的天窗。床上有一封欢迎信。（一封三页纸的长长的信。）

16th October 2013
Dear Vivi，

Welcome to our home!

We would like you to feel ‘at home' while you are with us so in order to help you settle in as quickly as possible we have prepared this brief Welcome Letter explaining how our home operates.

Firstly, in case you don't already know, J is a pilot with Air New Zealand and S is an Air Traffic Controller with Airways New Zealand. We both work to our own roster which could have us working shifts throughout the 24 hour day including overnight sometimes. Because of this sometimes you will be at home on your own. When we aren't doing our 'proper jobs' we both work hard around the property and take particular pride in the professional service we offer to our XX clients. We trust our Helpers implicitly and expect them to share the same work ethic.

Food:
Please help yourself to any food you would like to eat for breakfast and lunch. You can chose whatever time suits you for these meals. Dinner will be prepared for you on evenings either of us is home. If both us are working and therefore not home for dinner, you will need to prepare your evening meal yourself so please help yourself to anything you wish to eat. The general rule is the Chef does not have to do the dishes (unless they are only cooking for themselves)!. We are happy to provide whatever food you like so please just let us know so we can make sure it's included on the shopping list. You are very welcome to drink alcohol (we do!) however we politely ask that provide your own. If you'd like one of us to buy it for you when we are doing the shopping then that's no problem - just tell us what you want, your budget and then you can reimburse us when we have bought it.

Wifi:
We have wifi which you are welcome to use. The password is XX. You are welcome to use Skype if you have it on your device however if you limit it to voice only skyping (ie, non-video) that would be appreciated; it helps keep our data use within the normal range.

TV:
Feel free to use the TV in the TV room (at the bottom of the stairs) whenever you like, or use the record function if you wish. If we want to watch something different on TV we will go to the main lounge (beside our bedroom). We have Sky TV so both TV's can b on different channels at the same time.

Landline phone:
You are welcome to use the landline phone if you want to. National calls are free and so are some international calls. If you want to call internationally, please check with us first and we can tell you whether it's free or not. If you want to give our number to friends or family so they can contact you, that's fine - our number is XX.

Bathroom:
You are welcome to use the main bathroom. We have our own ensuite bathroom so you will only have to share the main bathroom with other Helpers or occasionally if we also have friends or family staying. The bathrooms have only recently been renovated; please use the rubber bladed scraper to clean off the water drops from the shower walls after every shower - this helps stop the water drops stains on the glass. We have a cleaner (XX) who comes every Thursday for 3 hours - she thoroughly cleans the bathrooms and toilets so you won't need to do anything else in terms of cleaning the shower.

You are welcome to leave your toiletries in the bathroom if you wish - please use the drawers in the vanity so your personal things are not left out on the benchtop. The towel rail is heated so you are welcome to leave your towel in the bathroom to dry if you wish.

Bed linen and towels:
You are responsible for ensuring your bed sheets and towels are washed regularly. Please use the dryer to dry them thoroughly. If you need more towels or sheets or blankets, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Washing machine and dryer:
You are welcome to use the washing machine and dryer whenever you like. There is a dirty hamper in your room so you can store dirty clothes away until you're ready to do a load of washing. We will show you where the laundry powder etc is kept and how to operate the machines. Please make sure you turn the fan on (we will show you where the switch is) in the laundry cupboard whenever the dryer is in use so the hot air is circulated outside.

Outdoor footwear and clothing:
Please hang all outdoor jackets in the cupboard inside the front door and place all outdoor footwear in the black bins under the bench in the same cupboard. The cupboard is heated so anything wet will (hopefully) be dry by the following day!

Household chores:
While you are here you will be treated like a member of the family; as such you are expected to participate in the normal household chores the same as we do. Please ensure the kitchen is kept tidy at all times. Dirty dishesare to be rinsed first then put directly into the dishwasher, not left in the kitchen sink - ever!. If the temperature in the house feels cool please light the fire (we will show you how). If the wood basket is getting low, please fill it up from the firewood stack in the garage, etc etc.

Anything you can do to ensure the house remains clean and tidy will be appreciated - keeping all personal items, clothing etc in your room will also help.

Use of the "little car":
If you have a legal driver's license of driving in New Zealand, you are welcome to borrow our "little car" to get out and about or do shopping etc. The petrol tank will be full when we give it to you - please ensure it is refilled before you leave. You are responsible for refueling it while you are using it.

Time off:
If you would like a day off, please let us know well in advance so we can ensure it fits in with our own rosters; we need to ensure the horse-related chores are able to be done by one of us if you are here. We naturally expect you to spend your day(s) off away from the property so we will not be expecting to provide your meals on those days. If you'd like to use the little car to do some trips away then please just check with us first - normally it's no problem but sometimes we might need the little car ourselves.

There will undoubtedly be things that you are still a little unsure about during your first few days with us; please do not hesitate to ask. It is extremely important to us that you are happy, comfortable and feel at home while you are working for us, so please let us know if there is anything you need or are not sure of.

Thank you for joining us and we look forward to getting to know you.

Cheers,
J and S

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-22 06:23

这封长长的欢迎信有一条信息在我眼前一亮：J是Air New Zealand的飞行员，S是机场控制台的。抵达之前一直以为赛马是他们的主业，没想到他们的职业比赛马还要高端。J和S都有飞行员执照。J驾驶的是空客320，S在Christchurch机场通过雷达屏幕指挥飞机起降。他们还有一架私人飞机，停放在Rangiora。

目前有7匹赛马需要照料，Danny和Ruby分别是S和J的，Lois、Kate、Leo、Mel和Buddy则是他们的客户的。S带我和7位一一见了面。S下午要上班，她中午清理完马厩后，匆匆离开去机场了。

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-22 06:48

因为没有任何照料马的工作经验，我一开始与马相处的工作时间不算在要求的每天四五个小时的工作时间内。J带Jess（家里的宠物狗）去看兽医了，S去上班了，我一个人在太阳底下锄了四个多小时的杂草。第一次做园丁，倒是乐在其中，时间过得很快。

J回来后，我先跟着他把Ruby和Danny依次牵回来，清理它们的鞋子，换cover，然后让进马厩。之后的工作mucking out，就是开着squad bike（四轮摩托），后面拖着vacuum，把所有paddocks的马粪吸进拖在摩托后面的小车里。我坐在squad bike的左侧，J一边工作一边和我解释。7个paddocks都清理干净后，开到附近的小片农场里倾倒。再回来把vacuum清洗干净。mucking out做完后是给其他5匹马喂食和换cover。

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-22 09:19

10月19日工作结束后应邀到附近农场M家晚饭。她家摆放着很多画，地上还有一篮子颜料和画笔。M说都是她母亲画的。饭前，我们坐在客厅的沙发上聊天，M的母亲Anne给我看她新出版的画册。

画册的前言：
Through my art I have met interesting and kind people and made new friends. My family&friends encourage me. Enjoy!

Vision impaired and the tremor limits of Parkinson's disease have not thwarted me in my goal to paint. Now I am hooked on the escapism of the challenge to produce art that gives pleasure, both to me and the person who buys it. The thrill of them saying, 'I LOVE IT' is brilliant!

I was a pilot until 15 years ago when I had a stroke which damaged my vision. I've had several  guide dogs since then. Two years ago I wanted to make an e-book for children. To save the cost of an illustrator I decided I would try to draw the quirky characters for the flying adventure story. I not only needed to draw an aeroplane but I needed to draw a goose! As you do! But wait! I could not even join a circle. After weeks and hours of practise I suddenly could draw a goose! I had lived on a small farm with lots of animals. A gander followed my gum boots all over the farm and swam alongside me in the row boat on the pond. I used to put the goose on the seat of a quad farm bike as I drove around the farm. Sometimes both the goose and the gander would fly alongside me at eye level as I sped downhill and around the corners. It took many hours of sketching but at least I succeeded. I still cannot draw a circle!

每一幅画都非常漂亮，暖暖的色调，很难想象是出自一位没有任何绘画功底、仅花了两年时间的老年人之手。

饭后，我们又回到客厅。

我很兴奋地问Anne：“Anne，你是飞行员？”

Anne告诉我：“是的。我是新西兰第二位女飞行员。我爸爸还有我丈夫都是飞行员。不过我丈夫在孩子们还很小的时候就去世了。我50岁的时候中风导致右眼失明，左眼也是模糊不清，就不能驾驶飞机了。”

我说：“你真幸运！在大部分国家，女性是不能成为飞行员的。”

Anne说：“在我那个时候，女性也是受到很多歧视。我17岁开始学习驾驶。一开始对机械一点都不懂，但我知道自己需要机械知识，通过学习，知识水平很快就超过了大部分男性驾驶员。驾驶水平也高于很多人。但是因为我是女的，常常在一开始的时候不被信任。后来我又在梅西大学教飞行。”

“Anne，我很喜欢你画作里明亮的色彩，比如橘红色的帆船，是因为你喜欢暖色调吗？”

Anne回答说：“是的。还有一个原因是我的视力受损之后眼睛只能感知暖色调。像黑色我就看不见。”

我又问道：“你是怎么学会画画的？”

“Youtube是我最好的老师。我会找绘画教学视频，看了一遍又一遍，跟着一起画。”

和Anne的交谈给我的内心注入了很多勇气。我是多么幸运，和这位坚强杰出的女性坐在同一沙发上，听她淡然地讲述她的传奇人生。成就便是把大部分人认为不可能的事成为事实。

后来，从大家的聊天内容中我惊喜地发现，今天我和5位飞行员共进晚餐。

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-22 09:37

10月20日和21日，修剪了两天树篱，再把剪下来的树枝用squad bike拉着拖车运到一个角落里暂时集中堆放。

10月20日，开始独立做mucking out。

10月21日，开始独立做feeding和changing cover。

10月22日，开始做grooming，就是把马清理干净。

每天从早饭后一直忙到傍晚，已经5天过去了，时间过得好快。squad bike是我工作时在农场里的交通工具。一开始觉得开着很好玩，熟悉了之后就会偶尔无聊起来。

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-23 08:54

10月23日早上，金色的阳光透过房顶的天窗照射进来，醒来，很累，赖到八点半起床。早饭照旧吐司加红茶。

上午的主要工作仍然是清理马厩。这并不是让人十分喜欢的活。想起昨天S说这里有音响，如果想听音乐，可以把音响打开。我选了一张CD播放，声音调到很大。对哦，可以在马厩里一边工作一边跳舞。这个奇怪的念头把我自己逗乐了。下午的mucking out已经做得非常熟练，轰着四轮摩托一路将7个paddocks扫荡干净。把Ruby和Danny带回马厩，给Kate，Leo，Mel和Lois送去晚餐，更换外套。

S周日和下周一有比赛，要把我带上。傍晚S去教练Andrew那接受比赛前的training。我和J陪着她一起去。到了后，S问我：“Vivi，你会录像吗？”我想了一下说不太会。“那你今天开始就要练习起来了，因为周日和周一我比赛的时候你要帮我录像。”我心想，不会吧，这样也可以。S把video camera递给我，简单地讲了下怎么用。我就这样上阵了，想象着自己是重要马术赛事的录影师，抓住赛马奔跑和跳跃时的每一个精彩瞬间。回去路上，S说晚饭后要看我今天的练习效果。好吧，希望在你能接受的范围内。

回到家7点多，没有时间准备丰盛的晚餐了，S和J合作准备了莎拉、芦笋和pasta。饭后，两人竟然说合作愉快，最大的好处是Vivi要去洗碗。我们家的规定，大厨不用洗碗，而今天有两位大厨。其实也不用洗碗啦，把餐具摆放到洗碗机里按开始按钮而已。

厨房清理完毕，S说等下要看我的video。过了会她把电视打开，几分钟后说录得不错，够格当我的赛事录影师了。我走过去：“S，你在看video啊，以为你在看电视呢。”在S和J的家里，有太多的事情都是第一次做。今天第一次录一段完整的video。现在做每一件事情，都会尽最大努力。

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-24 10:05

怀孕的Kate

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-24 10:07

Leo

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-24 10:08

Lois

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-24 10:12

Mel

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-24 10:14

Buddy

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-24 10:16

Show jumping的练习场地

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-24 10:20

Danny(左)和Ruby(右)还在马厩里

Vivi.piggy · 2013-10-25 09:34

和马在一起一个礼拜了，昨晚上梦见自己被困在马厩里，想要逃脱，竟直接从床上爬起来梦游了。大概一分钟后，终于醒过来，弄清是在自己房间里，回到床上继续睡觉。

今晨风雨交加，终于消停了，我睁开眼，看到窗户外挂着一道彩虹，如梦幻般。闭上眼继续睡，等再睁开眼，彩虹不见了。

傍晚，心血来潮，想明天早晨开车去基督城的海滩看日出。可是现在十点半了，还有一堆事情要做，好累，下周再挑好天气吧。