Smells Like Teen Spirit

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I was gonna call this blog 'work song' but i've wanted to have that blog title since i started, i saw an opening and i went for it.
So, i spent one more night in Auckland after i last spoke to you and i went to see the mighty Henry Rollins do a spoken word show. Mr Rollins was a singer in the legendary 1980s hardcore band 'Black Flag'; now he is a traveler, observer and philosopher, and his spoken word shows are funny as hell, informative and interesting it was a great night. But he spoke solidly for 3 hours! By the time he finished not only was my ass completely numb but i had missed the last bus back the the buddhist retreat. After the show, and without a better plan i went from person to person asking for a lift back into town (i didn't have money enough for a taxi and i was looking down the barrel of a 4 hour walk at 11pm) i quickly found 2 strangers who drove me pretty much to my door and was once again optimistic about how kind human beings are 😊
The next day i said goodbye to my friends at the buddhist centre and, temporarily giving up somewhat on my bohemian love of hitch-hiking forked out $40 for a bus to Kerikeri in the bay of islands and something i haven't done in 9 months, work
I was going to the hideaway lodge backpackers on the strength that it was cheap and had guarenteed work. I then had the biggest culture shock of my time away. I woke up with buddhists, i spent the evening with people who "want to have a big dinner so they have more to throw up tonight". I didn't gel well with these people.
There's not a great deal left to say. I made a couple friends, but not many, and no-one i will be life-long friends with. I did all kinds of work; i worked on a vine-yard, helicopter pad, kiwi-fruit packing, landscaping, digging holes, as a builders mate among others. The pay was between $9.60 (after tax) and $12 an hour, that's about 4 quid, give or take. It wqas one of the most unpleasant times of my traveling. But i got myself (somewhat) out of the financial hole i was in and i have an improved ability to deal with arse-holes (previously i've just avoided them. i can't remember the last time i was forced to deal with them). I feel a great deal of love and sympathy for any woman, throughout history, who has been forced to baby-sit men who need their egos looking after. Grown men who have to have the world just so, and who need other people to behave just so otherwise all hell breaks lose. With one such guy, i didn't stroke his ego quite enough and there was very almost a physical fight on wednesday night, and i should image all of you know me well enough to know that i'm not a fighter.
It wasn't all drama, and there were some good times too, but i'm glad to be gone.
Now i'm staying on Motorua island in the 'Bay Of Islands' very near Kerikeri. It's tiny, 5km long, and home to 20 people and 36 kiwi birds (seeing a kiwi is the only objective for NZ i haven't been able to tick off). But my hosts are putting on a huge party tomorrow, which i've been drafted in to cook for (good) and a fire display i've been drafted into spin staff in (bad). I haven't really practiced a great deal since i set my face on fire in january (i got a terrible telling off from my gran for that) so most of tomorrow will be spend, when not cooking, praticing in order not to generate a repeat performance.
But who knows, will i set myself on fire? Will i not? Wish me luck

Chris

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Comments

[Bek]

Ahhh! Fights AND Fire? *Panics yet more* And I was freaking enough at the Sandflies. You should know that as I read I get increasingly jealous that I am not out ~there~ *points wildly in the direction of Out Of Reading* having fun. Love you tonnes Frog