Kiwis & New Zealand

I am in the land of Kiwis. I have begun picking kiwis, eating kiwis (which are high in fiber & recommended to "clean-out" your system), purchasing in "kiwis" , and talking to Kiwis. This is most definitely an accurate description of life here on the North Island of New Zealand. I live in a house on a kiwi farm and run by them in the morning and on my bike in the afternoon. I know this up-date is quite short, but the picking has worn me out for the day and I have not much to say. I just wanted to send a quick "hello" and...

Tell you I am alive and well. Oh... also wanted to share what have I learned so far about the season and the kiwi fruit. I have learned that weather dictates our work schedule. If the air is humid and there is an inversion than there is no work. An inversion is basically hot air trapped by a cold layer in other words .. we're to wait until it lifts and the fruit is able to dry before we begin to pick. The fruit needs sunshine and/or wind after a nice rainshower, of which there have been many. As well as a once-every-50-year hail storm, damaging 85 % of some farmer's crop. I have this photo documented and I will learn as I pick...I'm sure..

I have also been to the packhouse where the kiwis are sent after being picked.

Oh, also grandpa wanted to know if the kiwis are green when we pick them. He is correct. The kiwis stay firm when on the vine. After being picked their skin is less taught (spell) becuase there is less pressure without the connection between the fruit and the stem on the tree. Kiwis grown on a vine-like bush, not a tree or little vine, there are perhaps 100-200 bushes in a section of an orchard. We are picking about 100 bins per section. We get paid by the bin, so this has been an interesting twist when considering one's purpose and work ethic. Our goal is usually 200 bins / day for a crew of about 20 people. We are an international group representing Argentina, Germany, Australia, Thailand, England, USA (me), and France.

Hope you are all doing well at home. I am tired and must apologize if this email has been difficult to read. I have been itchin' to get some news to you all! I would love to get some news from you as well and I will be writing to you al again soon.

Love and peace.....from the island of New Zealand,
Hannah

However mean your life is, meet it and live it, do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not as bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life as poor as it is. H.D. Thoreau

Free Spirits

I am convinced that "I" am a free spirit. I have traveled to 6 different countries this year on 3 different continents. I continue my journey in New Zealand. My passport and my backpack are my home. I look at the stars and the moon for guidance. I feel my feet connected to the Earth for grounding. I sense the expansive Universe, in which we coexist, and Life takes on a new meaning. I hear the sounds of nature around me, and I ponder the concept of "interconnectedness." I taste the salty air of the ocean and touch my cold hand to my rosy cheeks, warm and glowing from the activity. I know that there is much more to Life than I will ever be able to conceive....

My spirit is free. I think about what makes people come alive. And the process of discernment in regards to figuring out which form of work and which lifestyle empowers me to be whom I am and to be truly free. I am slowly figuring out what type of work and lifestyle is for me.... and how to not allow them to "tame" my free spirit but let it totally go wild (with respect to the laws of nature :).

I am writing this late at night still jet-lagged from traveling across the international dateline, so I hope all those who've read the blog can understand the essence of the message. I will work on getting over this jet-lag and write more later. For now, the stars South of the Equator is throwing me off my gravitational balance.

***Why has it taken me so long to publish this post? I wonder if I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the diverse audience to which I am writing. I will no longer hold back by being concerned with grammar and/or poorly developed paragraphs. In the end this is also for myself to remember my own journey exactly as it unfolds...