Catch up for Homestay Three

Wow I guess I have a lot of catching up to do. I am very sorry for the delay in my blogs but I have been really busy. This one will be about my third home-stay that took place over April Fool's weekend (and that is not a joke).

On the 31^st of March: Terry, Anne O, Kelsey, Kandi, and I had a home-stay together with Lana (I cannot remember her whole name right now so I will just call her by her nickname) in Teahupoo. We had to be ready by 6h00 because the car ride is an hour long. So, I ended up getting up at 5h00 and going to wake Kandi up at 5h15. I also had to make sure Kels was up since waking Kandi was supposed to be her job, but she slept through the first two of her alarms.

So we met Lana downstairs a little after 6h00 and we ended up splitting up into two groups Kandi, Kels and I in one and Anne and Terry in the other. Kandi, Kels and I rode with Mama and Papa. Lana’s aunt and uncle insisted on being called that. It was really fun. We drove to a dock and met a bunch of other people and then found out that we would have to take a boat for 30 min. There was going to be 20 people out at Lana’s other aunt’s. We were certainly surprised. Since there were so many people, there was a gauntlet of bisous. It was rather funny. Once we got to the house we just stood around meeting everyone and then they brought out food for us to munch on. After that, we were going to go swimming in the ocean by the house, but they told us that they were going to take us to a white sand beach instead. After we got all ready with swimsuits and contacts and such, we set out and when we got there we realized that the beach was underwater and we will be swimming from off the boat. It was really cool. 


We had a seaweed fight with a variety of seaweed that was really pokey. Terry started it by throwing it at me and so we ended up waging war with each other.They then managed to set me off on a laughing spasm and I made that stupid noise and couldn’t breathe. Terry kept trying to make me laugh and Kels was too far away to explain to everyone that I only make that noise when I can’t breathe. It sucked because I ended up getting really pissed and I took of swimming by myself for a while. Oh! I completely forgot that before the big old fight and spasm; Lana, Anieta, Manu, Terry, Anne, and I decided to walk out to the edge of the coral to be closer to the waves. It was fine especially since we had to wear sandals, until I managed to scrape my leg against some coral and got a cut. The bright side was that Anne and Terry were really concerned for me. It really didn’t hurt that much. I wouldn’t have noticed it if Manu hadn’t pointed out that there was something red on my leg. We stayed there for a while and then we all started back across the coral minefield.


After all that stuff, it started raining and we swam in it for a while and then we had to go back.
Once we got back, we took turns showering and such. Then we ended up playing foosball until lunch was ready. After lunch I was trying to write in my journal, but I couldn’t focus so I gave up. Then Terry invited me to go swimming with him so I did. Manu came with us and we went to the dock and swam off there. The ground was disgusting because it was marshy instead of sandy. I didn’t like touching it, so I treaded water instead. Terry and Manu were jumping off the dock and I was watching. After a while, the other girls of our group came out to see what we were doing. Then Lana came out to tell us it was almost time for dinner. So we all trouped back in and Terry and I showered. He then changed but I just put a pareo on over my swimsuit.Then they were playing music so Mama started dancing with Bea and they made Terry dance with them. I got a video of it. It is really funny. At the end, we all danced for awhile and then it was time to eat.


Before actually eating, we said grace and I said something in French for all of the Americans. The food was delicious. There was this really yummy crab pasta thing that I totally wanted the recipe for. After dinner we all ended up clearing a space for a dance floor for everyone. We were all dancing except for Kandi because she wasn’t feeling well. I learned a specific Tahitian dance and then we put it into practice when Terry and Mama made me get up and dance with them. I was quite proud of myself. We didn’t go to bed for a long time and I ended up singing Waka Waka when it came on. Everyone was impressed with my singing voice.


The next morning I was the first person to wake up of the visitors. I ended up wandering out and saw that a majority of the kids were sleeping on the ground in a net thing. It was rather amusing to me. I also saw that the ladies were getting breakfast ready. I am not sure what time I woke up at but I think it was around 6h00. Pretty soon after I got up, Kandi got up as well and joined me outside to take early morning pictures.After breakfast we got to see more of the property, including going on a really muddy hike through a river in which I managed to stab a stick under my toenail in my right foot. It really hurt and apparently it got infected. Our next stop after that was to go to another river but this one was much nicer. Haha. We took a boat to the river and Lana, her brothers, and Terry followed in pirogues. It was really funny because since Terry couldn’t keep up, they ended up attaching him by ropes. Once we got to the river I thought we were going to stay for a while and we were but first we were told that we were going on a hike. So I brought my camera and I had my watch on because it didn’t even occur to me that we were going somewhere where they could get wet. I would have had my waterproof camera but Kandi fell in the mud earlier in the day and it got water in it and broke. Thank goodness the SD card was ok.

So as we were walking along I ended up slipping a lot and then Pascal traded shoes with me. So it was easier to walk and he took my shoes from me so I didn’t have to carry them. Our destination of our hike ended up being a grotto that was completely dark. I decided to leave my shoes and glasses and camera and watch at the entrance and it was good that I did because I couldn’t see anyway. It was really fun but really cold. I was kinda freaking out as well because the grotto was enclosed.

During the hike Pascal had to help me a lot because I am not used to hiking, so I was really slow. On the way back to the river, I made it to the spot where I first started slipping with no problems and Terry and Anne were ahead of me. They noticed that I had Pascal’s shoes and they wanted to know why. I told them that his shoes were better because they grip my feet better and I don’t slip. As soon as I said that, I slipped and fell on my ass. Terry and Anne heard a noise and turned around to see me just sitting on the ground. It was really funny and then they didn’t even help me up. Then we went back to the house and got cleaned up for lunch. Lunch consisted of mostly leftovers, but it was really nice. Oh and we had a bit of time to get showered and changed and whatnot, so I ended up sitting in the shade by Terry and Manu and working on a bracelet for Lana. Also once we got close to the house, Pascal made us all swim back to the dock. I got about halfway there and then couldn’t make it so Manu came and towed me in a pirogue. After lunch we all got ready to leave and then we took group pictures and I figured out how to set the timer on my camera. The boat rides back were pretty uneventful but we all had a good laugh when I told the story of me falling again. I didn’t like saying goodbye to everyone at the dock. It was really sad and we had the gauntlet of bisous again. We didn’t go directly back to the Foyer when we got in the cars, instead we ended up going to Lana’s house for a while. Then at close to 21h00 they took us back and we said goodbye at the gate and thank you and told them when we were leaving. Also at the house Pascal was saying that Kels was the best dancer and so was Terry and then he called me brave for keeping up with everyone else even though I am not as physically fit. It made me feel good. Then they took us home and we said goodbye. It was a really fun home-stay.

Nana!

This is one of the gigantic crabs that we saw. 

And this is what happens when your flip-flops get stuck in the mud and you manage to splash it up your back. Haha.

Boat ride to the beach!

My friends playing foosball.

The dock in the morning light.

This is where we slept the night before.

The family!! So many people!!

Pathway to paradise!

The ocean on our way back.

A pretty scene that we passed.

Home-stay Number Two

Last weekend I had my second Home-stay of my time here in Tahiti. It was really nice because I stayed with a French family this time. The father's name is Phillippe, the mother's is Agnes and they have thee children. A girl and two boys. The girl is the oldest. Their names are: Maelle (10 yrs old), Killian (7 yrs old), and Yannis (5 yrs old). They are all really cute and everyone is nice. The parents can speak a little English and the children are all learning English in school.

I went with them on Saturday and since the day was a bit overcast we didn't do a whole lot. They did take me on another tour around the island and I was able to see a little more of Tahiti-iti. Lunch on Saturday was the only meal that we had outside of the house. Since I ended up spending the night until late on Sunday, I ended up eating dinner and all of the other meals on Sunday at their house. On Saturday while we were on Tahiti-iti we did get to go up to the view point, but it was so cloudy that we didn't see very much. We also went to a beach for a little while but then it got pretty cloudy so we left. Since they had a pool, I ended up swimming with Maelle in the pool at night. It was a lot of fun and I showed her how to shoot water out of my hands like I did as a child.

Sunday we were supposed to go out in the boat, but the motor was left up in the rain and so it wasn't working properly. So, we just spent the day at the house. For dinner before they took me back to the Foyer, we had hamburgers but the meat was still really rare. I thought I would give it a try and it didn't taste bad, but my stomach must not have liked it because on Monday I stayed in bed with a stomach ache. I am not used to eating semi-bloody meat. Other than that, I really enjoyed myself with the family and they really liked the bracelets that I gave them as gifts.

NANA

From left to right: Me, Maelle, Agnes, Killian, and Yannis is in the front.

A Lotus pond at a garden we went to.

Maelle with a pretty red flower.

The kids chasing some ducks. It was really cute.

The view from their house. It would be better, but it was overcast the whole weekend.

The front porch.

The yard and the garage.

One of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen so far.

The pool at night.

From left to right: Phillipe, Yannis, Agnes, Killian, and Maelle

End of Spring Break

Spring Break in New Zealand...Those words sound so magical. Unfortunately the week is over now. :( It was a lot of fun though. We started out in Auckland for two days and then we went to Wellington for a day and a half. After Wellington we flew back to Auckland to take a 3 hour bus ride to Rotorua where we spent two nights in a hostel and one night in the Maori village. The time change was really amusing for me because I went from being behind everyone to being a day ahead of family back in Iowa.

In Auckland, I went to two museums one art and the other history. It was really neat. My sub-group of the main group, which I call the quartet because there are four of us, walked around town and ended up finding some bean bags scattered around a grassy area in the middle of the city. It was really nice and we just stayed there for a while. The hotel we stayed at in Auckland was really nice too, with the rooms being more like apartments than traditional hotel rooms.

In Wellington, I was able to visit another museum but that one reminded me more of the Science Center back home because the exhibits were interactive. Also while I had free time, I ended up going to the Zoo alone because Kelsey wanted to see a movie. It was really neat. I was hoping to see a Kiwi (the animal not the fruit) but people kept coming in and making noise so it didn't work out. All of the other animals were really neat as well. I was able to see a Red Panda so that made up for the Kiwi.

Rotorua was my favorite town of the three. Part of that was because that is were the Maori village is situated and the other was because the town itself really reminded me of home due to the small town feel. It did smell like sulfur there since there are geysers there and lots of geothermic activity. I did most of my souvenir shopping there. While in the Maori village, I learned a lot about Maori life. Unfortunately I did not get to sing to the Maori like we were told that we were going to be able to do. Although, I did take a bath in an open air bath in the geothermic waters. It was like a hot spring and super warm. I was really nice and my muscles were relaxed for the first time since being abroad. Two of the other girls joined me and it was really interesting since we were not allowed to wear bathing suits or anything. It was dark out so our nudity didn't really bother me.

The 3hr drive back to Auckland followed by a 5hr flight to Tahiti was fairly uneventful. Though once we landed in Tahiti, the group had our picture taken for the local newspaper. I liked the write up I saw in it.

NANA

Getting on the plane in Tahiti to leave for New Zealand.

New Zealand from the Air.

Auckland view from my window.

A piece of art outside of the art museum.

Pretty fountain!

Clock tower!

From left to  right: Caroline and Kandi chilling in the bean chairs.

Me and Kelsey on a bean chair.

I wish our money was as colourful.

We had an audience while we were eating.

AHH Medusa!! The wind was whipping my hair on the ferry.

Auckland skyline at night. The lights are so pretty.

Oh ya! I'm cool in a tree!

Yes the blurry flowers are on purpose.

This is in my hotel in Wellington, but all over NZ they use switches on the outlets so that there is no power wasted. I think it is a great idea.

These are not power lines, they are for the electric buses.

Tuatara (a lizard only found in NZ)

Lemur!!

Red Panda

Simba all grown up.

Kangaroo!!

Serval.

My first time seeing a Porcupine

The sign says to ask the cheese mongers for larger pieces of cheese, but these look really large to me. They were bigger than my head!!

Pretty sunset on the way to Rotorua.

Someone likes Green. lol

Hot spring like the one I bathed in.

This is where the food was prepared.

Geyser!!

This is the Meeting House where we spent the night. We had to take our shoes off at the entrance to show respect.

My steam cooked 

Our Guide in the Maori, Waimaria