Wellington - Reconciliation with New Zealand?

Being confined to the dormitory of Wellington's Youth Hostel due to bad weather, I unexpectedly have some spare time to write this article before I will go offline for the next couple of weeks. I will literally retreat to the South Island where I will go meditating, camping and exploring the countryside :-)

The first three weeks in New Zealand were definitely no homecoming, but when I finally arrived in Wellington, the city somewhat succeeded in reconciling me with the country and its people. Wellington has its pretty spots, but let me start at the beginning:

I had applied for the position of gardener and housekeeper at Lancewood Lodge, an Airbnb place in the town of Bulls. Unfortunately, the town doesn't offer much. It mainly consists of one junction at which you can find a gas station, a supermarket, a cafe and McDonald's... and there's hardly any chance of getting anywhere else. I was bored as hell, which in itself wasn't the worst bit. I worked beyond my share in the house and in the garden because I didn't know what else to do with my free time. This was my choice and I don't mean to complain about that. What disappointed me, however, was the fact that my (extra) work wasn't acknowledged in any way. [Min, you will be delighted to read this ;-)] I actually missed a simple 'Thank you' or a 'Great, the flowerbed looks so much better now', just an appreciation of my time and effort. I know that this behavior of emotional reticence is popular in many cultures, not least in Germany, and it is by no means personal, but I have obviously come to appreciate the North-American warmth and kindness so much that I feel now miserable lacking it. Especially when traveling on your own, a smile and a 'Thank you, darling' once in a while can work wonders! Irrespective of that, 'my employer' and I actually grew a mutual dislike of each other, which in the end was held in check only by manners of cold politeness.

On top of that, the numerous spiders I encountered during my work in the garden and in my bedroom (!) - I killed at least 10 of them in my bedroom and kept eying the remaining ones with terror all through the nights - put me in a state of constant apprehension. I still finished my tasks with profound diligence, a fact that makes me very proud of myself even though my employer didn't share this view. He thought me squeamish! In my defense: New Zealand is apparently one of the countries with the highest densities in spiders. Alas, had I known that before I committed myself to staying here for 7 weeks!

Given all of the above, I was desperately looking forward to staying 3 nights in a mixed dormitory in the youth hostel in Wellington. Those of you who know me a bit better, will understand the severity of this statement. The moment I left Bulls, I felt so relieved and free and happy, I can hardly put it into words. And Wellington hasn't let me down! I'm even enjoying it now, watching the wind and the rain outside while sitting on my bunk bed writing this article.