4.10.2011

A friend in need is a friend indeed

One of the splendid aspects of our sabbatical are great people we have been meeting in the countries visited so far.

In my previous post I mentioned the difficulty of camping in cold spring of New Zealand. Owing to Providence again we have come across people thanks to whom we are able to have a more genuine and pleasant stay in New Zealand. Quite unexpectedly we got to the house of Ian, located half an hour drive south of Auckland. Thanks to his hospitality for a few days we have a solid roof over our heads and warm beds with, what the whole family enjoys in particular, heated matresses.

Staying at somebody else’s place is always some unknown for both sides. Yet again we hit it off with our host from the very beginning. Despite generational and cultural differences we all have great relationship with Ian, our host. From our part we want to contribute something to this cozy and very tidy place. Ania, having a well equipped kitchen with a full pantry, cooks deliciously. It is an enormous pleasure for the whole family and the host. Myself, I also get back to the good old days by expermenting with new dishes. Seeing fresh mussles in a supermarket I could not resist to prepare them in white wine sauce. Though it was my first attempt at this recipe, it came out very well! I will not mention a long list of dishes, pies and pastries prepared by Ania, sometimes with little Wojtus’s help. She does all of this despite being quite busy with homeschooling. Ania is just great at juggling many things!

It seems as if we have known Ian for years. Wojtus shoots from a BB gun with him, little Ania presents her new clothing designs for her dolls, big Ania rules with Ian in the kitchen. Ian does not anybody do the dishes saying that he does not want to be jobless in his house .

		At Ian’s place WYŚWIETL POKAZ SLAJDÓW POBIERZ WSZYSTKIE

I enjoy conversations with Ian, with whom I share many passions such as aviation and generally the knowledge about the world. Thanks to him we learn many interesting things about New Zealand and experience authentic life here. Through Ian we also meet other people. Here I will just mention two connisseurs and constructors of various vehicles as well as avid speedway fans, i.e. Tim and his father Ivan. In their garage we saw a racing speed car called Midget made by them as well as vintage Indian motocycles. Those of you who have seen the movie The World’s Fastest Indian about a great individual named Burt Monroe (played by Anothny Hopkins) beating speed records on an Indian bike, know what I am talking about. Burt Munro was from New Zealand so everything meshes together nicely.

In a nutshell, we are having a splendid time here and regret having to leave soon. As the old Polish adage goes “do not overstay your welcome, where they like you”.

People we meet in our journey hearing about our sabbatical often ask about our favorite places so far. We often struggle giving definite answers. Writing this post I just realized why it is so. For us the people we meet and make friends with have greater value than places we see.  El Porvenir (Honduras), Calgary i North Delta (Canada), Morgan Hill (USA), Vunimaquo (Fiji) or Waiuku (New Zealand) are all locations that might not seem extraordinary for many. Thanks to friendships made and people we met  for us they are very memorable.

Video:

Cooking at Ian’s_video

Gramofon_video

Midget_video

Indian motor bikes and more_video

Shooting_video

Strawberries_video