Do more than survive

My freshman year of college, I was assigned to write a reflection on a song that I resonated with. I chose to complete the assignment using the song Vanilla Pines by Tow’rs – unfamiliar to many but oh so significant to me. Mainly because of the chorus:

“Let’s light this house on fire
Four walls bound us no longer
We dance in the warmth of it’s blaze
Stand tall like vanilla pines
Everyday is another try to choose to do more than survive
We could do more than survive”

Accompanied by soulful swelling harmonies, theres something truly meaningful to me in these lyrics. To this day, the words continue to have a deeper meaning to me – most recently under the context of my time studying abroad.

Nearly three months ago, I found myself cruising 32,000 feet above the pale blue dot (see previous post), heading home after four months of my greatest journey yet. I was overcome with so many emotions that I truly didn’t know what to feel. Upon arriving home, this confusion persisted. Although the preparations to go abroad are seemingly endless, I don’t think there is any way one could truly prepare for re-entry. To put it briefly – it’s hard.

For me, I found the familiarity of home after months of continuous new places and experiences to be both comforting yet discouraging at the same time. While feeling immense pressure to shape my extravagant experiences abroad into my life back home, some days the most I could bring myself to do was scroll through my camera roll and play fetch with my dogs. Words that truly encapsulated the experience were hard for me to find, and I began to withdraw from attempting to search for them.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing better than family, and the comfort of home is such a blessing. The truth is, I am so fortunate to know a world beyond this. So many people simply do not have the opportunity to experience travel like I have. No chance to see the beauty beyond the blue, or the value in straying away from all things familiar and comfortable. This truth is reason to a large part of the pressure I was feeling.

So where in the world am I going with all of this? To be honest, I’m still navigating. Still trying to color my current season of life with that of my most recent experiences. But aren’t we all? With that said, a simple six words (or lyrics) have helped me through a lot of this navigating. Choose to do more than survive.

With these six words, I believe the most mundane moments of our lives can be turned into something truly magnificent. I encourage you to hold these words close, even just for a day. Choosing to do more than survive means something different for everyone. For some, travel is at the heart of these words. For others, faith. Professions, passions, and actions… so many things can be placed as a response to this call for action and really, life. Whatever it may mean to you, I hope you see the beauty in living with this truth – I certainly have.

I don’t believe my time and experiences abroad would be nearly special if they lasted for a prolonged period of time. In the words of a great artist, “finitude is what makes life sweet”. Life is a gift. A finite journey. May we all choose to do more than survive, embracing the journey we call life.

After a long, challenging, yet refreshing three months home, I have finally found the inspiration to write this final post. Although not what I had originally intended, I wouldn’t want to conclude my takeaways of my journey abroad any other way. For those considering going abroad, may I give my simple resounding advice (condensing those six words into two) – do it.

If you exit this browser taking away anything, may it be to remember those six words. In times of trouble, joy, and everything in between. Life is short, and the world is wide. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for following along on this journey of mine.

Until next time,

Grace

For everything there is a season. Hunting with dad.
Back to the Appalachians.
A sure sign of home – Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).
Two tree-mendous pups.
Best workplace ever.
My backyard for the spring semester. Raystown Field Station.

The pale blue dot

I sit here in the Brisbane, Australia airport, my body functioning on wee hours of sleep, caffeine, and the grace of God writing these words with a heart heavy from goodbyes. I have just left my home for the past four months, but it feels like so much more, and I can’t help but think about why…

Scrolling through my camera roll of photos and videos by the thousands, I am instantly reminded of how valuable my time here has been. The lessons learned, adventures had, memories made, and people I’ve met have all been to simply put it, so good.

Among all of these things, there is however, one that I’ve found to mean so much more… it’s the people. I’ve come to realize that without the right people around you, the most beautiful places in the world can still leave an emptiness in your heart. Although leaving people that have genuinely filled your heart may seem to create similar feelings of emptiness, I believe at the root they are truly different. What a blessing it is to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

Time with these people has come and gone, maybe even just as quickly as I packed up my room last night in the few hours between my last final exam and airport shuttle pickup (thanks to the help of some awesome friends). The expression “time flies” truly has a new meaning for me, and I find myself wrestling with the concept quite often – now more than ever. These thoughts usually conclude with me wishing for more time. But I have also come to understand that finitude is actually what makes life sweet. How good is that?

Recently I came across a song that features a deep reflection on time. Earth is referred to as “the pale blue dot”, and no matter how many times I listen, the words continue to move me. Among them include the following…

“So here we are, on this pale blue dot. Tiny specs of dust coming into existence for a moment. Hurling through space and time, only to flicker back out after a few moments. These moments, these are all we have in this life”.

That dot is here. It’s home. It’s us. All the people we love and know, all of our joy and suffering, pain and passion, and life as we know it exist on this pale blue dot. “A mode of dust suspended in a sunbeam”. This can be scary, but it can also be revitalizing. It’s certainly scary making friends oceans away to only leave them in a few short months. But it’s also revitalizing to know that we all share the same pale blue dot, orbiting 93 million miles away from the sun.

The world is big, but it’s not that big. People come and go, some intentionally, others by life or distance, but I truly believe we find ways to stick around the people that make us feel most alive, as long as we’re able to recognize who they are. As I finish this post, my words slowly begin to turn into late night thoughts, and my body aches for sleep. I could say more about people and our time on the pale blue dot… but I suppose that’s for another time.

If you’ve read this far, thanks for bearing with my heavy contemplations. Writing these blog posts has been a joy, especially hearing what others have taken away. This post is a bit different. A bit more personal, and in all honesty, a bit more for myself (although every inch of my intentions is always to offer new perspectives through sharing experiences). So thank you. Thank you for investing your time into reading someone else’s thoughts from living life on the pale blue dot that we share together. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

For those who are curious, the song is called Vapor (A Meditation) by The Liturgists.

As you might’ve guessed, I’ve run out of time to write posts on many topics I still would love to share. Upon arriving back home I plan to continue my reflections for at least one or two more posts. Life is something truly special, and I think our moments are worth sharing. To all my friends and family back home, I can’t wait to catch up and hear all about yours!

With a grateful heart,

Grace

One of the sweetest souls I’ve been lucky enough to cross paths with during my time here.

New Zealand is one of the first to see the sun rise on this pale blue dot. That’s pretty special if you ask me.

Kiwi lingo: A beginner’s guide

It’s been a while! After nearly a month of final assignments, adventures and more I am back and feeling more insightful than ever… lots to share before I leave!

Choosing to study abroad in a country that primarily speaks my “mother tongue”, I used to feel some guilt for not broadening my language horizons. This has since been disproved by exposure to the Māori language, something I was not aware of prior to my arrival, but kiwi lingo has also played a role in adding to my English dictionary! Over the past 3.5 months (!) I’ve been adding to a note on my phone titled “kiwi lingo”. I’ve given some thought on how to share everything I’ve picked up, and settled on a top 10 list with examples of how each would be used in kiwi context (trust me some of them need examples). Here it goes…

Kia ora – Māori for hello, cheers, good luck, best wishes, but most familiar as a greeting. You’ll hear this one a lot. How to use: Kia ora! How are you?
Ka pai – Māori for good. Can be a statement substitute for “good work” or asked as a question like you would with “all good?”. How to use: Ka pai? Ka pai! Ka pai. Hard to put this one in a sentence… usually it stands alone
Keen – Fellow Americans will hear this every once in a while, but nothing compares to the kiwi use of keen. How to use: Are you keen for some fish and chips on the beach?
Reckon – So easy to pick up and so versatile. How to use: Do you reckon the All Blacks will win the Rugby World Cup?
As/Sweet as – Kiwis love to add “as” to many of their expressions. “Sweet as” is one of the most beloved, and is used to describe something that is awesome but also used when there’s no problem. How to use: Those are some sweet as shoes!; Sorry for the late as reply; That was a mean as mince and cheese pie
Choice – Another substitute for cool or awesome. “As” can be added after this one too. How to use: It was choice (as) getting to know you!
True – Expression used in agreement or intermittently conversation. How to use: Friend: I met your cousin the other day You: Ah true!
Good on ya – Used similarly to good for you, well done, etc. How to use: Friend: I aced my exam! You: Good on ya!
Surely – Used to express confidence or assurance in something. How to use: Surely we can make it in time for sunset.
Heaps – A lot/lots. How to use: There are heaps of sheep in New Zealand.

While we’re at it… here’s a quick vocab list of some other fun kiwi slang for your next beach trip:

chilly bin (cooler)
the boot (back of the car/ trunk)
jandals (flip flops)
togs (swimsuit)

Fish and chips shared with friends on one of the many beautiful black sand beaches of the west coast.
Raglan, New Zealand

Special mentions:

She’ll be right – It will be okay; not a problem
Yeah nah/ Nah yeah – the last word of the phrase is what you focus on here
Eh/aye – commonly used as an alternative to the question tag “right?”
Chur – This versatile word can be attached to another word or used by itself. It can mean sweet, awesome, yeah, good, cool, cheers.
The bush – NZ woods
Gumboots – kiwi rainboots
Crack up – funny
Kai – Māori for food

Sheep that were part of some sweet as south island tramping (hiking).
Mince and cheese pie with a view. Choice.
I reckon fish and chips taste better with good company and good views.

I’ve found the lingo heaps of fun to attempt to use or simply just listen to, and it can easily add so much more character to conversations! Although you might not plan to use these terms anytime soon (if you do, good on ya), hopefully you’ve found a new appreciation for Aotearoa (Māori for New Zealand).

Kiwi lingo is such a fun element of the unique New Zealand culture I’ve gotten to know and love these past few months. It will be bittersweet leaving come the end of this month, but I’ll back again someday.

Cheers,

Grace

A place to stand

In all honesty, prior to arriving in New Zealand, I knew little about the Māori culture. The only thing I really knew was the 10 second elevator speech I had formed in response to the question “what classes will you be taking?”. After listing off “An Introduction to the Māori World”, I explained that Māori are the indigenous Polynesian settlers of New Zealand, and this course would hopefully give me a glimpse into their culture. Indeed it has.

Between this course, everyday living experiences, coupled with a recent “Noho Marae” stay, I feel as though my time in Aotearoa (the Māori word for New Zealand), has been enriched with a better understanding and appreciation for Māori culture. Like any culture, so many elements, large and small, contribute to make up the greater whole. Impossible to cover everything, this post is dedicated to giving a glimpse into the culture by highlighting elements seen as crucial components to the backbone of Māori traditions and world views.

From a Māori perspective, everything in the world is interconnected and related through whakapapa, or genealogy. Whakapapa is a cornerstone to Māori people which permeates across all aspects of their culture, connecting everything back to their gods. Traditionally hunters, gatherers, and farmers, Māori are a people extremely connected to their earth, and the places and tribes which they come from. This is reflected through many things, but most traditionally expressed through your pepeha, or formal introduction. Last weekend I had the opportunity to do an overnight stay at a Marae, which is a space in Māori culture dedicated for carrying out ceremonies, celebrations, and cultural practices. Among the tasty traditional food cooked underground (known as “hangi”), song, and games, we also learned how to construct our own pepeha. Mine went like this…

Constructing my pepeha got me thinking a lot about home. Even further, about what Māori call tūrangawaewae, or standing ground. Similarly, in the beginning of the semester I had to create a presentation about my identity, including pictures of the people, places, and Appalachian mountains I call home. This eastern perspective has revealed to me just how important the places we come from are in shaping our identity. For Māori, it is typically the mountain, river/lake/sea, canoe (to Polynesians this is very important), founding ancestor, tribe, sub-tribe, marae, and region that is associated – but your standing ground is not limited to this. Whether it be a mountain, cityscape, desert, ocean, or really anything, Māori view you based on the places you come from.

https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?keywords=turangawaewae

Studying abroad has taught me a LOT of things so far, but I’ll dedicate a post for that later. One of the biggest things it has given me is a new appreciation of my home, more importantly, my standing ground. Those ridge and valley Appalachians I call home hold my heart. There’s almost nothing better than crossing over the Lehigh river after time away at college, looking up to the slopes it once carved into Blue mountain. I am proud of where I come from, and I feel these landmarks to truly be my tūrangawaewae. With that said, I must not forget about the people I come from. To me, family is also oh so important to my identity. They have grown me both literally and figuratively, and can be the most mobile “home” I know.

Not only have I learned so much about the rich culture that represents the roots of New Zealand through lessons and experiences, but I have been encouraged to think about and appreciate my own roots from a new and valuable perspective. To those supportive readers who have gotten this far, thank you. If you haven’t already, I strongly recommend pondering your own roots in such a way. If you’re not sure how, take a trip to your local landmarks – whatever they may be. Far from home? Dig up some old photos or phone a family member. Whatever your roots may be, I encourage you to never forget to dig them up every once in a while – after all, those very roots are what you’ve grown from.

If you’re interested in creating your own pepeha, the link below provides a fantastic service to help you do just that- and even provides a free jpeg image of your final result! https://pepeha.nz/start-pepeha.html

Cheers,

Grace

Papa O Te Aroha Marae, Tokoroa, New Zealand
Preparing the hangi. Three hours later we had an amazing meal in front of us!
Sleeping “Marae style”. Best sleepover venue ever.
Sidewalk stickers on campus that help you prepare your pepeha! Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori language week) occurred last week, which is a time dedicated to the celebration, promotion and encouragement of the Māori language in NZ.

I would like to especially thank my Māori professor, Rangi Matamua for his dedication to so passionately sharing his culture with the world.

A rolling stone

“A rolling stone gathers no moss” said my mom, as we hiked through the lush beech forest, carpeted with moss and ferns of all types. I was quite puzzled by this expression, and she explained that the old proverb refers to people who are always moving, with no roots in one place or another, to be avoiding responsibilities and cares. However, the common modern meaning turns this around to suggest that a person must stay active to avoid stagnation. To be always moving or rolling in this case, is a good thing. Just keep moving and you will gather no moss.

*Marveling with mom at those gathering moss.*
*Photo credit: Claire Lewis*

Recently, mid semester break has allowed me to be a rolling stone. After a week of traveling with family and now nearing a week of traveling with friends, my mind is on the move. Free from the structure of academia and some everyday responsibilities has been a treat. In combination with new places, perspectives, and experiences, the past two weeks on the island have been unique of my abroad experience so far. Much of my travels have been spent on the South Island, where I’ve spent time in National Parks such as Fiordland, Mount Aspiring, and Westland Tai-Poutini. Pristine glacial lakes, gorging rivers, plummeting waterfalls, and towering mountains (the Southern Alps) have been a large component of the views out my car window. But this is not without the lush green “bush” full of tree ferns, or long stretches of paddocks filled with red deer, sheep, cows, and the occasional alpaca that add a classic kiwi charm. I’ve also been lucky to have gotten some glimpses of ocean! New Zealand is so vastly diverse. I feel quite spoiled with all of these views, and am enjoying every minute of the adventure.

But a rolling stone gathers no moss. Although these two weeks of traveling have been exceptionally amazing, all good things must come to an end. As attractive as it may seem, the nomad life doesn’t exactly suit me. Responsibilities await me back in Hamilton but so do some amazing people among so many other good things. On the other hand, with respect to the more modern take on the expression, it has been so good to move. To walk, explore, capture, and write freely. To see the beautiful country I am lucky enough to be studying in! Stagnation is hard to encounter, while opportunity for growth and development is easy find. All of it has been so so good.

So I suppose this brings the question: to grow moss or not? I’ve pondered this thought throughout my trip, and I don’t believe there’s a right or wrong answer. Even if it’s not moss, as long as you keep growing through what you’re going through, grow on. I will say, if you’re looking for a change of pace, a road trip may be a perfect way to do just that.

Cheers,

Grace

Traveling into the “heart of Fiordland National Park”, Milford Sound.
Some fur seals napping before their feed.
The Southern Alps have been in sight nearly every day of my travels… hard to leave and easy to miss.
Roy’s Peak was truly a one of a kind hike. We began the uphill trek through plenty of paddocks, transitioned into tussock and mud, then snow and the summit!
Franz Josef Glacier; ice that brought me to tears.
Plenty of glacial lakes were passed along the way, making the perfect leg stretch stop.
Lambs that watched us explore Elephant Rocks, a scene well-known for being featured in Narnia.
The friends that I’ve been lucky to have shared this past week with 🙂

Sun showers & rainbows

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows… You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.”

The well-embraced words of Rocky Balboa have become unexpectedly relevant to my time abroad so far, especially this past week. But not so much from the “hard-knock life” perspective. In fact, my week was full of sun showers (a new vocabulary word I’ve picked up here) and rainbows quite literally. Although I must confess – I don’t recommended last minute lab reports. I’ve learned my lesson… I’ll leave it at that.

Compared to what I’m used to, it rains a lot here. One minute the sun is shining, and the next the sun is still shining… but its pouring down rain! Sun showers have become an almost daily experience here and are truly a sight to see. They never last long though, and are much better for the soul than a cloudy rainy day in my opinion. It just goes to show you how deceiving the weather can be!

In the past 3 days I’ve seen 5 rainbows. For a kiwi I suppose this may not be a lot, as I felt like a rainbow tourist for all the pictures I took on a class field trip over the weekend. But to me that’s incrazing (shout out to my best friend Katia for so cleverly coming up with this word)! There’s a lot of science to rainbows, but to keep it short – it has to do with moisture particles. Also, nobody can see the exact rainbow you can, because how you see it is dependent upon the exact place you’re standing.

A typical Tuesday sun shower in Orchard Park.
After a long Friday, coming home to this rainbow was the perfect reminder of the weekend awaiting (& more rainbows)!
Rainbow number 2, somewhere en route to Tauranga.
Rainbow number 3, Pilot Bay, Tauranga.
Rainbow number 4, somewhere en route to Shelly Bay.
Rainbow number 5, Shelly bay sand flats, & a great way to end a Sunday.

In his famous line, Rocky goes on to say: “But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward.”

From my experience, no matter how many times we try to be fearless of the weather ahead, it does have an influence. On our plans, our moods, and sometimes whether we’ll be taking an involuntary shower when we choose to go outside (I fell victim to this today on my walk to church). The thing is, we do not have control over the weather – whether you like it or not. As my nana always says: “there’s nothin’ you can do about the weather, its the only weather we’ve got”.

So where am I going with all of this? Wherever you are reading this from, however you may be feeling, whatever your weather… I hope you know even though the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, it is full of weather. Whatever the weather – the storms, the rain, the sun showers; we must go through in order to get those rainbows. Life can hit you hard (so can rain), but your rainbow awaits. Take that rain, and keep moving forward.

Cheers,

Grace

Settling in: grow those roots

Kia ora! After some time spent away from the blog, I’m ready to write. The past three weeks have truly been full of new experiences, places, and people. I know, what an original statement! But it’s true. These weeks have also been a time of settling in. Settling into my living space, my new “uni”, and what will become the new ordinary for the next four months.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have done a good bit of traveling in recent years. With that said, this travel experience is unlike any other. Never have I spent more than 4 weeks in a country- let alone 4 months. This is a temporary home. Living out of a suitcase is no longer acceptable, budgeting feels ever so important, and there is pressure to make roots that will sustain your growth for the months to come. What might I perceive those figurative “roots” to be? Well, the friends I make now are likely to be some of the people I make my greatest study abroad memories with. The spaces I choose to spend my time in are likely to be where I picture myself when I think back on this experience. The routines and habits I develop now are likely to stick with me in the months ahead. This unfamiliar place must become familiar. It is my new home. I must grow some roots.

It is so easy to fall idle to this pressure, especially if you’re an introverted over thinker like me. So, here are some takeaway tips I’ve found useful throughout this settling in, root-growing process…

Find a safe space and make it your own. This will likely be your room, for me it is. Some posters, a handful of polaroids from home, twine, and sticky tack have helped make my room into one of my favorite spaces here… but don’t worry I’m doing my best not to be a hobbit!
Be prepared to talk about yourself. People want to get to know you just as much as you want to know them!
Say yes. Whatever the activity, no matter how much you would like to substitute “no thanks” into the offer, choose to say yes. I have yet to be disappointed from using this simple strategy, and have met some amazing people along the way.
Keep a journal. Starting from the ground up with just a head on your shoulders and a suitcase calls for some record keeping! It’s also a great way to track your development throughout the process.
Be honest. To an extent, being friendly is a key to making new friends. But while you’re out there meeting these awesome people, be sure you’re honest with yourself. Remembering your values and what makes you happy is so important.

Pieces of home and a map of my new one.
My loyal camera, Lucy.
Birds of PA and a fishing astronaut, courtesy of the campus magazine.

I understand that these tips may not apply to the entire audience of this post, so thank you for reading this far if that’s you. However, regardless of your life season or take on studying abroad, I hope that these tips might help you navigate new situations even the slightest bit better… they sure have for me. Grow those roots!

Cheers!

A native Tui bird perched next to a common campus walkway. It’s easier to hear one of these birds than see them, notable by their distinctive & gorgeous song.

Kia Ora! Day 3 in NZ

Kia Ora! This is a Māori-language greeting which has entered New Zealand English I have become instantly familiar with. It translates literally as “have life”, “be well”, or “be healthy”, and is used as an informal greeting equivalent to “hi” or “hello”.

Today officially marks my third day in New Zealand. Much has happened and been learned since I said goodbye to the states. To sum it all up…

I’ve never ran faster in my life to catch a connecting flight
14 hours on a plane go by quickly if you’re able to sleep
Although I made my connecting flight, my bag did not
I became familiar with the New Zealand equivalent of Walmart, “The Warehouse” quite quickly (always pack an extra pair of clothes in your carry on my friends!)
It’s winter here, but green is still in! (The sun sets at 5pm)
I’ve found a church (and some lovely people)!
Calling back into time kind-of exists (thank you, 16 hour time difference)
Air New Zealand/Star Alliance provides great customer service
My bag hopped on the next flight over the sea and was returned to me!
I’ll be getting a taste of bigger campus living this semester!
The nature here is SO diverse
Swiss chard makes for a nice city landscaping scene

If you can’t sleep… Air New Zealand has the entire collection of Lord of The Rings!
The Warehouse
Sunset 0ver one of the three lakes at my “Uni”
Thank you Arise church for giving me what I didn’t know I needed.
As much as I enjoy the concept of minimalism, this was a happy day.
Big wall & big campus
Peruvian lily
California Redwoods have a big presence here!
Swiss chard and cars (driving on the opposite side)

Orientation begins tomorrow. Classes start Monday. I still have more settling in to do, much to learn, and a world of new experiences awaiting. This is my first blog post of many, and I hope you’ll follow along on this journey of mine!