KiwiLAND...

Oh where to start. Days are going by really fast now and I’m getting closer to the last home stretch here in Kiwiland. I really don’t have a taste for thinking about it. Being here for nearly 4 months has really widened my view on things. Before coming here, I been going with the flow of completing high school, applying to college, choosing a degree, and enjoying life inter-dependently with financial help from my parents until I take that next big step. Honestly, I was just going to apply for an internship and work for a few years until I gain motivation to proceed further through grad school or what not.


Now I have no idea what my plans are. I have met so many people over here and learned so much already. Makes me want to strive for more! I am not limited to a single place. There is a much larger world out there. Sorry this is sounding a bit cheesy. True story though; I want to travel. I want to put myself in uncomfortable settings. I want to continue my sensation seeking and appreciation for every waterfall (which is 14, I believe), sea creature, foreign meal, unfamiliar activity, & language barrier. I want to find more secret nooks like ‘hot n colds’ and the Lalumano village in Samoa.
Why settle for merely what is in front of you? There is so much more to experience! Call me greedy, but I’d say it’s a personal choice. I really enjoy change and the challenge of adapting to them. For example, staying with a Samoan family in Apia and sharing apathy with their tsunami tragedy. Or going to an all Maori party and attempting to blend in.


On a larger scale, adjusting to life in another country and picking up on their slang has really propped open the window for me. And I don’t want to leave this beautiful country. It’s like an extended summer camp. You’re nerves are squirming around when you arrive but by final week, you don’t want it to end! I miss everyone back home heaps and am happy to be home just in time for the holidays, but I’m savoring every day left in my favorite little island! In the mean time, I am throwing aside the departure clock and absorbing KiWiLand! This will explain my absence on Skype and Facebook lately. Fair enough?


Alright back to living… you do the same!
Peace n’ Love, JiLL Krazy

tragic tsunami

Alright Alright... You caught me. Haven't posted on here in a while. Leave it to me to update you guys when something bad comes a long. I'm really concerned at the moment. At around 7am this morning, an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 8.3 struck off of Samoa. This triggered a tsunami waring through out the Islands and the coastlines of New Zealand. It was all so unexpected and happened so fast that before Samoan residents and vacationers had a chance, it had made its way up the south eastern shores terring apart the country. They are estimating well over 100 deaths at the moment: men, women, and children. Houses, Resorts, Fales, and pretty much anything resting on the beautiful picturesque coasts were picked up and shattered. I

t really worries me because I know many of the villagers didn't have much to begin with. Now what have they? Losing family members and all they have; within minutes. What also worries me is all of the people I had come close to while in Samoa, just 4 weeks ago. The tsunami plowed through Lalomanu, one of the places we stayed and grew close to. With emotions flowing, I scrambled through my journals to find Silia's (my good samoan friend from the area) contact information. I tried phoning her through skype and sent out an email to the Taufua beach fale resort, but no replies. :( I have a feeling all of the power is out and it is just a disaster over there.

What really gets me is that newspapers here in New Zealand and online sources only seem to be worried about their 1 or two missing Kiwi vacationers and pay little attention to the big picture. Rescue officials are estimating A HUNDRED deaths! (bodies washing up under palm trees and houses just gone). I'm exhausted and can't type anymore, however please keep SAMOA and the rest of the pacific islands in your prayers! in the meantime, I will keep checking my email for a safe reply back from my village friend.