fragmented

....this is going to be nonsensical at times but i'll TRY to type it out. i'm overwhelmed and dont really feel like typing about it because there's so much, but i want to tell YOU and hear from you too. i dont really have any pictures yet so i realize that only a very few brave souls will traverse the winding letters that make up this entry, but so be it!

The flights were fine. I wrote below about my flight across the US, mostly about the time we were over Arizona (i think, i imagine) when i could see the ground and the clouds were sparse. The flight the Auckland was delayed over an hour, and when i got here they had lost my luggage....... which i still dont have. but they gave me a $100 allowance ($64 USD equivalent) so i got toiletries and one outfit. i already have great ideas for things to bring back as cheap/free souvenirs :)

i saw a peacock! walking around. hanging out in the big national park on the end of the peninsula. wait till i get some pictures......... you wont believe it. it is so much more beautiful here than i could have imagined. driving from here to there, i get the most beautiful views, water on each side. the peninsula is much larger than i had believed it to be but in it's relative immensity it is all the more gorgeous. and it's so clean! same with auckland. everywhere, i havent seen a place yet which is dirty or even "normal"... everything is bright and green. yesterday it rained 7 times by my count, so that explains a bit of the lush appearance ;) yesterday i had a few chunks of time to myself in the city (outskirts of auckland) and i walked around alone, feeling fully safe and loving the rolling hills that the city is built upon. it was more suburby than cityish, where i was. but i am struck by the clean state of everywhere i've been.
in Whangaparaoa (pronounced Fawhng-ah-pah-roh-ah), where i'm living with Mandy and the kids, there are so many houses but i dont feel crowded. there are palm trees and grass and bushes and other trees everywhere. on the very end of the peninsula is Shakespear Park, as mentioned above. it's this vast expanse of hilly, green area, surrounded of course by water, with beaches and filled with livestock (horses, sheep, cows) and birds milling about. i've only been there once so far, but there will be more to say about it once i start spending time there. it is breathtaking.

i drove today. i've been here just over 24 hours, and i am already driving. oh man, it was nerve-wrecking. i start my actual "job" tomorrow, which entails almost NOTHING, so today was a practice/hang out day. Mandy is so excited to show me everything here. anyhow, i drove an automatic (THANK THE LORD) on the right side of the car on the left side of the road. oh and get this- if i'm turning left (it's like taking a right turn in the states- turning onto the same side of the road) and a car coming in the other direction is making the same turn, i have to yield to them! isnt that backwards? but it's good to know because it could cause issues. later today i have to drive in Auckland... slightly nerve-wrecking to say the least. it's the biggest city in NZ!

i had a new type of fruit called feijoa (fee-ju-wah)... which tastes like nothing i've had, really. it's equally sweet and tart, and you eat it in the same way you'd eat kiwi fruit.

i am not very tired and i am not homesick yet. i still cant believe that this is my home for THREE WHOLE MONTHS. the accents here make me continually happy.

the kids! i havent even mentioned them really yet. i'm scattered. rebecca, caleb, and josiah are completely friendly and excited for me to be here, not timid at all. rebecca has already proclaimed her love for me, and josiah is smart and polite, a good older brother. caleb has a wide beautiful smile and i know i will have a good time being goofy and having fun with him. we havent all really done much together, just milled about the house. tomorrow, like i said, i'll start being in charge of them.

oh, by the way... i'm 8 hours "behind" EST (a day ahead) or 16 (not 18 as previously stated) hours ahead.

the family doesnt eat much cheese- talk about being placed with the RIGHT FAM. hahaha. they eat a lot of curry, which is DIVINE. i'm so happy about that. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

You know how people dream in French or Spanish? i dreamed in a New Zealand accent last night... everyone in my dream had an accent :)

there's a spattering of what i've been experiencing here. i need to go, but i'll take some pictures and write more when i can. i'm having a staring contest with a beautiful little kiwi girl who is gaping at me across the table, wide-eyed, and not talking to me (mandy's neighbor and her daughter are visiting)........ love and blessings to each of you.