from the week in Waikanae untill the drive up to Auckland

Just to make it a little more confusing to you... I put these pictures in a new post!! If you read the previous post first it will explain my current location and happenings ;-)
Here you go...

This was a little foto session on the beach with a German hirl I met up with. Anna, she is working here for a year as an o-pair. The family I was staying with for my first 6 weeks! I am so glad I chose this place to live! It couldnt have been better ;-)

Went to the mall with little, cool girl Maia!

My room with the king size bed and the softest matress I have ever slept in ;-)

My drive up to Auckland! I just kept thinking BEAUTIFUL !!!

My two necklaces hanging on the passenger seat... my lucky charms always with me ;-)

First day in Auckland... up on one of the countless vulcanos of Auckland...

Well... Mum! This picture is dedicated to your endless passion for the yummiest dessert on earth... Hokey Pokey Ice Cream !!! Alan and I cant wait to dig in!

It's all for a reason

Hello everyone,
finally I found some time and quicker internet to write to you and update my blog! A lot has happened since my last post. Some of you might have heard already but for those who havnt, here's the story! Well, as you know I have started my work placement mid november, at a horse ranch in New Zealand. Before hand I have been in contact with them, arranging my stay, daily activities and assignments. Once I arrived, however... things were not going as expected. The first two weeks were ok. I was settling in and being with the horses all day, bringing them in from the fields, brushing them up, taking them on a speedwalks to the beach and back were fun. being outside, with the fresh air and the great scenery around... it was fun! But since I did come here as a work placement from my uni I decided to talk to the owners to discuss the future process of my work since this could not only be what I was here for. Surprisingly, thier and my expectations went into two different directions. Weird, because we had discussed these things through email before... but ok! During our conversation we then came up with some more uni related assignments which actually seemed to be interesting. The annoying thing was however, that the hours spent on those assignments was still just too little to make it valuable for my reports and my personal development. After a while I just had the feeling that if I werent to say anything more I was going back to only groom work. And having to remind them constantly about what I had initially came for... seemed just too much of a one way communication and interest! So, after trying to improve things... but not seeing any changes... I decided to leave for good and look for a new exiting placement in New Zealand. I guess I could have stayed there for another while, but that would have just costed me time. Since work hours were very long, it only enabled me to search on the web one or two hours in the evening. And since I wasnt even paid...why stay? Funny, because the morning of my birthday I was working till midday, and then I went into the office and quit! My own birthday present for myself ;-) So, the week after I quit I still stayed at where I was living, spending the days on the internet looking around for new options and then meeting up with friends in the evening. All those days I was hoping to receive a package sent from home... unfortunately it still hasnt arrived! So, last Sunday...the 4th Advent, I packed my bags, filled up the tank and left to Auckland. It was such a beautiful drive up!!! By accident I went on a detour, but I am just soo happy that happened. It was the most beautiful stretch of the ride!
So here I am now... in Auckland with friends of my family, Alan and Carol, again sending off emails for new placements.
Tomorrow I Christmas!!! What??? I am soo not in x-mas feeling! I am walking around in shorts, flip flops and tank tops! The sun is shinning, people lying on the beach... thats not Christmas? ;-)
I am actually at work with Carol... listening to Christmas Carols with the air conditioning on, hehe... but there is a little more wintery feeling in the air!
So, the next couple of days I will stay with Alan and Carol, go up North with them on the 27th December, celebrate Christmas with thier family, look at another horse ranch there (potential placement). And then see how things go. I have a friend down South, north of of the south island... maybe go down there for new years? or back to Waikanae where I made some friends... see where it takes me ;-)

Now, here are some pictures from when i was still on the ranch until the drive up to Auckland! The pictures are in the wrong order. So, best if you start from way below. ;-)

To all of you, where ever you are... Germany, England, Holland, USA, Australia, New Zealand... and the rest of the world...
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Sophie and me in Wellington! She also quit working at the horse ranch a week before I did. And since she had a lot of stuff to take back home I offered to take her to Wellington, spend a night there, discovering its night life, sleeping in the car and then taking her to the ferry the next morning! And thats what we did! I will never forget that... it was amazing!!!

A great view over Wellington

Party time in Wellington! We went bar hoping, from one dance floor to the other! Great fun! FarOut as Soph would say ;-)

This was our cosy, little accommodation for the night! We found a great place, quiet but with people close...safe!

As you can see, the car was full!!!! This is where we got ready for the party. As my mom said: We tarted ourselves up in the car, and then hit wellington downtown with our "dancin shoes" on... hehe

I am sure that every tourist in Wellington took the same picture ;-)

On the way to Wellington! With music loud and smiling faces!

Danke Wissi. A friend made this for me. I will try to make it part of my blog layout. But till now I havnt figured that out yet;-) These were my work mates. Anna on the left, Sophie in the middle and me on the right. Enjoying the sunshine the horse fields spread out in front of us!

The ground of the horse ranch... beautiful as long it wasnt raining, hehe!

On the big stem looking over the roudn pen and the stunning scenery around me!

Horse whispering demonstration for a Christmas Party

First Kiwi News

Hello everyone,
finally I start writting in my blog. 2 weeks already passed and quite a few things happened. Lets start at the beginning. Well, first of all I had a great journey. It was pretty long but with all the movies available on the plane it wasnt too bad. Once I arrived at the Wellington airport about 30 hours after my departure in Duesseldorf, I took a transfer shuttle to the train station. There, Janine, my company supervisor, told me to catch a train to Paraparaumu. So thats what I did. The train ride was beautiful! The sun was shinning, wide green fields as far as you could see, the sea on the other side... funny how I left Germany in heavy rain and clouds and then arrived in spring sunshine! And it is still a funny feeling wearing summer cloths in November. The first couple of nights I stayed at Janines and Andrew place on the ranch. They are a couple and about three weeks ago Janine had a little baby boy called Luka. During my days there I got to know my new bosses(?) and their home on the ranch. I also met the two girls, Anna and Sophie, who also work and live on the ranch. They are both from New Zealand. Anna has already been at the ranch for over a year, Sophie started only three months ago. It is great to have their company while working!! While I was staying on the ranch, I started looking for a nice accommodation around the area as well as for a cheap car that would get me to places. On the internet I tried to bid on cars on an auction... the first one Janine and I actually wanted to go and look at. Once we got to the house, the woman tod us that her daughter is still on her way home in the car and she wouldnt be back in the next hour. A bit dissapointed we left and decided to postpone the viewing to the next day. I called them up in the morning, and guess what they said..." Sorry, but we dont want to sell the car anymore". Even more dissapointed I went back on the internet... the next car was in Wellington. To make sure it was a good car to buy, I checked it into an AA (ADAC) inspection. Well, it turned out it was a really trash car, with high risk of needing maintenance...maybe not then!!! Then, finally Janine found a really nice car, a real bargain! So, i started betting and I WON! :-) So now I am driving this really cool, automatic Toyota car, with leather seats and with 6 CD compartments... really cool cruising around with "my own" car!
The other thing I needed was a place to stay!! On the internet I found some ads for "roommates wanted" as well as in the supermarket on the notice board. So, I rang them up and luckily Andrew took me to all the viewings. Downsizing the choices, I either had the option of living with a hippi- woman, a very luxurious place with a nice room mate (but very expensive), or move into a house with a portugese woman with her two little daughters (3 and 6 years old). With her, I would only have to pay for food and babysit once in a while... doesnt sound too bad, ey? So, thats what I went for. I have been living with her now for almost two weeks and it is an adventure. Even thought I am out working all day, I do see them in the evenings. Kids are great to play with, but once they get tired, they can be hard work:-) !
Now, you are probably curious about what I do at my work and how things are going... well, at the moment I basically do groom work. I start at 7am, get horses in from the paddocks (distances are a lot bigger here than in Europe) so you actually have to walk for about 5 min. to get to some fields. Then I brush them up, feed them, take them for speed walks to the beach or through the forest, take them back out, get other ones in...etc. Its quite a bit a walking, on my feet for good 10 hours, walking around the fields up and down the hills. The first couple of days it was really hard and tiring. It still is but I have got used to the walking now. After the first two weeks I actually know how things are done and I dont have to ask what to do all the time. Which can be kinda annoying I guess. But thats how things are when you start somewhere new. Ask around for help and advice. But I am glad that I know my way around now. Everyday I learn someting more. At around lunch time, we get an hour off to have lunch and relax a bit. The two girls, anna and Sophie, just live up the road in a small bungalow. Thats where we chill a bit, chat, watch TV and rest our feet. After the hour past, we start working again. We should be finishing at 5-5.30pm, but we at the moment we still work until 6 or 7 pm. Which makes the days even longer and more tiring! After work, I then go home, have a shower, have someting to eat and basically just fall into bed at around 9-10 pm. So, as you can see I am working most of the time. This is why I havnt met a lot of people outside of work. I dont have time to join a sports club or something outside work because of the long hours. But I guess I should just try to get used to the situation and learn from it.
Monday morning, we will have a staff meeting where we will discuss the next week, whats coming up and what needs doing. Andrew said he will then introduce me to some new projects for me. I am really curious about what they are! I have also arranged another meeting with him and Janine to disscuss the regulations of my uni for the placement. Cause I cant just be doing groom work being here for my uni placement!! But I am sure we can work something out.It is really weird; on the one hand I still really have to get used to things, work and making up my mind about how things are. On the other hand it seems as if I have already been here for a long time, knowing my way around and living my day to day life! But I hope that things will turn out well and that I have made good decisions!
I am thinking about all of you at home!!!! Thank you so so much for all your "good bye-presents". They are always with me, either in my room or my car! :-)Thats all for now, still have some uni stuff to do. weekend is almost over and a next week to begin!
Sorry for not writting any private messages to you guyss, but internet is sooo slow here that it takes ages to do things! But in my mind I am with you!

As usual, con una sonrisa feliz,

Lisa

Here are just a few pics... I promise more will follow!

The front of my car with my lucky charms- on the right my gardian horse angel from my parents :-)

The fields of the ranch "Sudbury fields"

Me on the beach enjoying the sun-yes, I already have a bit of a tan and my hair is getting blonder everyday, I love it!!

This is the kind of stuff you buy around here :-)

The beach which is just a 20 minute walk from the ranch!

Like a white unic horn :-)

This was only the beginning...

Hey everyone,

so here I am on my last day in Argentina, looking back on all the incredible experiences I had. I really can`t believe that my 9 months of travelling are already over. It seems to have passed within a blink of an eye. But I can say for sure that all the people I met, the nature I discovered and the cultures I learned about were touching. I have experienced so much about myself and about my life and life in general.

The first step was to decide to actually interupt my studies, and the second step was to actually bord the plane and leave. At first it appeared scary; on my own for 9 months travelling through countries where I at first didnt even spoke the language. But at the same time I knew that it was the right decission and that I would bring me what I was looking for.

I named my blog "La viajera buscando"- The searching traveler. When I left I didnt know what I was searching for, but now my feeling tells me that I found it. Now I know what I want to do with my life. Now I can say with confidence that I am looking forward to the unknown!

Before I wanted to have clarity of what I want to achieve in life. I wanted to have a certain aim to work towards to. Now I know look at it from a different angle. Life is a big adventure that I´m looking forward to encounter.

I have decided to finish my studies in Breda. But after those two years of studying, I don´t know what will follow. And I like the idea of not knowing what there is to come. This makes it even more exciting; scary at the same time but if you take it as a challenge I´m sure it can be a lot of fun!

The world is a big playground- go and look for the thrill, go beyond your own borders and experience the excitments of life!!!

Sometimes you have to jump, leave things in your life behind to go on with your personal journey!

I did so and with no doubts I am glad to have done that. Now I am filled with new ideas and new perspectives that will help me to live my life to the fullest!

Wow, this is an intense paragraph about my travels but since it means so much to me I want to share these thoughts with you.

And to anyone who is thinking about travelling to experience more in life- Go!!

And as Nike sais it so simply: JUST DO IT!

Tonight I will start my travels back home. It is hard to say good bye to everyone here. The people I started working with on the ranch turned into being special friends!

Thanks guys for making my stay so much worth!

But at the same time I am excited about seeing all my family and friends again. It has been a long time. And happily I can say: Its time to go home!!!

I am looking forward to going home! Being with all my friends and family...huhu...it gives me butterflies in my tummy seeing all of you again ;-)

And the best thing is... there is a big party waiting for me. My Moms birthday party with the costum motto "What a wonderfull world" What a perfect timing!!!

So, here are some pictures of my stay at the ranch...enjoy and see you soon;-)

*Siempre con una sonrisa feliz*

Yes, this is concidered working ;-)

Geneva and Anthony in the corn trailer.

José the Gaucho working on a fresh cow skin

Gaizgani and Richiard partying in the club "Suett"

Us Gaucho girls on the way to the party!

Geneva giving a fongus wash to Louisdor- Of course, music is a necessity My Sweetheart Esther an me- Con una sonrisa grande ;-)

Gauhic Gregorio at work- What a working environment, he?

Louis and Linda enjoying dinner together ;-)

Another working day is almost over- last treatment with the sunset in our backs


I have never seen a "normal" sunset here- they are always breathtaking!

In the back of th pickup on the way to town- Esther, Renate, Geneva and Nabil

Believe it or not, I assisted with a cow being skinned. To be honest, it wasnt as gross as I thought it would be!

These are my bracelets I collected during my travels- They all have a little story to tell...

Anthony enjoying his last REAL Argentininen steak- Enjoy Buddy!

Big kisses from Gaizgani and Esther- I love you too, chicas!

Isnt that an amazing sunrise???

Morning ride with the Gauchos- off to herd some cattle...I love it!

El Altillo, I will miss you!!!

El Altillo-

Bareback riding... out in the fields, listening to my music and enjoying the sunny beautiful day!

This was on a day out to the National Park Pelligrini. Tranquility and a lot of wild life!

What a wonderful day!

These are the other volunteers:

Esther(front left),Katie next to me and Anthony! What a team;-)

Out with the Gaucho Gregorio. Believe me...going out with the Gauchos is just like in the movies!

I love it!

Rounding up the cattle and bringing them up to the ranch... a life time experience!

Gracias para este experiencia de mi vida!!!

Out in town having a meal with every one...and suddenly we were surrounded by all these chicos! This one is my little cuty ;-)
Out riding with Esther and Anthony. And these sunsets we have every single evening. I am still astonished my the beauty!!!

Out partying in town. My roomy Esther and Anthony the English man ;-)