Moriguchi City Office, General Affairs Dept., Contract Division
My valuable homestay experiences in New Zealand caused me to reflect upon the view of life I have had up until this point in my life. I was able to live in the homes of the local people, feel the true lifestyle of New Zealanders, and experience things that normal tourists are unable to experience. Now, as I sit at my word processor typing this article, I can see the Big Dipper in the night sky, and I am filled with puzzling emotions as I seem to be hallucinating about the wonderfui Southern Cross I saw while gazing into the night sky in New Zealand.
Mosgiel
On May 9, with a feeling of expectation and a bit of apprehension, I entered the quiet, beautiful city of Mosgiel (pop. 10,000) for my first homestay. My host family consisted of two people, Kees (74) and Coe (72), who are enjoying their retirement together. They get along wonderfully, and when I saw how considerate they were toward each other, I felt a bit envious of such a marriage relationship. My wife's face came to mind as I thought, "If only we could have such a relationship ..."
Kees and Coe immigrated to New Zealand from Holland during World War II, when the Germans advanced into Holland, and I heard from them how terrible it was at that time. Kees talked about his being sent to Indonesia towards the end of the war. He even had one of the Japanese army's treasured possessions a Japanese flag. He said that it was given to him by a friend, and that it was a waste for him to have it, so he gave it to me to bring back to Japan and give to the rightful owner if I could find him. If not, he said I should donate it to some war memorial museum, so I brought it back with me. As a member of the generation that has no recollection of the war, I have taken the peace of Japan for granted, but through my talking with Kees and Coe, I realized that I need to think about and appreciate more how grateful I should be for the peace we now enjoy. Also, I felt very keenly the responsibility we of this generation have to make sure that there is never another war.
That night, we went to see a rugby match, and I was really excited since it was the first time for me to attend a rugby match. As you know, New Zealand is the world's most rugby-crazy nation. It was really great to be able to see the match live, to see the pregame ceremony and to experience the noise and excitement of everyone cheering on their team. It is impossible to discuss New Zealand without talking about rugby. Wherever we went, we found grass rugby fields, and the stores were filled with rugby jerseys. One of our team members, Yoshi Ninagawa, used to play rugby, and he was the most popular member of our team in New Zealand! Unfortunately, the local team lost the match, but everyone was satisfied and enjoyed the match. I felt that this was one point that made New Zealanders different from the Japanese when their team loses a baseball game, the Japanese react much differently.
After the game, we returned home where Kees gave me a video tape of the game we had just seen (he had set his video deck to record it while we were away). I was again impressed by his kindness and tenderheartedness.
Milton Rotary Club meeting
In the afternoon of May 12, we drove to our first New Zealand Rotary Club meeting, which was about one hour away to the south in a town called Milton. Milton is a small town with a population of about 2,000. The meeting started at 6:30 (unlike here in Japan), and for about 30 minutes everyone stood around talking and drinking beer and other beverages. Afterwards, there was a buffet-style dinner, and the meeting began after that. What was very interesting for me was the ceremony in which the emcee collects money (small change) after learning about the experiences of the members during the past week. For example, who had the best golf score this week, or whose dog had puppies. These people would then have to contribute some money when their names were called. It was a very interesting and exquisite experience for me. I have been able to attend two RC meetings in Japan, and I was a bit confused at first by the difference between them and what we experienced in New Zealand. All the clubs we visited had the same style as this first one. I gave my first presentation in English at this meeting, and although I was really scared, it went all right.
At the end of the meeting, we exchanged club banners, and we wrote "Thank you" in Japanese on some colored Japanese paper we had brought with us, and got each of our team members to sign it. We then gave this paper to the club. This was very well received, and we did it at all the meetings we attended.
My time in Mosgiel was very short, just 4 days, but Kees and Coe did so many things for me. They did too many things to mention, including helping me with my poor English and even washing my underwear! And later, they came all the way to Dunedin to see our presentation at the district conference. I am so grateful to them for all they did.
I wish I could tell you about all the host families I stayed with, but it would get too long. So, I will only mention those homestays which lasted for 3 or more nights.
Timaru
After spending two nights in Oamaru and one night in Waimate, we went to Timaru on May 16, and stayed with David, who is living alone because his wife is in the hospital. He is retired, and appears to be about 65 years old. I was a bit surprised to hear that he was going ahead with the homestay even though his wife was in the hospital, and I was much obliged to him as he prepared all the meals and did the laundry. I stayed with him for 5 nights, and everything went smoothly. Since David is president of the Timaru RC, he was very busy with Rotary-related work, and on May 17 he had to leave early in the morning for Dunedin to help get ready for the conference. He made arrangements for our breakfast with one of his friends, and returned later that evening when his work was done.
Here, I would like to mention a typical New Zealand breakfast. I ate breakfast at many different homes, but they always had cereal for breakfast. There were always 3 to 5 types to choose from, and after pouring it into a bowl, you put some fruit on it (apricots, apples, peaches, etc.) and add milk. This was the first time for me to eat such a breakfast, but it was quite delicious, and I think Japanese people should try such a breakfast. Also, some people even put butter, jam or yoghurt in their cereal. Usually, there is juice, coffee or tea served afterwards. When they have guests, some people also serve toast, ham and eggs, and bacon.
After breakfast, we went to New Zealand's most famous tourist spot, Mt. Cook. I can still see in my mind the clear sky and the mountain capped with snow. That evening, we ate out at a Mexican restaurant and enjoyed some T-bone steak. It was my first meal out that wasn't a RC dinner meeting, and I was able to relax completely for the first time in a long while. On our way home, we stopped by the hospital to see his wife. David visits her everyday without fail (she had a stroke). I was constantly impressed by the way he always had a smile on his face when he was with others, despite the fact that his wife was in such dire straits.
Timaru District Council
In the afternoon of May 20, we visited the Timaru District Council for vocational study, and had the chance to share opinions with the mayor and chief executives while sitting in the city assembly hall. Because I was unfamiliar with all the technical administrative terms being used, I was only able to ask about half of what I wanted to and to understand only half of what was said. Even now I think what a shame it was that my English was so pitiful, and I am now studying administrative English (even though it is a bit late).
After this discussion, the mayor took us to see the city's oldest building. It had become a beer hall, and it seemed to be a popuar place. One interesting thing was the men's room. They had the day's newspaper hanging on the wall for people to read. I've never seen a restroom with a newspaper on the wall in Japan. One other difference between Japan and New Zealand is the fact that the restrooms are divided according to sex (I guess this is only natural, although public restrooms in Japan are not always separate.). Also, the urinal was made of stainless steel, and, unlike most public men's rooms these days in Japan, there were not individual urinals. Rather, there was one long one, kind of like what one can find in the men's rooms in some of Japan's older train stations and parks. It was all stainless steel, very clean and odorless. I saw many public men's rooms during my time in New Zealand, but only one of them had a ceramic urinal. I don't know why, but the men's rooms almost always had stainless steel urinals. If anyone knows why, please tell me. I'd like to know!
On May 21, I said good-bye to David, promising to see him again at the conference in Dunedin.
Winton
After spending 1 night in Wanaka, 4 nights inQueenstown (2 at a homestay and 2 at a holiday house), 2 nights in Alexandra, one night in Roxburgh, and 2 nights in Gore, we entered Winton on May 31. My hosts there were John and Gretchen. John owns his own ranch and also works as an accountant at an accounting office in Invercargill. Gretchen works out of an office in their home as a garden planner. The 3 days I stayed with them were a 3-day holiday weekend (June 3 was a holiday for the Queen's birthday), so their second daughter and her husband came home for the weekend. In this regard, I felt it was very much like what happens in Japan. When I was younger, I often visited my family's hometown. Everyone in this family enjoys reading, so instead of watching TV after dinner, they all sit in the living room and read. When I first saw this sight, it amazed me since, in Japan, most families probably spend their time after dinner watching TV. Since they all did this, I joined them, reading an English book with my dictionary in hand. By this time, I had grown more accustomed to speaking in English, and I felt confident about giving my presentation at Rotary Club meetings. Since there weren't any RC activities that weekend, I was able to relax.
It was very cold in the morning and at night in New Zealand by that time. There was only one night during our trip that I didn't sleep with an electric blanket, and that night I had trouble sleeping. What surprised me was that the hotels even had electric blankets on the beds. Even though it got cold at night, though, the days were warm and pleasant, and I often broke a sweat.
On the last night there, I was invited to a potluck tea (dinner party), which is something I'm told they do often in New Zealand. We aren't very familiar with such parties in Japan, but I thought then that I would have such a party for those friends of mine whom I thought would enjoy such a party. I still haven't done it yet though ...
After saying good-bye to John and Gretchen (in New Zealand, when saying good-bye to someone, the women customarily hug the person and give them a kiss on the cheek, which, of course, is what Gretchen did to me), I felt quite sad and lonely as I headed to our next destination because my time in New Zealand was drawing to a close.
Dunedin
After spending 2 nights in Invercargill and 1 night in Balclutha, we arrived at our last destination, Dunedin, on June 6. There, we spent 2 nights at the Quality Hotel, and completed our presentation at the district conference on June 7 (the R.I. D-9980 conference). I was able to meet many of the people who had taken care of me earlier in my trip, and we enjoyed some very nostalgic and enjoyable conversation. I will forever have wonderful memories of that banquet.
On June 8, I headed for my last homestay at the home of Don and Allison. Don is an architectural engineer, and for that reason his house had a very modern look and feel. It is built on high land, and from my window I was able to look out across the cove and see the narrow rows of homes snaking through Dunedin. The view at night there was too wonderful to put into words.
On June 10, I knew that I had to leave for Christchurch the following day, and I had a strong feeling that "Today is really the last day." In the morning, Allison took me to Speight's Beer Brewery for our vocational study, and just as we were about to take a look around the brewery, Don drove up and encouraged us to end the tour quickly. Then he invited us all to go get some fresh abalone. As the car headed for Wallington Beach, we (Yoshi, Koichi and myself) wondered if it was really possible for us to get any. The beach was a beautiful, sandy one, and I'm sure it is quite a bustling, popular place in the summer. We went to a rocky outcrop, and Don got in his wetsuit and went into the water. He was able to gather quite a few abalone. They were slightly different than the abalone we have in Japan, but the taste was very similar. They are called "paua" in New Zealand, and jewelry and accessories made from the shells are quite popular with tourists as souvenirs. Don looked through all the abalone he collected, and threw back those that were less than 15 cm long. As I stared at him tossing back some 12 - 13 cm ones, I thought to myself, "What a waste to throw them back." And then I realized that what I was seeing was his way of thinking regarding the preservation of natural resources being put into action. In the afternoon, we all went sightseeing to the Otago Peninsula, and stopped on the way at a nice hill for a smoko.
"Smoko" has a very pleasant sound to it. It is a slang word, which in Japanese means "break." At companies in New Zealand, they always have a smoko at 10:00 in the morning and 3:00 in the afternoon. The reason for this, I'm told, is that they are taught from the time they are children that humans cannot concentrate well for more than 2 hours straight. It is a very deluxe snack consisting of cake, sandwiches, etc., and I thought that if we had such a custom in Japan, we couldn't help being fat. But since breakfast and lunch are small in New Zealand, it seemed that possibly they are keeing things in balance there.
On June 11, we took off from Dunedin Airport at 9:50 in the morning after being seen off by the D-9980 governor and his wife, and many other Rotarians.
My 5 weeks in New Zealand's wonderful natural environment are still very fresh and vivid in my mind. There are many things that we need to learn from New Zealand, I think. The beautiful and abundant natural beauty that they have been able to keep as a result of the high level of awareness each person has concerning the environmental problem, the many ingenious ways they protect their own personal environment in their daily lives, and more. I imagine that some day in the future, I will still be able to go to New Zealand and see things just as they were when I visited New Zealand this time. Just as they were ...
Along with the gratitude I feel for the love I experienced from all those I met, and the fact that everything went without a hitch during our visit, I am filled again with thanks for all the host families who opened their homes to me. I am also thankful to the GSE committee for giving me the opportunity to have this wonderful experience. Thank you very much!
