What I’m Listening to… a Confession

It’s been awhile since I’ve shared what I’m listening to these days, for which there are many excuses…mainly that I’ve been procrastinating. I have to admit that I’m slightly embarrassed by the music choices I’ve made recently because in the past I’ve judged others for listening to the same music.

I’ve been listening to pop…a lot. Honestly it’s all I listen to when I’m in the car. The likes of Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, and DJ Khaled to name a few have been blasting through my speakers for awhile. Oh god…I can feel the judging glare of my past self as I write this. It’s true though. I listen to pop music and I really enjoy it. The music I catch on the radio and the songs I have saved on Spotify is not what I call, “great music.” It’s catchy, the chorus is easy to follow, and the beat is, usually, pretty good. The songs aren’t unique or new in any way, except maybe the lyrics, but most pop songs use the same chords in different patterns. I listen to pop music when I don’t want to think. Like when you put on a movie that is fluffy and shallow because you don’t want to have to use your brain, you want to be entertained and enjoy yourself. I listen to JBiebs (Justin Bieber) and other artists like him when I don’t want to think, I just want to enjoy it.

When I was in middle school I would listen to the local pop radio station, 107.5 Kiss FM, because my friends did. I would get so annoyed that the same songs would play over and over again, and they weren’t even that good! As I got older I stopped listening to the radio, and proudly stated that fact to anyone who would listen, and began to listening to mix cds because I thought I was so cool. I have to give thanks to one of my best friends growing up who would give me mix cds every Christmas. That’s how I learned about Iron & Wine, The Avett Brothers, M. Ward and everyone else that influenced my musical taste. When I was in high school I would say, “I had the worst taste in music when I was younger,” when really my taste shifted and with that came a lot of judgement towards what I used to listen to, i.e. pop radio. That judgement was also pointed at people who still listened to pop radio. So as I went through high school it was really hard for me to admit that, although I loved this new folky movement that I had found, I still jammed to TSwift, and other people like her, on occasion.

Everyone has music that they call their “guilty pleasure.” I had a lot of those…and I admitted it with a lot of attitude. Attitude that said, “go ahead and judge me because you can’t judge me harder than I’m judging myself”…so unnecessary. I’m happy, and slightly scared to announce that today I don’t have guilty pleasures. I listen to whatever strikes my fancy and right now it’s pop radio.

There’s a reason that the genre is called Pop. The songs are specifically designed to be popular, that’s why they all sound similar, (there have been plenty of times when a song begins and I have no idea which one it is because they all sound the same). They are using the same equation that thousands of artists have used for the past 20 years or so. I’m talking mostly about pop that started in the 90’s and early 00’s, which has now morphed into the pop that plays today. What I’m listening to today is a mixture of singles released by pop musicians.

I’ve been following Shawn Mendes, who’s a young man from Canada. He does the basic love songs that every teeny-bopper goes nuts for (me included). One of my jams currently is There’s Nothing Holding Me Back, cause I’m a sucker for sweet romance songs. I’ve also been listening to Justin Bieber a lot. Honestly since his album Purpose came out in 2015 I’ve been listening to him a lot. That album is actually really good and he’s created some really fun stuff to listen to. I could go through and list every artist I’m into right now, but that’s kinda boring…so I’ll list it later in this post…heehee.

I’m really into this pop shit guys, and I really really like dancing to it. That’s the main reason why I’m so into it. I love dancing to really good beats and lyrics that I don’t really care about. This past summer while I was working at Camp Unalayee, I was the DJ for the staff dance party near the end of staff training. It was probably one of the best playlists that I’ve ever made, and probably one of the best dance parties I’ve ever attended. I can’t take all the credit as I got suggestions/requests from a lot of my co-workers which helped flesh out the collection. I had a little bit of everything; lots of pop, funk, rock, and even disco! I don’t think it’s a successful dance party until at least more than ten people have jumped up from their seat and yelled, “That’s my jam!”

Pop music is great. If you don’t agree that’s ok, you do you. Although I would have judged others at one time, I’m determined to put a stop to it. It’s not my place to say what you should or shouldn’t enjoy. Of course I can give you strong suggestions to listen to songs that I love, but if you don’t like them no harm no foul. Go forth and listen to all your guilty pleasures and share them with people who have given their consent. And tell the people who are judging you to fuck off. I’m sure they’ve got some of their own musical genres in their closet.

I leave you with a picture of my high school self silently judging your music choices. You can practice telling people to fuck off with her. 

Here are some of my top singles at the moment:
Shawn Mendes – There’s Nothing Holding Me Back, Stitches, and Treat You Better
Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry
Justin Bieber – Friends, Sorry – My friends learned the dance in this music video because they’re awesome
Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman, Honeymoon Avenue
Cheat Codes & Demi Lovato – No Promises

Beast Epic – Iron & Wine

I have been running a little behind on new releases since my life has been a little bit crazy this past month. What with coming back from camp and choosing to make some big changes in my life I have been struggling to sit down and write. But here I am and let’s jump into some new tunes!

Iron & Wine is made up of one man, Samuel Ervin Beam, who became known as Iron & Wine in 2002 when he released his first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle. He now has eight studio albums under his belt as well as several EP’s, live albums, and collaboration albums. You would find Iron & Wine playing in most hipster coffee shops and I wouldn’t be surprised if your friends plays Iron & Wine on the guitar while you’re around the fire at night…I can’t get mine to stop.

The new Iron & Wine came out in late August of this year, much to my excitement. His new album, Beast Epic, holds notes of his older work but with more studio time and less living room recording sessions…or at least that’s my impression.

Beast Epic has a soft center with a sharp edge. The songs are beautiful and poignant with hidden thorns that pierce your heart. One line in particular that stood out to me was, “you’d better love yourself cause I tried,” from the third song on the album, Bitter Truth. Beast Epic is full of emotion and it’s a good companion for anyone going through a tough emotional situation. The album holds the classic Iron & Wine guitar licks and harmonies that accompany the bewitching lyrics.

Iron & Wine has created yet another work of art that I will be listening to for many years to come and I hope this inspires you to download or buy some of his music in the future.

Fleet Foxes at Red Rocks

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of checking something off of my bucket list. Ever since I was given a DVD of Mumford and Son’s 2012 Red Rocks performance for my birthday I have been dying to go. In August of this year I had a trip planned to visit my aunt and uncle in Colorado so I checked the Red Rocks lineup and discovered that the Fleet Foxes were playing the day after I arrived. I knew I had to jump at this opportunity, how many times would I be able to see one of my favorite bands at this magical place? So, on September 27th, my momma and I headed down towards Denver and Red Rocks. We had a reservation at the Ship Rock Grille, the restaurant connected to Red Rocks, and, after our delicious dinner, walked right into the venue and grabbed two seats in the middle.

I sincerely believe that Red Rocks is a magical place. The vibration of the music coming off the rocks was tangible, it felt like the venue was dancing with us. The lights playing off of the stones were breath taking and almost distracting. Sometimes I would forget where I was and turn around to see the two giant slabs of red rock towering over me with their dazzling lights and then I would remember, “oh right, I’m at fucking Red Rocks!”

I’m usually not a big fan of openers, however, I did enjoy the band that Fleet Foxes chose. Beach House is a band from Baltimore, MD, who have been performing together since 2004. I had heard their name before but never their music. The three of them create an ethereal, spacey sound with a bass that shook my entire chest. Beach House was the first opener that I actually enjoyed and knew that I would listen to them again, in fact I’m listening to them as I write this. Anyway, they put on a hell of a good show and their lights were out of this world.

I truly started listening to Fleet Foxes when I became close with my friend Dustin. He would post youtube videos of their albums and concerts on Facebook and I got sucked in. Helplessness Blues has been on my top 10 favorite albums for quite awhile and the song, Helplessness Blues, has been my ringtone for nearly five years now. Their lead singer, Robin Pecknold, has a voice I’ve never heard anywhere else. It is so angelic sometimes it brings tears to my eyes. On top of that he is an absolutely amazing songwriter. I sometimes wonder if he has a history in poetry, his lyrics are some of the most poetic that I’ve come across. Here’s a short example from one of my favorite songs, Meadowlark,  “Hummingbird, just let me dive / Inside the broken ovals of your olive eyes.” I’m not really sure what he’s talking about in this line, but I love the imagery that he gives.

So Fleet Foxes. Red Rocks. Holy crap! You know when you see one of your favorite bands and you keep wishing they’ll play that one song that you love so much and then they do? This is what the Fleet Foxes show was like but it happened multiple times! They had just released a new album, so of course there were a fair amount of new songs, but they played a lot of their old stuff which made me, and the rest of the audience, very happy. Robin Pecknold introduced Helplessness Blues by playing the old folk song Blues Run the Game, which I thought was well thought out. The whole lineup was well chosen and very well performed.

While I was at Red Rocks I managed to walk through their hall of fame. It’s a short hallway that has a list of every single concert that has occurred since the amphitheater opened in June of 1941. I was quick to find the dates for when The Beatles played (August, 1964) and Mumford and sons (October, 2012). I was extremely impressed with the amount of artists as well as the huge names. People like Ella Fitzgerald, Santana, Sting, The Go-Go’s, The Grateful Dead, and U2, to name just a few, came here. There was one photo that showed people playing music in the area of Red Rocks in 1910. There is clearly a rich history and love for music in that place which makes me ache to be there for more shows and more experiences.

The whole experience was amazing and part of me is still in shock that it even happened. When my mom and I left I realized that Red Rocks was back on my bucket list. I want to see more concerts and I want to work there someday.

I’m Still Here!

Hello All,

It’s been several months since my last post and I wanted to let you know that I’m still here! Coming back from New Zealand was a pretty difficult for me. I came back and dropped right into a deep depression which culminated in me recognizing my anxiety, but thankfully I have a great family and amazing friends who have been helping me feel very supported.

While dealing with these emotions it’s been very important for me to continue doing the things I love, i.e. listening to music, spending time outside, exercising, cleaning, and spending time with my family. Although somedays are harder than others it’s really comforting to know I have the support of those around me. Depression can be difficult to cure and sometimes it feels like it won’t ever get better, but I’m powering through and doing the work. And it feels good…most of the time.

One practice I have yet to make into a habit is posting on this blog. I posted a lot more than I ever have while I was traveling and I would like to continue that into my day to day life. With the exception of course that I will be escaping reality for parts of the summer to work at Camp Unalayee, but when I come back I will make an effort to write about my experiences.

Speaking of the summer, I will be heading to High Sierra Music Festival during the Fourth of July weekend with my family and extended family. I am thrilled about this! I haven’t been to a music festival in several years and the last time I was at High Sierra I was about to become a Junior in high school, so it’s been quite awhile.

So here’s to posts! I want to bring back my “What I’m Listening to” section and write about any live shows I’ve attended. Thank you to those who have still stuck around even when my posts are few and far between.

Cheers!

 

© Autumn Micketti

Nearly The End

We are nearing the end of our long adventure, just two full days left! The three of us are definitely feeling the last of our excited travel energy slip away as the days seem to drag by. We are done living out of backpacks, walking the long road into town from where the car is parked, and having to pray for wifi that works. Our last day in Queenstown will be spent in a classy hotel cleaning ourselves and relaxing before our big day of travel. (Any of you betches that judge us for staying locking ourselves inside for our last day in New Zealand can talk to the hand, it’s been a long two months and we are treating ourselves).

Although we are tired, stanky, and ready to be home, I find myself feeling very content  and looking back at our adventures with a happy heart. In the two months we’ve been here we have managed to cover a lot of territory. From the northern peninsula of the North Island all the way down to the southern tip of the South Island. I am incredibly grateful that we took the opportunity to do this, I can finally cross New Zealand off of my bucket list! Now I am ready to be home until the next adventure comes around.

We will be leaving Queenstown very early on Tuesday, flying back up to Auckland to catch our flight back to the states. Thinking good weather and safe flight thoughts. Although I’ve done quite a lot of travel I am still a nervous flyer especially when it’s the return home. Raina and I will have three long layovers, first in Auckland (about 5 hours), then Fiji (nearly 6), then LA (8 hours….kill me). So if anyone is around in the afternoon on Tuesday the 14th she and I will be needing some distraction. FaceTime, Skype, phone call, snapchat, whatever you feel like, send it our way.

Until then, we shall be spending our last few days in Queenstown enjoying New Zealand and doing our best to stay in the present moment. I have at least two days before I have to come back to the states and pay attention to the political shit hole that’s occurring so I’m going to take full advantage of that privilege.

Hope all is well,

Cheers!

It’s a Dangerous Business Going Out Your Door

On Monday we ventured into the world of the Fiord Lands National Park. Our friend Jonny, who we’ve been staying with in Queenstown lent us his car, and we spent the nearly three hour drive gazing at the beautiful scenery and becoming increasingly grateful that we weren’t on a bus. The three of us pulled over several times to take pictures of the towering mountains, the rocks and trees separating only for the silver water falls that slid down. The Fiord Lands are from a totally different world. The base of the mountains are full of trees, about halfway up the rocks begin and reach all the way to the sky.

We camped in the park that night in a fairy like forest that was on the edge of a valley shadowed by the mountains. The next morning we woke up before the sun and made our way to Milford Sound. Here we boarded a boat and toured around the sound for two magical hours. Our captain brought us close to the mountains and under many water falls. There’s nothing quite like getting drenched by fresh glacier melt while in a maze of gigantic mountains.

A quick fact about Milford Sound, it’s not actually a “sound”. It was created by the movement of glaciers as they shifted toward the ocean and the valleys left behind were flooded with sea water. A sound is created in the same way but in a riverbed and is flooded with fresh water. I’m not sure why they still refer to it as Milford Sound, but technically it’s a fiord. (This is ain’t no alternative fact).

Our Milford cruise was much too short, I could have spent the whole day there. The brief visit assured me once again that I must come back to New Zealand and backpack through the Fiord Lands. Speaking of backpackers we picked up one on our way out of the park. He was a sweet guy, probably around 27, who was from Wisconsin and was backpacking around New Zealand. It was nice to talk to another American and hear how his traveling had been going. We dropped him off in Te Anu, the first town after the park, and continued on our journey back to Queenstown.

Today we met up with Jonny and while the other three play disc golf I am enjoying the homey-ness of a Queenstown coffee shop and trying to kick out a cold I managed to catch yesterday.

It’s Wednesday here (Tuesday for you Amerians) which means we (Raina and I) will be home in less than a week! Although the three of us are sad to leave New Zealand we are feeling ready to be back in our beds and to stop living out of our backpacks. I’m definitely ready to be home.

I will have a lot of waiting in airports to do next week so I try and write another post at some point, (and hopefully before then too).

Cheers!

 

Short Cut to What? Mushrooms!

We left Gisborne on Wednesday and after a 10 hour bus ride finally made it to Wellington. We managed to survive the trip with the help of lots of snacks (mostly Cadbury Oreo stuffed chocolate) and lots of sleep. We are lucky to have a friend who lives in the heart of Wellington so we’ve been enjoying some social time with her. Wellington is a really great place, it’s one of those cities that I immediately felt comfortable in, and that doesn’t happen to me very often.

Wellington feels very open and groovy and it’s been lovely to have a friend to stay with. Our first night we went to Cuba St (the main downtown stretch) and had really good pizza with paired with a tasty Pilsner ale. Yesterday we went to Te Papa museum and wandered around for nearly five hours. There were several different exhibits including one on Gallipoli that Weta studios had done. There were four or five huge statues of soldiers that had been in the war and a lot of videos and voice overs. I had to leave that exhibit early as it was too much for me. The statues were very life like and the whole display nearly gave me a panic attack.

My favorite display was the Bug Lab. This was a huge room that had exhibits on all types of bugs (done by Weta again). There were these amazing domes that were for different types of bugs and explained how these bugs eat, survive, or protect their homes. It was a very interactive exhibit that was really amazing and way too short.

Today we went on a Wellington movie tour which included a visit to Weta Cave. The tour took us up to Mt. Victoria where several scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed. I was really excited about this, we got to see the scenes “short cut to mushrooms”, “get off the road”, and the chase scene with the hobbits and the Nazgul. It was pretty incredible to be in the place where these scenes, that I quoted for most of my childhood, were created.

After tramping around the rain soaked mountain for about 45 minutes we were taken to Weta Cave. Outside we saw two of the original trolls from The Hobbit before heading into the gift shop/mini museum that displayed several hundred props from all the movies that Weta has worked on. I was surprised to see props from The Chronicles of Narnia and District 9 next to the Lord of the Rings. We were then taken into the actual studio and given a tour by a young guy who had grown up at Weta, his parents had worked on Lord of the Rings as prosthetic designers and still worked there. The studio was pretty small and crammed with props and costume pieces. There were swords, shields, bows and arrows, prosthetic arms and legs and much more. We saw the original Sarun and the Urukai leader who gets killed in the Fellowship of the Ring as well as many other characters.

The whole studio felt like a dream and was too much to take in at once. We were pretty stoked to see a poster for the bug lab exhibit that we had seen at the Te Papa the previous day. It made seeing the studio even better.

Now we are cuddled up at our friend’s flat enjoying the sound of rain mixed with the people on Cuba St. Tomorrow we are heading to the South Island!

I’m sorry if the post is rather rambling and boring, I am very tired.

I will write again when I can,

Cheers!

I Am No Man

It’s been a little while since my last post as we have been traveling around and wifi is tricky as I’ve mentioned before. We left our place in Rotorua on Tuesday and rode the bus to Gisborne where our new host picked us up. Our place here is very different from the one in Rotorua. Here we are staying in a big canvas tent and eat very healthy hippy food from the garden. Our previous place had really good food as well since the husband was a chef, but it was very heavy and meat centric. Here we eat meat occasionally and when we do it’s meat that was taken from their farm, but mostly it’s veggies and some kind of grain. Today we had an amazing eggplant dish with lots of olive oil and dill.

The family we are staying with is great. There are five of them: Josh (the dad), Natacha (the mum), Tahi (he’s 9), Miro (he is 6), and Qwehe (she is 1 and a half, no idea if I spelled her name right). They are the kind of people who would fit in well in Ashland, and I can imagine the kids running around barefoot downtown (they never have shoes on) and Josh and Natacha shopping at the co-op. They live on a fairly big farm, at least a couple of acres, where they keep sheep, goats, cows, chickens and ducks. They also have a huge garden that is thriving with veggies of all kinds. Every morning we have fresh milk from the cows and sometimes we have fresh cheese that Natacha makes.

The work here is pretty awesome. We are helping them set up their new house so we put some gravel and clay on the ground (kinda like cob) and we pressed it down with a machine and water. Hopefully we’ll still be here when it’s time to put the layer of cob on the floor. Today we showed off our muscles and moved a lot of wood and bales of straw. We are hoping to be really ripped by the time this trip is over. We are being badass women with massive muscles. 😉

The hard part is that it’s been super hot. Today was in the high 90’s and the past week has been in the mid 80’s so it’s been pretty awful. Thankfully we are just a short drive (or long walk) from the beach and the water is pretty warm. It’s been really nice being able to cool off in the ocean after working.

Last weekend we went to a beautiful beach and spent most of the day there. Then after lunch we went on a half hour hike through the bush to a secluded swimming hole. The family has been great about taking us around places which has been lovely. There is another wwoofer here, Roxanne, who is from Switzerland. She’s really great and has been spending a lot of time with us.

We’ll be here for another ten days and then it will be off to Wellington! We have a friend who we’ll be staying with for a few days and then we’ll take the ferry over to Picton. Hopefully we’ll find some WWOOFing in the Nelson area which is close to the Able Tasman National Park.

Our trip has been going very smoothly and it’s great to be in Gizi (nickname for Gisborne) with like minded people. Plus here we get to hang out with Gigi, who is a six day old lamb. She is too cute for words.

Until next time!

Hobbits? Four Hobbits!

Yesterday was a very special day for the three of us. Yesterday we fufilled a dream that has been with us since the Fellowship of the Ring came out in 2001. We went to Hobbiton! Tours from Rotorua leave several times a day so our host dropped us off in town around 8am where we ran into a friend that we had made while we were in Auckland. His name is James, he’s 23 and from York. He happened to be going on the same tour so the four of us hopped on the bus. It’s about an hour drive from Rotorua to Matamata where Hobbiton is, and it’s full of beautiful scenery.

When we finally made it to Hobbiton our tour guide, who was a young blonde dude from Scandanavia (I’m guessing), lead us onto a winding dirt path that was surrounded by green shrubberies and grass. He stopped when we got to a place where the path is lined by two rock walls. Our tour guide told us that that was where Gandolf and Frodo first enter Hobbiton…I nearly shat my pants. I’ve never been to any type of “theme park” so this was a truly magical experience.

We continued on the path and came to a huge garden that surrounded by tiny hobbit holes. Almost everything in Hobbiton is real, minus the huge tree above Bag End, so we were thrilled to see real vegetables and greens growing in the garden. We made our way up the path that weaved through the lush greenery stopping every so often for pictures. We were allowed to go into one Hobbit hole to take a picture which was pretty exciting. The actual holes aren’t that deep, our guide said about a meter deep so that the props team could put stuff in the windows. So although they look real from the outside they are really just tiny caves on the inside.

Our group finally made it up to Bag End. This felt so unreal. I couldn’t believe that we were actually there and also that we were walking were Sir Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood had walked only a few years ago. Our tour guide took us down to the field where Bilbo’s 111th birthday party had taken place and there were several games laid out for groups to play with. James and Jonah tried out the ring toss game while our guide showed off his skills on stilts.

Our guide moved us along past Samwise Gamgee’s house and soon we came upon the Green Dragon. Here we were given a free glass of beer (a delicious stout that I drank much too fast) and we were also encouraged to put on the hobbit costumes that were hanging up in the pub. I wish we had had more time in the Green Dragon. It was a really cozy place with a lot of puffy chairs and two big roaring fires. Our guide only gave us 20 minutes which was not nearly enough.

The Green Dragon was the end of the tour so our guide walked us back to the car park where our bus was waiting. As we were walking out our guide started playing Lord of the Rings music on his phone which nearly brought me to tears. I was so sad to be leaving. I wish that our tour had been all day.

Our ride back to Rotorua was quiet and a little melancholy. I think the four of us couldn’t really process what just happened and also we wanted to stay there for much longer. I saw people working in the gardens and I was extremely jealous. I think that would be an awesome job to have. I would love to have Hobbiton be my work space.

We made it back to Rotorua and said goodbye to James. We probably won’t ever see him again as he’s leaving for Bangkok in a few days, but it was great to catch up and wish him luck on his next adventure.

At this point I honestly am not worried about what happens for the rest of our trip, even if it sucks we still went to Hobbiton and I was able to cross that off my bucket list. To anyone who is going to New Zealand you MUST go to Hobbiton, even if you’re not a huge Lord of the Rings fan it will blow your mind.

That’s all there is to say for now. I’m gonna jump in the shower and get the day’s work washed off and make some tea.

Cheers!

The Road Goes Ever On and On

One thing that I enjoy about traveling is becoming aware of things that I take for granted back home and how they differ from other countries. It’s such a struggle to find free wifi that actually works here in New Zealand. I haven’t figured out why that is yet, but I’m determined to. There’s only been a few times in the US that the only option was to pay for wifi, thankfully I’m lucky enough to have data (even though it’s limited).

Although wifi has been a constant struggle we’ve made it so far with my limited data plan. Today we are getting picked up by our first WWOOFer host who is a lifesaver. Our original host fell through because there was a lack of communication on both sides. There was a lesson learned, sometimes you have to be that annoying person who is constantly sending messages otherwise the agreement falls through. Oh well, we managed to find this other host and she is being very generous in letting us stay for the next week.

Our last night in Auckland was a lot of fun. We stayed at cool backpackers hostel and hung out with a few English blokes and one Australian. It was great to make some friends for the evening and although we probably won’t ever see them again it was great to make that short connection.

Yesterday we left Auckland and took a bus south to Rotorua. This is a really cool town that has geothermal springs everywhere. We found a super chill hostel that had other travelers of our age as well as our own personal hot tub heated by the geothermal pools. Yesterday we found our new favorite restaurant called Fat Dog. It’s a family friendly restaurant with really delicious food and saved us from the edge of a hunger breakdown. This morning we returned and stuffed ourselves with a bit a breaki. We took a long walk through the geothermal pools and wandered for about two hours. The pools were pretty incredible. Steam rising out of them, mud or water boiling or just quietly bubbling, and of course the delicious smell of a thousand hard boiled eggs that had been left in the sun for about eight hours.

Out by the lake (that was not hot) there were at least 50 black swans hanging out with a lot of ducks. We had to walk around a herd of geese that were not too friendly. We also managed to forget sunscreen so that’s our souvenir for the day. As for the rest of our time here we may do some more wandering until we get picked up.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that our host has wifi. Hopefully it won’t be too long since I write again.

We saw all the pictures and footage of the Women’s Marches that happened everywhere last weekend. It was awesome to see so many people from all over the globe gathering together to stop the injustice that is happening in our country. We were sad that we couldn’t be part of it, there was a march in Auckland but we were in transit at the time.

Here’s to the change of minds worldwide and to the change of power.

Cheers!