Adventures in Paradise Volume 2 #37

Kia ora! Our excellent adventure continues with some thoughts on creature comforts and what we miss most when we are unwell. It is winter here in New Zealand and despite preemptive flu shots and in my case, a booster shot of the pneumovax, we have been ill. While it’s true that we have not suffered any more than most of our dear friends here in Gisborne, it is also true that we have had a slightly different perspective on that discomfort and some of the reasons for it. That perspective has, while we have been ailing, engendered an attitude of wistfulness. We find ourselves wishing to be in other circumstances. We are missing home, our own beds, and snuggling under our own blankets. Isn’t that the way it is when we don’t feel well?

Early in our residency in Gisborne, we began to notice something interesting. There were trailers full of firewood stacked to their brims parked along almost every roadway. These trailers advertized a phone number and promised delivery within twenty-four hours. Often, one could see two or three of these trailers parked in tandem, each with their specific contact information as well as the price and an assurance that the wood was two-years dry. My personal experience with fireplaces relegated them to a “mood enhancer” classification and I did not at first grasp the concept that people here, would be buying wagon loads of wood to feed into their fireplaces as a primary means of keeping warm during the coming winter. I did not fully appreciate that entire families would spent the long winter months, “rugged up” sequestered in one room huddled around a firebox. But I do now.

For some reason, most homes in New Zealand do not have central heating. It is their way here and people seem genuinely puzzled when I mention that all we have to do to stay warm is to flip a switch or press one button and the whole house heats itself. Most have no concept that my home is not equipped with a series of portable oil burner-type heaters or fans and that we do not have to move these devices from one room to another, as needed. It is entirely normal to them to live with a labyrinth of electrical cords running through their homes as these heaters are constantly being rearranged, often requiring the use of extension cords. Power is very expensive here, so many of our friends cannot afford to operate these heaters, hence the need for the constant supply of firewood during the winter months. I did not appreciate how difficult it would be for our friends to stay warm during the long winter months, but I do now.

As first, I was entertained by the endless ads hawking portable heaters and the adult-sized onesies, complete with hoods, which were displayed in a vast variety of animal prints. Advertisements featuring insulation and new windows were seen everywhere. I laughed out loud the first time that I discovered a display of hot water bottles in a local store. These “hotties” as they are known here, are best utilized by encasing them in a designer cover before filling them with hot water. I was mesmerized by the array of cover choices but again did not appreciate how crucial they were in helping residents to keep warm. I did not appreciate that the hoods on those onesies were crucial in keeping heads covered and toasty while sleeping. But I do now.

As I have spent this last week trying to stay warm in someone else’s home and bed, I have become more acutely aware of what I have taken for granted. Never again, will I adjust the thermostat in my Salt Lake City home without appreciating the simplicity of that action. The next time that I build (ok Ward builds) a fire in my fireplace, I will be reminded that the cozy atmosphere created by that fire would not be the fundamental reason for building it in the homes of our Kiwi friends. Although, I consider myself to be financially conservative, I do not spend a great deal of time in worry over whether or not I can afford to pay my utility bill. No part of my home goes unused in the winter because I cannot afford to keep it heated. I will spend my next winter in Utah reminding myself to be grateful.

The truth is that New Zealand is wet and cold in the winter. Kiwis have a struggle to stay warm and dry and it is simply expected that June, July and August will be difficult months. Everyone has their own home remedy for the aches, pains and coughs that accompany the change in the weather. There is very little complaining; rather we have noticed a “let’s just get on with it” attitude and the residents have learned to “rug up”. We have refrained from any sort of sentence that might start with the words, “In our country”, as we would appear to be ungrateful guests and we are not ungrateful. Our friends cope as they look after each other. Last Monday, a sweet family left a pot of soup a loaf of bread and some breakfast scones on our doorstep and we appreciated their thoughtfulness. Another friend mixed up a batch of hot lemon tea for me with lemons from our own tree! The attitude here is more of a “We’re in this together, so let’s get though it together” and we have learned a lot by observation.

The lovely news here is that because there is so much winter rain, everything is turning green and lush. Daffodils are springing up in clumps near the paddock and there are buds on the Hydrangea bushes. We know that spring is coming and soon we will all emerge from our collective hibernation. Soon the woes of winter will be forgotten as we begin to enjoy the sunshine and the beaches. It’s the cycle of life here and we have become caught up in it at well.

So, while this last week or so has left me lusting after my duvet and push button heating, I will also willingly admit that I would not have missed this adventure for the world. I am grateful for all of the lessons that I have learned this winter and will always be beholden to the people who have taught them. There will never be another winter in my life, no matter where I might happen to be, where I won’t be thinking of those here who have to work a little harder to experience the warmth that I have always accepted without much thought.

As always we are happy and trying to work hard. We are eternally grateful for the warmth of the friendships we enjoy with you. We cherish your thoughtfulness over the years and that is one of the reasons that we miss home so much when we are not feeling well. It is where we have always felt most nurtured. We now happily add other names and faces to that list of people who we look to for comfort. We are grateful.

Love, Ward and Susan    Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in Gisborne, New Zealand

This wagon load of wood is selling for about 250.00, but would not last the whole winter.

Notice that for 145.00, you are not buying a full trailer, rather it's only the wood inside the box.

This is our oil burner in the bedroom. We remind each other not to touch it when the red light is on.

Andrea came to our home for dinner all rugged up. He looks pretty cute in his hoodie robe. We could not coax any adult into modeling their onesies!

We have been encouraged to take a "hottie" to bed!