Category Archives: Help Exchange

The boys, ages 9 and 11, are impossibly cute. They look like mini surfer dudes. They love driving their dad’s tractor while pulling the other by a rope tied to his bike. I find the youngest one studying me often, over breakfast (“breakie” here) or while I’m weeding or while I’m grating some cheese. IContinue reading “blondies.”

I think I knew this about myself, but it’s been solidly confirmed lately: I really like to have a plan. I enjoy spontaneity for sure, but I like going to bed knowing a skeleton of a plan for the next day. Actually, I always don’t need that, what I need is to know where I’mContinue reading “christchurch.”

I’ve been really tired as of late, so much so that I almost passed up the chance to go see the blue penguins on the tip of the peninsula. They don’t come out of the water until dark and it doesn’t get dark until 10pm. My host opened the cabinet that led down to myContinue reading “penguins!”

I’ve been without Nana the Toyota for a week now. Luckily, I’ve been “stuck” in really beautiful places. I enjoyed playing with these sweet kiddos and taking many walks along this road that hugs the peninsula: I’m back at Glenda’s (owner of Knight the handsome dog) and am about a 25 minute walk from theContinue reading “almost got a dog.”

I love the way this family seems to enjoy time with each other. This morning, I crawled up through the cabinet like I do, to see a small dance party going on in the lounge. The six-year-old girl had her multi-colored tutu skirt on, holding hands with her big strong dad, jumping around while theContinue reading “family.”

Do you know what I love? A good quality peanut butter. And sunsets. Sweet dogs. Polite children. The ocean. All of these lovely things have collided in Dunedin, on the Otago Peninsula, with my current host family. I’m staying right on the water with a family of five. Two girls, ages thirteen and six andContinue reading “idyllic.”

We have worked at 18 different places, and tomorrow starts the 19th for me. 19 different personalities (although one host had at least three all on his own), 19 different pantries, towns, stories, favorite dishes, idiosyncrasies, ways of hanging up their clothes, and 19 different perspectives on New Zealand. The place I think about whenContinue reading “number 19.”

Do you know how to write a killer ad to sell a car? Include a Celine Dion CD, a tent, and a “new car” air freshener. Tell the reader the car’s name is Nana and she has a wonderful combination of stickers on her backside. I am supposedly selling Nana tomorrow at noon. I know,Continue reading “bye, nana.”

When I have solid internet, I don’t feel too far from home. I try to send quick messages to my family when I can, pictures of the dogs I’m watching, over-the-top exclamations about new towns, and postcards from my favorite places. My sweet grandpa had a stroke the night of his birthday, and that’s whenContinue reading ““hey, ugly.””

I’ve found a new gap that needs to be filled. The empty bedrooms of a recent empty nester. Glenda’s last child moved out of the house three weeks ago and she misses them dearly. The house is too silent. Enter Beth of fresh air. I am sleeping in a teenager’s room full of magazine pagesContinue reading “lovely.”