I'm still here...

It's been a little while since the last time I made some time/space/inspiration to pause my

day, sit down and write a few lines about my recent travel discoveries. Today, I wouldn't come and talk about a space in particular, but more about the experience of being a traveler and an intending blog writer in the middle of pandemic times.

First of all, I dare to talk about Coronavirus as a problem that has affected and/or changed our lives in multiple aspects, more than we realise. If you are reading me from anywhere outside Oceania, your freedom of action, election and even speech has probably been jeopardized by the virus, or better said, by the measures your government has -or hasn't- taken.

Having the joy of spending it in New Zealand since day one has given me a wider and sadder perspective about how the wold rules. While my home country, Chile, never coped with the crisis, and, in the middle of major social issues, instead of helping, the current administration made the problem worse by applying late and improvised measures; other nations across the globe managed to give a better way out to its citizens. The last fact that surprised me about Chile, is that the government released a list of "essential" products to buy during the lockdown, forbidding the purcharse of any other "non-essencial" items, such as babies clothes (because, of course, who would think babies need a new apparel during lockdown?)...Or the incredible fact that, no matter the successful vaccination campaign -leading the subcontinent-, covid cases haven't eased, because of the late measures or inefficient lockdowns. In a tremendously segregated country, people whose income isn't enough or lost their jobs due the pandemic, scrawny government helps are far to be enough and super helpful for people with several debt and health problems, who have to go out to make some more cash, regardless the increasing contagious numbers.

So on, when we see this type of action, which doesn't combat the problem in any possible way, it's fair to ask: Is it something else behind this? What is the real intention? Is it truly intending to slow down cases and deaths or is it something else beyond? One thing is locking people in their houses for the third time, but telling them what can they consume or not, has a different name. (I could also have exemplified with the fortuitous measure to request medical prescription to buy contraceptive methods, so to speak). What is going on?

Coming back to my own piece of reality, the last year has been an unbelievably lucky opportunity to spend my time in this island country with my loved one, together. It has brought so much joy to our lives in the middle of uncertain times. During this period, we have explored New Zealand from north to south, back and forth. We have lived a truly southern experience at the most remote and amazing places in the South Island. Our first little isolation days happened in February last year in Kinloch, Otago, because of a flooding that blocked the only access road keeping us a boat away from anywhere and anyone else for days. Luckily we had food and beers.

After that, and when Covid was about to hit the country, we moved to Franz Josef, a touristic village at the bottom of the homonymous glacier, in the rainforest of the West Coast. Within a week of us signing contracts, we went into lockdown, and found out we were esential workers, with the right to receive a government subsidy income, which kept us alive and tight during four weeks. Hiked like crazy and made the best of it! When quarantine ended, we got a second job, and when our contracts ended, around August, moved on to explore Abel Tasman, Golden bay and Nelson.

Those days were all about multi day hikes, camping, trying new cooking styles, meeting new people after isolation times, and, together with it came a new uncertain period: Would our visas get extended? Had no clue until a few weeks before mine was about to expire, and got an eight month extension to work on seasonal crops. With our lifes sorted for half more year, we decided to move back north and work hard to save up some cash. Together with a 50+ hours job thinning kiwi buds, came the full on Māori experience in Ōpōtiki, a small coastal town in the south part of Bay of Plenty. There we were, learning heaps from their lifestyle, hundred percent community oriented, and always looking after the wellbeing of it. One evening after work, a colleague of our roomate took us all on his car to the nearest Marae (a communal sheltered sacred place where the whakapapa reunites), where he explained all the family meaning and cosmovision of the Maori, and, amongst many things, the fact of him affirmating that he could survive with $10 a week thanks to his whanau, kept my attention.

And I can't stop thinking about this, confirming that other ways of living, more environmentally responsible, less selfish, are possible, and people do practice them nowadays, and they DO live! Aotearoa has been our playground for the last year and a half (and hopefully longer), the place where we have grown as humans, in our relationship and as observers of this twisted period that the world faces. Can't remain quiet and silent after living the differences between a nation that cares about its citizens, and another one(s) that have sold most of their natural resources, and limited its use for their own people.

Ok, New Zealand might not be perfect, is getting colder and rainier and I often miss the heat and beach lifestyle I had in Australia for two years, but, we are damn lucky to be allowed to stay in a covid free bubble, which means that, other than seeing the borders remaining closed until 2022, our lives haven't changed dramatically or our freedoms restricted. As a matter of fact, I have weared a face mask a hand full of times!

Today we are in Kerikeri, married, having explored almost all of Northland, and ready for new job challenges, because we got a new visa extension until December! I guess Europe can wait...still need to sort out our vaccination, and add a bit more to our wallets..