Fifteen wonderful souls from Friendship Force of Chicago and
St. Louis recently joined together for a 17 day trip to New Zealand. The excursion included two fabulous home stays
with folks from the Friendship Force clubs in Christchurch and the Western Bay of Plenty plus a short visit with club members
from Nelson. Chicago had hosted visitors from the Christchurch club a year ago and the Nelson club five years ago.
Our hosts were wonderful. Gracious and warm, the Kiwis we met were very well informed citizens
of the world. They manage many inbound exchanges every year, have traveled extensively, and pay rapt attention to news
from around the world. We learned that New Zealand has more Friendship Force clubs and participants per capita than
any other country in the world! About us, they most wanted to know our views on the Presidential election process.
Most of us had heard that Kiwis were very relaxed people, casual, kind of laid back so to speak,
without really knowing what that meant. Our group came away believing that a better description is that Kiwis are very
relaxed and comfortable in their own skin. They exude a quiet confidence, can be very direct but kind in communicating
what they feel, and are very hard working souls.
The country, as
advertised, is beyond beautiful. Our visual memories of the mountains, seaside, countryside, and towns are vivid with
rich colors and diverse landscapes. Our weather was perfect. Late February to early April is an ideal time to
go, similar to mid September in Chicago. Some of us stayed in town, others lived on farms for a week, and in one case
we spent time with our hosts at their island home among 2000 avocado trees. Kiwis love to be outdoors.
Action highlights of our trip varied by individual but included such good times as farm visits
(dairy, sheep and avocado) that were very, very fun and interesting, picnics in those beautiful parks, tramping (or we would
call it hiking), harbor cruises, dolphin watching, bathing in hot springs, horseback riding, al fresco dining, shopping, games
around the kitchen table, helping out in the orchard, having fruit and ice cream for lunch, and all of our going away parties.
New Zealand--a wonderful place on the planet Earth with loving people who are committed to doing
their part in creating a better future for everybody in the world.
If you missed this exchange
and would love to see New Zealand Friendship Force style or go to Turkey another destination our club visited in the past
couple years, you can travel outbound with other Friendship Force clubs headed to these two destinations this fall. Go
to the FF International website for all the details.
We have invited West Bay of Plenty and
another NZ club to visit us in 2010.
