Ramsey's and Jon's (and Cody's) Life in Kiwi-land

Spring Cleaning

2010-10-03T13:57:00.002+13:00

It's starting to feel like spring here--cherry blossoms are popping on trees throughout Dunedin, we went to the beach yesterday and splashed through warm(ish) water, Whiskey plunged in over her head on a drop off. Jon, Cody, and I are gearing up for the next moves.

I'm finishing up a job at the School of Physiotherapy here in Dunedin for the next two weeks, then Jon, Cody, and I will drive north. Jon will fly to Wellington for his last residential (all wilderness medicine scenarios on a mountainside---SO JEALOUS!). Cody and I will camp and climb for a few days then Cody will drop me off in Christchurch.

I'll pick up our free rental car (SCORE!) then drive north again. I'll take the ferry from Picton to Wellington and pick Jon up. The next day, we're hiking the Tongariro Crossing and hopefully summitting Mt. Ngauruhoe (also known as the top of Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy).

From the Tongariro Crossing, we'll continue North until we drop the car off in Auckland. After that, we'll hopefully backpack around, visiting some old friends of mine in the North Island for a few days. On November 5, Jon and I will fly to Brisbane for about 33 hours of climbing and roaming, then we fly to Singapore at 2am on November 7. We'll be in Singapore for a month and a half, living in a SWEET hostel while I get trained to teach yoga and pilates and Jon does carpentry work at the hostel.

On December 14, we fly to England for Christmas with my crazy family and then fly back to the states on January 6. We will drive from Boston to Michigan to pick up Bettie and Isaac and my car, then drive home to Fayetteville! We're hoping to get back to Fayetteville around the 14 or 15 of January.

It's been a crazy year, fantastic and difficult, but I'd do it all again in a heartbeat given the chance. I sure am excited to get back to Arkansas though...

Big love from New Zealand (for a little while more)!

How do they do it?

2010-08-27T21:00:00.002+12:00

I don't know how real life bloggers keep up with this... Although to be fair, I've never been any good at keeping a diary or even keeping in steady contact with people.

Jon and I have two more months in New Zealand... I am working as a receptionist at the Physiotherapy Clinic at the University of Otago and Jon has been carpentering and selling his body to science. I prefer the carpentering.

In October, we're going to pack up all our things, load them into our car (aka the Red Fox--thanks Uncle Willie!!!), and start our way North. We have to be in Auckland by November 5, as we fly to Brisbane for 2 days, then to Singapore. We'll be in Singapore for a month and a bit, while I get certified to teach yoga and pilates, then we head to England for the holidays with my family! My uncle will have a brand new baby, so we're SUPER excited about the whole holiday extravaganza... and I think Jon just really likes Christmas.

After that, we fly to Boston, where we'll rent a car, driving through Canada to Michigan--Niagara Falls, anyone?!--then we'll pack up our dogs and our stuff and head home!

It's crazy how quickly it's all gone. I feel like I was substitute teaching in Michigan a few weeks ago, but nope, it's been much longer. I'm super excited and will hopefully be far more disciplined about this with regards to yoga/pilates training.

Big love from New Zealand--I'm off to watch Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief because Jon isn't home and I can finally watch it without him complaining!

Alone in the house

2010-06-12T18:49:00.002+12:00

I have the house to myself for the first time since we got here... Well, not entirely to myself, as Whiskey River keeps reminding me, but no other humans.

This time in New Zealand has been interesting, not at all what I expected or imagined. While it is beautiful and the people are friendly and the great outdoors are great, it's not thrilling and its not home. I feel like I'm torn between wanting to have the seminal, coming of age Overseas Experience in which I live with no worries for a year and the reality of living overseas. I think part of this all is that I'm no longer on my gap year, no longer willing to be totally financially ass-up. I keep finding myself thinking that I'm too old for this shit, and then I'm shocked to hear those words in my own head. Jon thinks that a lot of our frustration is the fact that we have no money, so we're as broke as we were in Fayetteville, but without the people.

And I don't say this to imply that this has been anything but incredible. Given the change, I'd do it all again. It has been fascinating and has allowed me to look at pieces of myself that I didn't realize were there. What more can anyone ask, right?

I've gotten to know some amazing men and women, learned to drive on the left side of the road, lived somewhere it's both legal and encouraged to pull u-turns in the middle of the street, worked in a prison (marginally), lived in a house that grows mold at a spectacular rate, learned what chilblains are (note: climbing shoes + bone deep damp chill * hours = not a good idea). I've gotten (?) to live with my sister and my man simultaneously, gotten to watch them figure each other out (how many people get to do that?!). I've learned what a swede is (rutabaga), what mutton bird Maori-style is (a neck-wrung seagull rubbed down in salt and stuck in a bucket for a year), how to make really good seafood chowder (just wait til we make you some!).

Most importantly, I've realized what it is to be homesick, to miss a place and the people there for more than a brief twinge. I'm excited to move back to the US, excited to struggle in Fayetteville for just long enough to stop struggling as much. I'm excited to become a slum lord (life goal), to hopefully start a climbing wall, to build an incredible house with Daniel's help (and others, but Daniel has already committed).

So life in New Zealand is good. It's cold and damp and full of all the trials and tribulations that accompany life anywhere, but it's an adventure that I am fortunate enough to share with people I love. At the end of the day, really what more can you ask...

Homesickness

2010-05-02T09:13:00.003+12:00

I miss Fayetteville. And I'm not talking about kind of missing the climbing there or kind of missing the people or kind of missing Little Bread or any of that. I miss Fayetteville. I miss the climbing and the people and Little Bread and all the things that make Fayetteville such a wonderful place to live. I also miss the not so wonderful parts. I miss driving in Jon's beat up truck while he rants about "fucking tweakers!" I miss crazy bible belt conservatism (in a surreal, nostalgic sort of way). I miss southern accents (sort of) and people I've never met calling me honey or miss. I miss JRs and Smoke and Barrel and Loren Bates's uncontactable self.

Jon and I went on our first date ever last night and it was wonderful. In typical us style, we spent most of it talking about opening a climbing wall in Fayetteville. I'm really excited about it. We're hoping to hit the ground running when we get back. I can't wait.

Anyway, everyone in the house is up and moving around now, so focusing on writing is mighty difficult.

Love love.

2010-04-25T17:20:00.002+12:00

I've been a bit slack about updating. In the two weeks since Wanaka, I interviewed for and was hired for a position as Executive Assistant to the regional manager of the prison system here. I work about 40 minutes outside of Dunedin, at a prison that was built about 3 years ago, and I work right "outside the wire." It's quite interesting, as I get a glimpse of another world of bureaucracy. It is in some ways quite heartening, as it makes America look functional, at least. Because of confidentiality issues, I can't say much about my job, but it's full time for the next three months, which means that Jon and I should be able to sock some money away to use for travel later on.....

We have been talking a lot about what we are going to do when we move back to Fayetteville. It feels like we have started that funky transition from flying by the seat of our pants to wanting to have (at least a few) things sorted out. We are hoping to open an indoor climbing wall in Fayetteville, as Northwest Arkansas has AWESOME outdoor climbing, but very limited indoor facilities. At the same time, we hope to create a nonprofit that works to create and maintain outdoor climbing facilities in the area. It's pretty exciting, and I think doable, if we go about it correctly!!!

We went for a great hike today, to the top of Mt. Cargill. On a side note, if anyone can explain to me why Mt. Cargill is in Dunedin and Invercargill is 3 hours south, I'd be much obliged. As far as I can figure, Scots have a very loose sense of distance, and "inver" implies "somewhere roughly near." By that logic, Inverness should be within 3-4 hours of Loch Ness... Anyone? Anyone? After that, we dropped Jon and Sam off at Ultimate, and Cody and I hit the bouldering gym for a few hours.

There is nothing like that totally sated feeling at the end of a day of being physical and outside... it really is one of the more satisfying feelings in the world. Anyway, I'm drinking a bloody mary, sitting on our burlap-covered couch, feeling like I had a very productive Anzac Day.

Much love to all...

Heh Heh Heh

2010-04-17T09:47:00.002+12:00

Just found this in my email... We wrote this and got it notarized in order to get me a visa. The things Jon and I will do to get into New Zealand!

To Whom it May Concern,
Jon M. Champagne and I, Ramsey P. Sprattmoran, have agreed that we are not interested in getting married, as neither of us personally feel that marriage is important. Instead, we have actively, intentionally, and consciously made a contract with one another to share our lives, both in good times and in difficult times. We intend to build a house together, raise children together, start a business together, and grow old together.
All our friends know us as a couple and share the understanding that Jon and I have committed to sharing our lives. Both of our families know of, appreciate, and support our relationship. I believe that our love and respect for one another is visible to everyone who witnesses our relationship, and because of that, our family and friends have no hesitation in supporting our union.
At this point, we have lived together for one year, (after being in an exclusive relationship for the previous year). I originally moved in with Jon at 345 Prospect Ave, Fayetteville, AR 72701. We subsequently moved to 24 S. Duncan Ave, Apt A, Fayetteville, AR 72701 together. After deciding to pursue moving to New Zealand for his Post-Graduate studies, we moved to my mother’s house in Lake Leelanau, MI, in order to get our dogs settled with her.
Although we have separate bank accounts and bills, Jon and I pool our resources and share responsibilities. We believe that we share responsibility for the physical, mental, emotional, and financial health of the other. During the short period that Jon was in between jobs, I supported him and during the short period while I was in between jobs, he supported me. We have pooled our finances in order to pay for our plane tickets to New Zealand, and I have every intention of supporting him as he works on his Post-Graduate studies while we are in New Zealand. In exchange, he has expressed a desire to support me in my work toward a Masters Degree when we move back to the US.
I was originally also going to be studying in New Zealand, but after a conversation about finances and goals, we decided that it would be best for our family to have at least one steady source of income until we have both finished our schooling. Because Jon’s program is a lot more difficult to find, we decided that he should take advantage of the opportunity that he has been presented.
We are taking this letter to be notarized, as a legal, intentional declaration of our love, respect, and commitment to one another. Hopefully this helps to ease any concerns about the nature of our relationship as it is written entirely in good faith and sincerity. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Thank you very much,

Off to the woods...

2010-04-08T15:29:00.002+12:00

Just a quick post...
Cody, Sam, Jon, Whiskey, and I are heading off to Wanaka for a few days of camping beside a river, climbing some awesome rocks, and mountain biking some gnarly (as Jon would say) trails.
We'll do our best to take heaps of photos to post to Picasa upon our return to civilization.
Big love!

Couch Surfing and Climbing

2010-04-06T11:02:00.002+12:00

Our wonderful cousin Sam arrives today at the tail end of his gap year! I am so looking forward to having him around for a while (and a while it is, as he is staying for a month and a half or so). Our house is quite full at the moment; we are currently hosting two couchsurfers, as well as housing a bigger-every-day puppy, and the three of us. With Sam's arrival, our already full house will be bursting at the seams...
In order to make sure that things are quite confusing, one of our current couchsurfers is also named Sam. He is from Wales, has been traveling for about 6 months now, and was previously teaching at a high school right outside of Chichester! Small world, eh? He arrived on Saturday and we spent all day Sunday and Monday climbing, which was fantastic. We couldn't have had better weather or company. I have posted pictures to my picasa account. Our other couchsurfer is a woman from San Francisco, who arrived on Sunday night and spent Monday with us.
Today, I am answering phones and looking for more permanent positions at Natural History NZ, a film corporation that does wildlife filming. Apparently their films are quite well-respected, as many of them have won awards at the International Wildlife Film Festival, hosted, in yet another small-world turn, in Missoula! The job search is still frustrating, but it is good to have something to do today... More later, I'm sure.

You're Welcomesgiving

2010-04-01T12:53:00.002+13:00

Jon, Cody, and I made calendars for people for Christmas, using photos from our lives and including key dates that we felt were important. Jon's favorite was You're Welcomesgiving Day, coming, unsurprisingly, the day after Thanksgiving. As I've been reflecting on how we got here, and how incredibly cool it is that we in fact DID get here, I've been thinking a lot about the friends and family members (which to me are one and the same) who helped.
People have looked at me and said some variation of "it's so cool that you're moving to New Zealand. You're pretty incredible to do so." I never know what to respond, as I don't really consider my move to New Zealand any more difficult than moving to Arkansas or California. Really, at the end of the day, as long as you have supportive people in your life, you can move anywhere or accomplish anything. So in the spirit of thanksgiving on my end and you're welcomesgiving on all your ends, lets go through a very truncated list of shoutouts...
First of all, obviously, thanks to my bad-ass family for growing me and Cody up to be people who are comfortable and driven to travel. We went climbing with Pat while in St. Louis this January and were talking about how incredible it is that the women of our family are totally game to throw themselves up a wall in ridiculous shoes, supported only by a rope, without ever having done it before at the age of 60something plus. How wild and adventurous is that?! We have incredible models for strength and courage.
Thanks to my adopted family, in all its incarnations and parts of the world, for supporting the idea and reality of us moving here. Thanks to Nate and Miriam for letting me have your baby and become part of your lives for so long and supporting me in all my cross-country moves. Thanks to Banana for being encouraging and supportive of whatever hare-brained scheme I came/come up with. Thanks to all my wonderful Fayetteville roommates--I miss you guys on a daily basis! Thank you a million times over to Alicia, one of the people with whom I hope to keep traveling for the rest of my life. Thanks to Jeff for being game and putting together wonderfully inappropriate gift packs every chance he gets. Thanks to all the amazing kids at OCA--they helped me to understand what really matters. Thanks to Ned, Edward, and Cammie for all their support as I was going through the growing pains of my first year of grown-up life. Thanks to Jon's mom and dad and Ms. Carol for sharing him so generously and throwing their full support behind me dragging their son to far-off places. Thanks anyone who I haven't named specifically; I genuinely believe that without the enthusiasm and generosity of all the people I am fortunate enough to love and bump against, I wouldn't be here today.
Of course, in a sappy turn, full of organ music, thanks to Cotopaxi, my incredible, crazy, brave little sister, for providing the kick in the ass to get us here. Thanks to mom and dad for helping us get here, loving Bettie and Isaac, letting us crash in Michigan, giving me a sub position, raising us so well, etc.....
Finally, of course, thanks to Jon for being every bit as stubborn and bull-headed as I am, for challenging me on a daily basis, for not letting me take cop-outs, for being as present and sweet in our relationship as he makes a point of being, if not every day, every few...
Ok, that's my super sappy, self-indulgent post. I have been wanting to get this out for a while now, as I genuinely believe that it's thanks to all of you that we are here today. Thank you and please know that the three of the Champspratt clan (Cody is an honorary member) send big love from New Zealand.

This is kind of fun...

2010-03-26T10:12:00.000+13:00

I'm terrible at keeping a journal and have never really felt comfortable sending out weekly or monthly update emails, as I rarely read them they are sent to me. This seems like a good compromise to me--a good way for the people who we love to keep tabs on us, where we are, what we're doing, without the risk of boring people who aren't interested. Perfect!
It probably helps that I am still in the throes of the job-hunt. Apparently job vacancies here aren't exactly elusive, as they appear everywhere. Instead, they're incredibly hard to pin down, slipping through commitments or deadlines like an eel. I have applications in at a few really cool (-looking) jobs, and have heard back that they are in the process of shortlisting; unfortunately, this all comes back to that damned idea of Island Time.
Jon is playing in NZ Ultimate Nationals this weekend, so he and I are heading up to Christchurch later today. It should be interesting to see how NZ Ultimate compares to American. I'll try to take pictures, although I'm also notoriously bad at that. I've started a Picasa Web account where I'll try to post all our photos (as internet limits allow). You can find it at: http://picasaweb.google.com/springfrog.
I hope you're all enjoying the comings of spring... it's definitely moving into fall here. The trees across the pasture are just beginning to show hints of orange at their tips...

First Weeks

2010-03-24T17:23:00.000+13:00

We have been in Dunedin for about two weeks now, settling in, getting to know the neighborhood and our awesome neighbors, looking for jobs; doing all the normal stuff that accompanies life in a new place. Our house is in the North East Valley of Dunedin, on a cul-de-sac surrounded by pastures. On one side we have sheep and on the other is a rotating cast of cows, sheep, and cats who sit on fence posts. Since we have a spare room, we have all set up couchsurfing accounts (www.couchsurfing.org) and have hosted a plethora of German women. For some reason, New Zealand seems to attract Germans.... Shortly, we will host a Welsh ex-teacher who is now traveling around and sends big love. A week after him, Sam Feigenbaum (our cousin on his gap year) will be staying for a month and a bit.
For her early birthday gift, Cody got her best gift to date... a small, spotty creature who we have named Whiskey River. She is 3/4 Blue Heeler and 1/4 Staffordshire Terrier. So far, she is smart, stubborn, playful, demanding, cuddly, adorable. In general, she is a little termagant.
Cody and Jon are both studying, both enjoying school (Jon more so than Cody, I would say). I have applied to jobs and am waiting to hear back. Apparently here in New Zealand, everything operates on Island Time, so the job search process takes way longer than I am accustomed to... it's a learning experience, for sure!
In all my down time, I have been finding beaches, running trails, and mountain bike routes that make me want to die. On Jon's and my most recent bike trip, we rode up the street (only about 7 min away!) to our local singletrack trails. There was going to be a race the next day, so we rode the course. In parts, I felt totally awesome and competent, and then I would come across a section that made me feel like I needed training wheels. As it turns out, we were riding an advanced course; makes me feel SLIGHTLY better.
Internet here is expensive and slow, so I probably will post pictures in small doses, but I will make sure to do so. More to come later...
Much love!