14. South Island (Part 1) The Sacrifice

And then I arrived in Christchurch, a city that recently experienced an earthquake, so it's normal to see building construction quite often as you walk along the city streets. I arrived here in the late afternoon and hadn't booked any accommodation yet, but after telling the taxi driver at the train station that I was looking for a place to stay, he took me to a backpacker-heavy area near the city's university.

 

When I arrived, I was fortunate that the hotel receptionist told me there was one bed available. He said that during this summer season, many people come down to visit the South Island. However, don't misunderstand that the summer on the South Island is necessarily hot. The summer here is like our winter (Thailand) in the North. After getting settled, I went for a walk around the city. The parks here are very large and spacious, well-designed and perfectly beautiful. If I were to say, I feel this is the case in almost every city, where there are large parks to serve the people, but not as many people as in our country. I can say that those who enjoy peace and quiet will love the atmosphere of this country.

 

A funny thing happened the next morning. The room I slept in last night was a shared dormitory with a total of six beds. While I was packing, I had the opportunity to chat with a French woman in her early thirties. She had short hair and looked like an outdoorsy type. She worked as an architect but was currently on vacation. The travel style she chose for this trip to New Zealand was hiking, just like the person I had met two days ago. I was amazed again because she didn't look particularly strong. She was even smaller than me. She was staying in the city because she had an inflamed ankle, so it was probably good for her to take a break from long-distance travel.

 

As we talked, I asked her how she slept in the forest. She said she used a hammock, which at the time I didn't know what it was. It was a new term for me. So, she went into her luggage to show me, and it was indeed a hammock, used to tie up and sleep between trees, similar to in the movie Avatar. Well, since I saw her luggage, which looked to be about half the size of mine, I asked her to lift it so I could see how heavy it was. I found it was much lighter than mine. I was stunned again. At the same time, I was puzzled and wondered to myself, "So what have I been carrying all this time?"

 

After parting ways with her, I went down to check out and return the keys, and some ideas started brewing in my head. I looked around the area for a suitable spot and found a corner that wasn't too crowded, but where there were many tourist brochures hanging on the wall. I started doing what I intended. I began to open my large 20-kilogram bag and gently take out every item inside, placing them on the nearby sofa. I observed and looked through them, thinking about whether what I was holding would be useful during the nearly year I would be in New Zealand, considering my experience of over three months there. Was the weight and usefulness worth carrying it further? I kept doing this, separating the items into two piles, rethinking some of them, and then it was time to summarize the results. There were quite a few items that I chose to discard. Some were good clothes with good designs, but I didn't think I would use them here, and other miscellaneous items that I had imagined would be useful here in New Zealand, but after being here for over four months, I had never used them. So, there was probably no reason to keep them any longer. Overall, based on my feelings, I would estimate that the total weight of the items I discarded was no less than 7 kilograms. Because after I put the things, I intended to keep using back into my bag, I felt considerably better. At the same time, I wondered why I had carried such a heavy bag for so long without realizing I could do what I just did.

 

The items I separated are neatly arranged on that sofa. I arranged them to look inviting, along with a note on a piece of paper and something on top of it that says, "Please take anything you think might be useful for you." My bag was too heavy.”  At first, I was a bit wary that a housekeeper or hotel staff might come and stop me, citing that it might take up space. But luckily, that corner wasn't very crowded, and even if staff found me later, I would likely be far away from the hotel. If they needed anything from that pile, I would be happy to give it.

 

I spent the next day at another nearby hotel, taking a long time to book a bus ticket to Te Anau. This took so long because I was overthinking, unsure of where to go first, and worrying too much about how to make it the cheapest. But in reality, looking back, both of those things were a waste of time and energy. Because if I took a step back and looked at the bigger picture, I would find that if we had just been willing to spend a little more money and go with the flow a bit, I wouldn't have wasted so much time. But that's how it was. I wasted time there because I needed to learn this later. I couldn't figure it out on my own from the start. And this is another example of how useless experiences teach us useful things.

 

While I was in this city, I walked around to various places, such as parks, shopping malls, and restaurants. Everything was quite exciting, but sometimes I felt a bit nervous in unfamiliar places. For example, when I went to eat at a large restaurant and sat alone at a table while ten people were sitting together at a table not far away. I admit I felt strange, but in the end, once the plate of food was finished, there was really nothing to it. It was just my own scattered thoughts.

 

I admit that having someone to talk to or be with makes me feel more secure and confident. But deep down, another part of me says, is it possible for someone to feel comfortable regardless of whether they are alone or with others? And the answer is yes. I myself want to be someone who feels that way from within. And when I feel that this feeling is clear, I want others to know about it as well, so that we can all realize that feeling comfortable and relaxed doesn't always have to depend on external circumstances. It can be learned and practiced.