I'M
IN LOVE WITH THE NEW WORLD!
by
Sera Mac
I'm
in love with the new world. New Zealand that is.
It
only took my a few days to develop a heavy gut wrenching crush on the place otherwise
known as Aotearoa . I landed in Auckland and saw a city absorbed in a café
culture where organic produce reigned along with cheese, wine, and chai lattes.
The weather was temperate, the city was multicultural, there was an uncanny resemblance
to the San Francisco/Bay Area, and it possessed a respectable dosage of weirdo's,
artists, and cool kids. After a few days in the city I headed out to explore New
Zealand's other parts and consequentially witnessed my first countryside sunset.
It happened on January 29th at 8:41pm; the incident was nothing short of a brilliant
light show of apricots, saffrons, and pinks intermingled with saturated greens,
velvety blues, and hazy purples which grounded a bucolic valley of rolling hill
farmland. I must admit, as tasteless as it may be, that when I set sight on that
scene I cried, giggled, and became nauseas all at once. Being the artist that
I am I thought, "How do you make art after that?"
That
sunset sighting totally tweaked me and my crush escalated into mad love. Possessive
thoughts took over immediately and I started acting like a stalker. I obsessively
planned on where to see her next, following her for hours on winding roads, and
believing our relationship was like no others. Why else would she always be flaunting
and taunting me with her elusive beauty? Then again, I never could shake the reality
that New Zealand was larger than life, a nation who had a deep and abiding relationship
with a beloved citizenry, not just me. Even so, I still wanted to own her (or
at least a piece of her) and show her off, producing envy and wonder in all who
laid eyes on our extraordinary relationship.
When
New Zealand was having a bad day owing to weather or an abundance of tourists,
I felt cheated by her. Love, as it is apt to do, soured to hate. Indignant feelings
overwhelmed me when flaws were found. Like her moody four seasons-in-one-day temperament
that turned camping into a confrontation. In fact, I had an unusually special
talent for setting up camp on beautiful fair weather afternoons that morphed into
frighteningly fierce storms by night. That's when I was reminded that beauty can
be quite horrifying. After several "roughing it" excursions my fanatical
love for New Zealand mellowed into something much healthier, admiration.
I
like to reminisce and believe New Zealand and I had a good thing going for awhile.
I mean we did share many tender moments together comprised of romantic sunsets
at the beach, picnics on verdant river banks, and contemplative strolls through
ancient forests. Yet, our temporary time together was destined to become a faded
memory. I just hope we can be friends and hang out again. (oooooh! How Cute!)
Sera
Mac
Born: Los Angeles, California, USA
e-mail : seramac@charter.net
/ website :
