Hello again,


It has been one week since my last blog and i have again cycled into town to share with you some words about life in Hawkes Bay New Zealand!

Its interesting to sit here and take a moment to reflect on how my time is developing at the Hohepa Community. Its difficult to find time to think when you are out in the scorching sun each day pulling, weeding, planting, laughing, digging, sharing, and on and on...when work finally lets out at four, it takes all i have to drag myself to the nearest spot on the river to cool off.

Things seem a bit different to me at this point after having just read my first installment. I had said earlier that coming to Hohepa was like stepping onto a well oiled machine. While things still seem to run at an alarmingly smooth pace, i am enough of an insider at this point to realize what we all realize about all communities and organizations we work with, that there are some subtle and not so subtle tensions that exist, some keys instances and areas of miscommunication, and systems of authority and decision-making that not everyone agrees with. While i am somewhat used to this pattern of discovery, each time the situation is remarkably different in its intricacies. Through my work with NASAP, I slowly began to recognize the places in which miscommunication and lack of attention affected the success and well being of the organization. At first i felt a bit helpless to what appeared to be a tangle. With time though, i began to realize my abilities, the tools i had to actually do things, quietly and with communication, in ways that i saw more fit based on my expereince. I have not been here long enough, nor will i be here long enough to manifest this kind of action-oriented movement against the areas of miscommunication. Nevertheless, observing and working through some of these misteps at Hohepa with the other volunteers has been very rewarding. Again though, as a foreigner and an outsider, my response is generally to sit back and observe as much as possible before saying anything even if that is not my natural response.

To give you a bit of an example, the miscommunication is centered largely around the schedules of the residents (the adults with developmental differences) during thier day to day work on the farm. They will often be left unsupervised as we go off to do a few hours of work. This is dissapointing to some because, as i mentioned earlier, they have a wide and varied range of capabilities. Sam, an man in his thirites, is able to carry full crates of harvested vegetables from the field to the truck. James uses the tractor to turn the compost or trasport heavy equipment. The list goes on and on and each one has a certain place within the days work, but can become easily distracted.

As volunteers, it is not our place to manage or counsel the residents in any way. However, we work very closely with them and often are left to a job, the three volunteers with three or four residents. We usually develop a pretty good system this way talking casually, and, when necessary, reminding them what their task is and how to do it. This is generally where we have stepped in, with a quick suggestion here and there to the residents, and it has been working out well and seems to help the employees who can be in to many places at once.

Therefore, i am seeing patterns in the places i have worked, and through my past expereinces, am developing a discerning eye for situations like this, when it is good to give a suggestion and when it is wiser to remain quiet and observent.

On a cheerier, warmer note, we harvested sun-warmed plums and pears, and crates and crates of beets and brocolli. The sun is a strong as ever but relief comes with the night time sky that is overflowing with stars...

Let me know if there are things you would like to hear more about! all suggestions welcome.

Cheers mate (New Zealanders say this all the time)
Dani