Life Is Hard

I got admitted into Yale and UofM and turned down at UC Davis. Still waiting for Oregon, but won't tell me for another month, unfortunately.
Recently I've been spending a lot of time calling US Forest Service Offices and trying to convince them to hire me for this summer.
Admissions excitement and worries about summer jobs have been keeping me up at night lately, and I'm returning to the old ways, even in New Zealand, eating chocolate and trying to read hard literature at 3 am in the morning.
But to nicer topics. I have had my first WWOOF in the South Island.
Far away from any civilization, off the grid, in a one-room-shack lives a family of four: Pav, Erin and two tiny toddlers Miro and Bobo (Bobo isn't his real name, but the parents haven't decided on what they are going to call him yet. They say it takes time to see a child's personality and hence to give it an appropriate name).
Both Erin and Pav were city children and don't know much about farming or gardening, their hands are full with yong kids (two years and six weeks) and about a 100 feril sheep living on their property. Their garden looked more like an experiment: scraggly tomato plants lost in weeds and bunches of sheep turds spread on the surface for fertilization. Even sheep aren't really farmed, both Erin and Pav are animal rights activists and vegetarians, so they keep the sheep for company and as live lawn-mowers. And they've got a lot of land to mow - about 100 acres for partially forested land in the foothills of the Southern Alps.
My first reaction to the farm was a mixture of awe and puzzlement. The property is in a very scenic location and the absence of electricity or any kind of worldly comfort only intensified my feeling of closeness to nature. However, there was also a total lack of a garden or any other features of an "organic farm". Regardless, my experience on the farm was profound. I've realized how much I'm used to comfort and unwilling to let go of personal space and tasty food. On the other hand, I was touched by Erin's and Pav's dedication to their ideas. Skilled or not, they were living the simple life I profess to ebrace. They are poor by choice and they are OK with that. I guess, as we say in Russia, poverty's not a sin.

a couple of things.
number one:
while doing a strenuous alpine hike met an extremely good looking czech girl hiking in her underwear and wearing long earrings. she passed me on an uphill and had a fire going in the hut when i caught up to her. after speaking with her, turned out she teaches math analysis at a uni, has hiked every imaginable trail in the north island and maintains perfectly shaped long nails even in the backcountry. it made me question my femininity.

number two:
hiking alone in the back-country is a surprisingly pleasant experience. peaceful and dignified. or maybe i'm becoming a snob.

number three:
take a look at Nelson Lakes National Park. that's Traverse Saddle

Still alive and well. Here's a picture of me and mt ngarahoe in the back.