1. Kiwi Bird calling
GUERNSEY PRESSSaturday 10 October 2015
THE WEEK 7
Former Guernsey
Press reporter
Jessamy
Baudains has
swapped the
security of life on
the Rock for a year
of adventure in the
Land of the Long
White Cloud. The
good news is, she’s
promised to send us
regular despatches
about her travels. The bad news? Just looking at her
pictures could induce a serious case of itchy feet. Best
make sure your passport is up to date...
Exhilarating,
‘Long distance
travel is like a
post-Christmas
detox, you’ve
just got to
suck it up and
crack on’
BOARDING
CARDS
READY?
What to pack for long-distance
flights...
l Ear plugs – because the
snoring coming from three rows
behind is not cool.
l Eye mask – even when the
cabin lights are dimmed, nothing
gets you into sleep mode like a
decent eye mask.
l Flight socks and a pair of
warm socks – the former to avoid
swollen, sausage ankles due to
the pressure, the latter to battle
against freezing air con.
l Dry shampoo and small
hairbrush – to keep the mane in
check. You don’t want to arrive
at your destination looking like
you’re fresh from the fields of
Reading festival.
l Large scarf – or preferably
one that could be masked as a
portable blanket/rug. You know
the sort. Flights get cold, and I
mean Arctic cold. I also try to
nab a spare blanket pretty early
on.
l Good book – great for waiting
around in airports and making the
time go by. I read The Midnight
Rose by Lucinda Riley.
l A decent playlist – because
who doesn’t want to gaze out of
the window and pretend they’re in
a movie. Nope, not me!
l Empty bottle – if you are
taking lots of connecting flights
you can’t take your water through
security each time, but most
international airports have water
fountains and cabin staff on
board will re-fill your bottle.
l Chewing gum, toothbrush/
toothpaste – to keep things fresh.
l Lavender oil – I find this really
relaxing and it aids sleep.
l Tissues – essential for so
many reasons.
l Hand and face cream – air
con can dry up the skin on
your hands and a little dab (my
favourite is the Body Shop hemp
hand cream) really freshens you
up. It’s also important to keep
your face hydrated (I use La
Roche-Posay factor 50 day cream
and Olay 3-point Regenerist
serum)
l Warm clothes – to keep you
cosy.
GUERNSEY PRESS Saturday 10 October 2015
6 THE WEEK
of The Lord of The Rings,
which comes as no surprise,
seeing as the movies were
shot here. Dingdingding.
The only way to describe
it is magical. Lush, green
hills fill the horizon, while
little rivers and giant lakes
take you by surprise around
each corner. No, really. It
feels like you are living in
a green screen set. Movie
rental stores haven’t been
shut down here yet and
hatchback cars are hard
to come by, so there is
definitely the sense that the
country is still living in the
early noughties. But that all
adds to the charm.
The journey here was
mammoth, but far
less painful than I
had anticipated. It’s
essentially 24 hours of
il bel far niente – the
beauty of doing nothing.
You sit, then you
sit some more, you
eat endless amounts of
food, read for hours with
no interruption, drink
complimentary wine and
gorge on endless movies
featured on tiny, Borrowers-
size screens.
Long distance travel is like a
post-Christmas detox, you’ve
just got to suck it up and
crack on. It will be a slog at
points, but a necessary one.
You’ll be fantasising about
your bed as much as mince
pies in January, but mainly
it’s about getting in the zone
and seeing it as enforced
relaxation.
I
’m currently based in
Hamilton, where my
fiancé David is completing
flight training, but fear
not readers, for there shall
be many shenanigans to
report from our adventures
across this awe-inspiring
country. I’ll also be working
in various local industries
while I’m out here, so will
give you a glimpse into that
too.
For the time being, in the
panel are a few long-distance
travel must-haves for you. I
hope you get planning your
next adventures.
Until next time,
Love, the Kiwi Bird
I’m off chasing dreams
terrifying...
‘The world is a book, and
those who do not travel read
only a page’.
Saint Augustine
W
ELL, I’ve done
it. Hello New
Zealand.
A few weeks
ago I left the
beautiful
‘Rock’ to move to this
amazing place on the other
side of the planet, and I hope
to return next year a better
person for it.
Moving to a new country
is an equally exhilarating
and terrifying experience.
You’re chasing dreams and
‘the new’, you’re throwing
caution to the wind and
taking a risk most will never
have the cojones to make,
but it often means leaving
behind loved ones, moving
from a job in which you’ve
become settled and from
the place which you call
home. And don’t even get
me started on parting with
Guernsey milk…
Still, I really believe
everyone should live abroad
at some point in their life.
‘Why?’ you say. Because
the experience will shape
you like no other. You
will go through some of
the happiest and scariest
moments of your existence
– if done right. It’s all about
tears of joy and frustration,
meeting new faces and
testing your limits. I mean,
who wants to stay still
forever? Not me, darling!
My first time living away
from home came as a
bright-eyed (I want to say
bushy tailed?) 19-year-old.
I wanted unpredictable
adventure, dusty soles
and colourful horizons.
After days of careful
preparation, of squeezing
malaria medication, hand
sanitiser and hand-powered
contraptions into my
mountainous rucksack, I
arrived in Malawi, where I
would spend the next five
months teaching English
and travelling around east
Africa. I quickly caught
malaria (and recovered,
thankfully), became
accustomed to the small
cottage with no electricity
or running water and fell in
love with roast goat.
The lesson? Like a
chameleon, you will adapt to
your new environment and
eventually relax into a new
rhythm. It may take a while,
but trust me.
A
t 24, I thought it
was time for a new
expedition. I’ve been
working at the Guernsey
Press for the past year (you
may have seen me popping
up in the news pages and
occasionally sneaking into
the food review section),
but for the next few months
you’ll be getting a little
glimpse into my life in the
land of the kiwi bird.
Everyone told me what
a beautiful country New
Zealand was, and guess
what? It is. The landscape is
ethereal, like something out
Wish you
were here?
Main: Jessamy in
Redwoods Forest,
Rotorua, North Island.
Above from left: The
view from Mount
Maunganui in the Bay
of Plenty; heading uphill
from Ngarunui Beach
in Raglan, North Island;
and Redwoods Forest.
On the headland at
Ngarunui Beach in
Raglan, North Island, one
of New Zealand’s best
surfing spots.
Our roving reporter
Jessamy Baudains
with her fiancé
Dave Baldwin.