Dan Varick and Sarah Rand

00:03 I am Sarah R and I am 29 years old. Today is May 8th 2013. I am at the Chicago Cultural Center, and I'm here to interview my brother Dan.

00:15 My name is Dan Barrett. I am 19 years old today is May 8th 2013. I'm at the Chicago Cultural Center, and I'm being interviewed by my sister.

00:26 Okay, so then you just got back from New Zealand on Monday night and I'm here to ask you about your trip and record all of your great stories. So my first question is, why did you want to go to New Zealand? Why was out of place that appealed to you by that country out of all the countries in the world could question most likely it was there so much agriculture in New Zealand and is so many mountains and rivers and places to explore and also it's just kind of a been a fantasy of mine since I was a

01:04 Young kid and I was really good just to be able to get away from home for a while and explore a new place that I had never been. So so a lot of preparation to get ready for the trip and how you picked out all your gear and everything was all set and you left to go to New Zealand without really much of a plan. So what was it like to prepare for the trip band and what was going through your head when you landed and also and I was really hoping for this trip was it be an experience where I could just kind of?

01:44 Do what I wanted when I wanted to not really have a plan just kind of go and go with the flow with it. So for the preparation of it, I knew what I had in mind which would be some work on farms through Roofing somewhere. I'm just exploring mountains in cool places. I knew I wanted to hitchhike around. I knew I was going to be sleeping in my tent. So I kind of was just thinking about necessary things. I would need such as 1010 backpacks in those kinds of things and then also, you know mental preparation for leaving my my family and friends behind and being by myself surrounded by nobody. I knew and being okay with spending, you know weeks by myself and also being able to jump in a group and make friends really easily. So a lot of preparation but the same time minimal what was like the most essential gear that you brought that really proved to be

02:42 Important for your trip. I spent almost every night special in the beginning of the trip in my baby one person tent, thing which was out there with the most essential part. So I don't know what I would have done without that because otherwise you're sleeping in the middle of some mountain range and it's nice having some shelter doesn't matter if that shelters just two feet off the ground.

03:08 What else is really important that you had with you?

03:15 I got up first time I ever got a smartphone. So it actually I was a little resistant to it before I went but it turned out to be pretty much Essential just having contact email and being able to search maps when I'm hitchhiking. It would been a lot worse having a carry around maps of the whole country in having to go to internet cafes to check my email. Yeah, that's definitely doable but having a smartphone made it real really easy to it to do it. So yeah, that was helpful.

03:46 So I know when you landed in Auckland when I talk to Mom and Dad a few days later, they said that there was some issues getting your phone set up and I think Mom said I think Dan's how did nervous and you know, what was that like like you where you would Landon aqua and you know, you didn't really have a plan was Mom right in thinking that you are kind of nervous and not really sure where to go and what to do I was

04:12 Scared to death because I always had this vision of New Zealand where was you know, two lane roads not to not a big deal. I mean I land in Auckland which is where I think three-quarters of the population the whole country lives in Auckland. So it's a big big city and it's real spaced-out. I don't have a phone set up on you. I want to do that. I remember my phone wasn't quite working. I couldn't change some little SIM card kind of Delia. I don't really remember the specifics. So I ended up going to a finding a bus. Some old guy. I help me out and he got me to this mall where there was the Vodafone which is where I was going to set it up and then I spent maybe like 2 hours Skyping with Dad was texting with someone from Apple trying to get this whole thing set up and it was a little nerve-wracking because I only had one plan up to this point, which was I would knew I wanted to get down to Kiwi burn which was New Zealand's Regional Burning Man.

05:13 And I was going to try and get there at down there today or that day, I guess which it was maybe three hundred kilometers away or two hundred, So I'm not entirely sure and I was in this mall till maybe 1 in the afternoon. So I was really scared that I wasn't going to be able to make it or something like that. And I remember leaving eventually found everything worked out and I remember leaving a small and trying to find some on ramp towards the motorway because you're not allowed to be on the motorway. So the only way I would be able to hitchhike on to it would be from standing on the on-ramp and I was standing there for maybe 45 minutes just cars like whizzing by me and I was just like what am I doing here? I feel like such a fool and I eventually this woman pick me up and just got me basically just to the southernmost suburb where I once again waited for like 2 hours, but then the next man pick me up and got me right to where I was going.

06:13 We town right next to manga keynote is where the town was and if things just worked out that night. I slept in an RV park sun was still sending real a timer. I was exhausted because I've been traveling for two days standing out in the sun all day. I was really dehydrated nights get to this RV park and just like set up my tent and crashing it and yeah, I was really relieved to be there because once I got out of the Auckland, I realized all right hitchhiking Spotify saw a couple other people trying to hit on the way it really relieve me about that. First time. I was there I was just scared to that till you felt like it wasn't so scary anymore in and things are going to be okay. Yeah. I was pretty much once I got out of the city.

07:08 My nerves really settled. I was just I was flown. I was finally here. I've been wanting to go there all year like really badly been dreaming about it everyday. So now that I was finally here, I was just psyched to get out meet some people see some cool places. So it's really cool. So it'd be great to have it on this recording just walk us through everywhere you went so really bracelet will get into more detail on these places, but just give us a tour of your past and headed south towards the middle to Country towards Tahoe where I stayed at Keowee Baron and I was there for 4 days great time and then I met these two German girls who had a car and they drove me out to the West Coast around New Plymouth area where there's a big volcano there that is someone active and I spent a day climbing that which is really great and then I continued with those girls down towards Wellington where I stayed in Wellington for a night with

08:08 This really rich guy who gave me a salmon dinner like tons of free beer and other drinks and then he gave me these Rugby tickets who is the rugby sevens? So it's the rugby game or there's only seven people in the field and Ohs turn into a huge party was a good time next morning. I take the ferry across to the South Island. Originally. I was thinking of you in the North Island for longer, but the South Island I've been hearing was just where all the cool tramping would be all the mountains all you know, everything I wanted to be doing in this in this for months. It would be in the south island. So I took the ferry across these are Canadian and a German on the fairy who I got a ride with to this like we stayed at in this kind of like the field for the night and then the next morning. I was out looking for work in a Vineyard turned out it was a totally wrong season to be looking for work in a Vineyard but I got picked up by some guy when I was taking back to my campsite who

09:07 He he told me this is kind of funny. I was telling about camping over this feeling is like a much better place to stay should come with me and we're driving maybe 30 minutes down this dusty road and I'm getting a little weirded out because I've just I've been hitting with this guy and he seems a little off and then we finally show up in this field. And the only thing I see is this house bus with a big mushroom painted all over it and it turns out he was taking me to this week-long techno house in base dance party in middle of the woods where I stayed I ended up setting up the festival and then staying and staying after for a little but that keeps the people I'm talking to that later. And then after that I traveled with these two cuties for a little bit that was Nelson area. So we stayed around Nelson right on the coast beautiful area. That's where the Abel Tasman as so we stayed there. I remember we collected mussels and cockles types of

10:03 Selfish me a toast for dinner was really great. I was trying to figure out how to travel really cheaply in do all these things like, you know, the way I wanted to do them. I left them know I found work with them picking apples over and not to wake up but it wouldn't start for a week. So I thought it'd be a good opportunity to do my real first Tramp or like a multi-day trip. So I did the Abel Tasman which was an amazing trip. Some people said some of the best in New Zealand right on the right on the coast. I did it in 5 days you're supposed to pay maybe $20 a night, but I just found beautiful spaces to camp on the beach and kind of avoided the warden's I felt like a ninja sometimes. It was really cool.

10:52 So then I went back and I work tonight to wake up and then not you wake up. That was alright made some money to fund the rest of my trip. Then I might awake. I went down to Nelson Lake area. So south of my Jamaica and Nelson Lakeside is another multi-day trip over this beautiful area. I saw no one I spent two days fully naked just climbing hiking do whenever I wanted it was fantastic left Nelson lakes and

11:22 I totally miss something in there after I pick apples. I went to Taco which is beautiful tons of hippies and I rock climb for 2 weeks at and I stayed at this really cool Camp. So I called him. Which is known as this like really that you noticed a cool place to hang out. I was able to stay there for free the entire time somehow, you know, I just worked out that way I think like the guy wasn't there. So I just kind of like snacks in and all that. I was great really I've been wanting to go to sport climbing. So that's my first real opportunity to get on some real good rock and just climb every day as hard as I could and I went out to Mike's and then I had went over the west coast and that was really the first time I'd encounter the Southern Alps, which is really where the mountain best big mountain range in New Zealand and I traveled and I met some people there right when I first got to the West Coast. I got out of the car I hitchhike with into and I met

12:18 Some folks at the grocery store who I picked apples with and they had a car. So we went North from there towards karimian. We spent five days. Just hanging on the beach having a great time. Then I left them and just continued on the west coast stopping here and there, you know putting on a 10-team cool places for a while and I was getting a little bit lonely. So I decided I would do my first one thing which is where you know, you stay with a family and you work for them in this instance. It wasn't actually on a farm. I was working for someone who's a raft guide and because the season was starting to slow down, but he founded his family was he fat possums. So I was able to trap possums with him two days and then fur like kind of a payment he took me Haley rafting which was crazy. You know, I'll put helicopters in the river and then running some good white water after that my our parents came and

13:11 So I met them over at Castle Hill, which is

13:14 The kind of in the middle of the country and I'm not there. I did it I climb for a little bit while I was waiting for them. And then with them we travel the rest of the West Coast's in France in Fox Glacier with her big tourist attractions, and we rented a campervan so is really nice because I hadn't had a car anything. So getting to remote places or places that are hard to hitchhike. I really couldn't do it was really nice with them until the glaciers. We crossed over House pass and we were in Wanaka Wanigas beautiful sunny, you know big mountains all around there. We went out to mount aspiring National Park we did pipes for a little bit when to Rob Roy Glacier, which is really cool and back out of mine is fine Park and we went down towards your lens, which is the remote the most remote part of New Zealand. So we it seems pretty far from Walnut Avenue school or just hanging out in the camper van and then we were in town knew and then just drove the road up towards Milford Sound and then hung around there for I think.

14:14 Days Inn, the neighbor having a head back to Christchurch and I knew I wanted to go back to Wanaka because it's just absolutely beautiful there. So they left me right at the start of the root burn track, which is another gorgeous tracked in New Zealand, and I did that.

14:32 Also these great walks. I didn't really want to be paying for them cuz I was trying to do it as you know post a free as possible and I thought I would be able to just find someplace to you know, pitch my tent somewhere along the walk but it turns out that other than the first 10K is in the last 10 K's the whole walk is completely up or downhill. So I end up doing 36 kilometers that day with a pretty heavy pack because I thought after this I would continue on walking and you know, just keep going until I ran out of food. So I was exhausted by the time that was a I guess the hike was amazing beautiful just gorgeous day tons of mountains. You just could just see right down the river valley, you know, I ride with these Peaks.

15:18 Imma, pull into Cambria like that night and just trying to find a place and then next morning. I get out find someone hits back to Wanaka meet up with some friends there. And then I don't remember I wanted to work on a farm again. So I looked on with things found some people where I could work with went down towards Gore which is south of there in between. It's right on the border of otaga, which is a region and Southland which is another reason and I worked there for three weeks. It was a sheep and beef Farm where I did everything from building staircases to sharing and rousing sheep. Then Jason sheep everything she can imagine after about 3 weeks. I was ready to keep moving. So I went up to Mount Cook and the weather had turned real bad by this time. It was getting pretty late and towards the summer supposed to fall so and the rain was just coming down and I spent one night in the shelter. That was just

16:18 Miserable so I just left right after that and I went at a friend in Dunedin. I'd met up alienation. So I stayed with him for a week. We had a real good time. And after that I was flying out in a week. So I went up to the church. I meant to not cook so I was tied to set up when I'm in Christchurch. Can I stay with him? He's like sure he wasn't there at the time but I ran into someone I knew actually who had also gone to meet you. I'm lived around the reasons. Why didn't Matt just when I've flown in I saw her I hung out there for the night and slept back in my friends house and then threw out the next morning.

16:54 That was an intense. Thank you for sharing that have to look at a map later and you'll show me on a map. So this was a picture that you posted on Facebook. I haven't seen very many pictures. I saw with Mom and Dad's pictures when they got back but this was one of your own pictures and this isn't Nelson Lakes. Is that right? So tell me just about that day and you know where you were when you took that picture and what you were thinking about and what that was like really alone for a good amount of time without anyone around me. So I knew I wanted to go to nothing like that hurt. It was gorgeous you're having a fantastic weather. So I pull up to the dock which is proper conservation site and look at a map.

17:46 Did Tommy decide what I want to do? I had topographical maps on my iPhone, but it's nice to have a physical copy. So I looked at that and I saw that almost every transfer that came into this region went around the lake at one way and I was like, well, they look about the same elevation. Yeah, there's no track on it, but we're all above tree line. So it doesn't matter so I decided to go the other way. So I've had this grueling hike up to the up above Treeline the once I get up to this Ridgeline, I just looked out and it just absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful looks almost Tundra light Lakes all around. I was worried because I was planning on spending a couple days up there and I only brought four liters of water with me for leaders carrying it pretty much straight-up. It was a slap, but it was

18:30 You know it was I was afraid I was going to have any water I get up there there lakes everywhere. It was beautiful the first night. I just find a spot to camp. I was just I remember I was just smiling like crazy. I was so excited and

18:44 Next morning I wake up and this is where the photo was taken and these next two days. I spend completely naked just exploring. I left my only went to like a little bit further the next day just like over the next Ridge and I realized you might have my pack still real heavy. There's I want to go and check it all the Peaks around me. I don't really want to be carrying his backpack. So I said I might and I decide to base camp there for the next 3 days just go out exploring go to all their legs climb up on like Rocky, you know cool things play things. I just couldn't do if I had brought my pack up to these peaks with me also that day. I found this really cool Boulder and I just climbed on it for 2 hours or something. Just as I was fantastic went back and I spent four days there until I was starting to feel you know, I could

19:35 I can start maybe interacting with some people again, so I decided to head back down. So I sent spent five days. They're not talking this whole other myself just read books. I was reading the The Alchemist which I always heard was like a fantastic book and I never been able to read it. And I remember I was reading that in there talking all about Omens and all these things and ever since that I was just like hitchhiking was all about Omens. Like I don't know like things. Interesting man. It was a Rosa kind of a turning point of my trip was just a really good time. I like it alot. Well, I didn't know that all of that. I just take that photo cuz I was one of the few you you post on Facebook so few questions about that number one wine naked white nakedness. Like are there mosquitoes in New Zealand, like directions are mosquitoes and flies with her pretty bad, but it's so sunny and warm there almost no sand flies and there's like a nice breeze blowing & Y naked like why not naked? I think we spend.

20:35 Almost every hour of our lives with clothes on and I think being naked is fun and enjoyable. No one's around me. So I'm by myself. I would be really nervous like especially if I was, you know, climbing up on Boulders like you were you know, that maybe I would fall in like maybe I would really hurt myself and like no one would know where I am and that would be pretty scary. Did you have any concerns about that or any worries being alone? I was definitely conscious of the fact that I was once I wasn't doing anything over the risky, but then again, I'm kind of a risky guy. So there is there's probably some things I would have done that you wouldn't have done like bouldering without a crash pad underneath me and you know doing things that are definitely have some risk involved. I'll I had my spot with me. So and I made sure that wherever I was going on like a little Day hike from there. I always brought that and I also

21:35 Add a basic first aid kit with me plus some wolf and some knowledge of just how to handle myself.

21:43 I think before you left I told you not to do anything that I wouldn't do but it doesn't sound like you listen to that. So I'm really curious to learn more about the people that you made it sounds like you met some real characters. So who was one of the more interesting crazy people that you spent some time with probably hard to choose a couple when I was staying at hangdog, which was the campsite right next to paying for it and Takata people were just coming and going there.

22:17 It's called hangdog.

22:19 People are coming and going to you know, there's at least 30 people staying there tonight and you just meet heaps of people people are gathered around the campfire and there's just one guy's name is Jay and he was here. He refused to tell me what a day. It's what he'd like real long gray hair and he was like real hippie. And I don't know. I just remember him just being like this real funny guy who just kind of like wake up in the morning Bop around and I one day I was taking a rest day from climbing cuz I was real beating me him and his other two folks all of them 65 and over went to go explore the school beat with tons of like caves and coves and it was just a fun day spending time with some, you know, a few people. I don't normally spend time with but they were great. And then I was that alienation it is a

23:11 You know, it's like a music festival that is kind of known for.

23:16 But it's like a place to you know, kind of like hallucinogenic Lee drugs kind of stuff. There's a lot of really interesting people there pick one of those so many people that I met their butt.

23:37 I'm at this one guy's name is Adam and he was he brought his hunting bow with him to this Festival which is kind of a weird kind of thing. But so I remember if he one day when we were setting up he went out into the woods went to shoot some goats and he came back with two full goats and the next day. He shows me how to like stab heels that are just swimming in the river. So I eat every night. I was eating a meal for dinner, which is actually magnificent like really tasty and we do is weed stringing up in these people's house boats. I'm inside a house houses and we put in a chimney until I smoke it. It was really crazy and they were totally cool with it. Even though I bet their houses with them smell like you off for a while. I don't know. Yeah, it's just, you know, lots of interesting people for the most part. I was trying to avoid Americans. I definitely let you know I counter a couple here and there but, you know, I left America for a reason. I wanted to meet a lot of different people there A lot of Germans and New Zealand, so I traveled a couple times with German

24:37 Are French people? Mainly I was trying to spend time with kiwis to fetus kidneys are great. You not real friendly people like a lot of times. I'll be hitching in a nice person. I would say are you a place to stay tonight? And I would just put in my 10 at their house. They feed me dinner things. Just I was great.

25:00 So you mentioned when you give us a tour of everywhere, you went that mom and dad showed up and this was in the plan. So what was it like to see them and you have this country that you had been so independent traveling for like a few months. What was it like to all the sudden? They showed up. I was actually really excited for them to show up Not only would we be Mojave mobile? I'd have a way of transportation. I done heat to research on New Zealand. So I had an idea of where I wanted to go but a lot of places I couldn't go so I was really excited just to be able to go anywhere. I really wanted but at the same time I realized like a lot of the freedom that I had had is I could you know, do what I wanted when I wanted to would not be able I wouldn't be able to do to be a lot of compromises. So there's a little bit of mixed feelings, but overall. I was definitely pretty excited for them to show up.

25:56 You know you talked about the very first day you got there and everything seemed kind of overwhelming and you know what to do. Was there any other time where things just like went so wrong that looking back is like not a big deal. It's kind of funny now looking back day one was definitely the worst day for me, which is a good thing cuz it wasn't really that bad. I was I was getting real real tired and I was hiking to reprint and I just there was no where to Camp. So I was getting nervous there. But I knew if I just kept walking things that always turn for the best.

26:35 I read before I was picking apples. I had I had some money saved up but I was really trying to be a freaking time to do everything freely as possible. And I remember I was I was in Mantua, and is right across supposed to pick apples and I was the money I Dilaudid for myself that I brought with me. I was just running out and I'd had nowhere to stay and I was kind of worried about then. I remember I went to the orchard. Supposed to work and I was like, can I just put on my tent somewhere, please? Like I just need somewhere to stay for the night until start work starts running. Like now, I'm sorry. I like you really can't but you know, I'll let you stay at our neighbors Orchards and that worked out a little nervous about that but things worked out there around that time. I also really cut down my food budget, you know in the beginning I was buying beans and rice and

27:26 You know the things that you pay $2.50 a day for food on so things are real low and I was I don't know I was getting a little worried there. But after I started working I started making some decent money so that worked out. So how much did you live on per day about when I first got there was a about it's kind of hard to tell because they were I was paying for a phone which paid $30 a month and I was paying for, you know fairies over and petrol when I was sometimes spouse travel to people but it turned out to be around 5 to $6 a day in the beginning and then in the end it was for the last month I spent

28:08 I think it was around $19 10 of that I bought on a jacket cuz I just learned how to dumpster dive really well and I learned how to

28:19 You know just people will normally say yes, if you sit down and you can tell that they finish their you know, whatever they're eating and you just kind of stuck up a conversation and then in the end the middle that you're kind of like, how are you done eating this, you know or being able to stay for free places or hitchhiking. I just pretty much got out all night fences just really good really good feeling trying to break me away from her.

28:42 Capitalist Society in living for free so tell me more about you mentioned was really amazing. I heard a lot about from Dad the muscles were super tasty. What are some of the really amazing things out when you didn't talk at all that get this the stag hunting clothes when I was on the coast. I really tried to eat as much Seafood as possible most of that being selfish because you can just you know with a knife you can open up an oyster eat mussels and then I meant that with rice or pasta for you know, something like that. I also pretty much the entire time lives off peanut butter.

29:26 I was just trying to see are creamy and sometimes because buying bread got expensive just because Museum direction to place to buy bread. I would make these almost pancake like bread mixture. They're kind of a thing like a pancake and I just put peanut butter and either brown sugar because Shelly was heavy and cost a lot as well. So I just do brown sugar. Wish I could also put in my porridge or oatmeal in the morning so busy for breakfast. I eat forward with some brown sugar lunch peanut butter on either of Pancakes or just off from a spoon and dinner would be rice. If I was not backpacking I would do a can of beans because can too heavy but if I was backpacking of the day,

30:20 More peanut butter. I don't know if something I could find out also if I was hitchhiking on past like a field that wasn't you know that I could jump I would do you know jump it and I grab the root vegetables that way one time. I brought my backpack and I swarm this cornfield which I was sure was going to be sweet corn and I get back just like 20 years of corn and I'm like roasting what like three on the fire and I try one and it's just, you know animal feed straight crap. A lot of the fences are also electric and I was jumping the fence. I got electric. I'm not really that bad. But what a shame believe that sounds like, you know, that's intense, you know what to eat that kind of diet for that long and

31:14 He ought to see if it sounded awesome, but it sounded like your day today was pretty lean sufferings of the question. What are you what did you miss about home? Like what about you know living?

31:27 And Glencoe, how would you know what did you miss me when you were like realize that the corn was not edible like real like, you know thinking about what you wish you had there wasn't like the actual like things in the food really didn't bother me. I don't mind going weeks without showering. I don't mind sleeping in a tiny we 10th every night. I would I adjust kind of realized I was minding was when you're traveling always having to know where your stuff is because you're either on your back or knows everything is in your tent so you can always have to be near it luckily museums pretty safe place. I was allowed to in a house camping close to a beach I could set up by 10. I can go to the beach for the morning or whatever and I wouldn't have to be too worried. But you know, you're always a couple of kilometers away from your tent. So you got to be real aware that so it's nice once I'm home too kind of, you know, I don't have to think about where is my tent where is my stove? Where is all this?

32:23 So that is really nice. But things I was really missing. There's so many times and I was really missing interaction with other people and having people I know who have known me more than like 2 weeks, you know have known me for my entire life for some part of it. That's kind of nice to have at the same time. You can be who you want to be because no one knows you there just freeing and sometimes I would definitely maybe make up a little bit of a lie about who I was because some after traveling after being away from America for a while you start to realize not everyone really likes America sawed-off in time Sam Canadian or you know, they said that once again when you're trying to get free food or you know do something at this, you know, you make yourself sound like

33:10 Yeah, I'm about sending a couch surf request which is basically a free place to stay but some of the couch and I made it sound like I was kind of like desperate for a place to say I like I've been sleeping under my tarp for the last couple months things are going to get really cold Eva couch to stay on and normally, you know, they got I'm sure they got a lot of requests. Are you have to really kind of stand out so you learn those kinds of things so it's nice and right now it's like on your guard little bit. So you mentioned that people might have treated you differently if they knew you were from the states and that's often the, and then when I traveled I was sometimes embarrassed to be an American

33:54 So I did visiting Disneyland give you a perspective that you hadn't really noticed before on America and on your upbringing.

34:07 I just remember someone commenting on my teeth. And cuz she was only have the best teeth and I remember they coming on my teeth and how because my teeth were straight. I was I had a good child and I'm a good family. I should be real fortune into that and I guess growing up around here. It was just time, you know, you have the whole braces and all that and I was used to that but I that I was unaware that, you know being having some money and all that but that was one thing and also I was

34:41 It was nice. Once you're away from home all the nice things that your parents do for you, you know, as you know, our parents are fantastic cooks and I remember when they came and we're staying the first night. They start cooking up some dinner and the saying about how the salad dressing to use we were going to use the same salad dressing tonight that the we use last night and Mom and me look at each other like we need to cook something crazy. I don't know. It's just nice having good food and people don't eat like weed.

35:16 So what differences did you notice about the people in New Zealand compared to the people that you grew up with?

35:26 I think if someone were to come here, I think people give me they're just so friendly and nice. They open up their homes made us allow me to stay there often times people who would allow me to stay at their homes who I was hitchhiking with a be gone and they wouldn't even be that. I thought we're going out and they'll be like two other people who were like homeless or something staying at the house, you know, they're out there like a religious affiliations there, but I was fine with that once I walk in and they turn on some like Jesus Christ movie and they're like, alright dinner. Is it in the fridge we're going out and there was like two other people like myself just sitting there like, okay, but they stay there for a couple days. So nice. Also, I wrote what I really noticed was that how much attention America has on it? Everyone watches American shows everyone knows about American news everyone, you know, all their music is pretty much American and that's not something I really realized until I traveled outside of the US was that America is really in the spotlight.

36:26 Years ago they asked if my life was like friends so she could go back what would you do differently but I think was that I would fly right into Christ Church so that way cuz it's in the southern hemisphere. It gets cold down south. So I would start my trip down south cuz by the end when I was doing the mountain to starting to get real cold on me. Start down there and so they might make my way up North and then spend a little bit of time in the North Island over in the coromandel in Northland where it's supposed to be just beautiful. That's pretty much the only thing I'm in a different way.

37:02 What do you want to remember most about your trip in your experience in New Zealand was the biggest thing that did for me was I'm just out of high school pretty much. I'm just entering the world and it was really a good experience for me to mature be by myself. You know, I'm paying for my food if I'm staying and staying tomorrow to pay for all that. So it allowed me a good opportunity to show what showed me how easy it was for myself to live in the world because I didn't need nice luxuries and all this I can live out of my tent but it just showed me that all the things I need to do in the things I've been thinking about and it was really good experience to be independent like that.

37:43 So how do you think this experience will translate now into your summer working at me or tuition your fall starting at Warren Wilson just feel I'm really confident in my abilities. Now. I felt I've lived by myself for 4 months. I can you know, I can lead kids. I can you have a lot to teach a lot of these kids will be at Manoa tuition. I'm really excited to be doing that. So I think I want to be able to teach other people how to do these things show people. So it's not too hard. You don't have to work so hard you have to lower your standard of living and even though your standard of living living makes life a whole lot more fun when you're bumming around sleeping Dirtbag in it, you know.

38:29 So, what about applying would you mind to take College? What it what does that look like? I think college is going to look. I don't know how much it really changed about that. I still have kind of the same interest as in mountains and rivers and being able to explore those places and hopefully being able to get paid for that. I think it's kind of affirmed those beliefs. I've had ever since I was a Youngster. Just wanted to be exploring.

38:59 So, how did you feel Landing in Chicago on Monday night and thinking about coming back home? I remember looking out on just a sea of Lights Vasona just said so everything is turn it up. And I'm just like this is huge cuz I remember flying and talking the beginning and I was just so big and I was thinking I would I hit you out of here. Like what would I do and just how the whole trip I just started New Zealand just really wouldn't have been as possible if I was in the States, but I was also ready to you know, I'm the I'm still enjoying relaxing and not having to worry about where's my next meal going to be in having, you know a place to sleep every night and just kind of relaxing. I think a couple days or a couple weeks or months down the road. I'm going to tell him I'm going to be lying to go back to New Zealand and

39:49 You not talk to a couple people who have met their and they're like all where are you right now? We're going to head over to West Coast. You want to travel with us for a little bit and I was like, I'm sorry, I'm back. So I stayed and that's a bummer like talk to you later. So my last question where next where do you want to resurrect big trip? So I just kind of keep going that way and but that's also a long flight so I don't know maybe not too interested in Europe at the moment. So I think southeast Asia or Africa and those are the next two.

40:26 Well, I thank you so much for answering all my questions and participating this interview. I really admire your Independence and your enthusiasm for adventure. It's been great to hear about your trip there. And I appreciate you finding us. This has been really cool. It's good to get this down and I can really appreciate your motivation. And you know, you have a just being able to find this I think shows a lot about like who you are and you know, we work really hard and I really inspired, you know your kind of work ethic so I can thank you.