Day 11: New Zealand

Hello, people of the world! Kia Ora from New Zealand, that means hello in the Maori language. The Maori people are really nice, they love their culture and they are very down-to-earth. Their culture is so vivid and intense, just like their mythology. The thing that sticks out to me is that everything has a meaning, every place has a story behind it.

You can check out the story of the creation of the world and New Zealand by going to this website here --->
http://eng.mataurangamaori.tki.org.nz/Support-materials/Te-Reo-Maori/Maori-Myths-Legends-and-Contemporary-Stories/How-Maui-brought-fire-to-the-world

So right now I am writing this from a community computer at an organic farm in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. I am harvesting vegetables for salads which I prepare and pack to be shipped out to all of Hawke's Bay. It's nice work, not too stressful, but not boring either. I think I will stay here for a while, we will have to see. I have made friends with the other people living here, and we make good dinners together and have good conversations too. There are three French people, one German, and one Vietnamese girl. It makes for a lot of misunderstanding and hilarity often ensues.

We are a musical family, in a way. I play the harmonica & ocarina, the German plays Piano and guitar and so does the owner, a native born and raised in New Zealand. 

I am settling in here and I plan to make a good life for a month or so before moving on. In the meantime I plan on exploring the area in my free time and preparing for the REAL travelling out in the wilderness. 

See you around,

Phil

New Zealand: Day Two

   Hey there, Phil here checking in for day number two in New Zealand.

Last night I played the most intense game of Jenga I have ever played in my life.

A while ago in Chicago

Had a lovely day today in Chicago. Architecture boat tour down the Chicago rivers. Hope you like these pictures as much as I do!

 More pics below!

Hometown

   I came on here to write a post to you all. I wanted to write about my time in Wisconsin, in the town of Saint Germain and everything that I did, but I've decided to talk about something greater than all that. For the past few years, I've taken the six hour drive up from Elgin, Illinois to Saint Germain, Wisconsin with the Martin clan. I call them the Martin clan because they are a family of eleven, and everywhere they go, they get noticed. It could be their giant white twelve-seater van, or it could be the way that Elizabeth screams when Jacob pushes her to move faster. Either way, I'm stuck with them because they're my family.

   Even so, that sounds kind of crazy, right? A normally only child, whose favorite place is in the solitude of his bedroom to be with a family of eleven? What business do I have being smack dab in the middle of the Brady Bunch? But that's just it. I feel at home with them; I feel more myself than I could ever be when I'm in my own comfort zone. They're always on the go. The Martins have learned that in order to refrain from tearing each other to pieces, they have to keep themselves occupied. And in Wisconsin, that means fishing, boating, shooting guns, roasting marshmallows, watching movies, and reading books, just to name a few...

Bonnaroo!!

  June 13th -- June 17. Within these four days lies both happiness and sadness, joy and elation, and dejection and sorrow. When I first arrived at Bonnaroo, I had just gotten off of the greyhound bus and was walking, thankfully, with a lovely friend that I decided to tag along with, Luna is her name. We ended up getting a ride from this old lady in a white car who had been giving rides to walking Bonnaroovians all day long. Unfortunately Luna had to meet her friends, so I was off on my own! I found a nice place to set up tent, but I couldn't get the feeling out of my head that I was performing and improvising the whole time. It sucked. Finally Friday night when I saw Paul McCartney (tears were shed people, let's admit it) that I really came around and started to enjoy myself. After that, I started to have FUN. I started to meet cool people and even met my most favorite singer and got an autographed album and a hug from her!!!!!

   Hi everyone! This is Phil B. signing in for the first time on this new blog... Here's to many more!

To start, I'll let you know a little bit about me: My name is Phillip Biddulph, I'm 17, my birthday is June 24, 1995, and my favorite color is blue. I just graduated high school (THANK GOD \o/) and now I plan to travel to somewhere completely different and outside of what is normal for me. In other words, I'm going New Zealand baby!!! 

   No matter what happens on this crazy journey, good or bad, I'll have it right here on this nifty little webpage. Don't you worry!