30032012

Excitement over a Chinese steam pot – my last day in New Zealand.

Seddon-Blenheim-Christchurch-Auckland

We had a pawpaw for breakfast this morning, accompanied by the static hum of the refridgerators in the lifeless hostel kitchen. Maria told me that back home she had been dreaming about eating exotic fruits for breakfast in New Zealand – pawpaws, passion fruit, melons. ”I guess this was a dream-come-true then”, I replied jokingly, only to realize something about dreams, the ones that never came true.

It's about time I lay down some sour facts on realizing dreams. This coming from an everlonging dreamer - the boy whom mother found reading the same old adventure books cover to cover again, and who never heard anything from his surroundings when he was in that world - it may sound like breaking cubicles of ice in your mouth. The gnawing tension between your teeth and the salivated ice in your mouth about to be burst into splinters that never hurt.

Dreams are not meant to become true. No. The only thing that comes true is reality, the only harsh book written on life. Traveling around the world has always been my dream. The reality – teeth biting knuckles, a bitter tear shed for no reason – was not quite as I would have expected. Reality is people sitting on the streets because they have nothing better to do, cars with no destination, grey buildings with no sentiment.

Dreams are not meant to be broken, though. Chase them, engulf them, live them. Just never make the dream your reality - the most atrocious thing will happen: you will have to open your blue eyes. Keep your dreams as dreams, float through them.

Our hostel is situated in an Asian part of Auckland, the Karangahape Road. The pawpaw we enjoyed for breakfast was found in a Chinese grocery store, hidden from public eyes. Amidst the eccentric smell of spices, lines of rice, corridors of cans, we found a selection of wooden Chinese steaming pots. I smiled at the efforts of these Chinese people who try bring their culture, their lives, their dreams into a Jerusalem in New Zealand.

Dreams are meant to be smiles,

and I have been smiling for the most of time in New Zealand.