Cook Islands I <3 You

These past 11 weeks have held a lot inside them. Amazing nature, beautiful beaches, crystal clear torquise water, overwhelming sunshine, tropical rain and thunderstorms. Beautiful, happy and laughing people, friendlines exceeding cultural and language barriers, gestures showing appreciation and love from friends and strangers. Cultural and language struggles, frustratement, disappointments, inpolite and uncaring people.

Is the Cook Islands a paradise? Yes and no. Is it easy to come here as an outsider? Yes and no. How can you settle in here as a papa'a? You adapt and accept. You adapt to the remoteness of the islands and the special lifestyle created by it. You adapt to the pace of life and habits. You accept especially the bad things you see happening around you because there is no way you can change these things. You respect the people and their culture, and you behave respectfully towards them and show appreciation and interest. You trust people and ask them questions when you don't understand.

I've never ever been treated so warmly anywhere else in the world than how I've been treated here in the Cooks. I love, love the Maori way of greeting even strangers, giving a kiss on the left cheek, sometimes very loudly. I adore the feeding and giving head and neck ei's as a gesture of love and appreciation. I take joy in how easy it is to talk to strangers, how people smile, how much they laugh and what a great sense of humour they have. And how everyone knows everyone on the islands.

This has been so far the greatest adventure in my life. I've not only learned a lot about the Cook Islands' maori culture, but also about my own. I understand now better how I do and don't want to live. I only hope that I won't forget the things I've learned here and that I can bring them back home with me. The only bad side is that I'm not yet ready to leave. And for sure part of my mind and heart will stay here in Raro.

What will I remember from here?

- Eyebrowing! It took a couple of weeks until I really noticed how much people communicate wih their eyebrows. It can be a yes, no, maybe, a sign of disapprovement or surprise, a hello. Sometimes it drives me crazy! Sometimes I laugh at it secretly. And I've started to do it myself too.
- All the lovely and friendly people.
- All the food I've been given. When I've been told to eat. When a guy at the Air New Zealand office offered me two pieces of chocolate because he saw that I had been "dancing too much" (too skinny).
- All the kisses when greeting.
- Interesting, challenging and lovely patients at the hospital.
- Victoria's yoga, bread and almond croissants.
- The most annoying noise ever: the roosters and chickens in the middle of the night.
- Papa at a rugby game: "Did you speak Mangaian or English to the player?" Me: "??" Papa: "He doesn't speak English. He speaks Mangaian." Well, that explains why he went back to the game 2 minutes afer I had told him he can't play anymore because I was worried he might have had compression on his spinal cord (his legs went numb after a tackle). He turned out to be fine.
- The beaches! Nikao, Black Rock, Aroa, Muri.
- Saturday market and long and slow breakfasts.
- Scootering around and getting used to driving on the let side of the road (Finland beware).
- My rugby team, Arorangi Bears, who took me as part of the club and told me I would have lifetime friends with them. The crazy after parties at the club house. When they sang to me as a thank you. The team photo.
- My lovely and funny colleagues at the hospital who taught me about the lifestyle and culture.
- My friends here and everything we experienced together.
- Relaxing and living on Island Time.

Cook Islands, I will miss you.