Wellington is known for its unpredictable weather. All week there have been windstorms, with gales exceeding 100 k.m.h. (That’s 62 m.p.h. for you U.S. folks!) You could feel the whole house shake, and apparently this is normal. My WWOOF hosts live in a high-wind zone, but just one step below the “Special Engineering Required” zone for building requirements. They said that someone’s roof blew off in that area. What!

But they didn’t make me work outside because wind storms are obviously dangerous. So, I got to stay indoors and do domestic stuff, like baking bread for the week!

Really, having freshly baked bread straight from the bread maker is one of the best things in the world. Maybe I’m overreacting a little, but when a warm fluffy bite of whole wheat bread melts on your tongue, you’d be in heaven too. Unless you eat gluten-free. Then that’s understandable if you’re not keen on it.

It is also very likely that I’ve broken a rib when falling on some rocks in Laos almost two months ago. The pain made it very difficult to breathe then, and whenever I sneezed, it felt like my whole body shattered. Slowly the pain diminished to a dull ache here and there. Barely having any rest and all of those benders in Southeast Asia probably did my injury no favors. Lately, the pain has flared up again. I never went to the doctor because it only seemed like just a bad fall at the time. But pain that lasts this long doesn’t feel normal. Even if I did go to a doctor, there’s not a whole lot that can be done for a broken rib. I can at least run and work. That’s what matters the most. I go stir crazy from sitting or lying down for too long. I am safe and warm in New Zealand, and getting plenty of rest in between.

In the meantime, indoor things are just fine. I even made laundry detergent from scratch!

And then came the gluten-free crackers from scratch. The recipe is as follows:

• 2 Cups gluten-free oats
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (Or 180 degrees Celsius). Mix all dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients until a dough forms. Let it sit for 15 minutes for the oats to absorb the water. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick and use a cookie cutter to cut circles. Makes about 10 3-inch crackers. 

If you have only a 2-inch cookie cutter, don’t worry, the gluten-free cracker police won’t come after you. You’ll just end up with more crackers at a smaller size.

There’s only a week left in my worldwide trip before coming home. Reflections on the entire adventure flip through, and yet it feels too soon to write about it. Not all of it has sunken in yet. I’m not sure how this has changed me at the moment.

In the meantime, there’s an ice pack on my side along with the understanding that I’ve lived a little outside my comfort zone.