The Doulos in Auckland
Good morning everybody!! Probably it would be better if I say good evening....
First of all thank you for your comments. At the end of my message I will try to answer to your questions!!
Today I would like to introduce you The Doulos. Have you ever heard about that? Maybe you had a cruise or a nice trip on it! You have surely understood that I am talking about a boat, but a special ones! I went to see it last week at the Auckland Harbour. But before starting let me tell you a little bit of history....The Doulos was built in the United States just 2 years after the Titanic, in 1914. At the beginning it was a cargo ship, then, during World War Two it served with the US Coast Guard. It was a luxurious cruise ship owned by an Italian company and finally, in 1977 a Christian charity purchased the vessel with the idea to teach the Bible to the world. In fact if you visit it and have a look inside you will find a lot of books, it is quite amazing I have to say.
This will be the last ever visit, as the Doulos is due to retire.
Here you can find some pictures my husband and I shot during our visit.



As you can see I'm wearing a light jacket.....in fact it's Winter here while it's Summer in the Northern Hemisphere....!!!
Actually, I can't really complain about the weather in New Zealand. I am thinking about the freezing winter we usually have in the Dolomiti - Italy!
Here I have never wear a real jacket, like a heavy windbreaker but I use more often the umbrella instead !! You probably know that New Zealand is much green, its nature is just amazing and there are beautiful trees and plants. It's because here the rain is very common!! I even saw raining cats and dogs!!! Ahahahahah!!
And now my answers to your many questions:
Dear Jeronimo 14, I am not keen on football. Anyway I like watching some "important" match like the Euro 2008. I woke up at 6.00am to watch Italy vs Spain......and we lost!!
I am happy that Spain won, I think it deserves it....after more than 40 years!!
By the way, I have been to Valencia to see the race between New Zealand and Alinghi....did you guess which sport I am talking about?
I don't miss my family yet but I will tell you about this in one of my next messages.
Ana Paula, nice to meet you!! You are right, New Zealand is wonderful and I will show you some pictures soon. At the moment I'm working in a special food shop and I talk with customers all day. I am quite happy to practice my English, especially regarding my studies, food I mean.
Adek, I don't have children yet...
Adytya, as food technologist I should work in a food company, analyzing food in a laboratory or formulating new products. For now I am improving my knowledge about English products and, trust me, it's not easy!!! I took my degree in Italy so , here, I have to learn many new things. I think it is very exciting, though!
Naheed, thank you!! I hope I could answer to all your questions!
Hi Fuji! I live in Auckland and yes, you should travel all around New Zealand because it is fantastic!!
Dear Mercè, I am writing from New Zealand cause I live here now.
Habooba, I like your name!! It sounds strange to me but it is nice. Wow, 50 degrees!!! Here there are about 13-14 degrees during the day....
Felicitas, thank you for your comment. I already wrote something about a food technologist job so you can read my answers. I'm working here...so my holidays are finished...sigh!
Vijay, thank you so much!!
Dear Elena, you asked me a big question! I guess there are many reasons if they do that. Often a gm variety is much more resistant to some diseases and so it lasts longer and harvest is better. Think for example to a kind of strawberry that has a gene of a Baltic fish to keep it resistant to cold temperatures! We don't know yet all the consequences of these modify food and people don't know much about these new studies. That's why, in my opinion, all this seems to be so scary.
Well, I'm drinking my coffee and I am almost ready to go to work as the day is starting here!
I can’t wait to read your comments so, turn on your pc and write me!
Good night everybody!
Rosi
Comments
Hello Rosi, wonderful to read your second blog so quickly. But where is your teacher? I hope he has more time than his wife. You are writing you work in a special foos shop. Can you write a bit more about your job? Does your husband also have a job? How long have you been in New Zealand? Was it easy to find a job? It is your first stay there? Where do you stay? Have you rent a house? Your English sounds so perfect, do you have any problems to understand the New Zealand English? It is different to the English you have learnt at school? I'm looking forward to reading your next blog. Good night, Felicitas
Hi again, it's nice to here from you. Anyway, how many hours are there from Italy to New Zealand? going by plane, of course.Yes, I guess the sport "vela" sailing...Did you like Valencia??? it's very hot in summer, like Italy. Last August I went to Rome and it was very, very, hot 37 degrees. By the way, the photos are very nice. Bye, bye
Hi Rosi, Nice to meet you and...welcome to this magic world of bloggers. What a coincidence! Some weeks ago my husband and I watched a programme about New Zealand on TV and we fell in love with it. Then, an article was written on a local newspaper about your country and we found it incredible beautiful, especially the standard of living new zealand's have. How is the pace of life there? I'm very happy that you are the blogger this month since we'll learn a lot about this amazing and a bit unknown country. How long have you been living there and what made you decide on going to live so far away? Looking forward to your next entry. Best wishes, Cris PS: here it's winter too.
Hello Rosi. Your field of work is really amazing. I suppose most of us are concerned about transgenic food we just pick up in the supermarket, without know how safe or dangerous it could be. I really enjoy reading your posts. Something in the way you write, beyond the mere words, make me feel you are very happy with your life. Till next.
Hi Rosi! Thanks for your reply :-). Oh, it sounds so fantastic to practice your English while you´re working.Have you attended or are you attending an English course in New Zealand? Oh, by the way, I was completely amazed by the Doulos´bookshop. I love reading, so it´s needless to say that I´m bookworm :-). Good night and see you tomorrow, Ana Paula.
Hello again, Rosy. I really had never heard about the Doules before. Nevertheless I have heard about Tamaki-makau-rau(city of sails) and especially of its marine, the westheaven marina when I sailed in the south Pacific several years ago. Best wishes.
the boat looks really interesting-it's strange that it's filled with books! it's hard to believe English is your second language!
Dear Rosi Nice to meet you, My Name is Naweed I am living in Afghanistan ( do you know it) recently all media broad costing news about Afghanistan, I have read your blog it was really fantastic, as I see at TV NewZarland has very weather isn't it? by the way have good luck bye Rahyab
Dear Rosi! You are providing us with so nice, jung, refreshing writing it feels like being somwhere there. And yes, there are comming hot summer days here that it is why you do us twice as much pleasure. At times when I was young we couldn´t travel the world easily so I liked to read travel books. One I liked the most was about New Zeeland and Australia writen by a russian journalist (sorry I forgot to look at it home yesterday evening) but the title was precisely ´The land of the long white cloud´. I am really happy making a friend from there now which is a very good reason for learning English, isn´t it? Wish you all the best!
HI ROSI!! HOW ARE YOU? WELCOME TO THE BLOG...DO YOU REMEMBER ME? ...I HAVE WORKED WHITH YOU IN ITALY!!!DO YOU HAVE NEWS? BYE BYE
Hi Rosi, thank you for the information and photos of Doulos. The idea of turning a ship into a library is quite creative. In fact I liked the idea so much that I searched more into the web, and found out more about the "World's Oldest Active Passanger Ship". All the best, H.
Wow! Nice to you ‘meet’ you Doulos! But I’m quite sad that the sister of Titanic is going to retire! Rosi, are you sad too? I wish Doulos will also visit India before retirement.
I ve just visited this web page and enjoyed so much. This is the blog what i look for to improve english as well. Hope you receive me to your great and large family. Thanks a bundle
Wow, did you get into the Doulos? I know about this boat. It was in japan some months ago.I found it on Tv and really wanted to go there, but I didn't have time. Lucky you! Actually, i lived in auckland,too. The pictures bring back the memories of NZ. Thanks.
Hi Rosalba! Nice to meet you. This is my second comment hope this will get appeared as my first comment dont get appeared in your first blog dont know why. This spam manager has always been very annoying hasn't it?. How lucky you are it seems that you are telling us fairy tales lol;). One of my collegue is doing her Phd in Aukland she got the scholorship she is lucky isn't she?. The Doulos is looking quite big just like Titanic. Its nice to see ur pics in your first blog. What is the name of this sea?. Thats all for now. See u soon bye
Hi Rosalba, glad to meet you, and congratulations for you stay in this amazing cuntry at front of my, only thounsands of kilometers through the pacific ocean¡ Yesterday I had an upset stomach, today I´m feel good and appear in the web, reading high activity in your blog, that´s good for everybody
Hello Rosi,There's a similarty between your name and my little sister's name, her name is Rozina and we call her Rozi just as your nick Rosi. Seems like you like living in NZ, does it snow in winter over there? I liked the pictures of the cruise and it's amazing to see that it houses a place for books, along with that, it was interesting to learn its history of making, so we can say that it's two years junior to Titanic. Best wishes, Naheed
hello: I am from china.Titanic is very popular in the past China.I love the film of Titanic.
Hi Rosi, what a lovely idea that one of the boat. I wish I could visit it some day. But as you said it was its last trip, I'm afraid I won't have the opportunity. I wonder if this boat ever visited Brazil. I guess it must have. I just didn't come to know about it. Do they sell books there? Did you buy any? It must be a wonderful adventure to go live in a different country as you and your husband are doing. Is he a food technologist too? Well Rosi, it's nice talking to you. See you around. Bye for now.
Hi Rosalba, as soon as I read your name, I could tell that you are Italian (as me). I also reckon you are from southern Italy.Am I wrong? I've got a really dear friend, whose name is Rosalba too and she is from Basilicata. I've got two questions for you: How long are you planning to stay in NZ?Have you already been also to Australia? Oh I've forgot to introduce myself: I'm Manuela (from Rimini:-) and I'm studying languages at university. I really wish you good luck for this experience and hope to hear from you really really soon.Baci Manu
Hi Rosalba. In your pictures the ship seems very little...and very different from Titanic! Because it floats!! Only a question: why did you go to New Zealand from Italy?
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