In the Field

We first see Yens and Sofie on the 6am bus to do the Tongariro hike. We first speak to them when we are deciding to hike the offshoot summit trail.

"What would you say to the couples that got off the bus?" says Keir (referring to the fact that the bus driver had given us all the option to get off the bus in light of the call for bad weather and we were now currently hiking in perfectly lovely conditions). "We'll have to take all the water that we didn't drink and pour it all over our jackets and tell them that it was horrible and rained all day" says Yens, "We wouldn't want them to feel too bad for missing this! Are you thinking about doing the Tongariro summit trail?" he then asks. "Well..." says Keir, "We'll do it if you do!". We had actually already decided to do it and were just finishing up our snack. As we set off Yens hollers after us, "Does this mean that we have to as well?"

Although the peak is in and out of clouds we figure that, at some point along the hike, we'll be able to see out.

Yens and his sweetheart Sofie did actually decide to do the summit trail and we see them again on the top. "You decided to do it!" I say "the view is great!" and as I sweep my arm out to showcase the lovely view I notice that, in a breath, the entire area has clouded over. "It was just there! It was beautiful! I promise you COULD see it!" I protest. "Yes, well, in my country we have a saying" says Yens, "Don't cry over spilt milk". He smiles widely. Not sure that the saying comes from Denmark but we keep our mouths shut.

Fortunately, the clouds did lift for them, for when we see them at the end of the hike in the carpark they shout over that they were glad they did it. This leads to us riding the bus back to the campsite together and chatting.

Sofie and Yens are from Denmark although you couldn't guess that Yens is because his voice sounds almost American. "Yes, that is from when I was in the States for a year doing a school exchange, and from when I was in Afghanistan".

Yens is on his way to becoming an orthopedic surgeon. He starts his residency in one months time, thus the timing of this New Zealand trip. He'd seen the Lord of the Rings movies and fell in love with the scenery. After doing all the schooling leading up to the residency though he'd found himself getting what he called "stale". So, he enlisted in the Danish army and got himself a medic posting in Afghanistan.

We gently inquire whether he'd be willing to talk about his time there and he takes a deep breath, "I wasn't able to for awhile but, yes". We learn that he was there for four months. Long months where sometimes everything happened and sometimes nothing happened. We learn that Sofie (who is also studying to be a doctor) was very worried that he would not return....or would choose to go back. At this he says, "It was very hard for me to relate to people when I came back".

He spoke about having to overcome several fears while training with the army. One test has you having to eject yourself from plane fuselage while upside down in water. "It is only in a test pool but they need to know that you won't panic and can get yourself out before sinking". As he is telling us about this experience his body is acting out the steps he'd need to go through to get himself out, and I can see his eyes almost go on autopilot. "Yes" he says when I note this, "It becomes a series of routine steps".

Another test has you, in your full gear, fall backwards into a pool 3 meters below. You need to be able to do this without breaking your pin straight army posture. If you don't, you land in the water in a painful fashion.

The biggest fear he had to overcome was his claustrophobia. He says he nearly didn't make it through the fire maze that the army constructs where you have to find your way into a simulated burning area to rescue those in there. You do this without being able to see and having to push yourself through the tiniest of spaces.

He also talks about the American "hearts and minds" operation. Where the medics provide medical treatment for the locals in hopes that they will then provide them with information. "You see some really bad stuff there", he says, referring to the locals medical troubles. Everything from severe gangrene, to Afghan soldiers injured by roadside bombs, to mothers feeding their infants black tea and then worrying that they are not gaining weight. "There is not good education happening there yet.... maybe it will always be that way?" he wonders. He praises the American field medics commenting on all that they can do "They know how to do crazy stuff - they know how to pull teeth man, I don't know how to do that!".

When it seems to get too heavy for him he lightens the conversation by cracking a joke to Keir about something to do with one of the campervans. Then we're all off chatting again about where we might go, what we'd like to do (Yens would like to confront what he calls "his last fears" by skydiving and bungy jumping), and hoping that we'll all meet up again.

Sofie and Yens fall into that category of "good peeps". We hope that our paths DO indeed cross again!


-J