Jess | Springlands, Marlborough
“I went to a coffee group with my church, and I met an older lady who was from a different country. She was really lovely. I can’t remember where she said she was from, but she was really lovely. She was sweet, and she had a disability. She had a little scooter that she used to get around.
No matter where everyone comes from, we’re all still the same deep down. We’re still human, and we all still have feelings and things like that.
I think that it’s important because then we get to know more about their story and where they come from. We get to widen our horizons. It may open us to traveling to where they lived in the past, and it even makes us more open to help others as well. So, if you see someone struggling, like say a lady walking home with shopping bags, you help her. It’s just easy.
I got my nose ring when I was 15. I did piercings for me, two of my brothers and my partner, for Christmas. So, me and my older brother got my nose pierced and his nose pierced, and I made him go first, because he’s older than me, and I was paying, and my partner got his eyebrow pierced, and my other brother who’s younger than me got his ear pierced with the bar across there. So, I’ve also got my tongue pierced. I don’t really know why I get them. I just like getting the piercings. They hurt a lot at first, but the healing is the more painful stage really. The actual piercing doesn’t hurt that much except for the nose. The nose ones are definitely the most painful.
I grew up here. I lived with my mum till I was about 13 or 14. Then, with my grandparents till I was 18. My grandad taught me how to do a lot of stuff at the farm. That handy knowledge that I have now. My mum’s taught me how to crochet, and my nana’s taught me how to knit. There’s a lot of different skills I’ve learned from all these people. I don’t work at the moment. I’m looking for work, but at the moment it’s not the most important thing, really. I feel like spending time with my family is a little bit more important, making sure that everyone’s okay.”
