NZで発売されている雑誌「New Zealand Woman's Weekly on 26 December 2005」で紹介された記事。
ここでの題名ではちょっと意味深な感じで書かれているけれど・・・
Coming home is the light
at the end of the tunnel
Kiwi singing sensation Hayley Westenra can't wait to escape chilly London and come home for a real Kiwi Christmas with her family
Hayley Westenra may have sung for royalty and presidents without batting an eyelid but she's definitely having an attack of the nerves now.
"I'm counting down the days until I'm back in Christchurch," says the 18-year-old, who is currently living in London. "Coming home for Christmas has been the light at the end of the tunnel."
Hayley's latest challenge has been one almost every young person faces eventually -living alone for the first time. And it was right in the middle of a hectic few months for the talented teenager - the launch of her new album Odyssey and the UK tour to promote it.
Up until recently, Hayley has always been accompanied by her mum Jan (Jillの間違い！) or dad Gerald. One of them was always with her when she travelled overseas.
However, Jan (Jillだって！) and Gerald had to be in Christchurch to get the family ready for Christmas while Hayley was finishing off work in London.
She wasn't left in her two-bedroom apartment in the City without some housekeeping skills in place though. Her parents gave her lessons on how to cook basic meals and her appointments, concerts, clothing and travel details were sorted out in advance.
"I've had my own back-ups, such as my supply of Vegemite if all else failed, so I've been able to make sandwiches," she says.
"In fact, I've done pretty well but I did end up with a huge pile of washing! I'm terrible when it comes to laundry - I even shrank my jeans.
"Sometimes I've learned the hard way and I've needed to make a few phone calls home for advice."
There is a hint of longing in her voice when she talks of home. "I love my life here in London and I'm lucky to be doing this. But Christchurch is where I grew up, it's my home and always will be, and those I love live there," she says.
Hayley admits it's been tough making friends in London due to her busy schedule.
"It's hard when I'm travelling and working all the time. My best friends in Christchurch are girls I went through school with. We keep in contact by e-mail and telephone. You can't take friendship for granted and you have to make an effort.
"It's been a bit easier recently because they're all off doing other things, like their OEs (Oversea Experienceのことだと思う) or university, so they are as busy as I am. But I'm definitely not partying as hard as they are!"
A work-filled life sounds a lonely prospect for a bubbly, sociable teenager like Hayley. "I've got no time to get lonely," she says. "When I'm in my apartment, I'm doing the chores - and when I'm out, I'm at work."
She's so rushed off her feet that she hasn't even managed to do as much Christmas shopping as she had hoped. One night braving the cold in Oxford Street was all she could fit in.
"I thought it would seem weird having a cold Christmas but some of the things we have in New Zealand, like snow scenes on Christmas cards, make much more sense here," she says.
So is it snowing in London?
"Um, I can't really see outside - but no, I don't think so. It gets dark so early here and all I can see out of the window is blackness," she says. "Sorry, I'm a bit tired. I got home at 6am this morning. I've not had much sleep."
An early morning return? Can it be that our Hayley is taking her new parentfree state a little too far, like her rebellious British counterpart Charlotte Church?
Has she spent the entire night partying wildly with celebrities, while being stalked by paparazzi?
Hayley laughs.
"No, 6am was the time I got back from the US," she says. "I was performing at the opening of a theatre in Washington DC's Kennedy Centre. I only spent a day and a half away so I hardly got any sleep. As for famous people who were there, I sat next to someone who works for President Bush. Does that count? Oh, there was a stop in Chicago - it was snowing there!"
A lightning-fast trip to the US is nothing unusual for Hayley. She has clocked up thousands of air miles since her career blossomed and is used to a schedule that would drive most people completely mad.
She wouldn't have time to party, even if she wanted to. And she certainly doesn't have space in her schedule for a boyfriend.
"Dates? Not really. Nothing serious," she says.
However, Hayley is determined to let her hair down in Christchurch even though she only has a limited time to chill out as her New Zealand tour starts on 14 January. After that, she is off overseas as the support act to hunky classical-music performers Il Divo.
"What keeps me sane throughout all this is knowing that I will be at home for Christmas," she says. "I enjoy my work but being at our house, with the Christmas tree up, knowing I can look outside at green grass and that the sea is just down the road, is the best present. For the last few weeks, I've had a feeling of 'Hurry up, come on!' as the days tick by.
"There are times when it does feel a bit overwhelming but I wouldn't swap my life. Even though I can get really tired, it's happy tiredness. If I had gone to university instead, I would be studying to do exactly what I'm doing now and probably still have as much stress. Instead of concerts, it would be pressure from things like exams.
"I'm still the same person though. When I get home, no matter how long I've been away, nothing has changed - and I love that." .
Sharon Course
お母さんの名前を間違えちゃいけませんよ～、Sharonさん。
いつもと違う雰囲気。お人形さんっぽいけれど、これはこれでいい写真だと思います。
本当にここ1年で彼女の雰囲気が変わりましたね。
