I had a quiet past weekend at home here in Dunedin, but my life here in general is anything but quiet, as I am a very busy lady. I thought it was about time I updated you all on the classes and activities and such that I occupy my time with here in my home away from home!
In terms of classes I am taking 4 this semester. My favorite class so far is Food and Cultural Perspectives, a food science class that involves very little science and very much cooking. At our lab once a week we team up with a partner and each make a dish of our choosing, from whatever unit we are currently studying. For example, last week we studied Pacific Island food and my partner made Taro (a strange root vegetable that looks like a log before you peel it, really, google it!) in coconut cream while I made raw fish in coconut cream. My recipe was quite interesting, as the raw fish marinated in a vinegar, lemon juice and onion mixture, and after a couple of hours the acid in the marinade actually cooked the fish. Food is so cool! At the end of each lab each pair sets their creations out on a long table and then we pretty much just have a giant class feast. If there are any leftovers then we are allowed to take them home with us. This class is just too good to be true!
Besides cooking class I am taking 2 religion classes: Religions of South India and Buddhist thought. Both are very interesting, but also quite confusing, because they both have so many foreign words that it’s easy to confuse the two. While Tamil (the language of South India) and Pali (the language of Theraveda Buddhism) are very different, I have to admit that to me they just mush together!
Finally, I am taking a philosophy of religion class, which while it sounds quite interesting, so far it has been rather dull. I have never taken a philosophy course before, but my first impressions have left me thinking that philosophy is just a giant debate over the meaning of words. I’m optimistic that the class will pick up soon.
As far as extracurricular activities go I am still involved with special Olympics, coaching soccer each week. One player comes up to me every single week, gives me a hug, and tells me that I’m his friend. I’m not sure he actually enjoys soccer all that much, but he certainly enjoys all the friendship aspect, and that always makes me smile.
I am also a member of the collegiate orchestra, a community orchestra comprised of students and community members of Dunedin. Or at least in theory this is how it is supposed to be, but in reality I am the only student. I’ve made some lovely older friends, and it’s nice to get to know a different part of Dunedin, because otherwise I am surrounded by students 24/7.
I am also partaking in the Language Match program here at my university. The idea is to practice speaking whatever foreign language you are studying with a native speaker. You fill out an application and are then matched accordingly. Well, I am not actually taking a foreign language, but the program also works to help students who do not speak English as their first language. My partner is a Japanese boy who wishes to improve his English, and also practice some basic Spanish, as that is what he is studying. We meet once a week, usually over a cup of coffee, and discuss all kinds of things. So far I have learned that the word “taco” is the word for “octopus” in Japanese (spelled ‘tako’) which my partner explained after his look of bewilderment at my suggestion that we make tacos sometime. Language is a funny thing!
That pretty much sums up my life here in Dunedin, and now I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of Erica! My friend from home who has decided to come visit me! I am too excited!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
I am now officially a WWOOF-er!
Yard work has never exactly been my calling. One of my least favorite activities in the entire world is mowing lawns, so at home when it was my turn to do this I would always do the job at a run, so as to get it over with as quickly as possible. While this technique was quick, it always left some untidy bits around the lawn. My Dad used to think that I sabotaged the lawn on purpose so that he wouldn’t ask me to mow it anymore (I swear I didn’t Dad!). Now what does this have to do with my New Zealand adventures you ask? I swear it’s relevant, because I just spent this past weekend working on an organic farm, and it was a completely voluntary experience!
I will explain how this works, because working on a stranger’s farm is actually much easier than you might think. There is an organization called WWOOF, which stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, which involves a system of WWOOF hosts (farmers) and WWOOF workers (can be anyone!). You register online in the country of your choosing (New Zealand in my case, but it exists in the US and other countries as well) and create a profile of yourself or your farm. From there it is up to the hosts and the workers to contact each other via email or phone and try to arrange stays. In my case I found a lovely family in Wanaka who was willing to take me in for a long weekend.
The deal is that the worker comes and helps out for 4-6 hours a day in exchange for a place to sleep and meals. The tasks required of the WWOOF-er vary from place to place and season to season, but I’d say my experience was a pretty standard one. I did all kinds of different things, and given that I have zero farming experience the family was very kind, patient, and willing to share their knowledge of organic farming with me. On my first day I went out and fertilized the vegetable garden. I did so with this giant, rectangular, plastic backpack with a pump on the side and a long extension pole-thing where the spray actually came out. The fertilizer was made from compost drippings, so it was completely natural and wonderful. I felt like Buzz Lightyear preparing for blast-off as I stood out there pumping my giant plastic backpack.
Other tasks included taking down a wire fence, feeding chickens, helping to cook dinner, baking cookies with the kids (ok this wasn’t really a task, but it was a really fun activity!) weeding the garden, raking the compost, overturning soil, and my personal favorite…herding sheep! I feel like my New Zealand experience is complete now that I can say I have herded sheep!
I’m not really sure that I’m cut out to be a farmer, and I still definitely hate yard work (weeding the garden was less than thrilling), but overall I had a great experience this weekend doing things I’ve never done before and learning all about basic skills I really knew nothing about. The family I stayed with really welcomed me in to their home and helped me to have a successful first time WWOOFing and I’m definitely thinking of staying with them again. Thank goodness they have sheep, so I don’t have to worry about them asking me to mow their lawn!
I will explain how this works, because working on a stranger’s farm is actually much easier than you might think. There is an organization called WWOOF, which stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, which involves a system of WWOOF hosts (farmers) and WWOOF workers (can be anyone!). You register online in the country of your choosing (New Zealand in my case, but it exists in the US and other countries as well) and create a profile of yourself or your farm. From there it is up to the hosts and the workers to contact each other via email or phone and try to arrange stays. In my case I found a lovely family in Wanaka who was willing to take me in for a long weekend.
The deal is that the worker comes and helps out for 4-6 hours a day in exchange for a place to sleep and meals. The tasks required of the WWOOF-er vary from place to place and season to season, but I’d say my experience was a pretty standard one. I did all kinds of different things, and given that I have zero farming experience the family was very kind, patient, and willing to share their knowledge of organic farming with me. On my first day I went out and fertilized the vegetable garden. I did so with this giant, rectangular, plastic backpack with a pump on the side and a long extension pole-thing where the spray actually came out. The fertilizer was made from compost drippings, so it was completely natural and wonderful. I felt like Buzz Lightyear preparing for blast-off as I stood out there pumping my giant plastic backpack.
Other tasks included taking down a wire fence, feeding chickens, helping to cook dinner, baking cookies with the kids (ok this wasn’t really a task, but it was a really fun activity!) weeding the garden, raking the compost, overturning soil, and my personal favorite…herding sheep! I feel like my New Zealand experience is complete now that I can say I have herded sheep!
I’m not really sure that I’m cut out to be a farmer, and I still definitely hate yard work (weeding the garden was less than thrilling), but overall I had a great experience this weekend doing things I’ve never done before and learning all about basic skills I really knew nothing about. The family I stayed with really welcomed me in to their home and helped me to have a successful first time WWOOFing and I’m definitely thinking of staying with them again. Thank goodness they have sheep, so I don’t have to worry about them asking me to mow their lawn!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Travels with the Fam: Part 2 and long overdue
This entry is way past overdue…but I will go back and summarize the rest of my lovely travels with my parents!
After Dunedin we headed over to Queenstown, where Kevin, my Dad and myself enjoyed a great day of skiing. It was strange to be going for a ski in the middle of summer! Down in Queenstown there wasn’t any snow, but as we drove up the mountain it steadily increased. The view from the top was absolutely incredible, as we were on this snow-capped peak looking down at a green valley below us.
The next day we made a quick stop at the Kewarau Bridge, also known as the world’s first bungy jumping site. Kevin and myself geared up and scared my parents and Jill half to death as we did a tandem jump off this terrifying structure. We were relatively calm and collected right up until the last second when we were standing on the platform and there was nothing but open air between us and the river below. It was so much fun to jump with Kevin, but we wish Peter had been there too!
Here's an action shot of the jump:
From Queenstown we headed over to the wee town of Franz Josef, which exists only because of the tourists who come to visit the Franz Josef Glacier. We were in fact a part of that tourist flock, and went on a guided tour of the Glacier. The only way to actually climb on to the Glacier itself is with a professional guide, as Glaciers can be a dangerous thing if you don’t know what you are doing. It felt pretty hard core, since the climb on Franz Josef required cramp-ons, these metal spiky things that attached to the bottom of your shoes. The Glacier experience was beautiful and unlike any hike I’ve been on before.
Here are some photos from the hike. A group shot of all of us on the glacier, Kevin and my Dad climbing through a tunnel on the glacier, and the whole glacier itself from a distance.
After the Glacier we made our way up the South Island to an eventual stop in Picton (or if you are my Mom “Ping-ton”, New Zealand town names seemed to be a struggle, even if they were in plain English…) where we hopped on the ferry that took us across to Wellington on the North Island. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, but it is by no means a huge city. Compared to the quaint little South Island it felt big, but for a capital it is tiny. We went on a tour of the Beehive, the Parliament Building, and it made me realize I have never even had a tour of my own country’s national buildings! The tour of Parliament displayed how different this country is from the U.S. in that we felt that we were given access to areas of government that we could only dream of seeing back in Washington.
Here are a couple pictures from the ferry ride. One of Mom, Jill and Kev playing cards, and another of the beautiful view from the ferry.
The next stop on the trip was Hawkes Bay, where we met up with Werner, my Kiwi host from last semester, and had dinner with his family. Now, just to make things confusing, Werner and his family are not actually native New Zealanders, they are South African, so we enjoyed a lovely traditional South African meal in the middle of New Zealand! It was a delicious lamb with rice and vegetables, followed by brownies for dessert made by Werner (who I know will read this and appreciate the shout out). On our day in Hawkes Bay we toured various wineries, which I really enjoyed because I am actually of age here in New Zealand so I was allowed to partake in the tasting!
Here's a picture of Werner displaying his enthusiasm for the wine tasting:
Next on the list was Rotorua, where we enjoyed a touristy/actually relatively authentic Maori dinner. Our dinner was cooked in the traditional geo-thermal way in this underground, hot volcanic type thing (I’m sure it has a proper name, but it escapes me). We enjoyed watching the Pohiri, the Maori welcome ceremony that was originally used to determine the intent of the visiting tribe. We had to elect a “chief” to represent our group, and they went up on stage and everything to receive the peace offerings from the local Maori chief. Once it was established that we too came in peace we enjoyed a show complete with the haka, a war dance performed before battle, which is also infamously performed by the All Blacks before each match.
We eventually made our way up to Auckland, where my family and Jill departed for America and I made my way back down to the South Island. I think we were all finished living out of our suitcases, but I was certainly not ready to say good-bye. I’m so fortunate to have family and friends who were able and willing to travel half way around the world to see me. Thanks Mom, Dad, Jill, and Kevin for a fantastic time, and Peter you were very missed!
After Dunedin we headed over to Queenstown, where Kevin, my Dad and myself enjoyed a great day of skiing. It was strange to be going for a ski in the middle of summer! Down in Queenstown there wasn’t any snow, but as we drove up the mountain it steadily increased. The view from the top was absolutely incredible, as we were on this snow-capped peak looking down at a green valley below us.
The next day we made a quick stop at the Kewarau Bridge, also known as the world’s first bungy jumping site. Kevin and myself geared up and scared my parents and Jill half to death as we did a tandem jump off this terrifying structure. We were relatively calm and collected right up until the last second when we were standing on the platform and there was nothing but open air between us and the river below. It was so much fun to jump with Kevin, but we wish Peter had been there too!
Here's an action shot of the jump:
From Queenstown we headed over to the wee town of Franz Josef, which exists only because of the tourists who come to visit the Franz Josef Glacier. We were in fact a part of that tourist flock, and went on a guided tour of the Glacier. The only way to actually climb on to the Glacier itself is with a professional guide, as Glaciers can be a dangerous thing if you don’t know what you are doing. It felt pretty hard core, since the climb on Franz Josef required cramp-ons, these metal spiky things that attached to the bottom of your shoes. The Glacier experience was beautiful and unlike any hike I’ve been on before.
Here are some photos from the hike. A group shot of all of us on the glacier, Kevin and my Dad climbing through a tunnel on the glacier, and the whole glacier itself from a distance.
After the Glacier we made our way up the South Island to an eventual stop in Picton (or if you are my Mom “Ping-ton”, New Zealand town names seemed to be a struggle, even if they were in plain English…) where we hopped on the ferry that took us across to Wellington on the North Island. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, but it is by no means a huge city. Compared to the quaint little South Island it felt big, but for a capital it is tiny. We went on a tour of the Beehive, the Parliament Building, and it made me realize I have never even had a tour of my own country’s national buildings! The tour of Parliament displayed how different this country is from the U.S. in that we felt that we were given access to areas of government that we could only dream of seeing back in Washington.
Here are a couple pictures from the ferry ride. One of Mom, Jill and Kev playing cards, and another of the beautiful view from the ferry.
The next stop on the trip was Hawkes Bay, where we met up with Werner, my Kiwi host from last semester, and had dinner with his family. Now, just to make things confusing, Werner and his family are not actually native New Zealanders, they are South African, so we enjoyed a lovely traditional South African meal in the middle of New Zealand! It was a delicious lamb with rice and vegetables, followed by brownies for dessert made by Werner (who I know will read this and appreciate the shout out). On our day in Hawkes Bay we toured various wineries, which I really enjoyed because I am actually of age here in New Zealand so I was allowed to partake in the tasting!
Here's a picture of Werner displaying his enthusiasm for the wine tasting:
Next on the list was Rotorua, where we enjoyed a touristy/actually relatively authentic Maori dinner. Our dinner was cooked in the traditional geo-thermal way in this underground, hot volcanic type thing (I’m sure it has a proper name, but it escapes me). We enjoyed watching the Pohiri, the Maori welcome ceremony that was originally used to determine the intent of the visiting tribe. We had to elect a “chief” to represent our group, and they went up on stage and everything to receive the peace offerings from the local Maori chief. Once it was established that we too came in peace we enjoyed a show complete with the haka, a war dance performed before battle, which is also infamously performed by the All Blacks before each match.
We eventually made our way up to Auckland, where my family and Jill departed for America and I made my way back down to the South Island. I think we were all finished living out of our suitcases, but I was certainly not ready to say good-bye. I’m so fortunate to have family and friends who were able and willing to travel half way around the world to see me. Thanks Mom, Dad, Jill, and Kevin for a fantastic time, and Peter you were very missed!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Traveling With the Fam
I am writing from Havelock North, a town very far from Dunedin on the North Island of New Zealand, and I am up here with the fam! (minus Peter who has a real life job in State College, PA and couldn't take 2 weeks off) and our good friend Jill. We have been travelling for about a week and a half now and have done SO many things, but I will try to recount as much as I can before I am kicked off the internet to go grab some breakfast.
Our journey started out in Dunedin, where I had one day to show my family where I've been living for the last 4 and a half months. We started out the day with Dunedin's historic Railway station, a beautiful old building built back in the early 1900's. From there I took them to my new flat (I have moved flats for the next semester, a common thing for students to do who are abroad for a year) and after that we headed to the central part of Otago's campus, where I showed them the infamous Clocktower building. Then we had to run to make our 11 30 tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory, located in central Dunedin. The best part of the tour was the Chocolate Drop, where we went in to a giant silo and watched 1 ton of melted chocolate fall from the ceiling. It was just like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! From there we had to book it to make it to our next tour- the Speights Brewery Tour, one of New Zealand's oldest Beers. That tour concluded with 20 minutes of unlimited beer tasting, in which my parents even let wee 14 year old Kevin have a test of beer. I think they are getting a little more relaxed in their old(er) age...
After the Speights tour we had just a bit of time before the sun set, as it is winter time here and the sun goes down pretty early. We decided to use our last bit of sun light to climb Baldwin Street, which is allegedly the steepest street in the world! The brutal climb is worth it, once you get to the top and are able to see the rolling hills of Dunedin.
Here are some pictures from our day in Dunedin: They are the Railway Station, my dad and myself in my kitchen at my flat, Jill, Kevin, and I in front of the Clock Tower Building, Kevin and I at the Cadbury Factory, and finally us in front of the Speights Brewery.
Now I am off to breakfast so I will have to recount the rest of our trip later. Here's an idea of what's yet to come: Bungee Jumping off a bridge, climbing a glacier, and dinner with a South African Family!
Our journey started out in Dunedin, where I had one day to show my family where I've been living for the last 4 and a half months. We started out the day with Dunedin's historic Railway station, a beautiful old building built back in the early 1900's. From there I took them to my new flat (I have moved flats for the next semester, a common thing for students to do who are abroad for a year) and after that we headed to the central part of Otago's campus, where I showed them the infamous Clocktower building. Then we had to run to make our 11 30 tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory, located in central Dunedin. The best part of the tour was the Chocolate Drop, where we went in to a giant silo and watched 1 ton of melted chocolate fall from the ceiling. It was just like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! From there we had to book it to make it to our next tour- the Speights Brewery Tour, one of New Zealand's oldest Beers. That tour concluded with 20 minutes of unlimited beer tasting, in which my parents even let wee 14 year old Kevin have a test of beer. I think they are getting a little more relaxed in their old(er) age...
After the Speights tour we had just a bit of time before the sun set, as it is winter time here and the sun goes down pretty early. We decided to use our last bit of sun light to climb Baldwin Street, which is allegedly the steepest street in the world! The brutal climb is worth it, once you get to the top and are able to see the rolling hills of Dunedin.
Here are some pictures from our day in Dunedin: They are the Railway Station, my dad and myself in my kitchen at my flat, Jill, Kevin, and I in front of the Clock Tower Building, Kevin and I at the Cadbury Factory, and finally us in front of the Speights Brewery.
Now I am off to breakfast so I will have to recount the rest of our trip later. Here's an idea of what's yet to come: Bungee Jumping off a bridge, climbing a glacier, and dinner with a South African Family!
Friday, June 25, 2010
The First Semester Comes to a Close
The month of June has FLOWN by, which means that the semester is over and I am having a hard time believing it. This past week or so has been too full of good byes, as most people who go abroad only do so for one semester. I didn't realize that I would be such anomaly in staying in New Zealand for 2 semesters! It has been very sad to say farewell to all the friends that I made these past 4 months, but I am looking forward to meeting a whole new bunch of people next semester.
In other, less depressing news, I went on a lovely trip to the Otago Peninsula last week. It's about a 40 minute drive out to the peninsula from my flat and it is absolutely beautiful. I wish I had known sooner that I live right by such natural beauty! There are all kinds of beaches and wildlife to check out on the peninsula. My friends and I went to Sandfly Bay, where we saw sea lions and even a yellow eyed penguin! It was so cool to see these animals in their natural habitat. The sea lions are pretty tame animals, so we were told it was ok to be a few meters away from them and take pictures with them, but as my friend and I approached one of them it suddenly snapped it's head and BARKED at us! It scared the bejeezus out of us, and luckily my other friend was able to capture the ridiculous moment of terror:
After Sandfly Bay we went to check out the albatross center, but it was too late so it was closed. However, a lady who worked there who was just heading out for the evening told us to stick around until dark and to watch the blue penguins come in to their nests for the night. Well that sounded pretty awesome so we headed down to the water and after waiting for what felt like ages the little penguins came in! It was dark so it was difficult to see them, plus they are the smallest type of penguin in the world, but we heard them coming in and it was SO COOL. I wanted to sneak up on one and take it home with me, but I figured it wouldn't like that too much so I refrained. Now, you may think that I live in the arctic tundra seeing as I live right next to penguins, but no worries it has yet to even snow here.
Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures of the blue penguins, as the flash would terrify them, but here are other pictures from my afternoon out on the Otago Peninsula:
Now I am just hanging out and anxiously waiting for my family to arrive!!! Then I'm off on a 2 week New Zealand traveling adventure with them!
In other, less depressing news, I went on a lovely trip to the Otago Peninsula last week. It's about a 40 minute drive out to the peninsula from my flat and it is absolutely beautiful. I wish I had known sooner that I live right by such natural beauty! There are all kinds of beaches and wildlife to check out on the peninsula. My friends and I went to Sandfly Bay, where we saw sea lions and even a yellow eyed penguin! It was so cool to see these animals in their natural habitat. The sea lions are pretty tame animals, so we were told it was ok to be a few meters away from them and take pictures with them, but as my friend and I approached one of them it suddenly snapped it's head and BARKED at us! It scared the bejeezus out of us, and luckily my other friend was able to capture the ridiculous moment of terror:
After Sandfly Bay we went to check out the albatross center, but it was too late so it was closed. However, a lady who worked there who was just heading out for the evening told us to stick around until dark and to watch the blue penguins come in to their nests for the night. Well that sounded pretty awesome so we headed down to the water and after waiting for what felt like ages the little penguins came in! It was dark so it was difficult to see them, plus they are the smallest type of penguin in the world, but we heard them coming in and it was SO COOL. I wanted to sneak up on one and take it home with me, but I figured it wouldn't like that too much so I refrained. Now, you may think that I live in the arctic tundra seeing as I live right next to penguins, but no worries it has yet to even snow here.
Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures of the blue penguins, as the flash would terrify them, but here are other pictures from my afternoon out on the Otago Peninsula:
Now I am just hanging out and anxiously waiting for my family to arrive!!! Then I'm off on a 2 week New Zealand traveling adventure with them!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Hangin out in Dunedin
Due to looming finals I have not gone on any great traveling adventures lately, but there has been plenty going on right here in Dunedin.
A little while ago my friends and I had the great idea to make cookie monster cupcakes...which are as awesome as they sound. First we made chocolate chip cookies, then we made the cupcakes, and then came the tricky part of constructing the cookie monster. We made blue icing for cookie monster himself, and used white chocolate chip buttons stuck to dark chocolate chips to make the eyes. We cut a little hole in the frosted cupcake, stuck in a cookie, plopped on the chocolate chip eyes, and voila! A cookie monster cupcake! Our artsy friend took a picture of the final product:
This past week my flat decided to host a giant slumber party! We pulled all of our queen size mattresses together on our common room floor, invited over our neighbors, and had a grand ol' time. We made some delicious homemade poptarts (although they took SO much work!), watched a movie, and told some stories. It was just like those big slumber parties we used to have back in the day, although we are not the care-free kids we used to be. I woke up at 10:30 the next morning surrounded by empty mattresses, as everyone had gotten up early to get on with their busy days.
Here are some candids from the night:
Classes are done and finals are starting this Wednesday, and I can't believe my first semester here is already come to a close. In the next couple of weeks many of my American friends here are heading back to the States, as most people are just studying abroad here for the semester. I'm glad to be staying for the full school year, as there is still so much I want to see!
A little while ago my friends and I had the great idea to make cookie monster cupcakes...which are as awesome as they sound. First we made chocolate chip cookies, then we made the cupcakes, and then came the tricky part of constructing the cookie monster. We made blue icing for cookie monster himself, and used white chocolate chip buttons stuck to dark chocolate chips to make the eyes. We cut a little hole in the frosted cupcake, stuck in a cookie, plopped on the chocolate chip eyes, and voila! A cookie monster cupcake! Our artsy friend took a picture of the final product:
This past week my flat decided to host a giant slumber party! We pulled all of our queen size mattresses together on our common room floor, invited over our neighbors, and had a grand ol' time. We made some delicious homemade poptarts (although they took SO much work!), watched a movie, and told some stories. It was just like those big slumber parties we used to have back in the day, although we are not the care-free kids we used to be. I woke up at 10:30 the next morning surrounded by empty mattresses, as everyone had gotten up early to get on with their busy days.
Here are some candids from the night:
Classes are done and finals are starting this Wednesday, and I can't believe my first semester here is already come to a close. In the next couple of weeks many of my American friends here are heading back to the States, as most people are just studying abroad here for the semester. I'm glad to be staying for the full school year, as there is still so much I want to see!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Flat Hiking Trip To Silver Peaks
My most recent trip was a hiking excursion with my four flatmates. We did an overnight hike to Silver Peaks, which is only about a 20 minute drive from our flat to the start of the trail.
We woke up early Saturday morning (Early meaning 8 am) and started our trek. It took us about 3 ½ hours to hike to Jubilee hut, a tiny hut in the mountains where we were sleeping for the night. We dropped off our packs, grabbed a quick lunch and then went on an off-track hike to find a cave. We had a general idea where it was, but it took us about 2 hours of wading through waist high grass to find it. The cave was really neat, it was right on the mountainside and it had a platform, bench, and shelf built in to it for campers to use. There were a few hunters (they were hunting wild pig, there’s really not much to hunt here in New Zealand) staying in it for the weekend, so we chatted with them for a bit and then made our way back to the hut. Then we made the best dinner EVER, although everything tastes ten times better after a full day of hiking. We had a pasta, ground beef, vegetable stew, and it was so delicious. For dessert we had Tim Tam slams, my new favorite cookie and way to eat it. You take a Tim Tam, which is just a chocolate wafer covered in chocolate, bite off the ends, stick it in warm water and try to suck up the water through the Tim Tam, so it’s like the cookie is your straw. The hot water goes in to the cookie and makes it melt in to gooey chocolatey goodness, which you then pop in your mouth and enjoy. Voila! That is the Tim Tam slam.
The next day we had to make our way back, but the only way back to the car was via the Devil’s Staircase, which was just as brutal as it sounds. It was an incredibly steep trek that went straight up and up and up. My kiwi host Werner, who had never been on a hike as big as this, was less than thrilled to go up the Devil’s staircase, and halfway up he turned to me and said “The next time someone suggests we go hiking remind me to say NO”. But by the end of it I know he was happy to have conquered the Devil’s Staircase.
Overall it was a really fun weekend and all 5 of us made it through in one piece. It was a great flat bonding experience and it made me realize how much I’m going to miss Heather, Sammy and Erin next semester, as I am the only one in the flat who is staying for 2 semesters.
Here are a couple of pictures from the trip: a group picture at Jubilee hut, where we spent the night, a scenic picture of what we were surrounded by as we hiked, and a picture of the hut from a distance, if you look closely you can see it, it's the tiny little house in the midst of the mountains.
We woke up early Saturday morning (Early meaning 8 am) and started our trek. It took us about 3 ½ hours to hike to Jubilee hut, a tiny hut in the mountains where we were sleeping for the night. We dropped off our packs, grabbed a quick lunch and then went on an off-track hike to find a cave. We had a general idea where it was, but it took us about 2 hours of wading through waist high grass to find it. The cave was really neat, it was right on the mountainside and it had a platform, bench, and shelf built in to it for campers to use. There were a few hunters (they were hunting wild pig, there’s really not much to hunt here in New Zealand) staying in it for the weekend, so we chatted with them for a bit and then made our way back to the hut. Then we made the best dinner EVER, although everything tastes ten times better after a full day of hiking. We had a pasta, ground beef, vegetable stew, and it was so delicious. For dessert we had Tim Tam slams, my new favorite cookie and way to eat it. You take a Tim Tam, which is just a chocolate wafer covered in chocolate, bite off the ends, stick it in warm water and try to suck up the water through the Tim Tam, so it’s like the cookie is your straw. The hot water goes in to the cookie and makes it melt in to gooey chocolatey goodness, which you then pop in your mouth and enjoy. Voila! That is the Tim Tam slam.
The next day we had to make our way back, but the only way back to the car was via the Devil’s Staircase, which was just as brutal as it sounds. It was an incredibly steep trek that went straight up and up and up. My kiwi host Werner, who had never been on a hike as big as this, was less than thrilled to go up the Devil’s staircase, and halfway up he turned to me and said “The next time someone suggests we go hiking remind me to say NO”. But by the end of it I know he was happy to have conquered the Devil’s Staircase.
Overall it was a really fun weekend and all 5 of us made it through in one piece. It was a great flat bonding experience and it made me realize how much I’m going to miss Heather, Sammy and Erin next semester, as I am the only one in the flat who is staying for 2 semesters.
Here are a couple of pictures from the trip: a group picture at Jubilee hut, where we spent the night, a scenic picture of what we were surrounded by as we hiked, and a picture of the hut from a distance, if you look closely you can see it, it's the tiny little house in the midst of the mountains.
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Tunnel of Love
I successfully finished the peanut butter challenge! And I did so in a mere 30 hours, leaving 18 hours to spare. Yes, i ate 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of peanut butter in 30 hours...and it was awful. My stomach was so mad at me, and I have barely had any peanut butter since. However I did make 5 dollars, although in retrospect I am not entirely sure it was worth it...
As for my other various activities, everything is going pretty well. I had to drop field hockey because it conflicted with swing dancing class, and I couldn't leave my partner hangin! Swing dance started yesterday and I learned how to do the Charleston. By the end of the course my goal is to go to a jazz concert and wow the audience with my swing dancing skills. We'll see what happens.
For this post, I thought I would do a profile of my flat. Over these past couple of months I have gotten to know my 4 other flatmates quite well, and since they are such a part of my life here I thought it only appropriate to write about them. We (and by we I mean pretty much just me) call our flat the 'Tunnel of Love' after the Bruce Springsteen song. To do this profile I wrote a series of questions and handed them out to my flatmates to answer. Here are the questions:
1. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring 3 possessions what would they be?
2. Would you rather have a mullet or a rat tail? (background info: these 2 hairstyles are unfortunately very popular here in New Zealand)
3. If you could have one super power what would it be?
4. Tell an embarrassing story that happened to you.
5. What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?
6. What skill/talent are you contributing to this flat?
7. Anything else you feel like sharing?
Flattie 1: Erin (Erin is a boy, I guess in Canada boys spell their name this way) from British Columbia, Canada answered:
1. one of those restaurant umbrellas, a machete, and a pirate hat.
2. Rat tail for sure. waaaaaay cooler. Basically just sweet as. (background info: in New Zealand they add the word 'as' to the end of words for emphasis. It's like they are making an extreme comparison but just can't be bothered to finish it. For example if something is really scary they might say it's 'creepy as' instead of just finishing the sentence and saying that it's 'creepy as a (insert creepy thing here)' so in this answer Erin was making fun of this New Zealand popular phrase)
3. The jumping (and soaring) ability of a fly
4. So this one time I was playing catch phrase, and my word was 'Anne Frank' For a clue I said "She's deaf and blind!"
5. Organize and play in the world's first hockey game on Pluto
6. It's hard to pick just one...but I would have to say my fashion sense
7. No I don't know Joe from Canada, and anything less than 5.5% is not really beer.
Flattie 2: Sammy from South Carolina answered:
1. guitar, self-replenishing food chest, desalination device
2. mullet
3. ability to stop time
4. I crashed off my bike and face-planted in to a rock (background info: This happened while in New Zealand, Sammy ended up getting stitches on his face, poor guy!)
5. Fly
6. music or extreme mountain biking
7. I got the blues
Flattie 3: Heather from Washington (state, not the capital) answered:
1. company, food (bread specifically), and exercise shorts
2. rat tail
3. animorph
4. One time I slow-motion fell off my bike in to a bush in front of an old folks home
5. Any gymnastic activity
6. comic relief and a knack for shenanigan creating
7. I don't like showering or sleeping
Flattie 4: Werner, my Kiwi host for the flat, (New Zealanders call themselves kiwis, and international students are housed with a New Zealand host and a mix of other international students) who is actually a native of South Africa (he moved here when he was 11)
1. pikachu, laptop, coke factory
2. rat tail
3. teleportation
4. signed up as a kiwi host
5. use the force
6. organization skills
7. I need coke!
And finally, my answers to these questions:
1. an alpaca, cookies, and a snuggie
2. a combo of both hairstyles
3. power to move things with my mind (like Matilda)
4. One time this past summer (as in the year 2009) I asked someone what Bob Marley was up to these days...they replied that he's been gone for quite some time now.
5. try to swim from New Zealand to Antarctica
6. my vast knowledge of computers and other technologies
7. I am aware that my name rhymes with the word "geeze"
There you have it. Now you know the Tunnel of Love! Here is a picture of me and my dear flatmates:
As for my other various activities, everything is going pretty well. I had to drop field hockey because it conflicted with swing dancing class, and I couldn't leave my partner hangin! Swing dance started yesterday and I learned how to do the Charleston. By the end of the course my goal is to go to a jazz concert and wow the audience with my swing dancing skills. We'll see what happens.
For this post, I thought I would do a profile of my flat. Over these past couple of months I have gotten to know my 4 other flatmates quite well, and since they are such a part of my life here I thought it only appropriate to write about them. We (and by we I mean pretty much just me) call our flat the 'Tunnel of Love' after the Bruce Springsteen song. To do this profile I wrote a series of questions and handed them out to my flatmates to answer. Here are the questions:
1. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring 3 possessions what would they be?
2. Would you rather have a mullet or a rat tail? (background info: these 2 hairstyles are unfortunately very popular here in New Zealand)
3. If you could have one super power what would it be?
4. Tell an embarrassing story that happened to you.
5. What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?
6. What skill/talent are you contributing to this flat?
7. Anything else you feel like sharing?
Flattie 1: Erin (Erin is a boy, I guess in Canada boys spell their name this way) from British Columbia, Canada answered:
1. one of those restaurant umbrellas, a machete, and a pirate hat.
2. Rat tail for sure. waaaaaay cooler. Basically just sweet as. (background info: in New Zealand they add the word 'as' to the end of words for emphasis. It's like they are making an extreme comparison but just can't be bothered to finish it. For example if something is really scary they might say it's 'creepy as' instead of just finishing the sentence and saying that it's 'creepy as a (insert creepy thing here)' so in this answer Erin was making fun of this New Zealand popular phrase)
3. The jumping (and soaring) ability of a fly
4. So this one time I was playing catch phrase, and my word was 'Anne Frank' For a clue I said "She's deaf and blind!"
5. Organize and play in the world's first hockey game on Pluto
6. It's hard to pick just one...but I would have to say my fashion sense
7. No I don't know Joe from Canada, and anything less than 5.5% is not really beer.
Flattie 2: Sammy from South Carolina answered:
1. guitar, self-replenishing food chest, desalination device
2. mullet
3. ability to stop time
4. I crashed off my bike and face-planted in to a rock (background info: This happened while in New Zealand, Sammy ended up getting stitches on his face, poor guy!)
5. Fly
6. music or extreme mountain biking
7. I got the blues
Flattie 3: Heather from Washington (state, not the capital) answered:
1. company, food (bread specifically), and exercise shorts
2. rat tail
3. animorph
4. One time I slow-motion fell off my bike in to a bush in front of an old folks home
5. Any gymnastic activity
6. comic relief and a knack for shenanigan creating
7. I don't like showering or sleeping
Flattie 4: Werner, my Kiwi host for the flat, (New Zealanders call themselves kiwis, and international students are housed with a New Zealand host and a mix of other international students) who is actually a native of South Africa (he moved here when he was 11)
1. pikachu, laptop, coke factory
2. rat tail
3. teleportation
4. signed up as a kiwi host
5. use the force
6. organization skills
7. I need coke!
And finally, my answers to these questions:
1. an alpaca, cookies, and a snuggie
2. a combo of both hairstyles
3. power to move things with my mind (like Matilda)
4. One time this past summer (as in the year 2009) I asked someone what Bob Marley was up to these days...they replied that he's been gone for quite some time now.
5. try to swim from New Zealand to Antarctica
6. my vast knowledge of computers and other technologies
7. I am aware that my name rhymes with the word "geeze"
There you have it. Now you know the Tunnel of Love! Here is a picture of me and my dear flatmates:
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The peanut butter challenge and other recent happenings
So lots has been going on in the past week or so, and I thought it was about time I updated:
I am currently in the middle of a peanut butter challenge, which sounds ridiculous because it is. Last night while eating some peanut butter straight from the jar, as I do quite frequently, my friend bet me 5 dollars that I couldn't eat a whole jar in one day. I accepted the challenge, and after some negotiation we agreed that the challenge would be that I attempt to consume 1 kilogram (that's 2.2 pounds) of peanut butter in 48 hours. I am about 12 hours in to the challenge and am just about half way...and I feel absolutely terrible. BUT I am going to finish this challenge successfully, I am determined!
In other, non-food related news, I have recently joined many different things, as I am trying to get more involved in my new community!
First, I joined the Collegiate Orchestra, a community orchestra comprised of students and adults from the community. It is extremely relaxed (rehearsals are optional) but it is great to be playing the cello again. We are working on Beethoven's 5th Symphony (everyone knows it, it's the piece that goes duh duh duh duhhhhhhhh, google it!).
I have also recently volunteered with the special olympics, and I will be coaching soccer once a week. It starts next Monday and I am very excited about it.
Tomorrow I have my first...field hockey practice! I signed up with a "social" (aka not competitive) team that was looking for players. It has been awhile since my JV field hockey days in high school, but I am optimistic that it's just like riding a bike, and that my skills will come right back in no time.
Last but not least, I have signed up for a swing-dance for beginners class, with my next door neighbor for my partner. We are both definitely not dancers, so this should be very interesting...
I haven't done any traveling since my big Australia trip, but I did go on a day trip to Tunnel Beach, an absolutely beautiful spot that's only about a 20 minute drive from my house. Here are a couple of scenic pictures from the trip:
I am currently in the middle of a peanut butter challenge, which sounds ridiculous because it is. Last night while eating some peanut butter straight from the jar, as I do quite frequently, my friend bet me 5 dollars that I couldn't eat a whole jar in one day. I accepted the challenge, and after some negotiation we agreed that the challenge would be that I attempt to consume 1 kilogram (that's 2.2 pounds) of peanut butter in 48 hours. I am about 12 hours in to the challenge and am just about half way...and I feel absolutely terrible. BUT I am going to finish this challenge successfully, I am determined!
In other, non-food related news, I have recently joined many different things, as I am trying to get more involved in my new community!
First, I joined the Collegiate Orchestra, a community orchestra comprised of students and adults from the community. It is extremely relaxed (rehearsals are optional) but it is great to be playing the cello again. We are working on Beethoven's 5th Symphony (everyone knows it, it's the piece that goes duh duh duh duhhhhhhhh, google it!).
I have also recently volunteered with the special olympics, and I will be coaching soccer once a week. It starts next Monday and I am very excited about it.
Tomorrow I have my first...field hockey practice! I signed up with a "social" (aka not competitive) team that was looking for players. It has been awhile since my JV field hockey days in high school, but I am optimistic that it's just like riding a bike, and that my skills will come right back in no time.
Last but not least, I have signed up for a swing-dance for beginners class, with my next door neighbor for my partner. We are both definitely not dancers, so this should be very interesting...
I haven't done any traveling since my big Australia trip, but I did go on a day trip to Tunnel Beach, an absolutely beautiful spot that's only about a 20 minute drive from my house. Here are a couple of scenic pictures from the trip:
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Spring Break in Australia
I have just returned from a great break in Australia! It was quite the adventure, so I'll start from the beginning.
I kind of forgot that Australia is actually a foreign country, as in Australia is not just an extension of New Zealand or vice versa, so I forgot that I had to go through customs. And I also didn't think about the fact that I had a carrot in my bag for a little traveling snack... So basically I was held up at customs at the Melbourne airport because of one carrot I had stowed away in my bag. I think the customs official thought I was trying to smuggle lots of produce in to her country because she started drilling me about fruits and veggies, making sure I didn't have anything else. Then she gave me a long lecture about what I can and can not bring in to Australia. It was a great way to start my trip, I felt like a fugitive before I had even really arrived.
But everything from then on was just lovely! I was visiting my Aussie cousins who live just outside of Melbourne in a nice little spot in the country. They had an awesome place, complete with a garden, chickens, ducks, a guinea fowl, a pool, and even a skate ramp! Pretty sweet.
On Sunday I went to a surf competition at Bells Beach, which was just a short bike ride from their house. It was an international surf competition, so even Kelly Slater was there! (A famous American surfer who has won a million things). My favorite competitor was Marco Polo from Brazil, purely because of his name. Watching real surfers was pretty cool, they can do all kinds of tricks and of course they make it look super easy.
The next day was a beach day, so I tried surfing once again...and once again I was not the greatest, but it was still fun!
Here's a picture of the Point Adis Beach where I surfed, taken from my walk to the beach:
On Tuesday I went in to Melbourne with Ivy, Feemy, and Rory (cousins). Now, I have zero sense of direction, and I was in charge of getting us around, so it was a slightly comical situation that the foreigner with 0 sense of direction was in charge...but after asking a few nice Aussies for train schedule advice we made it in to the city! We went to the Queen Victoria Market which was basically a farmers market times 100. It was HUGE. And there were other stalls as well, that sold everything from clothes to candy to statues of sheep and other odd knick-knacks. I bought some Aussie-rules football gear as a souvenir, because they are crazy about their Aussie-rules football in Australia. It's an interesting sport that seems to combine football, rugby, and a little soccer and volleyball too.
Here's some pictures from our train-ride home from Melbourne. The top one is of Rory, Ivy and Feemy, with Feemy's new sheep that she purchased at the Market. And the bottom is just Ivy and me in my new Aussie-football team scarf (I chose the Eagles because they are blue and gold, just like Michigan!)
On my last day we went on a drive along the coast. It was reminiscent of driving along the California coast, except it was a bit more rocky. Our final destination was a lovely walk through the rainforest! It was this really cool suspended walk that went about 50 meters above the forest floor, so that we wouldn't damage the wildlife. Unfortunately I discovered my camera battery was dead and so I don't have any pictures from that day :(
It was really interesting to see Australia and just how different it is from New Zealand. The landscape, the people, the accent, some of the food, and just the culture in general were all different. In Australia there seemed that every animal has the ability to hurt you...even the ants! Australia is home to the top 3 deadliest snakes in the world. And while I was there I heard that a man was attacked by a wombat. A wombat?! New Zealand on the other hand has absolutely nothing that can hurt you. There aren't any deadly animals here. Although Australia was a very cool place, I think I made the right choice of country to come study abroad in!
I kind of forgot that Australia is actually a foreign country, as in Australia is not just an extension of New Zealand or vice versa, so I forgot that I had to go through customs. And I also didn't think about the fact that I had a carrot in my bag for a little traveling snack... So basically I was held up at customs at the Melbourne airport because of one carrot I had stowed away in my bag. I think the customs official thought I was trying to smuggle lots of produce in to her country because she started drilling me about fruits and veggies, making sure I didn't have anything else. Then she gave me a long lecture about what I can and can not bring in to Australia. It was a great way to start my trip, I felt like a fugitive before I had even really arrived.
But everything from then on was just lovely! I was visiting my Aussie cousins who live just outside of Melbourne in a nice little spot in the country. They had an awesome place, complete with a garden, chickens, ducks, a guinea fowl, a pool, and even a skate ramp! Pretty sweet.
On Sunday I went to a surf competition at Bells Beach, which was just a short bike ride from their house. It was an international surf competition, so even Kelly Slater was there! (A famous American surfer who has won a million things). My favorite competitor was Marco Polo from Brazil, purely because of his name. Watching real surfers was pretty cool, they can do all kinds of tricks and of course they make it look super easy.
The next day was a beach day, so I tried surfing once again...and once again I was not the greatest, but it was still fun!
Here's a picture of the Point Adis Beach where I surfed, taken from my walk to the beach:
On Tuesday I went in to Melbourne with Ivy, Feemy, and Rory (cousins). Now, I have zero sense of direction, and I was in charge of getting us around, so it was a slightly comical situation that the foreigner with 0 sense of direction was in charge...but after asking a few nice Aussies for train schedule advice we made it in to the city! We went to the Queen Victoria Market which was basically a farmers market times 100. It was HUGE. And there were other stalls as well, that sold everything from clothes to candy to statues of sheep and other odd knick-knacks. I bought some Aussie-rules football gear as a souvenir, because they are crazy about their Aussie-rules football in Australia. It's an interesting sport that seems to combine football, rugby, and a little soccer and volleyball too.
Here's some pictures from our train-ride home from Melbourne. The top one is of Rory, Ivy and Feemy, with Feemy's new sheep that she purchased at the Market. And the bottom is just Ivy and me in my new Aussie-football team scarf (I chose the Eagles because they are blue and gold, just like Michigan!)
On my last day we went on a drive along the coast. It was reminiscent of driving along the California coast, except it was a bit more rocky. Our final destination was a lovely walk through the rainforest! It was this really cool suspended walk that went about 50 meters above the forest floor, so that we wouldn't damage the wildlife. Unfortunately I discovered my camera battery was dead and so I don't have any pictures from that day :(
It was really interesting to see Australia and just how different it is from New Zealand. The landscape, the people, the accent, some of the food, and just the culture in general were all different. In Australia there seemed that every animal has the ability to hurt you...even the ants! Australia is home to the top 3 deadliest snakes in the world. And while I was there I heard that a man was attacked by a wombat. A wombat?! New Zealand on the other hand has absolutely nothing that can hurt you. There aren't any deadly animals here. Although Australia was a very cool place, I think I made the right choice of country to come study abroad in!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sporting in New Zealand
Lately I have been doing a variety of sporting activities, and it's about time I updated my blog so here goes:
Last Saturday I had a surf lesson through Arcadia. They provided us with surfboards, wetsuits, and a kiwi surf boy for an instructor. Now, the conditions last Saturday were ridiculous. It was overcast and superbly windy, so surfing in the Ocean was WILD. I have spent 99% of my aquatic life in the Great Lakes, and that did not prepare me for this! The waves were so big, it was a struggle just to be in the water, let alone try to surf in it as a beginner. However, despite the giant waves surfing was so much fun. Since the weather was chilly our instructor had us do a warm up lap and with all of us jogging up the beach in our wetsuits it looked like a scene straight out of Baywatch. Then we did some on-land surfing technique exercises. Apparently I have a less than awesome sense of balance, because Isaac the surfing instructor was definitely laughing at me as I tried to practice hopping up on the board. I couldn't really do it that well...so I never quite got up in the water either, but I did get the hang of catching waves and cruising on my knees! I will be a pro surfer soon enough.
On Saturday night I went to a rugby game! It was so cool to be surrounded by people who actually understand the sport of rugby! It was the Highlanders, the local New Zealand team, versus the Sharks, a South African rugby team. Unfortunately the Highlanders lost, but it was a close match and fun to watch overall. One of the weirdest things about rugby over here is that mullets and rat-tails seem to be a very popular hairstyle for the players. Both are very terrible, so I really don't understand why they are so popular. Oh well, I just hope it never hits the States.
And finally, my last sporting event of this past week was...netball! I went to play with a couple friends who started a team, it was kinda like playing with an intramural team. The game of netball is probably New Zealand's most popular women's sport. It is a cross between basketball, handball, and ultimate Frisbee. There are 7 players per side at a time, and the goal is to shoot a basketball sized ball through a net, which just looks like a basketball net minus the backboard. There are designated positions, and each position can only go in certain parts of the court. For example, the Goalkeeper can only go in the first third of the court, and their job is to defend the Goalscorer, who can also only go in that part of the court. Once you have the ball you can't move, and defenders must be 3 feet away at all times. It was weird to get used to at first, but after a couple fouls for too closely defending I got the hang of it.
Now, this weekend I am off to either the Fiordlands or Wanaka, whichever one has less rain!
Last Saturday I had a surf lesson through Arcadia. They provided us with surfboards, wetsuits, and a kiwi surf boy for an instructor. Now, the conditions last Saturday were ridiculous. It was overcast and superbly windy, so surfing in the Ocean was WILD. I have spent 99% of my aquatic life in the Great Lakes, and that did not prepare me for this! The waves were so big, it was a struggle just to be in the water, let alone try to surf in it as a beginner. However, despite the giant waves surfing was so much fun. Since the weather was chilly our instructor had us do a warm up lap and with all of us jogging up the beach in our wetsuits it looked like a scene straight out of Baywatch. Then we did some on-land surfing technique exercises. Apparently I have a less than awesome sense of balance, because Isaac the surfing instructor was definitely laughing at me as I tried to practice hopping up on the board. I couldn't really do it that well...so I never quite got up in the water either, but I did get the hang of catching waves and cruising on my knees! I will be a pro surfer soon enough.
On Saturday night I went to a rugby game! It was so cool to be surrounded by people who actually understand the sport of rugby! It was the Highlanders, the local New Zealand team, versus the Sharks, a South African rugby team. Unfortunately the Highlanders lost, but it was a close match and fun to watch overall. One of the weirdest things about rugby over here is that mullets and rat-tails seem to be a very popular hairstyle for the players. Both are very terrible, so I really don't understand why they are so popular. Oh well, I just hope it never hits the States.
And finally, my last sporting event of this past week was...netball! I went to play with a couple friends who started a team, it was kinda like playing with an intramural team. The game of netball is probably New Zealand's most popular women's sport. It is a cross between basketball, handball, and ultimate Frisbee. There are 7 players per side at a time, and the goal is to shoot a basketball sized ball through a net, which just looks like a basketball net minus the backboard. There are designated positions, and each position can only go in certain parts of the court. For example, the Goalkeeper can only go in the first third of the court, and their job is to defend the Goalscorer, who can also only go in that part of the court. Once you have the ball you can't move, and defenders must be 3 feet away at all times. It was weird to get used to at first, but after a couple fouls for too closely defending I got the hang of it.
Now, this weekend I am off to either the Fiordlands or Wanaka, whichever one has less rain!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Much Delayed Pictures From my Queenstown Weekend
Finally, pictures from my great adventure in Queenstown! The first one is of the Lake in Queenstown, it was very pretty but SO COLD. Our bus driver said that if you went swimming in it without a wetsuit on you would die from hypothermia within 15-20 minutes! The next picture is of my friend Annmarie and me on the first half of our 8 hour hike. The next one is Christina, Amanda, and me all at the top of Conical peak, the picture doesn't do it justice, it was an incredible view. I felt as if I were on top of the world. The next one, with that tiny little gray hanging hut thing, is what I Bungee jumped off of! It was just this little thing hanging by wires, you had to take a tram-like thing to get to it and only 15 people could be out there at a time. The last picture is a Bungee action shot! It was such a rush, I'd definitely do it again in a hearbeat!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
I thought this only happened in movies...
The most ridiculous thing occurred this past week to one of the people who is here in NZ on my program with me, and it's so insane that I thought I'd recount it here.
Last Tuesday, my friend was in his kitchen enjoying a lovely dinner with his flatmates when a car crashed in to their living room! That's right, a car came through the wall of their house and landed in their living room. Apparently the girl driving had been backing out of the driveway and had bumped in to two parked cars in the driveway, she freaked out and tried to slam the breaks, but instead she accidentally slammed the accelerator. Her car was perfectly aligned with my friend's flat, so she propelled her car right through the wall of their living room! Luckily no one was hurt, but the front of his flat is completely destroyed, and if someone had been sitting in the living room they probably wouldn't be alive right now. My friend and his flatmates are now living in a motel until their house is repaired, and the story made the front page of the paper the next day!
It's not like this is a regular occurrence in New Zealand, so no need to worry, but it was such a ridiculous story that I had to share it. I think it's safe to say the drive of the car won't be behind the wheel for awhile.
Last Tuesday, my friend was in his kitchen enjoying a lovely dinner with his flatmates when a car crashed in to their living room! That's right, a car came through the wall of their house and landed in their living room. Apparently the girl driving had been backing out of the driveway and had bumped in to two parked cars in the driveway, she freaked out and tried to slam the breaks, but instead she accidentally slammed the accelerator. Her car was perfectly aligned with my friend's flat, so she propelled her car right through the wall of their living room! Luckily no one was hurt, but the front of his flat is completely destroyed, and if someone had been sitting in the living room they probably wouldn't be alive right now. My friend and his flatmates are now living in a motel until their house is repaired, and the story made the front page of the paper the next day!
It's not like this is a regular occurrence in New Zealand, so no need to worry, but it was such a ridiculous story that I had to share it. I think it's safe to say the drive of the car won't be behind the wheel for awhile.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Weekend In Queenstown
I spent this past weekend in Queenstown, a town in the central part of the South Island. It was a very touristy and expensive town, but I can easily see why because it was an absolutely beautiful place.
The trip was organized by Arcadia so all the activities were set and planned for the weekend, which was fine by me because I didn’t know anything about Queenstown anyway! On Friday we dropped our stuff at the hostel and then rushed to make it in time for jet boating. I have done this before on the Great Lakes, but jet boating here is far more extreme. We went through narrow cliffs and the driver went so close that we were all screaming because it felt as though we would crash, but of course we never did. Although even if we had hit the rocks in New Zealand apparently you can’t sue people for accidents, so pretty much Kiwis are far more daring and adventurous than Americans because they can afford to be.
On Friday night for dinner a bunch of us decided to go to a burger place called Ferg Burger, because we had heard so much hype about it from other people. It definitely lived up to its hype, because that was the BEST cheeseburger I have ever had in my entire life. It was quality New Zealand beef, grass fed and everything, and it was SO delicious. I’m getting excited just thinking about it right now.
Saturday was a full day of hiking. We went on the Routeburn Track, a hike which takes 3 days to complete if you do the whole thing. We did just a part of it, but in total I hiked 30 kilometers, which I think equates to about 18 or 19 miles? It was intense, but so worth it. I went all the way up to Conical peak and had the most incredible views of Mountain tops, and even all the way to the ocean. It was the hardest, longest hiking I have ever done, but I was so satisfied and felt so accomplished by the end of the day.
Sunday was the most exciting day. We went up a gondola and had some more great views of Queenstown, and at the top of the gondola there was a luge track which we were able to enjoy. It felt kinda like go-cart racing. Then came the best part of the whole weekend: bungee jumping! We had two options, the Kawaru Bridge, which was the world’s first bungee site, or Nevis, which is 3 times higher and the second highest bungee jumping site in the world. I decided to go for it and signed up for Nevis. I was actually pretty calm until I was standing on the platform about to jump. The guy who hooked up all my gear told me to inch out my toes to the edge of the platform and that’s when I looked down and started really freaking out, but by this point there was no turning back. He counted down from 5 and when he got to 1 I jumped and screamed bloody murder. The first second was the most terrifying second I’ve ever experienced, but for the remaining 8 seconds of my jump I was elated. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before, it is an incredible feeling to be soaring through the air, surrounded by mountains and looking down at a stream. If I had the chance I would definitely do it again.
After a very full weekend now it’s back to school, but with only 3 days of class it’s really not too bad.
The trip was organized by Arcadia so all the activities were set and planned for the weekend, which was fine by me because I didn’t know anything about Queenstown anyway! On Friday we dropped our stuff at the hostel and then rushed to make it in time for jet boating. I have done this before on the Great Lakes, but jet boating here is far more extreme. We went through narrow cliffs and the driver went so close that we were all screaming because it felt as though we would crash, but of course we never did. Although even if we had hit the rocks in New Zealand apparently you can’t sue people for accidents, so pretty much Kiwis are far more daring and adventurous than Americans because they can afford to be.
On Friday night for dinner a bunch of us decided to go to a burger place called Ferg Burger, because we had heard so much hype about it from other people. It definitely lived up to its hype, because that was the BEST cheeseburger I have ever had in my entire life. It was quality New Zealand beef, grass fed and everything, and it was SO delicious. I’m getting excited just thinking about it right now.
Saturday was a full day of hiking. We went on the Routeburn Track, a hike which takes 3 days to complete if you do the whole thing. We did just a part of it, but in total I hiked 30 kilometers, which I think equates to about 18 or 19 miles? It was intense, but so worth it. I went all the way up to Conical peak and had the most incredible views of Mountain tops, and even all the way to the ocean. It was the hardest, longest hiking I have ever done, but I was so satisfied and felt so accomplished by the end of the day.
Sunday was the most exciting day. We went up a gondola and had some more great views of Queenstown, and at the top of the gondola there was a luge track which we were able to enjoy. It felt kinda like go-cart racing. Then came the best part of the whole weekend: bungee jumping! We had two options, the Kawaru Bridge, which was the world’s first bungee site, or Nevis, which is 3 times higher and the second highest bungee jumping site in the world. I decided to go for it and signed up for Nevis. I was actually pretty calm until I was standing on the platform about to jump. The guy who hooked up all my gear told me to inch out my toes to the edge of the platform and that’s when I looked down and started really freaking out, but by this point there was no turning back. He counted down from 5 and when he got to 1 I jumped and screamed bloody murder. The first second was the most terrifying second I’ve ever experienced, but for the remaining 8 seconds of my jump I was elated. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before, it is an incredible feeling to be soaring through the air, surrounded by mountains and looking down at a stream. If I had the chance I would definitely do it again.
After a very full weekend now it’s back to school, but with only 3 days of class it’s really not too bad.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The School Part
So part of this whole thing is that I am 'studying abroad' and I haven't mentioned anything about that part of my trip yet, so here's a brief description of my new school, or "Uni" as everyone here calls it.
Otago is a BIG school, the complete opposite of itty-bitty, not-real, living-in-a-bubble Denison. There are about 20,000 students here and the way classes work are by lecture, lab, or tutorial. The lecture part is like America, huge classes with a professor, you guessed it, lecturing! The tutorials are smaller, about 20-30 students, and these are designed to discuss/go over what goes on in the lectures. And labs are still labs. Go figure.
I'm taking Maori Society 102, Sociology of New Zealand 101, Religion, Science and Magic 317, and Religion and the Internet 218. My Maori class is HUGE, with over 250 students, most of whom are international students, not even kiwis. My sociology class is also ginormous, with about 150 students. The religion classes remain small, which is def more my style. My religion and the internet class has only 8 people! Three of which are friends I recruited to join the class!
School here seems to be a bit easier, but maybe just cause it's so different. There aren't really papers or many assignments at all, as the exams count for 70% of my final grade. Plus, my schedule worked out awesomely. I don't have class on Mondays or Fridays, and I have only one class on Wednesdays. So pretty much, I'm livin' the life.
Yesterday I made a great discovery that will be superb when I'm in a rush on Tuesdays and Thursdays: THREE DOLLAR LUNCHES! Put on by the Hare Krishnas every Monday-Friday from 11-2. They cook delicious vegetarian food for only 3 dollars a plate, and it's a massive portion, which even includes dessert! It's really a beautiful thing. And their bread is so delicious.
This weekend I am taking a trip to Queenstown with Arcadia, and I have reserved a spot to go bungee jumping off a bridge.....!!!!
Otago is a BIG school, the complete opposite of itty-bitty, not-real, living-in-a-bubble Denison. There are about 20,000 students here and the way classes work are by lecture, lab, or tutorial. The lecture part is like America, huge classes with a professor, you guessed it, lecturing! The tutorials are smaller, about 20-30 students, and these are designed to discuss/go over what goes on in the lectures. And labs are still labs. Go figure.
I'm taking Maori Society 102, Sociology of New Zealand 101, Religion, Science and Magic 317, and Religion and the Internet 218. My Maori class is HUGE, with over 250 students, most of whom are international students, not even kiwis. My sociology class is also ginormous, with about 150 students. The religion classes remain small, which is def more my style. My religion and the internet class has only 8 people! Three of which are friends I recruited to join the class!
School here seems to be a bit easier, but maybe just cause it's so different. There aren't really papers or many assignments at all, as the exams count for 70% of my final grade. Plus, my schedule worked out awesomely. I don't have class on Mondays or Fridays, and I have only one class on Wednesdays. So pretty much, I'm livin' the life.
Yesterday I made a great discovery that will be superb when I'm in a rush on Tuesdays and Thursdays: THREE DOLLAR LUNCHES! Put on by the Hare Krishnas every Monday-Friday from 11-2. They cook delicious vegetarian food for only 3 dollars a plate, and it's a massive portion, which even includes dessert! It's really a beautiful thing. And their bread is so delicious.
This weekend I am taking a trip to Queenstown with Arcadia, and I have reserved a spot to go bungee jumping off a bridge.....!!!!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Pictures from Cave Camping
IT FINALLY WORKED! Here are some pictures from my caving-camping trip! The above picture is a group picture, minus my friend Magean who was taking the picture. The next one is a picture of the cave where we slept. Above that is a picture of our make-shift shoe rack, a handy shelf made naturally by whatever forces of nature make caves. It was a full moon that night so I tried to capture a picture of the moon over the ocean, but the picture just doesn't do it justice. And the last picture was taken at sunrise, just before the man came up and gave us the Tsunami warning!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The night I spent as a Cave-woman
The past 24 hours have been quite the adventure. I set out with 9 of my friends to go camping at Long Beach, a place not too far (or so we thought) from Dunedin, where we heard there were beautiful caves that could be slept in. So we packed up and left yesterday, Friday morning, for the bus to Port Chalmers, and from there we intended to hike to Long Beach and set up camp there for the night.
Well, we took the bus to Port Chalmers and then saw no sign of a hiking trail. We found a sign directing towards Long Beach, but figured we should probably ask for directions. We went to the Port Chalmers library where a lovely librarian lady gave us directions to Long Beach and said if we walked along the road it should take us a couple of hours.
So we set out! But after carefully looking at the map and reading signs we realized our destination was a good 12 kilometers away, along a winding and steep road. Thus, hiking would take us probably about 6 hours at the least, with all the stuff that we were carrying. So we decided to hitchhike, which in New Zealand is legal and safe (As long as you are not dumb about it, meaning I would still never do it by myself). And about 5 minutes in to this hitchhike plan a man with a pick up truck pulls up and picks all 10 of us up! It was insanely lucky! So my friend A.J. hopped in the front, and the rest of us hopped in the bed of the truck. Now this probably all sounds terrifying and dangerous, but this is not America. The guy was on his way past Long Beach, and he drove really slow and carefully, so we were perfectly fine. After riding in this truck for about 25 minutes we realized we were crazy for thinking we were going to try to hike this road.
Then we arrived at Long Beach, and had the whole day to enjoy it! We played Ultimate Frisbee, swam in the ocean, and chatted with our cave neighbors who were also camped out for the night. Then we had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and vegetables and listened to a guy playing guitar around the fire. It was a hippe/caveman experience, and it was awesome.
This morning we woke up to watch the sunrise over the ocean, which was insanely gorgeous. As we sat there enjoying the serenity of dawn, a man walking down the beach came up to tell us there was a Tsunami warning (As a result of the earthquake in Chile), and it was supposed to hit around 9 a.m. Well, that got us up and moving. We left the beach and climbed up the first hill of the road, and decided to sit and watch the Tsunami, because it wasn’t supposed to be that big. But then it just wasn’t coming and we thought we better get a move on, and conveniently a guy headed to Dunedin drove by and stopped, and asked us if we needed help. My two flatmates, my friend, and myself hopped in the car and he gave us a ride back to Dunedin, where he was headed anyway. Again, it sounds sketchy, but taking rides from people happens all the time on the South Island, and I was in a group so it was perfectly fine. The rest of our group also hitchhiked back rather easily, some got a ride all the way to Dunedin, but the rest got a ride to the bus station in Port Chalmers, which was enough to get them home.
It was overall a most interesting and fun experience, and I think the Tsunami warning this morning greatly aided our chances of getting a ride back from Long Beach. Next time we will have to investigate our hiking trail a little better, but it all worked out well in the end.
PS I would add pictures, but the picture uploader is not working! More to come once this thing cooperates.
Well, we took the bus to Port Chalmers and then saw no sign of a hiking trail. We found a sign directing towards Long Beach, but figured we should probably ask for directions. We went to the Port Chalmers library where a lovely librarian lady gave us directions to Long Beach and said if we walked along the road it should take us a couple of hours.
So we set out! But after carefully looking at the map and reading signs we realized our destination was a good 12 kilometers away, along a winding and steep road. Thus, hiking would take us probably about 6 hours at the least, with all the stuff that we were carrying. So we decided to hitchhike, which in New Zealand is legal and safe (As long as you are not dumb about it, meaning I would still never do it by myself). And about 5 minutes in to this hitchhike plan a man with a pick up truck pulls up and picks all 10 of us up! It was insanely lucky! So my friend A.J. hopped in the front, and the rest of us hopped in the bed of the truck. Now this probably all sounds terrifying and dangerous, but this is not America. The guy was on his way past Long Beach, and he drove really slow and carefully, so we were perfectly fine. After riding in this truck for about 25 minutes we realized we were crazy for thinking we were going to try to hike this road.
Then we arrived at Long Beach, and had the whole day to enjoy it! We played Ultimate Frisbee, swam in the ocean, and chatted with our cave neighbors who were also camped out for the night. Then we had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and vegetables and listened to a guy playing guitar around the fire. It was a hippe/caveman experience, and it was awesome.
This morning we woke up to watch the sunrise over the ocean, which was insanely gorgeous. As we sat there enjoying the serenity of dawn, a man walking down the beach came up to tell us there was a Tsunami warning (As a result of the earthquake in Chile), and it was supposed to hit around 9 a.m. Well, that got us up and moving. We left the beach and climbed up the first hill of the road, and decided to sit and watch the Tsunami, because it wasn’t supposed to be that big. But then it just wasn’t coming and we thought we better get a move on, and conveniently a guy headed to Dunedin drove by and stopped, and asked us if we needed help. My two flatmates, my friend, and myself hopped in the car and he gave us a ride back to Dunedin, where he was headed anyway. Again, it sounds sketchy, but taking rides from people happens all the time on the South Island, and I was in a group so it was perfectly fine. The rest of our group also hitchhiked back rather easily, some got a ride all the way to Dunedin, but the rest got a ride to the bus station in Port Chalmers, which was enough to get them home.
It was overall a most interesting and fun experience, and I think the Tsunami warning this morning greatly aided our chances of getting a ride back from Long Beach. Next time we will have to investigate our hiking trail a little better, but it all worked out well in the end.
PS I would add pictures, but the picture uploader is not working! More to come once this thing cooperates.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
My new home is superb.
Here is a picture as promised, it is from the first day of orientation: me with the city of Auckland behind me! We hiked up on to this bluff and had an amazing view of Auckland and the surrounding area.
The internet here so far has been TERRIBLE, so that’s why I have hardly been posting! So I am currently in the library using their reliable internet to update you on my life.
I arrived here in Dunedin on Saturday, Feb 20, and I don’t actually start class until Monday, March 1, so basically this is the equivalent of the University of Michigan’s Welcome Week, which we don’t have at Denison. I’ve been walking the streets and the campus and being my usual directionally challenged self, but I pretty much only travel in groups so I never get lost because I am always with people that know their way around (Don’t worry parents!). But at the same time I personally have no clue where anything actually is, cause I never have to pay attention…I’m workin on it.
Dunedin is a beautiful place, it is very hilly and is surrounded by gorgeous rolling hills that I want to hike sometime soon. There is so much to do and see! Yesterday was my birthday and it was a most lovely day. I woke up and my flatmate Sammy made me some banana pancakes (but of course not nearly as good as your buckwheat pancakes dad) and I put large amounts of peanut butter and nutella on them. It was a superb birthday breakfast. Then me and a few of my Arcadia friends decided to walk to the beach! It was quite an undertaking because the beach is a solid 4 miles away…..it took us about an hour and a half to get there one way, but it was a fun walk. By the time I returned I came home to a flat full of people cooking me my very own pasta birthday feast! I have been here only a week but I have met some of the nicest people. They also made me a huge and delicious chocolate cake. Oh, and also on my birthday I went to the liquor store! And bought my very own bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to try! It was really exciting to be able to legally do that.
Then last night there was a toga party that someone was hosting at their flat that most of the international students were planning to go to, so I put on my sheet-toga and went out to partake. Well…apparently there’s a tradition in Otago to have a toga party for the freshmen, and that was also going on last night. And part of the tradition is for upperclassman to throw eggs at freshman as they walk by in the streets. So, as I walked to the party with my group of international friends, none of us freshmen, we got eggs thrown at us! We tried to yell that no, we were just Americans and Canadians and so forth, but that didn’t help our case. New Zealand is wild…. Both nature and people-wise!
Tomorrow is the clubs and societies fair, so I am going to check it out and try new things! Yahoo! More to come later, hopefully the internet will work in my flat one someday soon.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Kia Ora from Dunedin!
I have been here in New Zealand for a solid 5 days and it feels more like a month! So much has happened in these last few days, and i will try to recount most of it here.
Things got off to a grand start when I spent my 13 hour flight from LA to Auckland with the Australian and Samoan rugby sevens teams. They were all so muscular and handsome, so that was an awesome perk to such a long flight. After arriving in Auckland me and my fellow Arcadia (The program I came through) members got on a bus and I experienced driving on the left hand side of the road for the first time! It was crazy, taking a right turn was especially thrilling, no joke! In general the first day was really disorienting, cause I hardly slept on the plane and had to try to stay awake all day in Auckland. We just walked around and had a tour of the city and I think it looks and feels a lot like any other big city. I was disappointed to see a bunch of starbucks and mcdonalds.
I went to bed at the grand old time of 8 pm that first night, and slept like a rock. The next day we left for Rotorua, a town about two hours away from Auckland. This area is very touristy, as it is known for its heavy Maori culture and crazy cool geothermal activity and formations. The only major drawback was that the whole place stinks of Sulfur, it was like smelling rotten eggs every time you took a breath. There we went to this little zoo place where I got to see a real life kiwi! It was a furball with a beak, which makes me wonder why New Zealand has chosen that for its national icon. Then we went to a sheep show! It was on a huge farm (a very nice respectable sustainable farm, just what i like) and we saw a bunch of different sheep as well as a sheep being sheared. The show was actually way cooler than I expected. At the end the host asked for volunteers from the audience and had about 4 people come up onstage. He gave them all white bottles filled with liquid and didn't explain what they were for. Then he went and opened a door to the side of the stage without explaining what the surprise animal behind it was going to be. It happened to be a bunch of lambs, and the bottles were just milk for feeding them. Now, one of the volunteers was a Korean boy, prob no older than 10 and when the lambs came out this kid just about jumped out of his pants. He threw the milk bottle and immediately latched on to the sheep show host. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. This poor boy was petrified of lambs!
That night we went to the hot springs in Rotorua and I enjoyed many naturally hot pools while gazing up at the lovely New Zealand night sky. It was a great time to chat and get to know people in my group.
Thennn the next day was the coolest! We spent the morning touring a geothermal wonderland (thats actually what it was called) and I saw some crazy rock things. There was even a lime green pool! Its hard to describe all the cool naturally occuring things that I saw so I will have to post pictures.
In the afternoon we went Zorbing! And you prob have no idea what that is! Basically, it's this GIANT plastic ball that you partially fill the inside with water and then it is taken up a hill and you get in the ball and roll down the hill in this giant plastic ball. It sounds strange but IT WAS SOOOOO MUCH FUN. New Zealand claims Zorbing as its own invention, and I have to say I like they're ridiculous thinking cause Zorbing is the bomb diggity.
Thennnnn that night, the last night of orientation and traveling and cool activities, we went to have dinner at a Maori village. It was a little more disneyland-feeling then I would have liked but it was cool just the same. The people were legitimate Maori people and they were dressed authentically and did everything the traditional Maori way. When we first arrived they performed the Haka for us! (The war dance that the All Blacks rugby team infamously performs before each game)
And now I am in Dunedin, in my flat, and I love it. I have my own room, my bed is a full size bed, which apparently is the college standard in New Zealand. Much better than the twin size standard in the US! My flatmates are all really nice and really cool which is great.
And now I am dead tired so I will have to explain more about Dunedin and the university of Otago later. And pictures to come!
Things got off to a grand start when I spent my 13 hour flight from LA to Auckland with the Australian and Samoan rugby sevens teams. They were all so muscular and handsome, so that was an awesome perk to such a long flight. After arriving in Auckland me and my fellow Arcadia (The program I came through) members got on a bus and I experienced driving on the left hand side of the road for the first time! It was crazy, taking a right turn was especially thrilling, no joke! In general the first day was really disorienting, cause I hardly slept on the plane and had to try to stay awake all day in Auckland. We just walked around and had a tour of the city and I think it looks and feels a lot like any other big city. I was disappointed to see a bunch of starbucks and mcdonalds.
I went to bed at the grand old time of 8 pm that first night, and slept like a rock. The next day we left for Rotorua, a town about two hours away from Auckland. This area is very touristy, as it is known for its heavy Maori culture and crazy cool geothermal activity and formations. The only major drawback was that the whole place stinks of Sulfur, it was like smelling rotten eggs every time you took a breath. There we went to this little zoo place where I got to see a real life kiwi! It was a furball with a beak, which makes me wonder why New Zealand has chosen that for its national icon. Then we went to a sheep show! It was on a huge farm (a very nice respectable sustainable farm, just what i like) and we saw a bunch of different sheep as well as a sheep being sheared. The show was actually way cooler than I expected. At the end the host asked for volunteers from the audience and had about 4 people come up onstage. He gave them all white bottles filled with liquid and didn't explain what they were for. Then he went and opened a door to the side of the stage without explaining what the surprise animal behind it was going to be. It happened to be a bunch of lambs, and the bottles were just milk for feeding them. Now, one of the volunteers was a Korean boy, prob no older than 10 and when the lambs came out this kid just about jumped out of his pants. He threw the milk bottle and immediately latched on to the sheep show host. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. This poor boy was petrified of lambs!
That night we went to the hot springs in Rotorua and I enjoyed many naturally hot pools while gazing up at the lovely New Zealand night sky. It was a great time to chat and get to know people in my group.
Thennn the next day was the coolest! We spent the morning touring a geothermal wonderland (thats actually what it was called) and I saw some crazy rock things. There was even a lime green pool! Its hard to describe all the cool naturally occuring things that I saw so I will have to post pictures.
In the afternoon we went Zorbing! And you prob have no idea what that is! Basically, it's this GIANT plastic ball that you partially fill the inside with water and then it is taken up a hill and you get in the ball and roll down the hill in this giant plastic ball. It sounds strange but IT WAS SOOOOO MUCH FUN. New Zealand claims Zorbing as its own invention, and I have to say I like they're ridiculous thinking cause Zorbing is the bomb diggity.
Thennnnn that night, the last night of orientation and traveling and cool activities, we went to have dinner at a Maori village. It was a little more disneyland-feeling then I would have liked but it was cool just the same. The people were legitimate Maori people and they were dressed authentically and did everything the traditional Maori way. When we first arrived they performed the Haka for us! (The war dance that the All Blacks rugby team infamously performs before each game)
And now I am in Dunedin, in my flat, and I love it. I have my own room, my bed is a full size bed, which apparently is the college standard in New Zealand. Much better than the twin size standard in the US! My flatmates are all really nice and really cool which is great.
And now I am dead tired so I will have to explain more about Dunedin and the university of Otago later. And pictures to come!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Hasta La Vista America
I leave for my great New Zealand adventure TOMORROW. I can not believe it is finally upon me, when it feels as though I have been preparing for this trip for forever. I'm all ready to go, with a year of my life packed away in to about 70 pounds of luggage (who knew that was even possible!). This blog is where I will be documenting my travels and sharing my stories, so you can read it and check it at your leisure. More to come when I actually arrive in the land of the kiwis and sheep!
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