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!
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