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:

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:

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.