We'll Have Fun, Fun, Fun Till Daddy Takes the Kayaks Away

Hello, champs. It's been awhile. I knew I was going to have some crazy adventures this weekend, so I decided to wait and post updates. And I was right! You are in for one amazing ride, if I do say so myself. And this post is chock full of pictures. You are welcome.

Wednesday night was the Macklemore concert, which was awesome! However, people here are completely insane at concerts. Like way more than in the states. Sasha and I wormed our way up to the second row during the opening band, but I literally thought I was going to die, so we retreated. It ended up being way more fun a little farther back, you know, where the oxygen was. A few foot bruises and lots of other people's sweat later, it was a great time.

Friday night we attended the paint party, which is a themed dance party at which paint is squirted on the white-donning crowd out of giant squirt guns. This was equal parts fun and disgusting.

Then, the big event: Eight of us decided to head to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula for a two day trip! We got up relatively early on Saturday, scrubbed the last bits of paint out of our ears, and made the hour and a half journey. It was gorgeous weather both days (although a bit windy the first), and we took full advantage. Upon arrival we stopped at a locally famous fish and chips place, which definitely hit the spot. Then we took some time to explore, shop around, and take naps in the sunshine.

Talk about a scenic route! This is looking down on the bay.

Akaroa is on the Banks Peninsula, which is the part of New Zealand that was settled by France. Therefore, they fly the French flag instead of the New Zealand one! They also have French street names and a fair amount of other French influences.

Exploring on a beautiful day in a beautiful place!

This is where we took our naps. This kitty came to cuddle with us! It had a weird broken tail and it was sad. Also, that's Ian. 

These are the moments when I literally stop and pinch myself. I can't believe I get to live here!

After several hours of exploring, we decided to make our way to our accommodation for the night. We stayed at Onuku Farm Hostel, which was absolutely beautiful. They have over a thousand acres of farmland, trails, camp ground, etc, all up in the mountains overlooking the bay. Everyone was really friendly, and it was a great place to stay. Elise and I bunked together, and the others slept outside. It worked out great! 

After we made dinner at the hostel, we decided to explore a bit and find a good place to watch the sunset. Along the way, we met these guys--sheep with tails! Typically, farmers put a tight rubber ring around the tail so it falls of, thus preventing bacteria and crap (literally) from festering in it. As far as we could tell, these sheep were just hanging out and weren't going to be sold for anything, so they still had their tails. It was super weird.

This farm also had cows...and huge turd mines. 

The view outside my window when I woke up this morning. Heaven exists, people.

After a lovely stay at the hostel, we headed back into town for the main event--sea kayaking! The woman we booked with was extremely generous and gave us a discount, so we had them for the whole day instead of just half. I was a bit nervous about my shoulder (I separated it last June), as this was the first significant test of its strength/endurance, but it held up really well! Elise and I were in a two person kayak, and let me just say that two six foot volleyballers do some serious work in the paddling department. We paddled into the wind/against the current for about three hours, then turned around and went back in two. But along the way we met some new friends...DOLPHINS.

Hector's dolphins are the rarest in the world and only live around New Zealand. They're super tiny--the adults look like babies--and also really friendly! We went for about two hours without seeing any, and were starting to give up, when a nice man on a jet ski came over to us and told us we were only 100 meters away from a group of them! So we paddled like fiends and sure enough, a group of six was right there. It was so incredible. They swam so close to us, I thought I could touch one (I couldn't). But they swam right with us for awhile, and it was the most magical experience.

Elise and I demonstrating our excellent form (or at least I am).

The view I was forced to endure for five hours...so painful.

The only picture we got of the dolphins...we were focusing on the experience. Also visible: the nice jet ski man!

Here's a photo I stole from the interwebz. This is exactly what we saw today. And that's how close they were to us! 

Needless to say, it was a pretty incredible day/weekend. And although my arms now feel like they are going to fall off, and one awkward patch of my left arm got fried, I had the best day I've had in New Zealand so far. 

Fun Facts/Updates:

-Here are some more facts about Hector's Dolphins!

     -They can fit inside a bathtub 

     -They can be identified by their rounded dorsal fin, much like a Mickey Mouse ear (ha)

     -There are only about 8000 left in the world

     -Traditionally, Maori would watch these dolphins migratory patterns to predict the weather

-I went to Clubs Day at the University on Friday and perused the many club options that were available to me. As you have to pay to join them (what the heck) and most are centered around partying (the Engineering Club is known for their legendary ragers...again, what the heck) I had to choose a bit carefully. I joined the Brew Club, which teaches you how to brew beer, takes you on beer tasting tours, and teaches you how to pair beer with food. Surprisingly, this club parties less than the Engineering Club. I also joined the Thrifting Club, which is going to be super fun. They have "thrift store crawls," a Thrift Shop Ball (which gives you a $20 dollar budget to find a whole outfit), and many other fun events. Clubs here are weird. But I'm hoping to meet some interesting people.

-I am really excited for my family to come and visit in May/June. It's really true that experiences are made even better when you can share them with people you love, and I keep making mental lists of all the places I want to share with my parents, Aunt Susan, and Uncle Paul/Aunt Janet. It's going to be great to bring my worlds together in this beautiful place!

-Several requests have been made for my address, so if you would like to write me/mail me goodies (yes please), you will find me at:

Bethany Schulz

Ilam Apartments 47F

Homestead Lane

Ilam, Christchurch 8140

If you write me, I will return the favor. I have Hobbit stamps.

-Last week we completely ran out of toilet paper in my flat. It wasn't pretty.

I am really tired, as evidenced by the toilet paper update. It's been a long weekend. Anyway, I'd better go to bed before I fall asleep on the keyboard. 

Cheers!

Oh Yeah...I Have to Study Here Too

Well folks, it's Tuesday night, and I have officially experienced all four of my classes. This being the case, I will now give a brief reaction to each. Please enjoy.

First up: New Zealand Literature.

I'm pretty sure I'm the only American in this class. This was a bit polarizing, but also exciting, seeing as most of the friends I've made so far are other Americans. My professor seems cool (he wore jeans on the first day, always a good sign), and he made tons of semi-cheesy English jokes, which I always enjoy. I've never heard of any of the authors we'll be reading, which is actually really exciting for me. The only thing that I think will be a challenge is the background information that I totally and completely lack. He was making references to New Zealand history that I've never even heard of before, and at the end of class he posted a picture of a lovely New Zealand landscape and, after everyone laughed, he asked us to name all of the cliches that were apparent. I just thought it was a pretty photo of the countryside, but oh no. Ugly American, party of one. Hopefully I will get it together soon, because that was the only class I didn't participate in on the first day. And I love to participate.

Next: Maori and Indigenous Film.

This class is going to be so legit. My professor is awesome, and all of the films we're watching look really interesting. Also, I found out that one of my New Zealand Lit lectures got moved so that it overlapped with the tutorial (film lab) for this course, but my professor said it was no problem to just come an hour late every week! So thank goodness for flexibility, because I really didn't want to drop either course. So instead I'll be pulling a Laurel and awkwardly showing up late. Oh well, my friend Sam is in the course with me, so she can help me look less freakish. Oh, and with notes and stuff I suppose.

Next, the favorite so far: Rebuilding Christchurch.

I am so excited for this course!! It's being co-taught by two professors, one American (who now lives in Sumner) and one Kiwi. I think this combination will provide some really excellent perspectives on the earthquakes and the reactions since. Our professor, who got his PhD in experiential learning (bam) began the course by asking us to get up, go outside, and "do some service" for ten minutes. This could be anything that we chose to do, but we had to be serving in some way and we only had ten minutes. After wasting a moment wandering around, and then another moment serving myself by using the restroom (I really had to go), I stumbled upon a bike unlocked and unattended. Naturally, I decided to guard the bike and prevent it from getting stolen by potential hooligans or evil-doers. Pretty much everyone else picked up trash, so I think part of my motivation was just wanting to do something different. We went back to class and discussed our service, what it meant, why we did it, etc, and then began applying those definitions/outcomes to the future of the course. It was sweet.

It's going to be a good class.

Finally: Children's Literature and Its Representation on Film

Doesn't this class sound like so much fun?
Don't you want to drop your biology, accounting, or nursing classes and take this gem?

That's what I thought too. On my way to this class, my hopes were soaring; after all, I was holding a syllabus that said "Toy Story" under the "Required Texts" section. Unfortunately, I walked into an overcrowded, hot room only to find a PK/Professor Trelawney look alike who uses overheads and wears socks with her peep toed shoes. Why, God?! What have I done to deserve such punishment??? The lecture was two hours long, and she literally spent the first hour giving us the entire history of every camera that has ever been invented. As if this in itself wasn't enough, she sounds like the teacher from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Not Ben Stein, but the English teacher, who's like, "In.....what.....waaaaaay.......does the author's....use....of.....PRISON....(draws prison bars for ten hours)." Yeah. THAT guy. I didn't think it was possible to make such splendidly cheerful subject matter so painfully mind numbing, but this professor managed to do it. It's going to be one of those classes where you look at your watch and then wait as long as you possibly can to look at it again, only to find that it's been twelve seconds since you last checked. HELP ME SEAN!! COME TO NEW ZEALAND AND TEACH ME ABOUT BILDUNGSROMAN!

At least I get to watch Toy Story.

Overall, I really am excited about my classes, and my schedule is really relaxed compared to what it would be at Gustavus. I really wish I could be in choir, and am missing it like crazy right now, but I know the New Zealand specific courses will be really beneficial to my experience here. Here's hoping my Children's Lit professor drinks a Red Bull before next lecture!

Fun Facts/Updates:

-I am getting really good at cooking for myself. Yesterday I made homemade pizza with sliced tomatoes, caramelized onions, basil, goat cheese, and mushrooms. It was awesome. By the time I move into the Snakehole Lounge I will practically be Bobby Flay.

-One fun fact that I learned in my boring class today: Nickelodeon, the kid's network, derives from a type of cinema that existed in the early 1900's. They were called Nickelodeons because it only cost a nickel to get in, and was nicknamed the "poor man's theater" because of this fact. Cool, huh?

-As most of you probably know, the national bird of New Zealand is the Kiwi. What you may not know, however, is that there are actually very few Kiwis left in the wild. Most New Zealanders have never actually seen one up close. Last week, we went to a wildlife reserve and got to see real live Kiwis! Unfortunately, they live in a dark house, and so we had to follow our guide around as she shined a dim flashlight around in an attempt to find them. We did, and boy are they weird looking creatures. They sort of look like lopsided potatoes with feet and beaks. It's what I imagined mandrakes to look like.

-This weekend, a group of us are trying to plan a trip to Akaroa/the Banks Peninsula, which is supposedly the French-est part of New Zealand. Shout out to my roomie, Sarah, who is in France! Send me some French vibes, mademoiselle!

Alright, time for bed.

Cheers!

This Little Piggy Went to a Damn Good Market

I apologize in advance for the lack of beautiful scenery in this post, but there will be a viewing of my ravishing bird painting at the end. As promised.

Today my friends and I ventured into town to experience the Riccarton Market, which is the giant farmer's market I mentioned in yesterday's post. We decided to walk there, since our trusty navigator Sam had a map on her phone, thus preventing us from getting lost. As we walked there, we shared our dreams of what we would find: produce, jewelry, wool, food (I in particular was crossing my fingers for a scone stand). The anticipation and excitement built steadily. Finally, we turned the corner and found...a tiny market with approximately twenty stands and a dinky coffee cart. WHAT?? We tried to hide our disappointment and make the best of the situation, but we were definitely bummed. However, Elise and I found a really awesome lady selling hand made, hand dyed wool products (scarves, hats, socks, etc.) I bought some, but will not specify because the item(s) are a gift! She was also really friendly and used to be an English teacher, so I had a lovely chat with her.

At this point, we realized that Sasha, who was meeting us there, was nowhere to be found, despite assuring us that she had, in fact, arrived. It was then that it dawned on us that perhaps we were at the wrong market. So we got directions from Sasha, hopped on a bus, and were dropped off at the biggest farmer's market I have ever seen. It reminded me of the State Fair (okay not that big but still huge). They had tons of produce stands, clothes, jewelry, food carts, drinks, books, furniture...you name it, they had it. We wandered in awe for awhile before getting down to business and shopping our hearts out. I got a ton of fresh fruit and produce (tomatoes, green beans, onions, apricots, cherries, and fresh basil), goat cheese, natural Manuka honey, and a beautiful Merino wool scarf that I am obsessed with.

Plus, this magical dreamland had the scone stand I had longed for, and I got an apricot cinnamon scone with raspberry jam and whipped cream. Y-U-M. The produce was insanely cheap, way less than what we would've paid at the supermarket (not grocery store), and it is all soooo delicious. I can't wait to go back and get more! The best part about the market? It's every Sunday! Family members who will be visiting Christchurch: I am definitely taking you there!

After this wonderful treat I allowed myself some much needed down time in my flat (which may or may not have resulted in a nap). Sasha was kind enough to invite Elise, Sam, and I over to her host mom's house for dinner, so we headed over to meet Carol.

I didn't think the weekend could've gotten any better at that point, but that's because I had never tasted Carol's cooking before. Holy Delicious, Batman. She made roast lamb, roasted potatoes and pumpkin, cooked carrots and zucchini, cheesy broccoli and cauliflower bake, and to top it all off, a lemon curd pavlova (a whipped dessert a lot like meringue, popular in New Zealand and traditionally served with fresh fruit). And for all of this, all we had to do was the dishes! It was truly a treat, and it felt nice to sit down and have a homemade meal in a cute little house. Carol is a lovely woman (and rather hilarious), and she already invited us back in a few weeks! It will be great to have a taste of home every so often.

Classes start tomorrow, and I'm excited to get going! I'm mildly nervous that I will get lost and show up late, which is the worst, but I know my way around pretty well, so I'm sure it will be fine.

Fun facts/updates:

-My bird painting is now hanging majestically on my wall. Try not to weep with envy when you see this thing.

I mean. Mona who?

-A common expression here is "Sweet as," which basically means "That's great" or "Perfect!" For example, if I was telling a story about how I was being chased by a murderer, but managed to escape his evil plot and turn him into the police, you might respond with "Sweet as!" as if to say, "Wow Bethany, you handled that perfectly!" I'm still getting used to it, but it's one of my favorites.

-As previously mentioned, my windows don't have screens. This is fine, except I get a lot of bugs in my room, especially at night. I have ruined innumerable amounts of brochures by squishing moths with them. I think I will need to invest in some tissues. Or a bug swatter.

Anywho, it's off to bed for me! Gotta catch some zzz's if I want to make it through class tomorrow.

Cheers!

Like the Ceiling Can't Hold Us

You are all about to hate me, that's how amazing experience I am about to write about was.

This weekend, my friends and I had originally intended to venture out to Queenstown and brave the bungy experience. However, we decided that since it's still orientation, we would stay closer to Christchurch and therefore be available for some of the events. Basically the Greeter in me took over. So instead, we decided to head out to Lyttleton, which is about an hour outside Christchurch. We hopped on the bus and began our adventure.

Lyttleton was apparently the epicenter of the large earthquake that struck Christchurch in 2011, and you could see a lot of remaining damage. But the most striking effect was that the downtown felt almost deserted. There was graffiti everywhere, and a lot of small businesses were closed. Despite this, the scenery was beautiful, with the combination of the striking mountains and the harbour right next to each other.

This is Lyttleton!

And this is the beautiful wharf! Across the bay there is Diamond Harbour, which we took the ferry to. Fun fact: you can use your metro card on the ferry! Sweet!

We decided we wanted to break out the packs and boots and do some hiking, so we went over to Diamond Harbour and did the Cliff Track, which is basically what it sounds like. After starting off with a painfully long series of steep switchbacks, and briefly going off the trail into some less than traveled terrain (totally on purpose) we ended up with an incredible hike right along the water. 

New pack! Happens to match the water, no biggie.

 Although it was challenging (it was also pretty hot and humid out) the views were so, so worth it. 

It took us about three hours to hike all the way to the beach we would eventually swim at (I'll get to that), and during that time I definitely had a mother nature moment. There is something so pure and beautiful about hiking. It's as though your mind and your body make an agreement, like "I know this is going to hurt and you're going to be tired, but if you just let me keep going, I will make it worth it." And it does hurt (worse if you have a giant blister on the ball of your foot, which I may or may not have), and you are tired, but the trust you build with your own body drives you forward. At first you feel a bit clumsy, maybe a little unsure of your steps. But then your breath and your footsteps and your heartbeat become one rhythm, and you stride more confidently with every step. Then you look up from watching your feet and see the turquoise water, and the mountains rising in the distance, and you feel the New Zealand sun kissing your face. And you think, "I belong here." And you do.

This rhythm I fell into made the hike wonderfully peaceful. We trekked to a beach several miles from the ferry, and I honestly don't even have words to describe how beautiful it was. We quickly dropped our packs and changed into our togs (swimsuits) and waded our way out into the blue. The bottom was this incredibly dense clay-ish muck, so I'm sure we were hilarious to watch as we tried to unstick ourselves for another step. But we made it, and we swam and frolicked for awhile. Then we took the most satisfying naps in the sunlight.

We then had the task of getting back to the ferry, as it was dinner time and we had already eaten our trail snacks. We decided to hike back part of the way, and then walk up to the road and follow it back. This was steep, but the breeze was a lot more prominent so that made a huge difference. Along our way, we encountered a baby hedgehog, which apparently has been a lifelong dream of Sasha's. She nearly pooped her pants with joy.

The hedgie was so cute, and although there is no photographic evidence, I held it for a bit! After our long day of walking we ended up at a yummy seafood place overlooking the wharf, and we filled our tired tummies with delicious fish and chips (I had seafood chowder and it was scrumptious.)

This has definitely been my favorite day in New Zealand so far. It was so adventurous and new and beautiful and challenging and sunny and calming and satisfying. I loved the people I was with and I loved every second of what I was doing.

Tomorrow we are heading to a sort of famous farmer's market it Christchurch. It's huge and they have tons and tons of things, not just food. I'm really excited to check it out!

Fun facts/updates:

-The beds in New Zealand (at least at Ilam Apartments) are extra long. I no longer feel like Buddy the Elf.

-We went to the Salvation Army in Christchurch yesterday, and I was able to secure a majestic bird painting for my flat. The checkout lady was like "This is really quite lovely," and I had to fight not to laugh. I will try to post a picture tomorrow.

-Someone from the University must have read my rant, because Macklemore tickets went back on sale for a brief period! So now I will be seeing a great artist while in New Zealand...my life continues to become more of a dream every minute!

-While we were walking back to the ferry after our trek, these little girls randomly started following us. I really wanted it to be a cute moment but they were really freaking annoying. They kept screaming and yelling dumb things at us and being really obnoxious. It was like ten year olds hopped up on gallons of pixie stix. Not the best part of the trip, but funny in retrospect. One of them was eating an apple and when she was finished, she decided it would be a good idea to bounce the core on the ground like a ball. To my delight (sorry not sorry) it bounced and hit her in the face.

-Although I like and am friends with everyone in our program, there are six of us that have really connected. We have been spending lots of time together, and have even started the tradition of "family dinners," where everyone brings something and we all cook and eat together! I can already tell that I am going to have these friends for a long time, and I am so lucky to have them here with me.

The gang's all here! Sasha, Sam, Thomas, Elise, Me, and John! Amazing adventures with amazing friends.

Okay, I hiked a lot today and I am so ready for my extra long bed! Tune in next time for my farmer's market experience...and for the picture of the bird painting, of course.

In the Beginning, There Was a Rant

So yesterday we had our International Student welcome/the beginning of Orientation at UC. Volunteers in red t-shirts (which is the only qualification to be a guide, apparently) herded us into this giant lecture hall, where we pretended to listen to old white dudes in suits blab about the importance of education. They were wearing these maroon and gold glittery robes that made them look like Gryffindors over their suits, though, so that made the speeches a tad more bearable. Then the coordinators split us into small groups (still containing at least twenty people each). I was hoping that we would do some sweet icebreakers Gustavus style, but oh no. We sat awkwardly around a table and listening to our guide (or tried to, because English was her second language and people kept walking by and making noise) read the pages of information she had out loud. Literally, a powerpoint would have been more interesting. After that, we went back into the lecture hall and had more people talk at us about enrolment, insurance, etc.

Yet this mind numbing story is not, in fact, the worst part about orientation.

You may be thinking, "How can that be? I almost fell asleep reading that summary!"

Well. Allow me to explain. The University has planned all kinds of stellar events/parties for students: A toga party, paint party, comedy act....oh, and MACKLEMORE (musical artist for the old folks at home) will be performing next week. Sounds great, right? I thought so too, until I learned that all of these events require tickets (each upwards of $20) and most are already sold out. SOLD OUT. Yet we just learned of these events this week.

Maybe I'm the only one who's thinking this, but WHY in the name of Greeters would anyone schedule an orientation that is exclusive??? Isn't the whole point to be inclusive? The sheer stupidity of this setup is incredible. There are no small groups, no get to know you games, no interactions with any faculty or staff, and oh, one small thing, NO EVENTS THAT EVERYONE IS FREE TO ATTEND.

Okay, I need to move on, this rant is getting out of control. Needless to say, my appreciation for and belief in the effectiveness of Gustavus' New Student Orientation has only deepened.

After the sad excuse for orientation finished, a bunch of us went to the mall to run errands. We found a K-Mart, which has everything for incredibly cheap, and the discount grocery store, which is basically like a Costco except everything is normal instead of dinosaur sized. I never thought finding a K-Mart would feel like discovering the lost city of Atlantis, but when everything around you costs the blood of a virgin and your firstborn child, that's pretty much how it works.

My friend Elise and I then ventured to the Macpac store (basically New Zealand's version of REI), and I bought a legit pack for tramping! (Tramping is what Kiwis call hiking/camping). I originally was just going to try some on and look around, but I found one that was perfect and the guy helping me kindly gave me a student discount, which was a sizable 30% off. I was (and still am) really excited about this successful purchase, and am even more excited to put it to use!

This morning was enrolment. Despite being a bit unorganized (on the Uni's part, not mine. Shocker) and frustrating, in the end I am incredibly excited for my courses. I am taking New Zealand Literature, Popular Children's Texts and their Representation on Film, Kiriata: Maori and Indigenous Film, and Rebuilding Christchurch: An Introduction to Community Engagement in Tertiary Studies. The last two courses are amendments to my original schedule, and I am really excited about them. The Maori (pronounced Mau-ree) one incorporates Postcolonial theory, which is a course I just took at Gustavus and completely loved. The Rebuilding Christchurch one involves hands on work, so we'll be doing community service in the city, speaking with people who were effected by the earthquake, etc. I am so excited for classes to start!

General Facts/Updates:

-I am really starting to settle in here. I like everyone in my program, but I'm definitely starting to connect with some on a deeper, long term friend sort of level, which is a great feeling. Once classes start, I know I'll get into even more of a groove and feel more at home, so I'm looking forward to that.

-The weather in New Zealand can literally change at the drop of a hat. Checking the forecast ahead of time really does no good, and sometimes even the daily forecast will change significantly, even if you checked it that morning. Weathermen here frequently just say that the weather will be "fine," because they can't give much more accurate descriptions than that. I find this hilarious.

-Kiwis eat a lot of pumpkin. You'll find it in really odd places, such as macaroni and cheese, pasta salad, spreads, etc. At first I thought this was really weird, but it's actually so delicious. I just bought pumpkin and kumara (basically New Zealand's sweet potato) hummus, and it is sooo yummy. I love trying all the new foods here, and have yet to be disappointed!

Today is my friend Sam's birthday, so tonight we are all going out to celebrate! It will be nice to dress up and experience the night life a bit instead of just wearing grubby camping clothes all the time (even though that's nice too). Sam is a film major and in two of my classes, so we're basically the same person.

I realize that this post is super text heavy, because none of the subject matter was really worthy of a photo, so I will just tack some on the end here as a reward for reading the whole thing. Good job, random stalker!

This is a "Monkey's Puzzle" tree, named because the branches resemble monkey tails!

This is a cute little sailboat I found at Sumner Beach. It practically has my name on it! (My middle names is Joy.)

Cheers!

All I Want for Christmas is New Zealand Sheep

So I know I said that I would make this post shorter, but I may have lied. There is just so much happening here that is worthy of writing about! But whatever, in a few weeks I'll be stuck in class and then my posts will be two sentences long and you'll all hate me. So enjoy this while you can, people. I'll put lots of pictures in this one as a treat.

I'll start with our field trip to Springfield, which is about an hour outside of Christchurch. It's totally in the middle of nowhere, so the views were beautiful. We started out with a hike around Castle Hill, which is actually the place where parts of Narnia were filmed. Soooo I basically went to Narnia. No big deal. Once we reached the top (which was quite a hike actually) we got some free time to rock climb. A few people in our group are pretty experienced climbers, so naturally they had a field day. The rest of us were still adventurous though, and found some pretty sweet spots to explore!

This day also happened to be 80 degrees and sunny, so by the end of the hike we were all disgusting. As a reward, we drove to the most beautiful lake tucked between a bunch of mountains and took a swim. As most of you know, I am a total lake rat and love to be in the water, so this was like Christmas morning for me. The water was so fresh and amazing, and to look up and see mountains all around us was breathtaking.

The next day, we went to a local sheep farm and got to see how things worked. We first did some conservation planting, which involved planting a ton of brush-sized plants/trees in preparation for larger ones. After that, we headed out to meet some of the animals! We got to feed the sheep, watch the herding dogs, Blue and Sky, do business, and meet the alpacas. It was so incredible to see how well trained the dogs were. The main commands that a shepherd uses are "come by," which means to go left, "come out" which means to go right, and "walk up," which means to creep along slowly so that the sheep walk instead of run. It was amazing to witness; at one point he had the dogs walk up so that the sheep were held just feet in front of us. 

The sheep we saw were meat sheep, not wool sheep. However, if their wool was to be sold, it would be carpet quality, and would sell for around $6/kilo. Sheep whose wool would be used for clothing and nice blankets can get upwards of $35/kilo.

These are the dogs "walking up" on the sheep! So impressive.

We also met the alpacas, which are goofy looking.

After the farm stuff we went jet boating, which was SO COOL. Jet boats are essentially giant jet skis that can hold around twenty people. They have aluminum bottoms so they can go over rocks with no damage, and can run in as little as two inches of water. We were in a totally secluded river and it was breathtaking. The driver enjoyed speeding towards rocks and cliffs and then turning at the last minute, which was awesome. I don't have any pictures of that because I didn't want to get my camera wet, so just imagine the most beautiful and exciting place you've ever been and multiply that by fourteen. Then you're pretty close.

Today we had our first free day! A bunch of us decided to take the bus to Sumner Beach, which is about forty minutes away. Upon arrival it was a delightful sunny and 80 degrees. We immediately threw down our stuff and headed out to the water. It was perfect ocean temperature, and the waves were of surfing quality, so we body surfed and splashed around for awhile. Fun fact: while romping in the Pacific I felt a pain in my foot. I thought I had stepped on a shell, so I pulled my foot up to get it off. Much to my surprise, I found a CRAB with its pincher around my big toe. This was both mildly terrifying and infinitely cool. 

We only had intentions of staying for a few hours, but we ended up building a campfire and staying until 10:15. We went to the grocery store and got some good beer and hot dogs (called cheerios here, another fun fact) and had a good ol' bonfire! It was so much fun. My friend Elise and I also had the brilliant idea to make s'mores with the Tim Tam cookies I mentioned before, which was indescribably delicious. It was a wonderful day with wonderful friends.

Oh yeah, and there was guitar playing at the beach. So lovely!

Some more fun/short facts:

-I have more flatmates! Sarah and Rodessha I already mentioned. I just met Elise (different from beach Elise) who is from Vanderbilt, and Molly, who is a Kiwi. Both are nice, although Molly enjoys laughing at my American way of saying things (ie "grocery store" instead of "super market." I don't really see why that's so funny, but whatever). We apparently have another one from Malaysia, but I haven't met her yet.

-I didn't know where to stick this in my summary, so I'll stick it here. While in Springfield, we stayed at Smylie's Accomodation (people say that here instead of hostel or hotel), which is a small farm in itself. They have a pet pig named Kuni, whom they have trained to SIT LIKE A DOG. Yes, that's right. The pig can sit. She is also really friendly and basically acts like a dog all around. Too cute.

Kuni hammin' it up (get it??)

-Some of us went to a different grocery store that was much cheaper, and I actually feel accomplished! I made a list and did research and actually have food for meals, instead of just sad hobo food. 

-There are no screens on any of the windows in our apartment, or on the sliding door to our balcony (yes, balcony). This is nice, because then you get a better view, but also allows bugs and things in. There aren't mosquitoes here, but moths like to come and hang out a lot. Also, the other day Sarah and I walked into our kitchen and found a bird. It's casual.

Tomorrow we have our first day of Orientation through the University (people say "Uni" for short). After that a few of my friends and I are planning a trip to Queenstown this weekend, where I will attempt to survive bungy jumping, among other things. Yay/Ahhh! 

Alright, this is getting excessively long, so I'd better sign off here. I've got to attempt to get the gallon of sand out of all of my possessions before I head to bed. I'll try to update again in the next few days!

Cheers!

Mommy, Wow...I'm a Kiwi Now!

HELLO!

I finally have internet access in my flat! I feel like so much has happened in the last 48 hours, and I can't believe that I'm about to try to sum it up in a blog post. But I will do my best, as I know some of you (here's looking at you, Mom) are dying to know what I've been up to. So. I apologize in advance for the ultra long post. I will try to make them a bit more brief in the future.

My flights were all smooth and easy. Even the 12.5 hour one into Auckland wasn't all bad; I watched a couple of movies and even managed to grab a few hours of sleep. We arrived in New Zealand around 5:00 am local time, and then into Christchurch around 9:15. I totally stalked several kids in the San Francisco airport who looked about my age, which turned out to be a great idea, because they were on my program! So seven of us ended up traveling the rest of the way together, which was both helpful and exciting.

Look at this amazing picture I took from the plane!

Ohhhhh, you wanted THIS view...okay :)

My flat is lovely, and it's much larger than any of the housing at Gustavus. We each have our own bedroom (there are six), a common room with a dining table and TV, a kitchen, a bathroom with two of everything, and a washer and dryer. I have only met two of my flatmates so far--one is named Sarah and is from Michigan (she's in my program, which is awesome!) and the other is named Rodessha, and she is from Papa New Guinea. She is one of the kindest people I have ever met, and has been very helpful to have around!

This is my room. To the left there is a large closet (Pittman style), and there are drawers under the bed as well.

The view from my bedroom window. Not too shabby, eh?

After settling into my flat, we had our first Orientation gathering for all of the IES Abroad students. There are 23 of us from all over the States, and everyone is AWESOME. It is really amazing how quickly we have bonded and gotten to know each other. A fun fact: there are no less than five girls who are 5'10 or above. Needless to say, I feel right at home.

I am trying to even remember everything that has happened, and it's all a blur. So I will move on to today.

This morning we went through some boring policy stuff (blerg) and then walked into town through the Botanic Gardens. For those who don't know, Christchurch is nicknamed the Garden City, and is known for having some of the most beautiful flowers/gardens in the world. After just a few hours in the garden I can attest to this fact--the flowers are beyond gorgeous. We then walked to a little cafe on the Avon river and had a delicious lunch, followed by a kayaking trip down the river! The Avon is extremely shallow, maybe at most two feet deep, so there are tons of ducks that hang out there. It was amazingly picturesque cruising along the river, although you could tell that we made a bit of a spectacle of ourselves because tourists along the banks were taking pictures of us.

This is the Avon river. What you see is called Punting, which is a gondola-style ride. Not as much fun as kayaking, but lovely scenery.

After the kayaking, our IES Mom, Eunice (who is an adorable woman) sent us on a scavenger hunt through downtown Christchurch. This is when we really began to see how extreme the earthquake damage was. About 30-40% of the buildings have at least some scaffolding on them, and many parts of the city are blocked off altogether. I almost cried when I actually saw the Cathedral--basically an entire half of it is caved in.  However, there is also a ton of new life being breathed into the city, so I'm excited to be a part of the new energy and see how things evolve even in the short time I will be here.

Here is the worst of the Cathedral. That whole front side on the right is totally gone. It was really devastating to see in person.

This is me with Sasha (my fellow Gustie) and John, an awesome guy from Ithaca college. This fountain is right outside the Canterbury museum.

After our scheduled Orientation a bunch of us headed to the mall to begin the complex task of purchasing New Zealand cell phones. I will spare you the details, but I'm fairly certain the phone I am using is like the first cell phone ever invented.

When we were walking around the city, we went past a man doing a bunch of street art. Of course this little guy caught my attention immediately. I'm glad to know that Grandma came with me on my trip :)

Tomorrow we leave for our field trip to Springfield, which is a rural suburb of Christchurch. There we'll do some environmental stuff (planting, coconut husking, etc) and hang out with some wildlife (SHEEP!), among other things. I'm really looking forward to getting my first taste of other parts of New Zealand.

Some short/fun facts:

-New Zealand has a damaged Ozone layer, so you burn incredibly easily. None of us were really sure how apparent this would be, but it's legit. A ton of people came home fried today, and even though I put on sunscreen (I promise, Mom!), I got pink. It's very common to see people wearing large brimmed hats, and children in primary school wear super stylish hats with neck protectors when they go out for recess.

-Kiwis love to drink juice. On any given menu there will be 10-15 types of juice. They are all delicious (at least the ones that I've sampled), but it's a little thing that's rather different from home.

-The slang here is fantastic. Everyone says "cheers" and "loo" and "sweets" and "trousers" and I'm in love. Pretty much every word that they have that's different is better than what we have in the States.

-Everything here is expensive. A bunch of us ventured out to the market last night, and it was a bit painful. I bought bread, cereal, yogurt, bananas, jam, raisins, and pasta/sauce, and it cost $40. We are all adjusting to inflated prices and trying to cut costs in every way that we can so we have money for all of the fun stuff!

-There are animals everywhere! Because the weather is so nice, and because NZ has a generally active culture, loads of people have dogs. This is awesome, because they just come up to you in the streets and let you pet them! There are also cats that just wander around, and they're all pretty friendly. (Shout out to you, Laurel). It's nice to have friendly things come up and want your attention, even if they are just animals.

This is Sasha  with one of the many friendly dogs. This one is a Newfoundland...I can't remember its name at the moment. But it was a cutie.

-New Zealand also has an excellent variety of sweets, the most legendary being a cookie called Tim Tams. They are chocolate covered wafer cookies, and I'm not sure I can put into words how delicious they are. Apparently the thing to do is a "Tim Tam Slam," which involves hollowing them out and using them as a straw with your coffee. I have yet to try it, but I assure you that the cookies on their own are amazing.

Okay, I am running out of things to say/it's after midnight here, so I had better get to bed. I am loving everyone I've met so far, and am really optimistic about everything that's coming up! I'll try and post pictures soon, and will update again when we get back from our trip.

Cheers!