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!