I decided that my Children's Literature/ Film course was too boring to bear, so I dropped it on Wednesday. Instead, I will be taking an Intro to Maori Studies course, which I think will be a great accompaniment to all my courses, the Maori film one in particular. I realized that I am now in four New Zealand-specific classes, which is really cool, and makes me feel like I am making the most of my experience here. Although I'm really enjoying all of my classes, my New Zealand Literature is the frontrunner as of now. My lecturer is old and brilliant, tells really great jokes, and says things poetic enough for me to write down and marvel at later. We've read the poetry of Alan Curnow and Denis Glover so far, both of which I recommend if you're into that sort of thing (Curnow in particular). It's wonderful to read completely new authors and works--it's like an English major's paradise! (Okay, nerd fest over.)
On Friday, my friend Sam and I decided to check out the Okeover Community Garden, which is actually right on campus. It's pretty large, and they have a ton of different plants! Sam has a lot more experience in the sort of ideology of what they do, but all those years of helping my parents in our backyard gardens came in handy too! We helped mulch and weed for a bit, and then enjoyed fresh pears and tea with the other volunteers. Everyone there was SO NICE, and at the end of the day you get to take home whatever you want from the garden(within reason of course)! Sam and I left with potatoes, giant green beans, tomatoes, radishes, parsnips, basil, beets, and several types of greens, and stir-fried ourselves a delicious dinner. Plus, the woman in charge, Jane, heard me mention that rhubarb was my favorite, so she let me take some of that as well. This struck a surprisingly emotional note in me, probably because we always had rhubarb plants in our backyard when I was growing up, and I have many memories of picking it with my mom, and waiting impatiently for her to make rhubarb salad or cake (Grandma's recipes, of course). It's funny how little things like that hit you.
The amazing spread of veggies we brought home! They're all organically grown, and they were soooo delicious.
Rhubarb is my friend.
Now for the biggest event: Today. I woke up not feeling so well (I've been battling a bit of a cold/sore throat-ish thing). I told Sasha this via text, and after she wished me well I rolled over with the intention of getting some extra rest. Mere moments later, my phone rang, and I answered only to hear Sasha exclaim "Hey, you wanna go cliff jumping?!" I laughed out loud, reminding her that I felt crappy and wanted to rest. I hung up the phone, laid back down, and closed my eyes. Two minutes later I was changing into my togs (swimsuit), because the adrenaline junkie had taken over. I was not going to miss out on cliff jumping! Woody, one of our sort of advisors from IES turned friend, was kind enough to drive John, Sasha, Elise, and I out to Taylor's Mistake, which is just past Sumner's main beaches and inaccessible by bus. Since Woody grew up in the area, he knows all the sweet spots really well, and took us to this awesome cliff. We made him jump twice before any of us would go, and I won't pretend that I didn't psych myself out for a few minutes, but I love this sort of thing. So I let myself have one last "Oh my God!" before clearing my head and making the 30-35 foot drop to the ocean below. It was awesome! There's a higher jump that Woody showed us, but the tide was too low, so we want to go back another time. We'll see if I'm brave enough to try it. I definitely cursed myself by getting "no fear" tattooed on my foot...now I have to go through with these things!
Sweet screen shot courtesy of Sasha's GoPro. These are the moments I live for!
Don't worry Mom, I am completely unscathed.
After our adventures at the beach, the six of us (Sam and Thomas joined us) headed to the Chinese Lantern Festival in Christchurch. I don't know a ton of the history behind it, but it's an annual event and HUGE. It takes place in Hagley Park, which is enormous, beautiful, and encompasses both a golf course and a botanical garden (just to give you an idea of the size). There were scads of food stands, performers, etc. We got there when it was still light out, but it was really neat to watch the lanterns light the park as the sun went down. I had delicious wontons and fish balls (which are infinitely better than they sound, I promise), and we all got paper lanterns to take home. It was a great close to an eventful week.
Fun Facts/Updates:
-I keep forgetting to include this one, but when walking to campus from my flat, I pass a day care center. I love babies, and New Zealand babies are SO CUTE it's ridiculous. Hearing their squeaky little giggles and seeing them play is definitely one of the best parts of my day. And it makes me really miss working with kids!
-The group of six I keep referring to has been lovingly dubbed "The Honkers." Allow me to explain this incredibly attractive nickname. We are in the process of planning/booking a sweet trip around the country for our spring break, and Sasha decided it would be a good idea to create a Facebook group, thus allowing us to post deals, ideas, and communicate in general. She did this, and in doing so named the page (and the trip as a whole) The Honkey Donk. I have no idea where this came from, but it stuck.
-I have been here for just shy of a month and I can hardly believe it! It's such a reminder that this experience is going to fly by, and I don't like that.
-The Honkers and I have begun taking advantage of our free membership to the UC Rec Center, and have been sampling their free exercise classes! They're a lot of fun and, of course, a great workout. And who doesn't love free things? I must admit that my previous Zumba experience (best workout ever if you've never tried it) and my Aerobic Dance class from last semester (who knew) have come in handy, and have made trying a totally new class a lot less scary.
-In case I don't post before then, shout out to my best friend in the world, Molly, on her 21st birthday!! I wish I was there to celebrate with you. Maybe if my wand wasn't frozen I could apparate to you.
-Next weekend we will be heading out to the west coast for the Wild Food Festival. I'll leave you in suspense as to what this entails. Feel free to use your imaginations; you probably won't be too far off.
Cheers!
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