For those of you who don't have my address/couldn't find it at the end of one of my early blog posts, here it is:
Rachel Johnson
Unit 13
8 Claybrook Broad
Parnell
Auckland 1052
New Zealand
No pressure to write or send me anything whatsoever though - this is mostly for the two people who have asked me for it :)
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
going to take a chill day.
The past couple days have not been super exciting. Monday was really busy and I was gone from my flat for like 8 hours. Tuesday was really busy too and I was gone from my flat for 13 hours! It was weird. That wouldn't be super bizarre if I were at Gustavus but I'm definitely not used to that here.
Yesterday: had dance class, lunch, Italian tutorial, break, worked on my dance assessment, went to International House to hang out, had my Rarotonga meeting (!), got a free dinner at IH, talked with other IES people about our South Island trip, walked through the dark Domain to get back to PSV, watched Greys, went to bed around 1am!
The Rarotonga meeting got me really excited for the trip. Apparently we'll be staying at the "Paradise Inn" at the edge of the city. However, the name of the hotel is misleading - there is no air conditioning (and it's going to be hot weather) and we will be awoken by roosters in the morning. Mmm. However, there are plans for cultural learning and outdoor things. The one thing I'm not super looking forward to are the lecture. Lecture? Really? Oh well, hopefully they'll be no longer than an hour and I'll survive. I'm pretty excited about the trip though. And I met more of the original Christchurch people.
There are five of us talking about the South Island trip - on the first agenda is booking flights. It's stressful but we'll figure it out. I hope we'll be booking our flights by the end of the week! I will of course keep you all updated.
Since my last 5ish days have been really busy, I'm looking forward to just hanging around my flat. I need to do laundry, seriously look at my classes for next semester, and start looking at my assignments for next week, but it feels really good to be able to have a day where I don't need to do anything. And it's a really nice day outside which is a wonderful icing on the cake. I'm sitting on my couch in the living room of my flat right now with the sun shining in the window, Oprah on in the background, and my list of class options beside me. Ahhhhhhh. Chill days. Love em.
Yesterday: had dance class, lunch, Italian tutorial, break, worked on my dance assessment, went to International House to hang out, had my Rarotonga meeting (!), got a free dinner at IH, talked with other IES people about our South Island trip, walked through the dark Domain to get back to PSV, watched Greys, went to bed around 1am!
The Rarotonga meeting got me really excited for the trip. Apparently we'll be staying at the "Paradise Inn" at the edge of the city. However, the name of the hotel is misleading - there is no air conditioning (and it's going to be hot weather) and we will be awoken by roosters in the morning. Mmm. However, there are plans for cultural learning and outdoor things. The one thing I'm not super looking forward to are the lecture. Lecture? Really? Oh well, hopefully they'll be no longer than an hour and I'll survive. I'm pretty excited about the trip though. And I met more of the original Christchurch people.
There are five of us talking about the South Island trip - on the first agenda is booking flights. It's stressful but we'll figure it out. I hope we'll be booking our flights by the end of the week! I will of course keep you all updated.
Since my last 5ish days have been really busy, I'm looking forward to just hanging around my flat. I need to do laundry, seriously look at my classes for next semester, and start looking at my assignments for next week, but it feels really good to be able to have a day where I don't need to do anything. And it's a really nice day outside which is a wonderful icing on the cake. I'm sitting on my couch in the living room of my flat right now with the sun shining in the window, Oprah on in the background, and my list of class options beside me. Ahhhhhhh. Chill days. Love em.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
videos: Rotorua mud and dance at the Pasifika festival
mud boiling doesn't seem that exciting on video, but we looked so long to find actual mud pools instead of just cloudy water with steam
So I forgot to post the dancing ones from a few weeks ago, so here they are!
Rotorua
The game plan changed a lot this weekend. Before we left, we (my flatmate Adi and I) decided to skip Hobbiton (since it was raining and was predicted to rain all weekend) and make it a weekend in Rotorua. We learned that Rotorua could definitely be seen in a day, but we found ourselves busy nonetheless which was good. First off about Rotorua: there is lots of geothermal activity, so the place has tons of sulfur. It smells like eggs. It's not a booming city by any means and there are tons of backpacker hostels around, but most things you want to see cost money to get out to. That being said, it was still a really fun weekend.
Friday we boarded the good old Naked Bus (seriously, that's the company's name) and headed to Rotorua. After a quick bus change in Hamilton (not the most impressive city is an understatement - all we saw were car dealerships, motels, and questionable food-fast places) we arrived in Rotorua tired and hungry. Hardly anything was open since it was around 10pm so we walked to the Dominos just past the Visitor's Center. The humorous part about eating there was that there was an alarm going off in the store down the street for the whole time we were at Dominos, yet the police station was just across the street. Oh well. After eating we wandered to find our hostel, Cactus Jacks. I wish I'd taken a picture because right when we walked in there were two different signs with arrows saying if no one was at the window to press an intercom button and someone would come. There was no intercom button to be seen.
Apparently my reservation was messed up but fortunately we were still able to get a 6-bed dorm for the both of us. The owner of Cactus Jacks asked us what we were planning on doing (zorbing, the Buried Village, and Wai-O-Tapu); after we mentioned zorbing the man told us how it was such a rip off because you pay about a dollar a second. He then told us about this deal going on about whitewater rafting - which we ended up doing instead. We wandered our way to our room (did I mention this place used to be a jail? It had a jail/Western/Mexican theme going on.. very interesting) where we woke up the people already sleeping and climbed into - lucky for us - the top bunks which we shared with random people. It was difficult to fall asleep when "Play that Funky Music" is being blasting in through the closed window from a bar nearby while overheating (because the window is closed to block some of the sound) and waking up everytime my bunkmate moved. 7:30am came early the next morning.
But, it was totally worth it. Adi and I cleared out of the room, reserved our spots to go whitewater rafting and headed to Zippy's Cafe for a quick breakfast. (I got my much-needed coffee - so wonderful.) Whitewater rafting was probably my highlight of the weekend. There were 8 of us total in our raft (seven of us plus the instructor). After changing into our swimsuits, wetsuits, and lifejackets, we had a quick lesson before heading onto the actual water. I was definitely panicking when I found out that it was a Grade 5 whitewater rafting experience with a seven meter waterfall. And after hearing what to do if you flip out and get stuck under the waterfall (!) I was good and scared. Adi and I even held hands while walking to the river. But it was SO much fun. The little waterfalls were fun (1m and 3m) and so were the rapids. The 7m waterfall was definitely scary - I think I shut my eyes just as we were barely starting to go over it. Fortunately, the worst thing that happened was I got half the waterfall up my nose - though after looking through the pictures, we really did almost flip. The instructor told me afterwards that I was also the most likely to flip out of the raft since I was at the back. I was very thankful he didn't tell me that beforehand. The raft after us flipped though - I was very happy that we didn't. We also did this thing where we'd go into the bottom of the waterfall and whoever was at the front would get soaked by the front of the raft being pulled under - the instructor sent me (and then Adi and I together) to the front to experience it at the end, which was fun. It was a wonderful way to start out the weekend.
After returning from rafting we went to the Fat Dog Cafe and Bar, where I got some fish and chips. Yum. We walked back to Cactus Jacks after deciding we wanted to go to the Buried Village. However, the shuttle was going to be $20 each - ridiculous. The guy at Cactus Jacks volunteered to drive us for $10 each. I think he felt bad for us because we kept talking to him, trying to figure out what to do. We definitely lucked out on that.
The Buried Village was pretty cool. It was this village that existed until 1886 when it was buried from the Tarawera volcano explosion. Some of the houses and whatnot were still preserved, and there was a museum devoted to information about it as well as information around the uncovered village. Apparently, before the eruption there were these pink and white terraces considered to be the eighth wonder of the world right next to the village. The village also lead us to Tarawera Falls, which was really pretty. And since it was rainy, we got 30% off of the price! Score.
Adi really wanted to go to this Polynesian Spa so we headed there after the Buried Village. I wasn't too enthused about spending my money on a spa, but it ended up being a nice way to spend a few hours, soaking in the outdoor mineral spa baths overlooking Lake Rotorua. It was still drizzling so it was a good contrast. And afterward, I got some amazingly delicious Indian food.
But seriously, whitewater rafting, Buried Village and the Spa were excellent rainy day activities. I was very happy with the day - and after talking to the guy at Cactus Jacks (again) and talking to three Germans who shared our room at the hostel, we went to bed, exhausted from the day's activities.
Oh, I forgot to mention this: the guy I was [lucky] enough to share a bunk with was a creepy, middle-aged, long-haired blonde (with a receding hairline) Scandinavian dude who liked to be shirtless, smelled, and overall creeped me out. That could have been better about Cactus Jacks.. made for a lot of laughs over the weekend though.
Sunday was our "free" day. Adi and I went to Zippy's again for breakfast and then headed to this park where we could see mud pools and steaming geothermal things. (We were going to go to Wai-O-Tapu, which is basically mud pools and hot springs plus a geyser, but it would have cost $60 including transportation so we nixed that plan and chose the free option instead.) The mud pools were the coolest part, I think. The lovely smell of sulfur at the park was even stronger than in the rest of Rotorua, but ah well. What can you do. I got used to smelling eggs all the time.
We wandered back towards town after a while, and after being caught up at a tacky craft fair, decided we would just walk to the Redwoods Forest rather than take a bus. It ended up being almost an hour-long walk along the freeway, but we finally made it. The redwoods were really cool. It was free as well, which was awesome. The forest smelled wonderful though and I'd never seen trees so massive before. It made me want to go see the Redwoods in California. That and go camping. We took about a 45-minute long walk through the forest and caught the bus back to Rotorua at the end.
The bus ride back to Rotorua was beautiful. This is cliché, but if it is possible to fall in love with a place I have done so with New Zealand, especially its countryside. There is every shade of green imaginable through the grass and trees, with herds of cows and sheep scattered throughout. The rolling hills and mountains are absolutely beautiful, and even though I hate the hills walking to class in Auckland, it is the hills and mountains that make up this beautiful country. No, not beautiful. Breathtaking. And we weren't even going through the most beautiful parts (I've heard) of New Zealand on this bus ride. I cannot even picture how much more beautiful this country can be, but I am really looking forward to it. I spent the whole bus ride gazing out the window, feeling tingly in my spine from how I felt looking at it. I mean, Minnesota is beautiful too but in a different way, a way that doesn't feel breathtaking but instead feels normal. I just love New Zealand.
This weekend gave me an itch to travel. I really want to go someplace this weekend, but as I have two tests next week and a paper I want to write before mid-semester break (which is in ten days.. scary academically/exciting otherwise) I don't know if that will work. I really want it to, though. Maybe it could be a day trip or something instead if need be. Ugh, the school part of study abroad sucks. :( But! We have a meeting tomorrow with IES about the Rarotonga (Cook Islands) trip, which we leave for on April 9th. SO SOON. We get back the 15th from Rarotonga and then I'll be headed to the South Island! Still have to work out the details on that.
It's weird to think that this experience is almost half over, at least academically, but it totally doesn't feel like it. And while I'm looking forward to some planned things over the summer (road trip to Ohio! woot woot), this may be the first time in a long time where I have absolutely no desire to count down the days until I leave. I don't want to know when this is over or how much time I have; I want to live in the moment and take in everything I possibly can. I can't imagine going home yet, and I think that's a good place to be.
Friday we boarded the good old Naked Bus (seriously, that's the company's name) and headed to Rotorua. After a quick bus change in Hamilton (not the most impressive city is an understatement - all we saw were car dealerships, motels, and questionable food-fast places) we arrived in Rotorua tired and hungry. Hardly anything was open since it was around 10pm so we walked to the Dominos just past the Visitor's Center. The humorous part about eating there was that there was an alarm going off in the store down the street for the whole time we were at Dominos, yet the police station was just across the street. Oh well. After eating we wandered to find our hostel, Cactus Jacks. I wish I'd taken a picture because right when we walked in there were two different signs with arrows saying if no one was at the window to press an intercom button and someone would come. There was no intercom button to be seen.
Apparently my reservation was messed up but fortunately we were still able to get a 6-bed dorm for the both of us. The owner of Cactus Jacks asked us what we were planning on doing (zorbing, the Buried Village, and Wai-O-Tapu); after we mentioned zorbing the man told us how it was such a rip off because you pay about a dollar a second. He then told us about this deal going on about whitewater rafting - which we ended up doing instead. We wandered our way to our room (did I mention this place used to be a jail? It had a jail/Western/Mexican theme going on.. very interesting) where we woke up the people already sleeping and climbed into - lucky for us - the top bunks which we shared with random people. It was difficult to fall asleep when "Play that Funky Music" is being blasting in through the closed window from a bar nearby while overheating (because the window is closed to block some of the sound) and waking up everytime my bunkmate moved. 7:30am came early the next morning.
But, it was totally worth it. Adi and I cleared out of the room, reserved our spots to go whitewater rafting and headed to Zippy's Cafe for a quick breakfast. (I got my much-needed coffee - so wonderful.) Whitewater rafting was probably my highlight of the weekend. There were 8 of us total in our raft (seven of us plus the instructor). After changing into our swimsuits, wetsuits, and lifejackets, we had a quick lesson before heading onto the actual water. I was definitely panicking when I found out that it was a Grade 5 whitewater rafting experience with a seven meter waterfall. And after hearing what to do if you flip out and get stuck under the waterfall (!) I was good and scared. Adi and I even held hands while walking to the river. But it was SO much fun. The little waterfalls were fun (1m and 3m) and so were the rapids. The 7m waterfall was definitely scary - I think I shut my eyes just as we were barely starting to go over it. Fortunately, the worst thing that happened was I got half the waterfall up my nose - though after looking through the pictures, we really did almost flip. The instructor told me afterwards that I was also the most likely to flip out of the raft since I was at the back. I was very thankful he didn't tell me that beforehand. The raft after us flipped though - I was very happy that we didn't. We also did this thing where we'd go into the bottom of the waterfall and whoever was at the front would get soaked by the front of the raft being pulled under - the instructor sent me (and then Adi and I together) to the front to experience it at the end, which was fun. It was a wonderful way to start out the weekend.
After returning from rafting we went to the Fat Dog Cafe and Bar, where I got some fish and chips. Yum. We walked back to Cactus Jacks after deciding we wanted to go to the Buried Village. However, the shuttle was going to be $20 each - ridiculous. The guy at Cactus Jacks volunteered to drive us for $10 each. I think he felt bad for us because we kept talking to him, trying to figure out what to do. We definitely lucked out on that.
The Buried Village was pretty cool. It was this village that existed until 1886 when it was buried from the Tarawera volcano explosion. Some of the houses and whatnot were still preserved, and there was a museum devoted to information about it as well as information around the uncovered village. Apparently, before the eruption there were these pink and white terraces considered to be the eighth wonder of the world right next to the village. The village also lead us to Tarawera Falls, which was really pretty. And since it was rainy, we got 30% off of the price! Score.
Adi really wanted to go to this Polynesian Spa so we headed there after the Buried Village. I wasn't too enthused about spending my money on a spa, but it ended up being a nice way to spend a few hours, soaking in the outdoor mineral spa baths overlooking Lake Rotorua. It was still drizzling so it was a good contrast. And afterward, I got some amazingly delicious Indian food.
But seriously, whitewater rafting, Buried Village and the Spa were excellent rainy day activities. I was very happy with the day - and after talking to the guy at Cactus Jacks (again) and talking to three Germans who shared our room at the hostel, we went to bed, exhausted from the day's activities.
Oh, I forgot to mention this: the guy I was [lucky] enough to share a bunk with was a creepy, middle-aged, long-haired blonde (with a receding hairline) Scandinavian dude who liked to be shirtless, smelled, and overall creeped me out. That could have been better about Cactus Jacks.. made for a lot of laughs over the weekend though.
Sunday was our "free" day. Adi and I went to Zippy's again for breakfast and then headed to this park where we could see mud pools and steaming geothermal things. (We were going to go to Wai-O-Tapu, which is basically mud pools and hot springs plus a geyser, but it would have cost $60 including transportation so we nixed that plan and chose the free option instead.) The mud pools were the coolest part, I think. The lovely smell of sulfur at the park was even stronger than in the rest of Rotorua, but ah well. What can you do. I got used to smelling eggs all the time.
We wandered back towards town after a while, and after being caught up at a tacky craft fair, decided we would just walk to the Redwoods Forest rather than take a bus. It ended up being almost an hour-long walk along the freeway, but we finally made it. The redwoods were really cool. It was free as well, which was awesome. The forest smelled wonderful though and I'd never seen trees so massive before. It made me want to go see the Redwoods in California. That and go camping. We took about a 45-minute long walk through the forest and caught the bus back to Rotorua at the end.
The bus ride back to Rotorua was beautiful. This is cliché, but if it is possible to fall in love with a place I have done so with New Zealand, especially its countryside. There is every shade of green imaginable through the grass and trees, with herds of cows and sheep scattered throughout. The rolling hills and mountains are absolutely beautiful, and even though I hate the hills walking to class in Auckland, it is the hills and mountains that make up this beautiful country. No, not beautiful. Breathtaking. And we weren't even going through the most beautiful parts (I've heard) of New Zealand on this bus ride. I cannot even picture how much more beautiful this country can be, but I am really looking forward to it. I spent the whole bus ride gazing out the window, feeling tingly in my spine from how I felt looking at it. I mean, Minnesota is beautiful too but in a different way, a way that doesn't feel breathtaking but instead feels normal. I just love New Zealand.
This weekend gave me an itch to travel. I really want to go someplace this weekend, but as I have two tests next week and a paper I want to write before mid-semester break (which is in ten days.. scary academically/exciting otherwise) I don't know if that will work. I really want it to, though. Maybe it could be a day trip or something instead if need be. Ugh, the school part of study abroad sucks. :( But! We have a meeting tomorrow with IES about the Rarotonga (Cook Islands) trip, which we leave for on April 9th. SO SOON. We get back the 15th from Rarotonga and then I'll be headed to the South Island! Still have to work out the details on that.
It's weird to think that this experience is almost half over, at least academically, but it totally doesn't feel like it. And while I'm looking forward to some planned things over the summer (road trip to Ohio! woot woot), this may be the first time in a long time where I have absolutely no desire to count down the days until I leave. I don't want to know when this is over or how much time I have; I want to live in the moment and take in everything I possibly can. I can't imagine going home yet, and I think that's a good place to be.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Pictures from Rotorua
delicious flat white (coffee)
we survived the 7m waterfall without flipping! score
being submerged in the rapids
success!
Maori art (beginning of Buried village)
detailed engravings
can you spot the sheep behind me?
loving the green everywhere
a warae (Maori house) that I believe withstood the volcano eruption
rapids!
Tarawera Falls
Cactus Jacks!
view from the Polynesian Spa
geothermal springs in action!
mud pools
the blue glass at the craft fair just reminded me of Grandma J's kitchen :)
this redwood is wider than my wingspan!
beautiful and green :)
silver fern! We think (this is the underside)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Everybody's looking forward to the weekend
Like that Rebecca Black song! (No, I'm kidding, I promise. FUN FUN FUN FUN)
First off, this has absolutely nothing to do with study abroad/New Zealand. However, this video was just put up on YouTube and I felt the need to share it as I'm a proud ally. It's for the "It Gets Better" project - if you want to read what the website says about the project, click here. Anyway, Gustavus made one and it reminded me of how much I love my school so I decided that it needed to be shared so my [mostly] family can see it too.
Anyway, back to study abroad. Tuesday was a pretty boring day. I finally talked to my dance professor about my body issues (knees and post-surgery) and learned where she trained (she got her Master's at SUNY Purchase, which to be honest, surprised me). It bothers me though because she still can't always remember my name. I am the one new student in the class of 25, usually know what I'm doing (I was the only one who was counting the combination right in class. I wish I were exaggerating), I'm from the States, and I go talk to her practically after every class so far. Oh well. Whatever. She was understanding about my body issues though, which was good, and despite being slightly annoyed at her giving me advice about how painful bunions and bunion surgery are (I think I would know better than she) I felt the conversation went mostly well.
The play we had to read for my Italian class was actually hilarious. It's called "The Advertisement" ("l'Inserzione" I think is it's name in Italian) and it was just SO overdramatic and ridiculous. I seriously feel like I'm reading soap operas when I read Italian literature. In each thing we've read, there is at least one (if not more) of the following: an unhappy marriage, adultery, and murder/death. It's like a constant soap opera. Seriously.
Yesterday I went to see Bassnectar, which was pretty fun. We got there on the early side (like 10:30/10:45pm? the concert started at 10pm) so it was a while before Bassnectar was actually on. By the time that rolled around we were tired from dancing so we left around 1am only to go to another dance club for a short period of time. I got back late so I was exhausted for dance class this morning but I obviously managed. Strangely, my bunions were hurting so I marked through some of the movements after talking to PJ about it. I think I'm going to ice my feet after I eat lunch. And our dance assessment is next week.. joy.
AND NOW for my weekend plans! I'm going to Rotorua and Matamata with one of my flatmates (and possibly meeting up with some other people while I'm there). We're leaving Friday evening and getting back Sunday night, so hopefully it'll be an awesome trip. In Rotorua there's geysers with other geothermal activity (Wai-O-Tapu), Tarawera Falls/trails, a Buried Village not far from Rotorua, some awesome walks, ZORBING, and a really cheap hostel for us to stay at :) In Matamata there is Hobbiton! Hobbiton is where The Shire is in LOTR and they left the set up so it's a big tourist attraction. We decided to take the bus instead of rent a car, mostly because it was cheaper and easier for just the two of us. I'm super pumped though!! Gonna be an awesome weekend!
First off, this has absolutely nothing to do with study abroad/New Zealand. However, this video was just put up on YouTube and I felt the need to share it as I'm a proud ally. It's for the "It Gets Better" project - if you want to read what the website says about the project, click here. Anyway, Gustavus made one and it reminded me of how much I love my school so I decided that it needed to be shared so my [mostly] family can see it too.
Anyway, back to study abroad. Tuesday was a pretty boring day. I finally talked to my dance professor about my body issues (knees and post-surgery) and learned where she trained (she got her Master's at SUNY Purchase, which to be honest, surprised me). It bothers me though because she still can't always remember my name. I am the one new student in the class of 25, usually know what I'm doing (I was the only one who was counting the combination right in class. I wish I were exaggerating), I'm from the States, and I go talk to her practically after every class so far. Oh well. Whatever. She was understanding about my body issues though, which was good, and despite being slightly annoyed at her giving me advice about how painful bunions and bunion surgery are (I think I would know better than she) I felt the conversation went mostly well.
The play we had to read for my Italian class was actually hilarious. It's called "The Advertisement" ("l'Inserzione" I think is it's name in Italian) and it was just SO overdramatic and ridiculous. I seriously feel like I'm reading soap operas when I read Italian literature. In each thing we've read, there is at least one (if not more) of the following: an unhappy marriage, adultery, and murder/death. It's like a constant soap opera. Seriously.
Yesterday I went to see Bassnectar, which was pretty fun. We got there on the early side (like 10:30/10:45pm? the concert started at 10pm) so it was a while before Bassnectar was actually on. By the time that rolled around we were tired from dancing so we left around 1am only to go to another dance club for a short period of time. I got back late so I was exhausted for dance class this morning but I obviously managed. Strangely, my bunions were hurting so I marked through some of the movements after talking to PJ about it. I think I'm going to ice my feet after I eat lunch. And our dance assessment is next week.. joy.
AND NOW for my weekend plans! I'm going to Rotorua and Matamata with one of my flatmates (and possibly meeting up with some other people while I'm there). We're leaving Friday evening and getting back Sunday night, so hopefully it'll be an awesome trip. In Rotorua there's geysers with other geothermal activity (Wai-O-Tapu), Tarawera Falls/trails, a Buried Village not far from Rotorua, some awesome walks, ZORBING, and a really cheap hostel for us to stay at :) In Matamata there is Hobbiton! Hobbiton is where The Shire is in LOTR and they left the set up so it's a big tourist attraction. We decided to take the bus instead of rent a car, mostly because it was cheaper and easier for just the two of us. I'm super pumped though!! Gonna be an awesome weekend!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Waiheke and more
Hmm, let's see. What has happened since Wednesday..
Thursday was St. Patrick's Day. I had my normal classes (dance and then Kapa Haka, where we made poi (balls at the end of a string that the women dance with)) and then people came over to my flat, which was really fun. At first there were some people from PSV, but then they left and some of my IES friends came over. It was a really fun night besides being up late - my 10am dance class (and 8:30am wake-up) came far too early the next morning.
Friday I decided to keep my dance class because it was just easier. I talked with some of the people in my dance class and learned that some of them haven't really danced before and that PJ isn't really a good teacher in the department anyway. To which I responded that I haven't had any teachers recently in the states that care more about speed over quality. But whatever. The afternoon was pretty low-key, as was the evening. However, two of my flatmates and I went to The Chocolate Boutique! Adi and I have been meaning to go there (goal: try everything on the menu before we leave) and I got this delicious Death by Chocolate treat. It. Was. Amazing. And I got a truffle.
Saturday was also really relaxed. I woke up at noon, skyped with Britta and Chelsea (yay!) and went grocery shopping. At night, I went ice blocking with some friends. I'd never been before, and it was only halfway successful, but it was fun nonetheless. (Ice blocking is where you slide down a grassy hill on a big block of frozen ice. My friend who wanted to do it is from California - she said it's their way of sledding?)
Sunday was absolutely awesome. I went to Waiheke Island! It's this island about 35 minutes off the Auckland coast known for its beaches, vineyards, and being just overall beautiful and touristy - though nothing like touristy places in America. And let me tell you, it is. Right after we got off the ferry we realized we needed to get across the island because there was a vineyard tour we wanted to go to. The vineyard was absolutely beautiful. It was so green and there were olive trees and grape vines and palm trees all over. We learned that this particular vineyard has been around for a long long time and it is organic - which is why the wine is so expensive. We got two tastings, and while I usually do not find wine especially delicious, the wines we tasted were. If it wasn't so expensive I might have gotten a glass, however I didn't want to spend $15 NZD on a glass of wine. No thank you.
After the tour we walked a loooooong way down the road with no sidewalk to get to the beach. Onetangi beach was absolutely beautiful though. It was mostly sunny and the water was really clear and it was just stunning to be there. I fell asleep multiple times and didn't even get burned! I seriously love the beach. It was so peaceful to be there, as the only sounds were from the ocean (and the occasional child shouting to his/her parent). And the ocean is awesome. Obviously it's saltwater so one is more buoyant, but there are all sorts of cool shells and live sand dollars and little seaweed off the shore. Seeing the tide go out is really awesome too - Minnesota lakes do not come to par with the ocean. However, no worries, I still have extreme love for lakes and always will. I am just living up getting to see the ocean literally every day. (I can see it on my walk to class.)
It was getting late so a couple people went back, but three of us decided that we should do this walk instead! The walk didn't really work out (the directions were not clear on my map), so after finding a herd of sheep off of a road and talking to a local we finally found the "lookout" - which looked over the harbor one way, and was surrounded by cows blocked by an electric fence the other way. Seriously, these cows were about fifteen feet away from us and did NOT look happy that we were there.
Today was my long day of class (12-1, 2-5) and it really isn't bad except for my Italian lecture. I die of boredom. It's bad. Fortunately we got out early, so I was able to head back to PSV for about a half hour before leaving to go get Mexican food in town. It was so wonderful eating out since I've rarely eaten out and I was craving a burrito like nobody's business. My chicken burrito and strawberry margarita were extremely satisfying. It was interesting because I went out with a bunch of people from PSV who were mostly American and Canadian, none of which I know very well at this point. I don't think I have been around that many North Americans (there were 12 of us total) at once in over a month. It was a strange feeling. But it was cool to talk to some new people - especially since they all live within 2 minutes of me.
It's so strange to think that I've been here almost five weeks already. I wish the school part would hurry up and the abroad part would slow down. I have been procrastinating to the max on my homework (I did my homework for my 2pm class at 1pm today). I don't actually have anything important in any of my classes for a couple weeks but I seriously do homework once a week. On Monday. Before class. And then after class I write up a summary for my tutorial, which is tomorrow (Tuesday). I wish I loved all of my classes as much as I love Kapa Haka..
And pictures! :)
Thursday was St. Patrick's Day. I had my normal classes (dance and then Kapa Haka, where we made poi (balls at the end of a string that the women dance with)) and then people came over to my flat, which was really fun. At first there were some people from PSV, but then they left and some of my IES friends came over. It was a really fun night besides being up late - my 10am dance class (and 8:30am wake-up) came far too early the next morning.
Friday I decided to keep my dance class because it was just easier. I talked with some of the people in my dance class and learned that some of them haven't really danced before and that PJ isn't really a good teacher in the department anyway. To which I responded that I haven't had any teachers recently in the states that care more about speed over quality. But whatever. The afternoon was pretty low-key, as was the evening. However, two of my flatmates and I went to The Chocolate Boutique! Adi and I have been meaning to go there (goal: try everything on the menu before we leave) and I got this delicious Death by Chocolate treat. It. Was. Amazing. And I got a truffle.
Saturday was also really relaxed. I woke up at noon, skyped with Britta and Chelsea (yay!) and went grocery shopping. At night, I went ice blocking with some friends. I'd never been before, and it was only halfway successful, but it was fun nonetheless. (Ice blocking is where you slide down a grassy hill on a big block of frozen ice. My friend who wanted to do it is from California - she said it's their way of sledding?)
Sunday was absolutely awesome. I went to Waiheke Island! It's this island about 35 minutes off the Auckland coast known for its beaches, vineyards, and being just overall beautiful and touristy - though nothing like touristy places in America. And let me tell you, it is. Right after we got off the ferry we realized we needed to get across the island because there was a vineyard tour we wanted to go to. The vineyard was absolutely beautiful. It was so green and there were olive trees and grape vines and palm trees all over. We learned that this particular vineyard has been around for a long long time and it is organic - which is why the wine is so expensive. We got two tastings, and while I usually do not find wine especially delicious, the wines we tasted were. If it wasn't so expensive I might have gotten a glass, however I didn't want to spend $15 NZD on a glass of wine. No thank you.
After the tour we walked a loooooong way down the road with no sidewalk to get to the beach. Onetangi beach was absolutely beautiful though. It was mostly sunny and the water was really clear and it was just stunning to be there. I fell asleep multiple times and didn't even get burned! I seriously love the beach. It was so peaceful to be there, as the only sounds were from the ocean (and the occasional child shouting to his/her parent). And the ocean is awesome. Obviously it's saltwater so one is more buoyant, but there are all sorts of cool shells and live sand dollars and little seaweed off the shore. Seeing the tide go out is really awesome too - Minnesota lakes do not come to par with the ocean. However, no worries, I still have extreme love for lakes and always will. I am just living up getting to see the ocean literally every day. (I can see it on my walk to class.)
It was getting late so a couple people went back, but three of us decided that we should do this walk instead! The walk didn't really work out (the directions were not clear on my map), so after finding a herd of sheep off of a road and talking to a local we finally found the "lookout" - which looked over the harbor one way, and was surrounded by cows blocked by an electric fence the other way. Seriously, these cows were about fifteen feet away from us and did NOT look happy that we were there.
Today was my long day of class (12-1, 2-5) and it really isn't bad except for my Italian lecture. I die of boredom. It's bad. Fortunately we got out early, so I was able to head back to PSV for about a half hour before leaving to go get Mexican food in town. It was so wonderful eating out since I've rarely eaten out and I was craving a burrito like nobody's business. My chicken burrito and strawberry margarita were extremely satisfying. It was interesting because I went out with a bunch of people from PSV who were mostly American and Canadian, none of which I know very well at this point. I don't think I have been around that many North Americans (there were 12 of us total) at once in over a month. It was a strange feeling. But it was cool to talk to some new people - especially since they all live within 2 minutes of me.
It's so strange to think that I've been here almost five weeks already. I wish the school part would hurry up and the abroad part would slow down. I have been procrastinating to the max on my homework (I did my homework for my 2pm class at 1pm today). I don't actually have anything important in any of my classes for a couple weeks but I seriously do homework once a week. On Monday. Before class. And then after class I write up a summary for my tutorial, which is tomorrow (Tuesday). I wish I loved all of my classes as much as I love Kapa Haka..
And pictures! :)
Death by Chocolate: chocolate ice cream, chocolate whipped cream, chocolate mousse, a chocolate fish, chocolate syrup, chocolate-covered peanuts, and a chocolate cone thing at the top.
AMAZING
AMAZING
me iceblocking! (note the terror on my face)
Stonyridge Vineyard Cafe
apparently, people had gotten married here earlier in the day
the vineyard!
me in front of the vineyard!
ciabatta bread with olive oil + olives = me in heaven
I was sitting directly underneath this while eating my bread and olives
Onetangi beach
the sheep to person ratio in this country is ridiculous
these paths were made for hobbits.. I had to crouch the whole path
plants!
angry-looking cows did NOT like us at this lookout
the lookout on Waiheke!
so Maddie brought Sam and Frodo to New Zealand..
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Dance class, charades, and AUTC girls night out
Yesterday was a very frustrating day for me. Not night, the night was fantastic, but day. Basically, I went to dance class and left feeling sore with pained knees and frustrated with the structure and combinations of the class. My professor seems to care much more about doing combinations fast instead of well, so we do combinations that basically have us flail around spastically because there is no way to do the movement she is asking in a more graceful way. I may have longer limbs, but it is ridiculous. We, again, spent an hour working on the warmup, with her intermittently lecturing the class about how "they can't be like this in class in the real world" (which may be true but could be summed up in a few minutes, not an hour). I was so frustrated, and she kept fixing what I was doing without actually telling me what she wanted me to be doing. So frustrating.
Last night was really fun though. I made an extensive and delicious tofu with vegetables stirfry and then we played charades!! It was epic. There were six of us and so we divided up into teams of three, the girls v. the guys. Basically, we got to watch the guys act out "Single Ladies" and Shakira and escargot while they got to watch us try and act out Hugh Hefner and the Bed Intruder song (yours truly got to act that treasure out) and Pride and Prejudice. It was so funny, and one of the best moments of the game was my flatmate wiggling his hips around like Shakira. I was dying. I didn't take pictures but when my friend puts them up maybe I'll post them.
Today I talked to the International student adviser about what to do for my class. I mean, it's past the add/drop date but I was certain that there would be a way to get around that. Basically, I got approved to take the 300-level dance class, so I would have to work with the department to take that, or I can stay in the 200-level class - which would be much easier and is literally only a technique class. I don't know what to do because I feel like part of it is the professor that I'm not a huge fan of but she teaches both classes. For the 300-level I would have to do choreography, which would actually be really cool, but I have no idea if that's something I want to devote my extra time to while I'm here. Especially because the choreography is probably much different here than in the States. I don't know. Soooo frustrating. But I'm going to talk to the prof tomorrow, unapproachable as she is, and talk to her about what I should do. I need to decide by tomorrow afternoon pretty much. I left the meeting with the International adviser feeling extremely frustrated about the entire situation. Usually dance class helps relieve my stress, it doesn't create it. When I was walking home from class I was just thinking, "I wish I could dance this out" and knowing that nothing I've taken so far here would allow me to do that how I want to really was difficult. If I wasn't so sore from yesterday's class I would have gone running, but I have class the next two days so I figured that might not be the best idea. I know I've been ranting about this class quite a bit, but it's the lone thing that is stressing me out right now and I'm just kicking myself for not dropping the class and auditing it instead.
I felt better when I talked to Katherine and Whitney over facebook today (seriously, if you're reading this, talking to you both made me feel so much better!) and I realized that if this is the only thing that's really making me upset, horrible as is it that it's dance, it's something I'm going to have to deal with and there are way too many amazing things about being here to spend all of my time thinking about that one class (but do expect more frustrated posts about it). And it also gives me another thing to look forward to about returning home - taking legit dance classes with other trained dancers and instructors that teach well and know their stuff.
Tonight I went to girls' night out with the AUTC (Auckland University Tramping Club). I was expecting there to be a lot of people there but there were only maybe eight of us? And one guy showed up. I don't think he understood the concept of 'girls night out' but whatever. He was also kind of creepy, so I made a point not to talk to him. We ate Japanese food, which was overpriced for how good it was but whatever, and then went to a cocktail bar down the street. There was a special on cocktails, so I had to get the [normally] most expensive one that was on the specials list. It was delicious - there was Baileys, Frangelico, Kalua, cream and chocolate syrup mixed together with cocoa powder on the top. It was like a sundae. It was awesome. I already know that being able to go to a bar and have one drink and then go home is something I'm going to miss when I return to the States. It's not a big deal to have a drink here and I like that. And both of the cocktails I have had here have been tasty. 21 is so ridiculous. Anyway.
I really hope that Piha or Waiheke actually happen this weekend. I think they will as long as the weather stays nice. Waiheke is more likely though because I can take the ferry, versus Piha where you basically need to drive. Problem because I don't have a car.. oh well. Sometime I suppose. And St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow! And yes I will be wearing green even though I'm not Irish.
Last night was really fun though. I made an extensive and delicious tofu with vegetables stirfry and then we played charades!! It was epic. There were six of us and so we divided up into teams of three, the girls v. the guys. Basically, we got to watch the guys act out "Single Ladies" and Shakira and escargot while they got to watch us try and act out Hugh Hefner and the Bed Intruder song (yours truly got to act that treasure out) and Pride and Prejudice. It was so funny, and one of the best moments of the game was my flatmate wiggling his hips around like Shakira. I was dying. I didn't take pictures but when my friend puts them up maybe I'll post them.
Today I talked to the International student adviser about what to do for my class. I mean, it's past the add/drop date but I was certain that there would be a way to get around that. Basically, I got approved to take the 300-level dance class, so I would have to work with the department to take that, or I can stay in the 200-level class - which would be much easier and is literally only a technique class. I don't know what to do because I feel like part of it is the professor that I'm not a huge fan of but she teaches both classes. For the 300-level I would have to do choreography, which would actually be really cool, but I have no idea if that's something I want to devote my extra time to while I'm here. Especially because the choreography is probably much different here than in the States. I don't know. Soooo frustrating. But I'm going to talk to the prof tomorrow, unapproachable as she is, and talk to her about what I should do. I need to decide by tomorrow afternoon pretty much. I left the meeting with the International adviser feeling extremely frustrated about the entire situation. Usually dance class helps relieve my stress, it doesn't create it. When I was walking home from class I was just thinking, "I wish I could dance this out" and knowing that nothing I've taken so far here would allow me to do that how I want to really was difficult. If I wasn't so sore from yesterday's class I would have gone running, but I have class the next two days so I figured that might not be the best idea. I know I've been ranting about this class quite a bit, but it's the lone thing that is stressing me out right now and I'm just kicking myself for not dropping the class and auditing it instead.
I felt better when I talked to Katherine and Whitney over facebook today (seriously, if you're reading this, talking to you both made me feel so much better!) and I realized that if this is the only thing that's really making me upset, horrible as is it that it's dance, it's something I'm going to have to deal with and there are way too many amazing things about being here to spend all of my time thinking about that one class (but do expect more frustrated posts about it). And it also gives me another thing to look forward to about returning home - taking legit dance classes with other trained dancers and instructors that teach well and know their stuff.
Tonight I went to girls' night out with the AUTC (Auckland University Tramping Club). I was expecting there to be a lot of people there but there were only maybe eight of us? And one guy showed up. I don't think he understood the concept of 'girls night out' but whatever. He was also kind of creepy, so I made a point not to talk to him. We ate Japanese food, which was overpriced for how good it was but whatever, and then went to a cocktail bar down the street. There was a special on cocktails, so I had to get the [normally] most expensive one that was on the specials list. It was delicious - there was Baileys, Frangelico, Kalua, cream and chocolate syrup mixed together with cocoa powder on the top. It was like a sundae. It was awesome. I already know that being able to go to a bar and have one drink and then go home is something I'm going to miss when I return to the States. It's not a big deal to have a drink here and I like that. And both of the cocktails I have had here have been tasty. 21 is so ridiculous. Anyway.
I really hope that Piha or Waiheke actually happen this weekend. I think they will as long as the weather stays nice. Waiheke is more likely though because I can take the ferry, versus Piha where you basically need to drive. Problem because I don't have a car.. oh well. Sometime I suppose. And St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow! And yes I will be wearing green even though I'm not Irish.
my dinner! (I don't have any exciting pictures from the last couple days)
my drink! (seriously, even looks like a sundae)
(and yes that is chocolate syrup on the bottom :) SO good)
(and yes that is chocolate syrup on the bottom :) SO good)
Monday, March 14, 2011
solo yoga/dance outside
So I don't know if I got the concession or not but it's too late to add/drop classes.. so I might be stuck in the boring/easy dance class :( Oh well. I think I'll talk to my prof tomorrow and see if there's anything I can do. I hate feeling so demanding with professors though.
Class was alright today. I kind of enjoyed my Sociology tutorial because I feel like I'm learning more about New Zealand society and the tutor is really nice. Also, I am one of two international students in my tutorial so I finally asked some questions about modern New Zealand society that I had been thinking about, like if land ownership is still as important now as it was fifty years ago. (Apparently people have only been living in apartments here for 10-15 years. Crazy!) My Italian class was super boring though. I liked the readings more but hearing them summarized for two hours, was, again, not fun. Death was more like it.
After class I decided to take some 'me' time. I was planning on taking a yoga class at the gym in the evening, but when I was walking barefoot in the grass in front of the Auckland Museum (pictures later, it's about 3 minutes from my flat) and decided to sit down and breathe. I ended up meditating (well sort of, I was listening to music) and doing yoga and dancing. Modified though because I was wearing a dress and didn't have shorts with me. I will be more prepared later. It was so wonderful though. There was wind and sun and enough silence but not too much and I got to move outside. I was seriously out there for 45 minutes. Absolutely wonderful.
I decided that I need to do more of this. More 'me' things, since I am almost always around people and know full well that I need to take some time that's just for me. Maybe that's doing this often or taking a yoga class or start reading or something, I don't know. Maybe I should start baking. One of my flatmates made cookies yesterday and it was glorious. I love baked goods.
Class was alright today. I kind of enjoyed my Sociology tutorial because I feel like I'm learning more about New Zealand society and the tutor is really nice. Also, I am one of two international students in my tutorial so I finally asked some questions about modern New Zealand society that I had been thinking about, like if land ownership is still as important now as it was fifty years ago. (Apparently people have only been living in apartments here for 10-15 years. Crazy!) My Italian class was super boring though. I liked the readings more but hearing them summarized for two hours, was, again, not fun. Death was more like it.
After class I decided to take some 'me' time. I was planning on taking a yoga class at the gym in the evening, but when I was walking barefoot in the grass in front of the Auckland Museum (pictures later, it's about 3 minutes from my flat) and decided to sit down and breathe. I ended up meditating (well sort of, I was listening to music) and doing yoga and dancing. Modified though because I was wearing a dress and didn't have shorts with me. I will be more prepared later. It was so wonderful though. There was wind and sun and enough silence but not too much and I got to move outside. I was seriously out there for 45 minutes. Absolutely wonderful.
I decided that I need to do more of this. More 'me' things, since I am almost always around people and know full well that I need to take some time that's just for me. Maybe that's doing this often or taking a yoga class or start reading or something, I don't know. Maybe I should start baking. One of my flatmates made cookies yesterday and it was glorious. I love baked goods.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
cultural learning.
Things I am learning about Kiwis:
- For being a small country, many of them have never really traveled around New Zealand. They've been to Europe or North America (California is a popular place), yet haven't seen some of the key beautiful places that I at least want to go. Like the South Island and Northland.
- For being so influenced by American culture, they don't know all that much about Americans. My flatmates thought I was going to be like the people on American Idol who are way overemotional and wear too much makeup and are crazy just because I'm from America.
- They make fun of America a lot.
- It was really hard for me to find things like peppers in the grocery store. They have different words for things, which is confusing because it is still English. For example: green capsicums (green peppers), papers (classes/courses - SO confusing at first), sweet as (really sweet/awesome - though the first time I heard someone say it I thought they were saying sweet ass and I was like ...excuse me??), chips (fries), fortnight (two weeks), kumara (sweet potato), pissed (drunk), togs (swimsuit), wagging (skipping, like skipping class), pakeha (person of European descent), stubbies (short shorts for guys - one of my flatmates wears them ALL THE TIME haha), jandals (flip flops), chilly bin (cooler).. etc. I have an entire handbook on Kiwi names for things. Also, they say things like "dodgy" and "heaps" quite often. And many British slang words are also used here.
- They think 10˚C (50˚F) is freezing. Then again, last weekend it was 60˚F and I was in jeans and a sweater and still cold. I guess I'm just getting used to the climate here.
- They do not care about being politically correct. My Kiwi flatmates use the words "gay" and "retarded" in inappropriate and incorrect situations more than any people I have ever been around. And when I yelled at them for saying "gay" as the same as "stupid", they told me that it's not offensive here, it's different. Right, like it's not offensive in America regardless of if you mean it offensively or not, either. Stupid ≠ gay or retarded!!
- Kiwis love Obama. When trying to tell them where I'm from (I've learned the best tactic is to say in the middle of the States by Canada now) I used to say I was about 8 hours north of Chicago (and still by Canada). When I mentioned Chicago, many of their faces would light up and make a comment about how great Obama is or the like. I have also seen many Obama shirts being worn here, and I can't even remember the last time I saw someone on the street back home wearing an Obama shirt.
- My flatmates, at least, watch a lot of tv! I guess they don't really watch tv online here though as we do in America. My flatmates love this super dramatic show called Shortland Street. I feel like I watch it every night (it's on when I'm cooking dinner usually) yet I still don't understand the plot. I also don't really care.
- It is much more laid-back here. People aren't as stressed out as they are in the States and they take more time for themselves. I like that.
- However, school is much less rigorous than it is back home. With the exception of one of my flatmates who's in med school (and is younger than me. Oh yeah - pre-med is one year long which means he's been in med school for two weeks and is YOUNGER THAN ME) studying is not super important. It's more laid back in New Zealand and school is no exception. I don't really mind not having a ton of homework (though I haven't done mine yet and have a lot to do before tomorrow, go me) but I already miss critical thought and discussion. Summarizing is boooooring.
Devonport/Pasifika Festival/Rugby Game!
So these past couple days have been great fun! First off I will say this will probably be long because I was super busy so a lot happened! Okay, no surprise. I write a lot when not much has happened as well.
Thursday was pretty meh, I just has class and in Kapa Haka we learned a new song! It was actually really cool and it is completely going to be my favorite class without a doubt. On Friday I decided to take the 300-level dance class, just to test it out, and it was the greatest thing ever. Instead of being bored and slightly frustrated at the end of class, I felt refreshed and blissfully happy. We did contact improv and partnering which was awesome. Contact improv is such a good icebreaker, especially because we had our eyes closed, and after about ten minutes of giving your weight to the other person and vice versa, and basically rolling around on the floor, you open your eyes to then meet the person with whom you were doing contact improv with. The guy I partnered with was really creative as well (a little too bossy though) so the partnering sequence we came up with was really cool. After class, I decided I needed to switch into this one. How could I stay in the boring, too-easy class after having such a wonderful experience in this one? So, I talked to both of the professors (one of which teaches the class I was currently enrolled in) about switching in. There would be no schedule conflicts, as the lone conflict would be the dance class I would be dropping. I met with the International Student Coordinator to get a Concession for the class (seriously, I had to do this on the last possible day to switch classes without even getting permission to take the course beforehand) and it all seemed fine. However, it doesn't appear that I got a concession in time, so I might be stuck in the boring dance class. I hope not - even the students seemed like people I would like to befriend more than in 220. Ugh, I hope I can take 320. I would love to not spend an hour each class DOING THE 3-MINUTE WARMUP BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN'T REMEMBER THE COMBINATION/HAVE TO BE REMINDED TO POINT THEIR TOES AND SIT UP STRAIGHT. Not that I have any strong feelings about this or anything.
After all this I went to Devonport! Which is a ten-minute ferry ride from Auckland. It's actually connected to the mainland but you have to go across the bridge and the bus gets expensive here. Also, going by ferry is really pretty. When we got to Devonport we decided to go in search of the beach since it was already about 4pm. We stopped for a short trip up to the top of North Head (one of the many, many giant hills in the Auckland area) which was gorgeous, and then went to the beach. The beach was kind of anticlimactic because the water wasn't actually deep so we couldn't swim without going halfway to Rangitoto - but it was kind of cool because it looked like we were walking on water 100 feet out because it was ankle deep! We wanted to keep wandering around Devonport and go in shops a lot, but everything was closed. It was sad - I hear there are lots of cute shops in Devonport. Maybe I'll have to go back during the day.
After we returned from Devonport I was making dinner and my flatmate was watching tv when suddenly she started shouting about the earthquake and tsunami that was happening in Japan. She kept shouting "this is live, Rachel, LOOK!". We watched in horror as the oil refinery was burning and the live video coverage of the ocean waves flooding people's homes and cars being brought back out to sea. It was scary. New Zealand was under a tsunami warning (like many countries), but I think we're okay now. The highest waves predicted were about 1m anyway. After watching the news for a few hours we decided to go to a pub to watch a rugby game. Well, my flatmate wanted to go watch the rugby game, I just didn't want to sir around and watch American Idol in my flat. I got a Cosmopolitan at the pub (that's what they drink on Sex and the City - it was really good, actually), and tried a sip of a Pina Colada. Yum. We walked back to the flat around midnight and I went to bed straight away. I was SO tired.
Yesterday I got up early and went to the Pasifika Festival! It was so fabulous. There were dance performances, singing/music, shops, food, everything, and unlike the festivals I have been to in the states, it wasn't filled with overpriced and deep-fried food and so many people that you can't breathe. There was so much to see because each country had a village filled with whatever they wanted of music, dance, food, souvenirs, and other things. It really felt like they were raising cultural awareness. At the last village we went to, Tahiti, they speak French so I ordered my éclair in French! It was cool. I really want to go to Tahiti now... oh, and learn Tahitian dance!
Today I did some grocery shopping, including going to the French Farmer's Market in Parnell. It was wonderful! I was so tempted to buy olives - maybe next week. Splurge every once in a while, I suppose. I bought sesame seed and kumara (sweet potato) bread for $5, it was pretty good. I went to the normal grocery store too, and that's basically been my day. (I got up at 12:30pm.) Waiheke/Piha didn't happen, but that's okay because Friday and Saturday were really busy. And I just made dinner of garlic shrimp and pasta with my kumara bread! Probably the fanciest thing I've made so far. It's good, I'm learning to cook, and since I'll be in an apartment next year I'll be a semester ahead of learning to cook than I otherwise would be.
WHEW. That was long. With a lot of pictures though! Also, I lost my sunglasses yesterday :( I only brought one pair so this means I have to go buy another pair. I really liked my sunglasses too! I think I left them at the transport center downtown..
Thursday was pretty meh, I just has class and in Kapa Haka we learned a new song! It was actually really cool and it is completely going to be my favorite class without a doubt. On Friday I decided to take the 300-level dance class, just to test it out, and it was the greatest thing ever. Instead of being bored and slightly frustrated at the end of class, I felt refreshed and blissfully happy. We did contact improv and partnering which was awesome. Contact improv is such a good icebreaker, especially because we had our eyes closed, and after about ten minutes of giving your weight to the other person and vice versa, and basically rolling around on the floor, you open your eyes to then meet the person with whom you were doing contact improv with. The guy I partnered with was really creative as well (a little too bossy though) so the partnering sequence we came up with was really cool. After class, I decided I needed to switch into this one. How could I stay in the boring, too-easy class after having such a wonderful experience in this one? So, I talked to both of the professors (one of which teaches the class I was currently enrolled in) about switching in. There would be no schedule conflicts, as the lone conflict would be the dance class I would be dropping. I met with the International Student Coordinator to get a Concession for the class (seriously, I had to do this on the last possible day to switch classes without even getting permission to take the course beforehand) and it all seemed fine. However, it doesn't appear that I got a concession in time, so I might be stuck in the boring dance class. I hope not - even the students seemed like people I would like to befriend more than in 220. Ugh, I hope I can take 320. I would love to not spend an hour each class DOING THE 3-MINUTE WARMUP BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN'T REMEMBER THE COMBINATION/HAVE TO BE REMINDED TO POINT THEIR TOES AND SIT UP STRAIGHT. Not that I have any strong feelings about this or anything.
After all this I went to Devonport! Which is a ten-minute ferry ride from Auckland. It's actually connected to the mainland but you have to go across the bridge and the bus gets expensive here. Also, going by ferry is really pretty. When we got to Devonport we decided to go in search of the beach since it was already about 4pm. We stopped for a short trip up to the top of North Head (one of the many, many giant hills in the Auckland area) which was gorgeous, and then went to the beach. The beach was kind of anticlimactic because the water wasn't actually deep so we couldn't swim without going halfway to Rangitoto - but it was kind of cool because it looked like we were walking on water 100 feet out because it was ankle deep! We wanted to keep wandering around Devonport and go in shops a lot, but everything was closed. It was sad - I hear there are lots of cute shops in Devonport. Maybe I'll have to go back during the day.
Devonport!
there are really cute houses in Devonport
in a tree!
the wonderful part is that the sky is really that blue
and the grass is really that green
the beach where we swam! (sort of)
see? not far from Auckland
the ocean was so still it was glassy
group photo!
After we returned from Devonport I was making dinner and my flatmate was watching tv when suddenly she started shouting about the earthquake and tsunami that was happening in Japan. She kept shouting "this is live, Rachel, LOOK!". We watched in horror as the oil refinery was burning and the live video coverage of the ocean waves flooding people's homes and cars being brought back out to sea. It was scary. New Zealand was under a tsunami warning (like many countries), but I think we're okay now. The highest waves predicted were about 1m anyway. After watching the news for a few hours we decided to go to a pub to watch a rugby game. Well, my flatmate wanted to go watch the rugby game, I just didn't want to sir around and watch American Idol in my flat. I got a Cosmopolitan at the pub (that's what they drink on Sex and the City - it was really good, actually), and tried a sip of a Pina Colada. Yum. We walked back to the flat around midnight and I went to bed straight away. I was SO tired.
Yesterday I got up early and went to the Pasifika Festival! It was so fabulous. There were dance performances, singing/music, shops, food, everything, and unlike the festivals I have been to in the states, it wasn't filled with overpriced and deep-fried food and so many people that you can't breathe. There was so much to see because each country had a village filled with whatever they wanted of music, dance, food, souvenirs, and other things. It really felt like they were raising cultural awareness. At the last village we went to, Tahiti, they speak French so I ordered my éclair in French! It was cool. I really want to go to Tahiti now... oh, and learn Tahitian dance!
villages!
flax bouquet of roses
ice cream. in a pineapple. best thing ever.
beautiful fans!
this was totally candid. I was so in love with this éclair.
After the Pasifika Festival I went to the IES BBQ for some delicious food. I met some of the students who were originally in Christchurch (who I hadn't met yet) which was awesome. AND THEN rugby! The game itself wasn't the most fascinating but I usually don't feel that way about sporting events. Our seats were really good and even though [the team I was apparently rooting for] lost it was still interesting. We also did the wave, which was awesome when it finally got all the way around to us! After the rugby game we took the train back to PSV where we hung out for a while before going to town. Town was pretty fun - other than somehow there was salt dumped on me? Literally, it was covering my scalp and hair and on my clothes and I could taste it.. I am still confused as to how and why that happened. So bizarre.
(rugby game - and this picture isn't even zoomed in. that's how good our seats were)
Today I did some grocery shopping, including going to the French Farmer's Market in Parnell. It was wonderful! I was so tempted to buy olives - maybe next week. Splurge every once in a while, I suppose. I bought sesame seed and kumara (sweet potato) bread for $5, it was pretty good. I went to the normal grocery store too, and that's basically been my day. (I got up at 12:30pm.) Waiheke/Piha didn't happen, but that's okay because Friday and Saturday were really busy. And I just made dinner of garlic shrimp and pasta with my kumara bread! Probably the fanciest thing I've made so far. It's good, I'm learning to cook, and since I'll be in an apartment next year I'll be a semester ahead of learning to cook than I otherwise would be.
WHEW. That was long. With a lot of pictures though! Also, I lost my sunglasses yesterday :( I only brought one pair so this means I have to go buy another pair. I really liked my sunglasses too! I think I left them at the transport center downtown..
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