Honey & Hummus... Day 45

I think New Zealand has changed my food preferences. For instance, I just ate a pastrami sandwich on a whole grain bun... which is normal enough, but I added hummus and honey. I would like to know what is wrong with me. It was really good, especially when I bit into a piece of garlic. Ready to learn about NZ?

• You think our gas prices are bad? They pay approximately $1.60 per liter. Which is equates to about $4.50USD per gallon. I don't think I would drive if gas cost that much. This is why we need a alternate fuel source. This being said, the people here do everything they can not to drive, including using public transportation, bicycles and good old fashion walking. That's me at a bus stop... I know I look very unimpressed... I promise I'm impressed by the bus system.
  

• This is the color scheme of all the police cars in NZ, of which there aren't many. They do however, have police station wagons, which makes me laugh every time I see one, they don't really command authority. I know I showed this picture before, but I felt that it fit here. It is very rare to see a police car pulling someone over or to hear the sirens of an ambulance. I have seen maybe 3 ambulances since I arrived here, which is a nice change from home.

• New Zealand, to my limited knowledge, has very few of it's own television shows. I have turned on the TV about three times since I've been here, but each time, there is either an American or British TV show on. All my Kiwi roommates talk about is new American shows like Grey's Anatomy and Heroes. The only Kiwi TV show I've heard about is called The Tribe, and my friend Dana told me about it... but I have had no luck finding it here.

• Most of the music I have heard here is music that was really popular in the mid-nineties, including Savage Garden and Melissa Etheridge. You do catch a few new releases on the radio though, like Mika's single Grace Kelly. If you haven't heard that song, listen to it. I think he is the reincarnation of Freddie Mercury.
  

I think you have learned enough today. Class dismissed.

Oh & Happy Birthday Trips!

Step away from the Nutella... More Day 44

Just as a warning... this video blog was made as a direct result of eating Nutella. I apologize in advance. Also, the video quality is really bad for some reason. And there's music playing in the background that I forgot to turn off. All in all it's a disaster. Kind of like a train wreck, you can't help but look...

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The rest of my day was amazing... including the purchasing of the aforementioned hat. Here's a summary. I sat on a set of stairs in Lyttleton, that was fun. I saw a police car and had my camera ready, because this is what all of them look like... no joke. Then I climbed about halfway up the hillside to take a picture of Lyttleton. It's a really quaint place. I love it. I couldn't get a good picture of it, but their cemetery is built into the hillside. I promise never to blog under the influence of Nutella again... this is one of the most random blog posts ever. This post was brought to you by the letter N.

Thank you to all the people still commenting, you're sweet as.

Why is everything backwards... Day 44

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I think I might go down town to the open air market, as it was closed yesterday due to weather. Other than that, I have a package or two to mail off. Really exciting stuff. Here's another random picture:

In New Zealand, you can order your coffee/tea in a cup or...... a bowl.

Part deux... Day 43 continued

This afternoon, I went downtown in search of ingredients to make hummus. I also wound up at a thrift store, which I'm sure is a shock to no one. I got two really cool fleece type shirts since it's getting colder here and I didn't really account for that when I packed.

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So that pretty much sums up my life. I went to the gym today, which was surprisingly relaxing. I made hummus and had a little bit with dinner, Bean gave me an awesome recipe for it. Okay, I'm going to go to sleep now.

Here's the random picture of the day. I know you all miss my fat Fred Flintstone feet.

Slow down... Day 43

Okay, so real quick, I'm going to explain the sperm whale sign, since I got an overwhelming response of confusion to it. It was taken on land. There was a judderbar (read: speed bump) in the shape of a sperm whale, on the road, so instead of warning people of a judderbar, they were warning of a sperm whale. Maybe I should have taken a picture of the actual sperm whale. In other news, I forgot to tell you all about my audiology class. I got to look at my own ear drum. It was fascinating. I promise I'll have a full post about whatever I do today, when I get home tonight.

Here's a little love from home :) Ferzy & Bean.... probably the coolest aunts in the whole world & I GET TWO OF THEM!!!!

In much sadder news: My favorite neighbor and surrogate grandmother passed away the other day, so RIP Grandma Dawe.

I am now the proud owner... Day 42

...of a frypod. As in I fried my mp3 player. I was walking to class today in some serious rain and I opened my backpack, to get out my mp3 player. Bad idea. The next thing I know is my mp3 player is flying through the air, completely out of reach. It landed in a gargantuan puddle and there was not a thing I could do about it. As sad a story that is, I couldn't help but laugh when it happened. Which makes me crazy. Apparently I accepted my fate rather well. Now I can listen for those birds people talk about. Other than that, I had a pretty excellent day. I had an exam this morning, but I think I aced it. My other classes were a breeze. Let me take this time to tell you about the grading scale in New Zealand:

100 -- 85.....A+
84 -- 80.......A
79 -- 75.......A-
74 -- 70.......B+
69 -- 65.......B
64 -- 60.......B-
59 -- 55.......C+
54 -- 50.......C
49 -- 45.......C-
45 -- 0.........F

Someone please explain that to me. If I come back & did bad in my classes, feel free to slap me in the head, I don't deserve an education. I also learned a new phrase from Sara, a girl in my Anatomy & Physiology class. Tits up. It is roughly translated to broken or out of commission. Example: Sam dropped her mp3 player in a puddle and now it's tit's up. I love learning new things. Less exciting but equally as informative is the word torch. I was told, that for my Tribewanted trip, I would need a torch. So of course I emailed someone who already went and asked where I can get a torch, thinking that it is the common idea of a torch, a stick that holds fire on the end. I got a rude awakening. The reply I received said that I can get them at any sporting goods or hardware store. I was dumbfounded. Then, for good measure, I googled "torch, new zealand" and the image of a flashlight appeared on my screen. Oh my.

Anyways, after classes today, I went over to the gym for an hour or so. On my way back to the flat, I ran into my roommate Adam and we talked for a minute. Before I knew it, I was invited to a yoga class. It was actually amazing. I think I'm going to start going every week.

I've been finding it hard to end these blog posts sometimes, so I think I'm going to start doing a picture of the day. Here goes.Oh and thank you to my AMAZING readers, especially the ones who are commenting: Cat, Aunt Jill (aka Bean), Mutha, Unka Price and Michelle... I LOVE YOU GUYS.

Sometimes sleeping on the bus is okay... Day 41

Today was a rather slow day, I started it by talking on the phone with my parents for about two hours, doing the FAFSA for this year's financial aid. Early this afternoon, I went downtown in search of lemon juice and a sweatshirt or two. I failed at both, they seem to not enjoy lemon juice here, instead opting for lime juice. I ended up at a thrift store looking for a sweat shirt or two, but they really didn't have any hoodies. It was strange. I picked up a few random t-shirts for people though. On my way back from town, I got that familiar feeling when you know you are going to fall asleep and there's nothing you can do about it. I rubbernecked the entire way home from shopping, which was about a 40 minute ride all together. I can't imagine what I looked like, I was sitting in the front of the bus... I got back to the flat and cleared my schedule (read: fell asleep for three hours). By the time I woke up, I had slept right through dinner time, so I grabbed some fruit & a whole grain bun from the pantry. I also missed my chance to go to the gym, so I did some wholesome Tae Bo. I'll leave you with a few random photos today.

How often do you see a sheep trailer?

Someone had to have been a little bit drunk... that's definitely an American passport.

I like when signs aren't in English.

A tribe is wanted...Day 40

Today was another big school day, I had an anatomy and physiology exam, which actually wasn't that bad. I picked up all of my plane tickets for the next few months, mid semester break and flying home. There are quite a few tickets... Since I really don't have much to say today, other than finding a really cool book (Dr. Seuss's: The Cat in the Hat... in Maori... I might have to make an unscheduled purchase), I can disclose what my plans are for my mid semester break. It's called TribeWanted. If you've ever seen the movie The Beach, better yet, read the book, you'll have a vague idea of why I'm doing this. Although at the end no one goes crazy and no one dies. Describing this is going to be super confusing and stuff, so I'm going to try to save you most of the anguish. I'm pretty much going to live on a tropical island for a week and help continue to build an eco-community on said island. It's like a tribe but in the 21st Century. How cool is that? Anyways, if you are interested or want to read more because I'm horrible at describing things, go to the website above or to the tribal wikipedia site. I'm sure at least half of you think I'm crazy... It's okay though, I'm cool with that. Here's a picture of Vorovoro,the island I'm going to be on.Oh, and the BBC is doing a documentary about this... I'd be extremely excited if they are filming while I'm there.

Contrary to popular belief... Days 38-39

I am not walking around campus with a helmet on. I do however, still have my helmet and bike lock from the interesting bike venture. I'm bringing them home though, because I spent a lot more then I can get back on them. And I needed a new helmet. Anyways, I know I've been really lame on the posting lately, but it's exam time for me right now, all I've been doing is sitting in my room and studying. Or sitting outside and studying. Or going to the library and studying. The exams for communication disorders work a little differently here, I have 3 sets of super exams. Not at all exciting. I'm right in the middle of the first wave. The next one comes when I get back from fall break. My time here is flying by, which is a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because I miss everyone so much and I want to play with Woody & Ollie. It's a curse because I know I'm never going to have a chance to live like this again. But I'm still excited to come home. Since nothing exciting is happening right this second in my life, I'll post some new observations about Kiwis, New Zealand and myself:

• All of the same fast food chains that we have at home, exist here, only better. Not only are the places slightly healthier, but they are catered to the South Pacific palate. In a moment of weakness, I went to a Burger King for a nice chicken sandwich. What I found was a nice Tropical Chicken sandwich. My sandwich included pineapple. Amazing.
• Shockingly, you have all the different subgroups of people that you would find in a city in the USA, just yesterday I was walking downtown and felt nervous next to a group of loud goth kids.
• The movie Whale Rider is amazing. If you want to get a glimpse of Maori culture, rent this movie.
  
• I have absolutely no interest in going to places where they filmed the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, however I do want to get down to the southern 45th parallel... because the other one (northern 45th parallel) runs through Michigan... And maybe Arthur's Pass to see where they filmed part of the Chronicles of Narnia.
  
• Bus travel is not looked down upon here, everyone uses it. It is a pleasant and more eco-conscious alternative to driving a car.
• I'm getting way to used to the fact that people drive on the opposite side of the road here and I will get hit by a car when I get home.

That's about all I can think of right now. I just got a picture message, to my email account, from Ben at home... but the picture is of Kent. Now that is love.

My live minus internet... Days 34-37

So the last few days, my internet provider decided to hate me. Luckily nothing exciting happened, just going to classes and studying a lot. I had to break down and purchase one of my required textbooks, which set me back $115NZ. The other ones I can get a hold of in the library or though generous classmates. Today I had an exam in Audiology, which I'm hoping I did well on, but nothing that I studied was on the test, it was stuff that he barely talked about, so I'm not feeling good about it. In other news, I sold my bicycle to a classmate named Gia, since the faulty seat renders it useless to me. Don't worry, I told her that the seat slips, she didn't care. I got most of my money back on it, I gave it to her for $20 less than I bought it for, which is pretty good, since I could have just cut my losses. I should be back to normal posting tomorrow, I'm getting ready to go to bed now though. Happy Birthday Uncle Bill (3.22) and Trevor (3.23)!!!!! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you guys.

SORRRRYYYYY

Ok, so my internet is broken, that's why I haven't been posting. As soon as I get it back I will be posting regularly, I promise. Until then... you can catch up on my older stuff :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE PRICE. And Trevor too if I don't get on in time :) LOVE.

Hella poor... Day 33

Today I woke up and talked to my parents online and I called Aunt Jill. Without realizing it, I have called her every Monday morning, so she has come to expect my call. It's kinda funny, because I do it almost on reflex. Cool. Anyways, I went to Acoustics today, which was actually quite fun, we were examining the similarities in pronunciation of different words. The most memorable example were the words fall, fool and full. In New Zealand, they sound almost identical, so of course, the professor had me say them all for the class and they were shocked at how differently I said each word. But hey, they think my accent is cool. After class, I had a sandwich, then went to the gym for an hour. I ended up running about 4 km all together and shockingly, I didn't die. Although I went outside to run on the grass track and my lungs said no to the grass very quickly. I went back to the flat and took a shower, only to go back to class. On the way back to the flat the second time, I stopped at the library to see if any of my textbooks were available for use, since I'm too poor to purchase them. I did find one, so that's lucky. Being lame, I went back to my flat and cooked dinner. Now I'm here telling you about it. I don't know if you all have noticed, but my Monday's & Wednesday's are pretty boring.

Bad start to a great day... Day 32

This morning I woke up around 7am and could not get to sleep, so I packed up my meager belongings and checked out. I decided to go to the famed seal colony, so I started walking. Three miles later, I was almost there. My pack is deceptively heavy. Moments later, my fate was sealed, it started to rain. I did see one adorable seal though, but he was asleep.

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After that adventure was over, I went to the "Why Not? Cafe" to get some hot tea. While drinking, I ran into my Swiss hostel roommate, Andrea. We ended up hanging out all day long, eventually finding ourselves at the R&R Sport South Island International Pro-Am, an awesome surfing competition. Apparently this was a big event, as the world longboard surfing champion was competing. After the competition, we hung out for a few hours by the beach, she was trying to teach me the intricacies of the German language. I failed. I think I taught her the word 'kite' though. I'm a winner. Anyways, after a while, I got to start reading my new book, since I had finished The Da Vinci Code. I traded that in at a used book store and got one of his other books, Angels & Demons. I'm looking forward to that. I think Dan Brown, the author, is probably my new favorite writer. Finally, around 7:45pm, my bus showed up and I got on. There was a really drunk girl on it, but whatever, she wasn't too loud. I figured out that if I look up at the stars, I won't get motion sickness, because they don't appear to be moving. That really paid off, I saw two shooting stars. Yes, I know they're not really stars, but it was AMAZING. Once I arrived in Christchurch, I caught a cab back to my dorm, which was relatively cheap. Since daylight savings time was last night, I called my parents before going to bed, which was pretty cool.

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Thank you for all of your lovely comments, I love getting a response. Bean, Cat, Coop, Mom, Michelle, Amy & Balb Dahlia, you guys are pretty much amazing. :)

Hello Adventure... Day 31

Today was a nice little adventure. I woke up, sans alarm, around 8am. I tried to go back to sleep, but to no avail. I got up and made some toast for breakfast, then read some more of my book. Around 11am, I walked down to the open-air market, but it wasn’t too impressive. After that, I walked about a mile to the Whale Watch building and caught my bus to the pier. The whale watch experience was slightly amazing. Although I've decided that I do not like any sort of transportation that I am not personally driving, as you can see by my greenish gills. All in all, we had four whale sightings, but we saw one of the whales twice, so it was really three. They were so amazing to watch on the surface. One of the guys that I met here went on the helicopter tour and couldn’t believe the enormity of the whales. When you are on the boat, much like an iceberg, you only see about ten percent of the whale. The whales that we encountered were all Sperm whales, which, on average, are the size of a small jetliner, with a heart the size of a VW Beetle. Whilst on the cruise, we also saw quite a few fur seals, which are completely adorable. Overall, I took way too many pictures and videos, pretty much all of the same thing, but it was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities. How often are you going to see a majestic creature like this in the wild? Sadly, it’s less and less, as they are highly endangered. With no help from the Japanese government, who hunts them for “scientific research”, but in reality, sells the meat for less than tuna. Anyways, that’s enough lecturing for today, I’m going to go to bed and finish my book, then go to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow I can find this international surfing contest that the locals are talking about…

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Kaikoura... Day 30

Today was slightly ridiculous. First, I woke up to go to class at 10am, as our class had a late start today. Upon arriving at the classroom, I found no one there. I continued to meander throughout the building for about 20 minutes, then I got my course pack out. Apparently we were supposed to meet at the communication disorders village. I got lost going there too… Anyways, once I got there, I went to the designated building and tried to get in. It was locked. After realizing this, I tried to gain entrance by knocking repeatedly. Somehow that did not alert anyone to my presence. I also went to the reception building, but no luck, it was locked as well. You can’t say I didn’t try. I went back to the first building, to wait for my next class to begin. I later found out that our professor changed the building number, so that’s why the one I was trying to enter was locked. Lame. Anyways, after class, I walked back to my dorm and packed up for Kaikoura. I tried to pack minimally, but as a girl, that never works out right. I did end up not having a completely full bag though, which I am proud of. Around 1:15, I caught a city bus downtown to catch my shuttle to Kaikoura. On the shuttle, which was a grungy little bus/van, I met a woman from Santa Fe, who was really nice. We talked for quite a bit about various trips we’d taken. After three treacherous hours on the bus, we arrived in Kaikoura. I had no idea where I was going. Eventually, I found the Albatross Inn, my home for the next 2 nights. It’s a quaint little property, but not what I expected. I went into town and bought some groceries so that I can eat for the next few days without breaking the bank. I took a leisurely stroll on the way there; Kaikoura is a really gorgeous place. I made my way back and cooked… a sandwich. It was delicious though; I didn’t know how good pastrami could be when you’re starving. After eating, I went outside to read some more of my current book, The Da Vinci Code. I don’t know what I expected of this book, but it is really good. I’m enthralled. After reading for a while, another backpacker, Andy, came out & we had an extremely long conversation, about NZ, tourists, our homes (he’s from the London), etc. Then a guy named Ben came out and joined us, he’s from Seattle. All in all, I think I was out there talking for about three hours. It was nice to get to know some other travelers. It’s about 10:30 and I’m off to bed, but I have an exciting day ahead of me tomorrow, I’m going whale watching! It was pretty dear (read: expensive), but it’s something I have to do… and you only live once.

Naked... Day 29

Today threatened to be another boring day, since it was kinda cold outside and I didn't feel like going downtown. Luckily, when I was talking to my parents, I decided that I am going away this weekend. After much deliberation, I've decided to go to Kaikoura, which is famous for whale watching. Hopefully, if the weather is good, there will be charters out into the sea for some whale watching. If not, I'm sure that I can find something to do. I discovered a bus network, called Naked Bus. It's a really cool system, the earlier you book, the cheaper your trip costs. They even have trips that cost $1, which sounds like a scam, but I have friends who swear by them. Either way, I'm excited. I don't really know if I'm going to have internet access while I'm there, so I might not post until I get back here, Sunday night/Monday morning. I found out something else quite interesting, toilet paper here is really cheap. I bought 12 rolls for less than five dollars NZ, so that's around $3. Anyways, I'm off to the unknown...

Sometimes life isn't all that exciting... Day 28

Apparently pissing down rain is just something to get used to here. Anyways, today I almost became roadkill. I forgot, momentarily, that traffic moves in the opposite direction than at home. Luckily there weren't too many cars out. Today I had a full day of classes, but it was raining out, so I really didn't do much else. I did, however, get the beginnings of a web based photo album up and running. Check it out here. Other than that, I've got nothing to report.

Dear Catherine,
You hate my shoes, I hate all of your non traditional colored pants. Looks like it's meant to be.
Love,
Sam

Crazy little thing called love... Day 27

The day started off pretty bleak, it was pissing down rain, so I was going to take a nap. Kent stopped me from across the planet, telling me that naps are lame. Anyways, I decided to go into the city in search of nothing at all. I spent time in a few thrift shops, but I didn't really find anything good for anyone. I also hit a few used bookstores and had the same problem. I did by the grace of all that is holy, come across a shoe sale. I got an amazing pair of Vans shoes for $40 NZ (less than $30 US). It was not any old pair of shoes either, it was the pair that I've been drooling over for a year or more. I have a problem, I know. Anyways, I went down to Sumner today, so that I could see the cave at low tide. It was filled with water, which was pretty cool. I climbed to the top of it as well. The rest of the day flew past pretty quickly, I bought a pineapple... Hopefully the rain isn't here to stay. Thank you to everyone who is still commenting, including beanie wag. I LOVE YOU.

Boring life... Day 26

This morning I tried to stay asleep, but like always, the sun woke me up hours before my alarm clock would have. I took care of some things today, including finally paying for my tickets home, which I'm quite happy about. I have a pretty interesting journey ahead of me, that's for sure. I'm not able to get any direct flights to Honolulu, so I'm flying from here to Nadi, Fiji, where I have to stay two nights, as there aren't a lot of flights from the South Pacific to Hawaii. From Fiji, I fly to a country called Kiribati, where I have an hour layover. Then i fly to Honolulu, where I stay for about three days. From Honolulu, I fly in to O'Hare Airport for a quick layover, then back home to Detroit. All together, I spent under $1000 on flights home, which isn't too bad, considering the fact that I'm stopping in Hawaii. After figuring all of this out, I went to both of my classes. Each were rather boring, but it happens. Later in the afternoon, I went to the gym to get a semester membership. I'm quite irked that we have to pay for everything separately here, such as gym memberships, internet and printing, since we're paying a hefty sum just to be studying. The rest of my day has gone by pretty quickly, I talked to a few people from home today, which was nice. I do have to top up my phone card pretty soon though. It actually isn't bad, I've still got about 1/3 of it left after 3 weeks usage and it was only $20 NZ. I'm off to bed now though. I'll leave you with a picture of a sign I found in one of the bathrooms on campus. There are so many things about this sign that confuse me.

The home stretch... Day 25

Today we got up fairly late, around 8:00am. We had a leisurely breakfast, then we went out to a special patch of the island, that has been cared for by every group of Americans that has volunteered on the island. We had chop down weeds that were trying to strangle the baby trees. It was interesting work, since we were using a pretty crazy tool. The air had a lot of dust and pollen in it though, so I couldn't really breathe... which leads me to this picture. I'm not crying, my allergies are eating my face. Too bad. After an hour or so, we went back to the shack and had some lunch, then went out to the oak grove to weed out some oak trees, since they aren't native to the island. We only did that for about an hour, then we went back and cleaned up the shack. Once everything was cleaned up, we mopped ourselves out of the building and walked down to the jetty to get on the ferry. There were heaps of people waiting for the ferry, which surprised a lot of us, since we hadn't seen many people where we were working. We actually had to wait for the second ferry to come and get us. It was pretty sad saying goodbye to John, since he was going out on a schooner for six months, so we really knew we weren't going to see him again, but it was cool getting to know the old guy. We hurried off the ferry to catch our shuttle back to school, which took a deceptively long amount of time. As soon as I got to my room, I took a long shower, since none of us had showered... all weekend. At least we smelled together...

Politics and religion... Day 24

This morning we woke up around 7:00am and had a quick breakfast before heading out to the cliff that John would be climbing down to weed out some plants and retrieve a ladder. It was so steep that he had to have one of the guys belay for him. After an hour or so, John had finished, so as a treat, he took us down to a penguin nest. Sadly, there were no penguins in sight, but their nest was there and obviously in use. This morning was quite easy, so we had a bit of tea and lunch, then headed back out to the farthest side of the island to do some more weeding. I ended up weeding with Luke for an hour or so, then we decided to walk down to the beach, since that's where we were supposed to meet the rest of the group. We picked the hardest climb down, which ended in a ten or so foot drop down a rock face. Luckily Luke is a gentleman and went first to make sure I wouldn't get hurt, then he helped me with my footing. When I got off that rock, I noticed that I had about 20 burrs stuck to my butt. That hurt like hell. Another hour or so passed and we started our ascent. We arrived back at camp around 5:00pm. Most of us sat around and talked, then a few of us started cooking dinner. During dinner one of the guys, who is very Christian, started debating with John about everything that has to do with religion. It would have been acceptable if he knew what he was talking about, but he was contradicting himself left and right. He was saying some pretty awful things about anyone who isn't a white heterosexual male. Two of the girls in the group seemed to agree with him on most counts, so I and a girl named Jessica went outside and pretty much vented on what was going on in there. When we returned, they were on to politics. I've got to hand it to John though, he was out witting the other guy without even trying.

Cutting the carpet... Day 23

This morning around 7:00, I woke up and took a shower, then quickly got ready to go find the shuttle bus that was to take us to Quail Island, via Lyttleton Harbor. I made it just in time to the bus, since I had to stop at an ATM to get some cash, just in case I needed it. The five other AustraLearn students and I were met at the shuttle by one of the Otumahua/Quail Island Restoration Trust workers, Colin Burrows. He's a man of about 75 and he's a complete genius. We boarded the black Diamond Ferry at 9:20 am for Otumahua (the Maori name for Quail Island) and were there by 9:30. The ride itself was a lot of fun and we were at an interesting vantage point, as we were surrounded almost entirely by mountains and hillsides. Upon arrival, we met the other trust worker, John Watson. He's about ten years younger than Colin, but extraordinarily agile. Both are crazy scientists/environmental researchers and Colin has published quite a few books relating to the environment. We hiked about ten minutes uphill to get to the lodge that we would call home for the next three days. This lodge is by far the smallest dwelling I have ever inhabited, save a tent. When you walk in, you are in the kitchen/dining/common room, then you walk through that to get to the bunk room and toilet. Despite it's size, it is a very functional space. After tea, we went to work. Our first order of business was to walk a few minutes uphill to the workshop and cut up carpet remnants, so that they could be used as a mulch of sorts. We did that for a few hours, and by the end, we were feeling it in our hands. Around noon, we went back to the lodge to have some lunch, then went back to work. This time we were on the south side of the island, removing non-native trees and weeds. It's grunt work, but somebody has to do it. After a few hours of that, we went back to the lodge for supper. Since we had no electronic distractions, we made use of the art of conversation, which was a welcome relief from the days work. We all filed in to bed fairly early, so that we can get up to work tomorrow.

Kinky... hair... Day 22

Today was pretty laid back, I woke up mid morning and had breakfast, then I went into town in search of two things: a good pair of tennis shoes and a cheap mosquito net. I came back with a little more than that, but most of it was for other people. Anyways, I found a good pair of shoes for less than $30 US and I found a mosquito net for under $20 US. Then I went to the open air market. Bought a few shiny things. On to the thrift store, where I finally bought a few things for people at home. Yes, I thrifted for gifts. I know, it sounds crappy, but thrifting is fun, cheap and a cool way to get off the wall gifts. If you don't want thrifted gifts, I'll keep them. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. I got a much needed raincoat today for $7 NZ. See what I mean about thrifing? Beyond that, I didn't do much today. Here are some random pictures:

A salon in town.

Part of the campus.

There won't be any updates until Sunday night, as I'm going on a volunteer trip to Quail Island to do some environmental rehabilitation. Should be an adventure...

No more pasta... Day 21

For the poor college student, pasta is a viable source of food. It's cheap, filling and somewhat healthy. Somewhat. Trouble is, I've eaten pasta for dinner almost every night that I've been here and I've had enough. I'm going to have to branch out. Anyways, today was a pretty mediocre day, I'm fighting off another cold of sorts, so I didn't do a whole lot. I did realize something about my Anatomy & Physiology class though. I absolutely hate it. Don't get me wrong, the material is fascinating, I just can't stand to listen to a monotone voice for two hours straight.

So this is me being a rock star. Notice the shirt.

Apparently the video I put up last night was broken, so maybe I'll put something up later.

See you next Tuesday... Day 20

My day started around 7:00 pm, when I went to see the musical RENT! with my roommate, Kate. I slept most of the day, since I wasn't feeling great. Let's strike it from the record. Anyways, RENT! was absolutely amazing. It is one thing to see the movie, but to see the live show is completely different. I'm not going to lie, I cried a few times. Now I can go to sleep.

The moment you've all been waiting for... Day 19

Today wasn't really extraordinary at all, but here are a few videos from yesterday's adventure. Here's the UFO house... I know the voice sounds weird, but it is me, I promise:

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Here is the extremely rude, yet slightly impressive torch juggler:

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This is the Avon River, right in the heart of the city:

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And last, but definitely not least... this is perhaps the best video I've ever taken... look at that mullet go!

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So that's pretty much it, I had class today... then I made dinner. My life is complete.

Pay no attention to the man behind the mullet... Day 18

Let me just start by saying that I cannot believe I'm in the middle of my third week already and I know I couldn't do it without everyones love & support, so thanks everyone. Anyways, I'm going to start a photo album soon so that I can put up all of my pictures and so that I do not clog this page with too many photos. Today however, this will be clogged with photos. Unfortunately, my video uploading tool isn't working today, so hopefully I can upload some video tomorrow to make up for it. On to today. I played the role of tourist quite well, owing to the fact that I've yet to explore much of the city. Among the discoveries I made today was the Botanical Garden. It is an amazing place, I only scratched the surface of it, as I could spend days in there. There is one peculiar part of it though, quite near the beginning, there is a UFO. Actually it is a prefabricated home from the 1950s that is in the shape of a UFO, but who's counting. After the Botanical Garden, I went over to the Arts Centre and found the most amazing support columns throughout the campus. Each and every one of them is painted in a different pattern, they are all striking. While at the Arts Centre, I grabbed a souvlaki for lunch, which I've been seeing everywhere, but reluctant to eat. It is some sort of Greek food that is quite popular here, and to tell the truth, it isn't bad. After lunch, I caught a street performance by two man act called Ladder & Mullet. Aptly named, Mullet has a voluptuous blond mullet that he enjoyed calling attention to throughout the show. I have some amazing video of his hair and I will post it as soon as I am able. This picture really does the mullet no justice, as we can't see the front. Someday, you will see the legend of Mullet. After the show, I went to the art gallery, which is housed in a very impressive building, but it fails to carry that feeling throughout. There were one or two pieces that I enjoyed, but for the most part, the actual structure was my favorite bit. They finished quite impressively, with a 9 foot tall unicycle, so I left and walked the Avon River. While I was walking, I got an offer I couldn't refuse, a punt on the river. For $12, a punter took myself and an elderly woman down the river. On my way back to the bus station, I caught another street performer's act, but it wasn't nearly as engaging as Ladder & Mullet. He did balance on a bed of nails whilst juggling torches, but he was very rude and not at all funny. Hopefully I can upload all of the ridiculous videos that I took today, I believe it is very important to influence you all with the most amazing mullet that I've ever seen.