CLC

Arcadia offers the option for its students to write a CLC, or co-curricular learning certificate. This is merely proof of my experience abroad that would be useful in future job interviews. Seeing as I only have 2 days left in this glorious country, I thought I would share my CLC with everyone.

Independence

A mere seven months ago, I rang my mom excitedly. "Guess what?" I asked her."I'm going to New Zealand! I had applied only a few weeks prior and decided to study abroad only a couple weeks before that. Everything happened so fast; my nursing major courses are hard to replicate elsewhere and many of my nursing classmates never have the opportunity to study in another country. I have, however, wanted to study abroad since I was twelve years old and I wasn't going to let the possibility of taking summer courses later ruin my dreams now.

As I started packing my bags in June, my nervousness set in. Was I really going to be living in another country, away from my family and friends for four and a half months? I haven't ever been apart for them for so long and have never been this far from home. Did I make the decision to leave too quickly? Should I really be doing this? But that's just silly. Why am I second-guessing this dream? My main fears, however, sprung from my life-long battle with being shy. What if I didn't make friends? Will I get along with my flat mates? The new level of independence I would need to survive in New Zealand terrified me.

When I arrived in Dunedin, I had to become independent immediately. Never before had I needed to figure out so many things on my own: where to buy groceries or clothes or shampoo, where to pay for my linen pack, how to stay warm in the freezing, non-insulated flat, how to open a bank account. I would have to, for the first time, cook for myself every day. For about a week I remained terrified. I felt small and lonely.

A few weeks after moving in, I received letters of support from home, full of love and words of encouragement and, most importantly, recipes. Cooking became easy and even enjoyable. I've made myself some dishes I maybe never would have attempted before and know that I can always just eat some Cadbury chocolate if it doesn't turn out.

One of my flat mates and I worked out a routine; he cooks and I clean about five times a week. We shop together every Wednesday and share the cost of a taxi home when we need to buy potatoes. Over the course of the semester, my confidence and self-help skills continued to blossom. I figured out what to do when I locked myself out of my room. Twice. I managed to take the bus and get off at the right stop. I planned a trip to Milford Sound, found my favorite study spots in the library, and was able to get a hold of a violin to play for the semester and found a trio with which to perform.I took bone carving, flax weaving, and paua jewelry classes with Kiwis and other international students. I leaned about New Zealand, its culture and its people.

Suddenly, my fears disappeared. Dunedin began to feel comfortable, like a real home, and I realized that I have become an independent woman like I never was before. My new-found independence is enlightening, invigorating, and empowering. I have a faith in myself that, before living in New Zealand, I had a hard time finding. I'm confident that I can make the most out of any situation, occupy myself, study hard, and make friends. Now that I have been forced to figure out life on my own, apart from all of the people I love, I know that life at home will be different. No longer will I feel the need to run my plans by someone before I do them; it's up to me to live my life the way I want to. I will no longer be defined by what others think but rather by who I want to be.

Finals

I had my first New Zealand final last Thursday. It was for my Maori Studies - The Treaty of Waitangi class and was open note. I was able to prepare outlines for each of the four essays ahead of time and only had to produce the words on a new piece of paper. Piece of cake.

Tomorrow I have my Australia and New Zealand History final. It, too, should be pretty easy, even though it's not open note. I spent a chunk of my afternoon studying in the sun by the Leith River on campus. A friendly duck came over looking for some food in my Minnesota Twins bag. Sorry, buddy, it's empty.

My final final is on Thursday. Then it's flat inspection, a walk on the peninsula with a couple of friends, a trio performance, packing, and a 25 hour trip home. Time has flown.

Sunshine!

Winter is officially over; finally.

The last few days have been glorious - the sun is shining, the clouds are few and far between. This afternoon, I spent an hour and a half laying in the sun, studying and enjoying a novel in my tee shirt and skirt. Unfortunately, I got a little red. I'll take it, though. In a week and a half I'm heading back to cold Minnesota...

Collegiate Orchestra

A couple of weeks ago, the violin instructor at the Uni asked if I would be interested in performing with the Collegiate Orchestra on Saturday. Of course I agreed. The orchestra was tiny - the three newly-recruited violinists brought the total of first violins to five. Oh well, playing was the important thing.

On Saturday evening, after my day surfing the waves, I walked to St. Paul's Cathedral in the Octagon and found out that the director wanted me to sit as concertmaster. I had only been to two rehearsals and missed the Saturday afternoon rehearsal, but he insisted. I made plenty of mistakes, but overall the concert went pretty well.

Catch a Wave!

One of the Arcadia NZ programs every semester is a surf lesson. Before I even came to New Zealand, I was so excited. I've always wanted to give surfing a shot, even if I was terrible at it. The lesson was originally scheduled for a couple of weeks ago, but we had rain and big waves so it was postponed until today. It could not have been a nicer day to spend out in the sea. The sun was shining and the wind was calm, absolutely perfect conditions.

We were told to meet outside of the Farmers Department Store to catch the city bus to the beach. Only 2 of us turned up, though, along with Helen, who is employed by Arcadia to help out with all of the students. She ended up driving us instead. On the way, we picked up another student who misunderstood the information and was waiting at the train station where the farmers' market was set up. . .

More students met us at St. Clair beach where we were suited up with wetsuits. It was the first time I have ever worn one. (They are amazing! I could hardly feel the cold water.) My arms were a bit too short to carry my pink surf board the "correct" way for very long, so I balanced it on top of my head instead and made my way down the beach. We were split into two groups and given a few instructions on the basics of surfing.

We all laid our boards in a semi-circle and pretended to paddle. Then, we were told to jump up in one fluid motion, landing with our feet a bit further than shoulder length apart, on the back half of the board, with our front foot turned out. Believe me, this is much easier said than done. I almost always landed incorrectly, and it was never a fluid motion.

Oh well. We headed out to attempt to catch our first waves. Making my way out to sea was pretty challenging; for every step I took forward, the incoming waves pushed me back another two. Once I finally made it out to about my torso, I was able to catch a few waves. Timing the waves wasn't hard at all - the difficult part was standing up.

Most of the time, I would make it to my knees and then slip off my board. A couple times I swirled around in the waves for a few seconds before resurfacing. The instructors gave me good tips on how to try and stand, and eventually I did it! Twice! I stood on my moving surf board twice! I'm so proud.

We spent about two hours or a little less in the water, but it went by quickly. I kept trying again and again, and I didn't even get frustrated when I couldn't get up. By the end, though, I was exhausted. Carrying the board, fighting the waves, and using my arms to paddle and then force myself up was hard work.

Today was one of my favorite in Dunedin. I can't wait to try surfing again.

Antal Szalai and his Gypsy Band

Last night, I went to a performance at the Regent Theatre in the Octagon. It was Antal Szalai and his Gypsy Band, a show I heard about while Dad was here and I was really interested in seeing it. I got my ticket only one day before, but my seat was seven rows back and had a great view.

The group is led by Antal Szalai, a gypsy violinist. He is amazing. Despite his not-so-perfect technique, his sound is phenomenal and precise. His band consists of a clarinetist/panflutist, a violist, bassist, and a man who played the cimbalom. Perhaps easiest described as a hammered dulcimer, the cimbalom has something like 139 strings and is played with mallets. It sounded to me a bit like a harpsichord. The musician played incredibly fast. For one number, they even blindfolded him and he continued to play accurately.

I decided during intermission to buy a CD. That meant, though, that I would have to take the bus home instead of the taxi. I was okay with that, since I had been thinking of taking the bus home anyway. When the concert let out, I waited around for a while at the bus stop. I waited, and waited, but no bus came. Thursday nights are big party nights in Dunedin, and the Octagon has lots of bars, so I was a bit nervous just standing around waiting. I made the decision that, if I were going to be standing around for a while anyway, I may as well start walking home.

In order to not target myself as a young woman walking alone at night, I took out my cell phone and pretended to have a conversation the whole way home. At first it felt stupid, but it was kind of comforting nonetheless. I made it home safely and, when I got there, I put my new CD on iTunes.

Hair Cut

Last week, Mom asked if it was time for me to get a haircut. I replied with a "No, I want to keep growing my hair, thank you very much." (Well, that's not exactly what I said, but that's what I was thinking.) But then I started evaluating my hair. It hasn't been cut since early June, and I thought it was doing fine, but I noticed that the ends were, in fact, dry. So yesterday when I was walking around I saw a sign for $25 hair cuts and decided that I'd just get it done.

Boy am I glad I did. It only took about 15 minutes for the lady to wash, cut, and dry my hair. It feels so much lighter and fresh, and it doesn't even look shorter. Thanks for the suggestion, Mom.

Laundry

Power is expensive. Our flat is set up with a prepaid power system, and we usually each chip in $15 a week for units of electricity. We've made a deal, though, that if we use the drier, we pay an extra $2 for 90 minutes of dry time.

Normally, I'll throw in a load about once a week and I just pay to dry the items that are needed soon. Today, though, is sunny, and I decided to make use of the clothesline we have in the back yard. I washed my sheets and let them dry in the sun and breeze. They only took about an hour and a half to dry. When I brought them back in to make my bed, I found a few cherry blossom petals stuck in the corners.

Marco

On the anniversary of his death, my thoughts are with my Baby Brother today.

New Things

I've done lots of planning and buying of gifts for my friends and family since I've been here. Now that I've turned in my last essay, I figured it's finally time to reward myself with some New Zealand treasures. I walked down to a shop called Koru, one I've been to quite a few times because I love to look at their nice jewelry. It was a bit hard to shop, though, because they have so many neat things that I didn't want to narrow it down.

I eventually picked out two things for myself, both made of Pounamu, or greenstone, or New Zealand jade. I chose a dainty ring, perfect for my small hands, and a nice greenstone necklace. I love the color of it, kind of unfinished looking. Good finds.

Weather

I thought that spring would bring better weather. And sometimes it does - when Tony was here, there were so many sunny and nice days. Then, Dad came. And it rained, and rained, and rained. And even though it stops raining for a day or two, it has generally kept up the wet pattern since then. I make refuge in the library and the St. David Lecture Theater building near my flat where there is an abundance of heat flowing out of the radiators and time my trip back home on whether it's raining or not.

A few days ago we got hail. Yesterday, the wind was bitter on my walks to and from class and rain came and went as it pleased. The sidewalks are dry at the moment, though I'm sure they won't be by the time I need to go buy groceries. . .

Here is a poem my grandparents have up at their house that is appropriate for Dunedin in springtime.

Weather

Whether the weather be fine,
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold,
Or whether the weather be hot,
We'll whether the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not.

Procrastination

It seems as if my entire New Zealand education depends on whether or not I can write. Each of my classes requires 2 or 3 essays, and the final exams are written exams as well. And that's it, I have no daily assignments, no quizzes or tests. Only writing.

And all of these essays are usually due around the same time too, making my life a schedule of when I'll be in the library researching for which essay, and when I'll be typing which essay, and when I'll finally be handing in each essay. Unfortunately, I have three essays due within two weeks time. Like a good student, I spent my Saturday morning in the library and afternoon organizing my notes for essay number one.

Now today, Sunday, I thought I'd be able to whip together the majority of one of my essays. I've gotten about 700 words down. That's a start. But now I look out the window and see the sun shining through the clouds and think, "I wonder if Glassons has anything cute on sale." and "Maybe I need to go buy some more milk" and "Let's see if Facebook has changed at all in the last five minutes." Surprise! It hasn't. Now what? Okay, I'll crank out another hundred words. . .

Dad

Just a week after Tony's visit, Dad came to New Zealand. I met him in Wellington, New Zealand's capital city. After we met up at the luggage carousel, we hopped into a Prius taxi that drove us to the backpackers (hostel) where we stayed. (I had never been in a Prius before - it sure was quiet!) Despite the rain, we ventured out to the Te Papa museum and saw exhibits about NZ culture and geology. There was a room where you could stand and feel what it would be like to feel an earthquake. Little did we know that a 7.1 earthquake would rattle the area only days later...

On Sunday morning, we did a walking tour of Wellington in the rain. It was well worth it, though, as we learned a lot about the history of the city and the current uses of some of the historic buildings. At the end of the tour, Dad and I took the cable car up the hill to walk through a botanical garden. We really enjoyed hearing the Tui, a native bird, calling through the trees. The sound is unlike any bird I've heard before.

We woke up early on Monday morning to take a ferry across the Cook Strait. Unfortunately, the ferry we had booked originally was cancelled and we took a later one. Lots of waiting around. We did run into another Arcadia study abroad student who is studying in Christchurch. He was making his way around by hitchiking. We had interesting conversations about his adventures. Once we arrived on the south island in a town called Picton, we hopped onto a train and travelled south along to coast to Kaikoura. Of course, it rained almost the entire time. We had to force ourselves to leave the backpackers and venture out for dinner, but ended up having a good time. We played a couple rounds of foosball and I lost both times. :)

While we were in Kaikoura, our three plans were to do a night sky thing, swim with a huge pod of dolphins, and go sea kayaking. Unfortunately, only one of our plans ended up happening. It rained too much to see the sky, and the ocean swells were too large to go out swimming with the dolphins. We did go kayaking, though, and saw both some NZ fur seals and a rare blue penguin, the smallest species of penguins. He just happened to be swimming around at the right spot for us to watch him for about 5 minutes. And on Wednesday, before we caught the train to Christchurch, we went whale watching. They had a good system - another, earlier boat would track the location of the whales and would send the information to the boats behind it. A couple of times, we stopped and the captain of our boat stuck a listening device into the water to try and hear the whale. Pretty amazing. We ended up seeing a couple of Hectors Dolphins, a rare species, and a Sperm Whale. He was huge!

We only spent one night in Christchurch, but our hotel was pretty wacky. It was called Hotel So and it reminded me of Japan. It was pretty modern, with lots of neon colors and a curved, sliding glass door that lead to the bathroom. Two days after we left was the devastating earth quake. (No one has lost a life yet, though.)

On Thursday morning, we flew to Queenstown. While we were there, we mostly just bummed around, walking downtown through the shops, going to a craft fair on Saturday, using free internet at the McDonald's cafe. We also took a hike on Sunday that led to a sculpture called Basket of Dreams and a neat view. It was nice to have a laid back few days before taking the bus back to Dunedin and reality.

I showed Dad some of the places I go here in Dunedin - New World for groceries, the post office, where I can cut flax for weaving, and, of course, campus. We also went to Baldwin Street where we met an old man who typically runs up and down the street around 30 times a day. He's kind of famous. http://www.odt.co.nz/your-town/dunedin/3290/baldwin-st-30-times-day

Also while Dad was in Dunedin, we went on a penguin tour and saw some yellow-eyed penguins, hooker sea lions, and NZ fur seals. I was the only one to spot a penguin making its way onto the beach. All of the others we saw had already come ashore and were camping out in their nests. We also saw tons of sheep. The penguin beach was on the outskirts of a farm, and the tour company is the only one that has permission to visit the beach. So, naturally, we walked among the sheep on our way down the hill. We saw 2 sheep that had just been born, and 2 others who were looking for their mom and were bleating at us to help them find her. When she appeared around the corner, they ran over to her. So cute. We also saw a pitch black lamb.

Dad left yesterday, the only day of the 2 week trip that we didn't have rain. We took a tour of the Olveston house in Dunedin and enjoyed the last few hours of each others company. I'm so glad he came to visit. We had a terrific time.

Tony

On August 10, Tony came to visit me. We spent 2 weeks exploring Dunedin and some of the south island together and had a fantastic time. The day after he arrived was my birthday. We toured the Cadbury Chocolate Factory where we tasted lots and lots of chocolate and saw them making giant Cadbury Eggs for next Easter. We also went to St. Clair beach for dinner and gaped at the giant waves.

The first weekend he was here we drove to the other side of the country and visited Milford Sound. This beautiful area was misnamed; it is actually a fjord, formed by glaciers thousands of years ago. We took a cruise and saw waterfalls, seals, penguins, and, my favorite, dolphins! It was a gorgeous day and was a beautiful location.


The rest of his visit was spent wandering around Dunedin, walking up the steepest street in the world, cooking his delicious food, and enjoying time together. When he first arrived, he said, "I love New Zealand!" It made me feel so much better about being here, like I had more of a purpose and wasn't just a dot in a foreign land. I had actually paved a path for myself and was able to show it off, comfortable now in the skin that seemed so strange almost 2 months ago.

My Day

Today has been nice. I only had one class this morning, Early Australian and New Zealand History. (It's my favorite!) After class, I headed to the library to print my Maori essay. On my way in, I ran into Dave, the Christian group leader. We had a little chat, and he called me Liz. I didn't correct him.

In the computer lab, I watched as 12 pages of my paper shot out of the printer, one copy to hand in and one for my records. I stapled them together and headed over the the Maori Studies building and handed in my first ever Otago University essay. It's worth about 15% of my grade, so I really hope I did well! It feels so good to be done.

This afternoon, I've thrown in 3 loads of laundry, eaten leftover dinner from 2 nights ago, Skyped with family, and worked on editing and referencing an essay for my God and Ethics class. I'd say I've been pretty productive.

Tunnel Beach

On Saturday, I took a trip with the Otago Christian Group to Tunnel Beach. The group was very diverse; I was the only American student, there were 2 Malaysians, a German, a Japanese, a Russian, and an Indian. We packed into a van and drove the 20 minutes to the beach along windy gravel roads. July 31st was the last day the trail to the beach was open. It meanders through sheep pastures and closed on August 1st for the lambing season.

We walked the easy descent to the first tunnel, naturally made by the waves crashing against the rocks. Further down the path was a man-made tunnel. It was built by a Mr. Cargill to give his daughters private access to a beach. How wonderful would it be to have your own beach?!

Queenstown

Last weekend, I headed over to Queenstown with the other Arcadia Study Abroad students. We spent 2 1/2 days in the adventure capital of the world, jet boating, hiking, luging, and, for the brave ones, bungy jumping.

The drive to Queenstown took a little over 3 hours. When we arrived, we checked into the Pinewood Lodge where I shared a tiny room with 5 other girls. It wasn't the greatest, but it was a place to sleep. There was a kitchen, too, so I was able to bring food from home instead of eating out all weekend.

After everyone was settled in, we drove to the Shotover River where we took a jet boat ride. I had a blast! The boat only needs 4 inches of water to operate on, and our driver was a maniac. (Well, I guess all of the drivers are crazy. That's what makes the ride so exciting!) We came within inches of scraping against rock walls and running into logs, and we did lots of 360º turns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBT-2yGXVwU&feature=related

The rest of the night was open for free time. I went to downtown Queenstown with Cleo, another Arcadia student. It was really touristy, but so charming at the same time.

In the morning, we had the option of either skiing/snowboarding or hiking. I chose to hike. Everyone going on the hike had to be ready to go at, as they say, "7:45 AM in the morning". We drove over an hour to the start of the Routeburn Track. I had been told to wear lots of warm clothing. Usually, there's lots of snow and the temps are pretty low when the group does the hike at this time of year. Fortunately, it was a gorgeous day. Unfortunately, I wore way too many layers and had nothing to put them in as I took them off.

After crossing the third swinging bridge about an hour and a half into our hike, we stopped for "morning tea". I ate a Luna bar and filled up my water bottle in the river flowing by, and then we continued on. If I thought the first section was hard, I was in for a big surprise for the second section! It was almost continuously uphill. After 2 or so hours of huffing and puffing my way up the mountain, I finally made it to the Routeburn Falls hut where we could eat lunch. By that time, my stomach was growling and I inhaled my food. Jane, the Arcadia director in NZ, made us a hot blackcurrant drink. (Usually by the time people get to the hut, they are frozen and the warm drink is perfect. This time, we weren't really frozen, but the hot drink was still perfect.)

I went with a group heading up even further to go see a lake. At this point, we had finally reached some snow. Again, it was mostly uphill and steep, but I felt determined to stick with the group. We made it to the lake, but had to turn around immediately if we were to make it back to the bus in time. Of course, the way back down was much easier, but it still took at least 3 hours. I chatted with a new friend, which helped pass the time.

As we got closer and closer to the end, my feet and my legs were getting more and more sore. (They are still hurting now! It's hard to walk!) We made it, though, and we weren't even the last ones. The bus took us back to Queenstown and we ate delicious pizza at Winnie Bago's. I walked back the the Lodge, took a shower, and passed out on my bed.

Sunday was more laid back, but still a lot of fun. We took a gondola ride to the top of a mountain. From there, we strapped on helmets, hopped onto a chairlift, and came sliding down the hill on a luge track. I had a blast! We each got to take 3 rides. We had to take the slower scenic route to get used to it, and then we could do the advanced route. The scenery was amazing and I hardly felt the cold.

After taking the gondola back down, the bungy jumpers left for their adventure. No way did I do that! I went to a restaurant called Ferg Burger with a friend. (Jane was giving recommendations for restaurants on Friday night. She mentioned Ferg Burger, saying it in her cute NZ accent. Then she paused and said, "Ferrrg Burrgerr, as you Americans say".) It was crowded, but for a good reason. It was delicious! I had a burger with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and some kind of sauce. I must have been hungry, too, because I was able to eat the entire thing. Celia and I went shopping at Glassons, a chain of clothing stores, and we got a free fudge sample at a candy shop.

All of the non-bungyers hopped on the bus and drove to Arrowtown, a famous gold town. We only had 20 minutes to walk around, and I think it was really just a way to kill time while we waited for the bungy jumpers to finish. I got some walnut and coffee ice cream, though, which was superb. My group then went to the first ever bungy bridge and saw about 10 people jump. The brave Arcadia kids met up with us there and we headed back to Dunedin.

Skateboarding

I guess skateboarding is a pretty big thing here. Half of the guys in my class walk in carrying one, and people are zooming by me all the time on campus. Today I saw a boy with a kind of skateboard I had never seen before - his feet were both on separate little platforms, not connected at all. I think if I tried to ride around campus like that, I'd fall over for sure.

Jaffa Race

Today, I walked about a half an hour over to Baldwin Street, the claimed Steepest Street in the World. It was there that the annual Cadbury Chocolate Carnival's Jaffa Race was to be held.


At half past 12, thousands of candy-coated chocolates were released from the top of the street and bounced, clattered, and rolled their way down the street while onlookers ooo-ed and ahhh-ed over their massive quantity and speed.


Before race day, raffles were sold all of the country. For $1, you could buy a number whose pair was attached to a single Jaffa. The first 5 Jaffas to make it down Baldwin and into a funnel won prizes.

First Week of Classes

The sun is shining today! My room, for once, is not an ice box and I got warm after being outside for 10 minutes. I could get used to this. (I probably shouldn't, though, as this is an atypical Dunedin winter day.) I figured I should write a blog entry when I could actually feel my fingers hitting the keys.

Classes technically started yesterday, but my classes started today. So far, I like my schedule and my classes pretty well. I have Mondays and Wednesdays off every week! My God and Ethics in the Modern World class has two lectures every week as well as one tutorial, or smaller discussion group, every week. History also has two lectures a week, but the tutorial only meets a few times throughout the semester. And Te Tiriti o Waitangi, a class about the Treaty of Waitangi between the British and the Maori, never has a tutorial.

For all three classes, my grade is based solely on 2 essays and the final exam. No pressure there, huh?! All of the reading material is posted and is available in the library, which is nice, and saves a lot of money.

I guess the first week after holidays is usually pretty loud and a lot of students party every night. I just got back from wandering around and picking up a few groceries. On my way home, I walked down Castle Street where most residents are students. Doors were wide open, people were sitting on roofs drinking and smoking, and music was blasting from the stereo systems. This was at 3:00 in the afternoon. It sure makes me appreciate my quiet location right near campus and next to only one other uni flat. It also makes me appreciate my non-partying flatmates! I think I would be pretty miserable if my house was the party hub, or next door to the party hub. I guess things just have a way of working out.

Bike Ride

Today, all of the Arcadia study abroad students went on a nice long bike ride. We met up at the clock tower on campus and took a couple of taxis to a rental shop. As everyone was fitted with bikes and helmets, I stood in front of a gas-powered heater and soaked in as much warmth as I could. After everyone was ready to go, we headed through the town and towards the beach.

It was difficult to maneuver 25 people across the busy streets, and I'm pretty sure we broke half a dozen laws. We rode on the wrong side of the street, crossed without crosswalks, and used the sidewalks. The cops didn't seem to mind, though, and one of the students even stopped and had a conversation with two female officers stopped at a red light.

As we came nearer to the beach, we climbed two big hills. That sure warmed me up! From there, we had breathtaking views of the roaring sea below us. After an adventure down to the sand and picturesque lookouts, we headed to a restaurant for pizza bread with humus and warm garlic bread. I splurged and bought a $4 hot chocolate, one of the best investments I've made thus far on my trip. Delicious!

Home Sweet Home

Now that I've had a chance to settle into my flat, it's feeling less like a temporary stay and more like I can actually call it home for 4 months.

I rearranged my room yesterday so I could use my desk lamp at night to read, and I like it so much better. I sleep inside my sleeping bag and under my blankets because we don't have much electricity and I can't keep my heater running for more than 30 minutes at a time. I never thought about how much electricity I use until I came here. I don't leave the power of my computer on as much as I do at home, and I try not to turn on the lights as often either.

I have a lot of room to put my sparse wardrobe! The bag on top of my "closet" is what all my sheets and blankets came in. I had to haul it across campus and back to my flat. The people before me left me 2 mirrors, thumb tacks, and a million hangers. They also left a couple of New Zealand guidebooks which I have yet to crack open.

My house is right across the street from a soccer/rugby field, and it's only half a block away from campus. Score.

Orientation

I've made it safely to Dunedin and I'm finally feeling settled. My room is set up, my flat mates are here, and my things are all put away. It's so nice to stop living out of a suitcase!

Dunedin is cold. And yes, this is coming from a Minnesotan. The difference between Dunedin cold and Minnesota cold is that there is no central heating in the flats. I have a small space heater in my room, but it can only be on for about 30 minutes at a time to save on electricity. I have worn my Patagonia Puff and my Columbia fleece nonstop since arriving here.

The orientation that Arcadia University, the program through which I'm studying, was nice. We spent a day in Auckland, travelling around, mostly to keep us from going to bed and to avoid jet lag. We took a hike, saw the Uni campus there, and went up in the famous sky tower. (I heard someone say that it is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere.) On Saturday, we drove a couple hours to a town called Rotorua. The town is situated on a Lake Rotorua and around many natural hot springs. The whole down smelled like rotten eggs because of the sulfur in the water. It was also pretty touristy and is known as Roto-Vegas.

While we were there, we visited an outdoor hot spring pool, experienced the famous New Zealand-created zorbing, went to a sheep show, and walked around 2 environmental parks. (The picture is taken of us inside the zorb after our roll down the hill). I had a good time but was very ready to get to Dunedin.

Since I've been here, I've had a campus tour, gone shopping, and gotten to know 2 of my 3 flat mates. Living with me in 42 St. David St. are Des, my Kiwi Host, Chesney from Colorado, and Hiroshi from Japan. He just arrived this morning and went straight to bed, so I have not had a chance to meet him. The other two are pretty nice. We watched an episode of a British TV show together tonight.

Tomorrow is more orientation for all of Otago's international students, opening a bank account, and paying for my linen pack.

Time to Go

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

Today I begin the journey of a lifetime. At 9:30 tonight, my plane will lift off and carry me 13 hours and 6500 miles over the sea then leave me to grow, explore, and learn for the next 4 1/2 months.

Kiwis and Kumara

Kiwi - New Zealander
kiwi - endagered bird that is native to New Zealand
Kumara - a special type of sweet potato brought to New Zealand by the early Maori settlers


If you had asked me how I was feeling about my trip at this time last week, I probably would have shrugged and made little conversation. I was nervous, stressed, and, honestly, not quite looking forward to it. Now, fast forwarding 7 days, I'm feeling more prepared, organized, and excited. Granted, I'm still very anxious, but I'm more able to keep my emotions in check and focus on the adventure instead of what I'll miss at home.

I got a copy of my orientation schedule. I spend a day exploring Auckland, then head to Rotorua, a very Maori-influenced area. There, I will learn about their culture, eat their food, and be truly welcomed to New Zealand. One of the reasons I chose to study in New Zealand specifically was because of the Maori culture and I am really looking forward to experiencing it firsthand.

Writing

I just finished writing a letter to myself. The Global Studies office at St. Kate's will send it to me about half way through my semester in New Zealand. I'm sure when I read it I'll think back to today, to the application process, and to the challenge of organizing everything. 70 days.

T-Minus 77 Days

Okay. I know I'm ahead of the game starting a New Zealand blog, but it's just one more thing I can cross off of my list of things to do. Actually, my list is getting smaller by the day. Mom sent in my Visa application just yesterday, my housing forms are almost complete, and I've even started a packing list!

I will be studying at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. It's a coastal town located on the south island. Around 19,000 students attend the Uni (my new Kiwi slang word), and there are about 2500 international students (around 500 from the US). I don't know anyone from St. Kate's who will be studying at Otago with me; I get to make a whole new group of friends and pave the road myself. Bring it on.