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.