Lazy Weekend

Afternoon everyone. It's been a really lazy rest of the weekend. I have really done absolutely nothing. I am going to try and write my essay today that is due on Thursday, but I am really not sure what to write. It is basically a long book report, and I am not sure what kind of thesis statement I can have about a book report. Somehow, "It was an informative book" doesn't quite cut it. Let's hope I can figure something out.

All I have really done is be chill and not much else, so I don't have many pictures to show from my adventures. I did go up to the top of Mt. Victoria last night to see the city in all its nighttime splendor, but I didn't take my camera. I will remember to do that next time. Anyways, I have decided to post some older pictures that I hadn't gotten a chance to post yet because there was just not enough room in a post, or the internet would take too long. Enjoy.

Another view of the Wellington harbour from up on Kelburn. I really can't get over how amazing the clouds look. It is almost like they are the peak of the mountain, but really, they're not.

This is the cable car coming up the hill to Kelburn. Yes, there is only one track, you are seeing that correctly, even though two cars run on the line. In the second tunnel there is this switch thing were they can go around each other, but it really does seem as if you are about to crash.

This is a part of the "Peace Flame Garden." It is near the rose garden at the botanical gardens. It contains the preserved fires from the atomic holocaust at Hiroshima. (Yes, I have the guidebook right in front of me.)

More Wellington harbour-ness. Really, I can't get over how pretty it all is!

This is V being a human sun dial. She did it on our way into the gardens, and I did it on the way out, and we really were amazed to see the time change. You stand on the day's date, put your back to the sun, put your hands in the air, and check out the date. Very cool. It goes well with my current obsession with time and time zones.

Clare, me, and Pheobe at Primal last Thursday. I might go on a brief road trip with Clare later in the semester because she is getting her brother's car (he is going to Africa for three months to finish up his degree).

This is a small portion of what the farmer's market looks like on Sundays. Now, you see the two stands there. It goes all the way to the end of the block to the right and to the back. There are tons and tons and tons of people, and even more stands. I wish I could get a good picture of it from above, but the outsides of my windows are so dirty here that it is impossible. They don't even open enough so that I can clean them.

I want to point out two things before I go.

1) This post took me more than an hour to type, and the vast majority of that time was waiting for the pictures to load.

2) The high here is 59, but it is supposed to be raining, so it will feel colder than that. Winds at 20mph. It's 9:34 PM in Dalton, but it is still 75 and rainy. The overnight low is 68, and the Sunday high is supposed to be 85. It was even worse earlier when the heat index was more than double the temp in Wellington!

Film Festival

There has been a film festival in Wellington for the past two weeks. All kinds of films have been showcased, including Crash, 3-Iron, Enron, Inside Deep Throat, and The Lost World. I, being the movie lover that I am, couldn't let the festival leave without seeing some good films, so I spent the majority of this afternoon at the theater.

The first film I saw is called Bride of Silence, and it is from Vietnam. "An evocative and sensual début by the brother-sister team of Doan Thanh Nghia and Doan Minh Phoung, this drama offers a zen-like contemplation of the mystery surrounding the fate of an unwed mother in 18th-century, rural Vietnam." It was very interesting to hear the Vietnamese being spoken. I love watching movies with subtitles. The scenery was amazing. Not amazing like breathtaking-New Zealand-amazing, but very lush and subdued. There was a lot of environmental imagery in the film. It was very solemn, and it has a classical soundtrack.

The second film I saw today is from Argentina. It is called Rolling Family, and it is about as far on the other end of the spectrum as you can get from Bride of Silence. It is about an Argentine family, extended family, who goes on a road trip together in a Chevrolet caravan to a distant relative's wedding. From the website:
"Family chaos takes to the road in this amiable comedy from Argentina’s energetic poet of social realism, Pablo Trapero (El Bonaerense). “Four generations of an Argentinian family hit the road in Pablo Trapero's enchanting and buoyantly funny new movie. An aging matriarch, her frazzled middle-aged daughters, exasperated sons-in-law, hormonal grandchildren, and newborn great-grandson pile into a temperamental camper to travel to a clan wedding far from Buenos Aires."
I just typed "It was so funny" and had to delete it. It really wasn't a comedy. There were some definite funny moments, though. You can't have all those people in a camper, especially in a Spanish film, and not have it be hysterical. I would reccommend this to anyone who has a crazy family. It was a really good film in a different way from the first. The scenery didn't strike me as much in this one; it was more about the social and emotional relationships between the characters.

So, there it is. I didn't let the festival get away from me without being cultured. Amy said that things like this don't often come to Wellington, so I had to take advantage of it. I might go to one more on Sunday, The Queen of Sheba's Pearls. This one is from Sweden/UK where "the hushed, proper and rather sad household of a country vicarage is brought back to life by the arrival of a beautiful, mysterious ‘foreigner’." As the mystery of the foreigner is unraveled, so are the secrets of the household. Should be enjoyable.

One last thought before I leave you for the evening. It is crazy how often people think I am Spanish here. At home, no one would ever think of it. Half the people at home think I am Greek! Here, I have even had checkout people ask me if I am Spanish (before they hear me speak). Today, I was waiting to go in to the second film (which is in Spanish with English subtitles) and an older lady comes up and starts speaking Spanish to me! I was like, I'm sorry? She apologized and was all like, Oh! I thought you were a Spanish-speaker! You look so much like a native!

Apparently, not too many Kiwis have skin as dark as mine. Who knows what will happen when I come back from being in Fiji for 10 days!

Random Update

Nothing terribly exciting has happened recently, but several people seem to think I have fallen off the face of the earth if I don't post every three days, so: a post!

It is raining here. A lot. It was drizzling when I first left for class at 9:40 this morning, but it steadily increased over the day. It is interesting being up on the hill because you are somewhat above the cloud. It will be just drizzly up there and actually raining by the time you get to the bottom of the Terrace. At least it is not terribly cold (although, last I checked, it was half the heat index of Dalton, GA) and not very windy. Just your average rainfall.

A couple of weeks ago Anna asked me if I was having trouble understanding Kiwis when they speak to me. Apparently, Americans have a history of not understanding Kiwis. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about; now, I do. I have to struggle to understand my POLS 248 tutor. (For future reference, tutorial = recitation and tutor = T.A. from back home.) He has a very deep voice, speaks softly, and mumbles. It didn't help today that the rain was echoing thoughout the room. It's very difficult to concentrate enough to understand what he is saying.

On another academic note, I have reached a very agreeable arrangement with a guy in my geology class and lab. He goes to class on Monday, I go on Thursday, we both go to lab and class on Wednesday and swap notes. I have an extended break between my classes on Monday and he on Thursday, so it is easier just not to walk back up to campus. Lovely. Erin, it reminds me of our HPS 1040 agreement freshman year. Also, my POLS 244 essay got pushed back a week, so I don't have to worry about that as much any more. Too bad I have already written it and not the other one due next week!

I also want to say that I am loving the phone calls and AIM-dates from back home. They have been fabulous, especially when it is the crack of dawn back home and you have been awake all night long. It's nice to talk with you people from back home once in a while!

I guess that is about it. I have a thing to go to in half an hour, so I am going to go waste time on the internet. Oh, I forgot to mention the fire. Something happened in Cumberland, the hostel across the street, and there were three fire engines out there! Craziness in New Zealand. Perhaps I will read the paper now.

Keith Locke

I really like my POLS 244 class. Really, a lot. (Well, for now, anyways.) We have speakers come in sometimes, and today was our first speaker. It was Keith Locke, who, according to the website, is the Spokesperson for: Civil Defence; Defence; Disarmament; Foreign Affairs; Human Rights; Industrial Relations (Assoc); Overseas Development Assistance; Police; Security and Intelligence; Transport (Assoc - Auckland); Veteran Affairsfor the Green Party of New Zealand.

As an overview of Green party policy, they are very environmentally focused as well as being very outspoken on human rights and non-violence. You can check out the rest of their policies at http://www.greens.org.nz/.

Anyways, so Keith Locke came and spoke to us today. He spoke on a variety of topics for about half an hour and then left it open for questions. I am only going to mention a couple of things that he said because they made the biggest impressions on me.

He started with talking about terrorism in today's world. He said calling this the age of terrorism is a huge myth because hijackings and terrorism were much more prevalent in the 1970s. He also said that non-state terrorism (i.e. terrorist organizations) were not as much of a problem and were not as dangerous as state terrorism.

He also spoke about how New Zealand should be more focused on human rights in its foreign policy. Kiwis should be wary of free trade agreements because they are not necessarily beneficial for the parties involved. Governments also should not form free trade agreements with states with human rights violations (his example was the proposal for a free trade agreement between New Zealand and China).

The final point that really hit home with me was that New Zealand had to carefully analyze alliances and that just because it has been friendly with countries in the past doesn't mean that it has to continue in the future. He cited America as the number on example. According to Locke, America and the Bush administration is the number one problem in the world, causing the most violence and poverty and security issues. He said that because of this fact, New Zealanders should not be fighting along side American troops because it implicitly shows approval of American idealism (his example: fighting along side American troops in Afghanistan implicitly gave approval for the torturing of prisoners in Guatanamo Bay). He believes that the NZ defense budget should be moved from defense expenditure to patrolling expenditure, as in not having a standing navy (i.e. getting rid of their two frigates) but having more fishery patrols in the Asian region.

OK, I think we can be assured that I would never vote for this guy. He did have some very good points that I agreed with, not the least of which was the fact that you have to take every situation individually and not generalise across situations. One response to human rights violations may not be appropriate for another. (His example was boycotting the cricket tour in Zimbabwe but appearing under protest for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, although I believe that politics should be removed from sport.) Also, just because a state has acted one way historically does not mean it should continue to act that way in the future. Times change, and governments should be flexible while holding to their values.

I don't think it is any surprise that I very much disagree with the assertion that the Bush administration is the number one problem in the world today. I don't believe that there can be any number one problem. The world is incredibly diverse, and the issues that are problematic for one state will not necessarily be a problem for another; not every state is in the same place metaphysically. (Although, if I had to pick one issue, I would say that extreme poverty is the number one issue, causing more death and destruction because the differences between the "haves" and "have nots" traditionally lead to the most conflict; Locke also agrees with this idea, aside from poverty being the number one issue.) There are parts of the US government that I do not agree with, but overall I think that the Bush administration has done some good things for both the United States and the world as a whole.

I also do not agree with the reduction of NZ's defense budget, although, as an international student, I know a lot less about this topic than America. I do know that New Zealand does not have a strong military capacity and that Locke is arguing the reduce this even further. New Zealand is in alliances with many other greater powers and will look to them in times of trouble for protection. This includes states like Australia, not just the United States. The point of an alliance is mutual support, and while New Zealand will never have the military capacity of the larger nations, it should offer support proportional to its economy and population size.

So, that is the Keith Locke situation. I have posted a lot recently, so don't expect one for a little while. I just felt like I wanted to talk about this before I forgot.

The Weekend: Part II

Another day, another post. I had such a hard time with this one because I could not choose which pictures to post. I have so many amazing ones, and the slow internet connection means I can't post a lot of them. Besides, it makes the post really really long. I literally made a list of the ones I wanted to post and then had to pare it down from there. I avoided all my artsy floral shots, but be sure that I took them!

Last night I ended up hanging out with my flatmate, V, and her friends for awhile. They are pretty cool and fun to hang out with. We were just playing cards in the apartment while David (other flatmate) and a friend watched The Green Mile. They are going to a concert in a week or two (I can't remember) and I am going to go with them now. I am happy that I am hanging around them more because it has been so odd for me to simply coexist in the flat. I am accustomed to living with really good friends!

I left when they did to go into town. I met up with some new friends at the Base Bar again, once more celebrating the same birthday. I had a lot of fun dancing there. It was Dan's birthday on Saturday and then Ryan's once it turned midnight, so there was a lot of celebration. We all eventually left to go to other places. We were at Jet for awhile, which is (from what I gather) a fairly trendy club. The guys knew the bouncers, so we got to skip the line, which was lovely. Prince William was there when he was in NZ, and I heard that the captain of the All Blacks (NZ's amazing rugby team) was there last night, although I did not see him myself. Once again, I ended with some nice hot chocolate, then collapsed into bed to get up 5 hours later for church.

I have been going to Central Baptist Church for the past two weeks, and I think I am going to continue to go there. I went initially because 1) I didn't like the Methodist church very much and 2) Amy sings there, so I wanted to visit her. Church in NZ is very relaxed; you can wear whatever you want, including jeans. No one gets dressed up like at home, and I really like that. I never really understood why you had to be dressed up for church every week. It doesn't make sense to me. You can be just as respectful in jeans and a sweater as in a black suit. Anyways, tangent. The cool thing about Central is that there is a team of ministers (Rodney, Jennie, and Alan, I think) who trade off speaking each week. Also, after the sermon, the congrgation is invited to pass the microphone around to make comments or add their own thoughts. It is a lot more like a forum than the traditional churches back home. I like it a lot better because you feel more a part of the service, and I find that I can concentrate on the service a lot easier. It is longer than the services at home, but overall it feels shorter because it is more enjoyable and I don't keep falling asleep, even though I only had 5 hours of sleep the night before. Today's sermon was interesting because it was very politically charged; the entire topic was Faith In Politics. There is an election coming up in NZ, and people are getting a lot more into it than in previous year, from what I gather.

After church Amy and I walked down Willis St to Lambton Quey and the Arcade to get her Honey Lemon Ginger drink (something we have been doing every Sunday) and kind of wandered for awhile. I found some cute shops I am going to check out on Monday or Tuesday when they are open.

Anyways, picture time. These are all from Friday when I went to the Botanical Gardens, etc.

This is my flatmate, V (Veronica, but everyone calls her V), and I at the top of the cable car line. In the background you can see the mountains on the other side of the harbor and how pretty it is when the clouds are resting along the edge.

The botanical gardens have different themes for different sections. This part really looked like a desert. I have some other pictures that if I didn't know I had taken them in NZ I would think they had been taken in a desert. All of the flora in the Botanical Gardens is native to NZ.

I love this picture so much. It is absolutely gorgeous full size on my computer screen. NZ is the furthest place south that palm trees grow, by the way.

This is the telescope at the Carter Observatory that I looked at the sun through. It moves throughout the day to continually point at the sun, and the roof opening spins around, also. There is a long history to this particular telescope, but I don't really remember it. I didn't pay that much attention to it. After I looked through it, I continued on to learn about the constellations in the southern sky, many of which we can never see in the northern hemisphere.

Now, I have been meaning to comment on this for some time now, and I finally got a picture of it. Central heating and air conditioning is somewhat rare in NZ, so doors and windows are left open all the time. Consequently, birds are always indoors! I have been walking down hallways at university and had birds practically fly in my face. It took some getting used to. This particular picture was taken at the cafe at the Botanical Gardens by the Rose Garden.

This is a part of the Rose Garden. The fountain is in the center, and there are beds symmetrically surrounding it in a large circle. Each bed has a different variety of rose. I can't wait to go back in the summer when it is all blooming.

You can sort of see the beach in this picture. I wasn't even that Wellington had a beach, but there we go. I also love how vibrant the colors are in this picture. Really, the weather the past couple of days has been AMAZING. Clear skies, everything. Man, it is good right now.

And finally, one last picture of me. This is me on the cable car on the way down. V isn't with me right now because she had had to leave to go to class.

I hope everyone is still doing well wherever in the world you are, and don't forget to either comment or email me! I love it!

Weekend: Part 1

I feel as though I should have posted a long time ago because I have actually been doing stuff! So, here goes:

Friday morning I woke up, and it was so cold! I went to my BodyPump class, got all energized, walked out back to the street, and the coldness had turned into the most brilliant day Wellington has had since I have arrived! Really, I don't think it could have been any more gorgeous. It was about 55F with minimal wind, so it wasn't cold, either! Really amazing, like I ordered it out of a catalogue. I had been waiting for a gorgeous day like that to go ride the cable car and explore the Botanical Gardens, so I decided to change my plans for the day and go do that.

I went back to my room, convinced my flatmate (V) to go, and then we headed out. The views of the city were breathtaking. It is winter, which means a lot of the flowers weren't blooming, but there were still some blooming, and everything was really green. The water down in the bay was crystal clear. No kidding, I took 105 pictures. V left a little before 2 to go to her class, so I went over to the Carter Observatory and explored there. I went to a planetarium show, so I got to learn about stars in the southern hemisphere, and I also got to look at the sun through the giant telescope. No worries, it has good filters. There is even one that only shows hydrogen or something like that, so I got to see some solar flares. It was really a good afternoon. I even got to spend some time over by the rose garden sipping on a latte. Very peaceful.

That night I went with Bex and Louise up to Eastside Bar at the university to hear some bands play. They knew the people in one of the bands, Moped, which is why we went. They were really good. The following they had reminded me of everyone going to see Poolstick in Atlanta. Afterwards, we really just wanted to chill, so we headed off to Espresso-holic for some dessert (for them) and a chai tea latte (my second of the day!). I got a text from another one of our friends, so we went and met Dave and Dan at the Base Bar for some pool. Hopefully I will be better when I get home; we decided I am bad because I have such an aversion to physics and don't want to think about the angles and force in the game.

This morning I got a text from Meredith asking if I wanted to go with her to a BodyJam class at Les Mills. Of course! I had been planning to do a different class, but this one is fun to do once a week. It is a hip-hop kind of dance aerobics class, lots of latin music and dancing that reminded me of being in a music video or West Side Story. This kind of class is so far outside my comfort zone that I can't even describe it. It is really good for me to push my boundaries and do it, though, and it really is a lot of fun. Jason is the instructor for the Saturday class; he is a young guy, classically trained dancer, and he says "So hot right now!" a lot. Nice.

I still have not done any of the work I have been meaning to do since Wednesday. I have two essays to do, another one for GT, plus reading. I was going to do some of it today while I did laundry, but I got distracted. I am not complaing though! Check it out:

If we can find cheap enough tickets, Marianna will visit me for fall break!!! I really don't think I can describe how excited this makes me. If she skips one day of class, October 20th, she can visit me from October 13 - October 24! That is a super long time! Fall break + classes only on TR = lots of time to be in NZ! I really really want this to work out. The timing is perfect because my classes end on Oct 7, and I don't start class again until Nov 7. I have a final in there somewhere around the 15th, but I will have all that time prior to her coming to study. This would be the most amazing thing ever! I have really been missing having her here to talk to, and we could travel around NZ because the weather will be starting to get nicer. We have established a fun, the "Fly Marianna To Katie" fund, and we are most definately accepting donations! Of course, everyone is welcome to visit me as well. I am not going to kick any of you out of New Zealand for visiting me!

OK, that is it for this post. I will definately post again tomorrow. I am not putting pictures on today because this is long enough, and I post pictures on Sunday anyways. I also have fun plans for tonight, so that will be discussed, I am sure. Also, I have many impressions about cultural stuff, so look for that to come up!

Cheers!

Americanism and The Four Seasons

So, I have been here three weeks now, gone to 2.5 weeks of class, and talked to a lot of different people. I have now discovered that Americanism (which I am defining as the spreading of American beliefs and media) is really everywhere. More than half the examples in my text books are about American foreign policty (granted, we are talking a lot about realism), the financial news reports currency rates relative to the American dollar, etc. It's all over the place.

I am not convinced it is entirely a good thing. I mentioned the experience in my tutorial earlier. Last night, rather than going straight to The Big Kumera, we headed to the Basement. One of Dave's friends (Dan, I believe) had gotten a job yesterday, so we were all celebrating. I got into a political discussion with Dan (something I tend to do). He has been traveling the world for the last four months, and spent some time in California. He said to me that he never liked Americans until he met the Californians, and now he realizes it is the British he doesn't like (he also spent some time in London). I am not sure how I feel about this statement.

We talked a lot about how American is portrayed to the rest of the world, focusing on the fact that it is the media that reaches the world, not really America. I know I have had the discussion back home about how the media is biased and you have to read several different news sources to get even a semblance of the "true story," but when you take the context that the rest of the world gets an impression of America from one news source, it is not a good situation. You can't judge a county until you talk to the people of the country, and even then you can't affix a certain belief to one country (especially one as big and diverse as America) because there is bound to be a citizen who believe something different. You have to listen to different beliefs, not different people.

And now, as I step off of my soapbox, I am going to tell you about The Four Seasons. Don't be worried, I am not going to start a rant about classical music. No, I am going to make sure you understand how unpredictable NZ weather is.

9:38 AM: walk outside to go to class, realize it is cold and raining, go back inside for a rain coat
9:42 AM: return outside to discover it is no longer raining
9:50 AM: walking up the Terrace and become insanely hot because it is warming up and the sun is shining
12:15 PM: leave STA, realize it is absolutely beautiful outside except for the fact that it is cold
12:20 PM: the southerlies kick in on my way the Terrace, that kind of cold that makes your nose hurt and I nearly get blown over (OK, not that bad, but it was windy)
Mid-afternoon: starts to rain again
3:20 PM: looked outside, the sun is shining and it seems rather gorgeous but overcast

I am learning to dress in lots of layers! I have class until 6, which means it is dark by the time I leave, which means it is cold. It is interesting here, though, because if there is no wind, the night can be warmer than the middle of the day! All kinds of craziness. Silly southerlies.

Even with the crazy weather, it is still beautiful here. I can't wait to go exploring more of the country!

Official Business

The Fiji trip has been officially paid for! Meredith, Amy, and I will be spending several glorious days in Fiji at the end of August. We altered the trip a little bit, so here is the finalized itinerary:

August 17 - fly to Nadi, spend the night there at Aquarious Pacific
August 18 - sail to the outer Yasawa Islands, stay on Tevewa
August 19 - boat trip to Sawailau Caves and underwater caverns, stay on Tavewa
August 20 - stay on Manta Ray Island
August 21 - sunset summit walk, stay on Kuata
August 22 - kayaking trip around the island, stay on Kuata
August 23 - stay on Bounty
August 24 - all day sailing trip around the outer Mamanuca Islands, visit a traditional Fiji village, Kava ceremony (all around the island featured in Castaway), stay on Beachcomber
August 25 - stay on Nadi
August 26 - fly home to Wellington

And that is the final trip! Really, it is going to be amazing. I can't wait. Everyone thinks it is funny that I just got to New Zealand and am already leaving to go somewhere else, but it is warm in Fiji right now! I am waiting for warm weather here to go exploring. Although, I believe Meredith, Amy, and I will be going up to Taupo and Rotorua at the end of September (meeting up with a Rotary scholar and her friends from Auckland) to go skydiving and zorbing.

I did my first presentation yesterday for my host Rotary club (Pencarrow). I think it went really well. I had to do it using overheads on a projector, which I wasn't used to, but I made the best of it. It was kind of like jumping into the deep end, giving my presentation on the first visit, but I thought it was a good way to introduce myself to everyone, rather than meeting everyone seperately and answering the same questions a lot. Everyone was really nice. They meet in the yacht club / marina in Eastbourne.

I also got my first direct questions about US foreign policy yesterday, although not from Rotary. My POLS 244 tutorial had us talking about "How a realist would define the war on terror," which of course ended up being people in the class asking me one thing after another. I didn't feel personally attacked because I am fairly good at holding up in situations like that, but I think the "moderator" (for lack of a better word) thought I was. Oh, well, it was just good practice!

Explorations Off the Beaten Path

OK, it is Sunday here, which means pictures! I really didn't think I would have any to post. I know, I know, there are those out there who cannot imagine that I went a whole week without taking pictures. Well, the weather has been a bit dodgy. All wet and overcast and whatnot. I haven't done anything particularly exciting besides classwork and continuing my explorations. So, I really didn't think I would have anything.

Then, I went on a trip. Mark and Anna came over on Saturday morning to check out my presentation (I make my first speech to my host Rotary club on Monday evening), and afterwards we went for another drive. We drove around to see the old Lord of the Rings warehouses where things were filmed, and I got to see where Weta Digital still is. Then, we ate lunch in this building that is a converted oil well thing. Some Asian couple bought it, decontaminated it, and turned it into a cafe and home & garden store.






I had french toast with bacon (otherwise known as grilled ham) and bananas. It was delicious, and so much better than Mckenzies' food.

After lunch, we continued our drive around the coast. We went around the southern edge this time, down past Happy Valley (which ironically doesn't seem very happy), and then went off-roading along the coast. We were basically on a beach, but don't think FL beach. The closest thing I can compare it to is that beach we were on in Oregon (I believe) on choir tour so long ago where we climbed all the big rocks. I don't know who all out there is reading this from that tour, but imagine that with bigger waves. I could totally see why this area of the world is so big for surfing. These were some of the biggest "calm" waves I have ever seen, although the picture below doesn't really show that. You can see Mark's Jeep in the picture below; that's what we were driving around in.

There were also a TON of sea lions everywhere. Apparently this is a good time of year for spotting them. They smell really bad, are really loud, and pretty dangerous; they can move very quickly on dry land. I had a hard time seeing them at first because they blend in with the rocks. I was actually climbing around on rocks when I turned around and realized how close I was getting to these here. They're pretty lazy for the most part, though.

And, of course, the obligatory "I'm Still Alive" picture. I loved climbing around on the rocks!


This is Mark driving through what is known as "Hell's Gate," a part of "the Devil's Elbow." Anna and I had to get out and walk over to make sure no one was coming from the opposite direction.

We also went up on Mt. Victoria because it was a semi-clear day and not too windy. If you look closely, you can see my dorm. It is in about the center of the picture. You can see a taller building, black in the middle with two white stripes on either side, and just to the left is an orangey building. I live in the orangey building.

Fiji, etc

Hello all. I haven't posted recently (or recently enough for my family) because nothing very exciting has been happening in the past couple of days. It's been rather rainy and a bit dreary, so I haven't done much besides go to class, buy a wireless modem, and work out. But, the masses want a post, so here it is!

The only truly exciting thing, I would suppose, is that I am in the process of finalizing my trip to Fiji. Want the breakdown?
August 16 - fly to Nadi, spend the night there
August 17 - cruise out to outer Yasawas to arrive at Tavewa by lunchtime; promptly chill out
August 18 - still on Tavewa, take a cave tour (swimming) through Sawailau Caves
August 19 - cruise on over to Manta Ray Island
August 20 - relaxing on Kuata
August 21 - still relaxing on Kuata, taking time for a guided kayaking tour
August 22 - chill and snorkel on Bounty
August 23 - spend the day sailing outer the outer Mamanuca Islands, complete with an awesome reef to snorkel, a Fijian island visit, and Kava ceremony; includes a stop on the island from Castaway; spending the night on Beachcomber
August 24 - spending a full day and night on Beachcomber
August 25 - staying back on shore (if you can call the main island 'shore') in Nadi
August 26 - flying back to Wellington through Auckland

Sounds like the trip of a lifetime, doesn't it? It is going to be amazing. We are completely finalizing it on Monday, so this isn't confirmed yet. August 16th is Meredith's birthday, so it is a really special trip for her. Meredith, Amy, and I are going to have a blast. Especially since it is winter here and we're still not quite used to it!

On a completely seperate note, and to prove how I am still fascinated by time zones, the British Open began this morning at 1:30 AM. It is actually not being broadcast on any of the stations that I get in my room (you have to have satellite), so that is that. Still, 1:30 AM!

I have my first Rotary speech on Monday, so Mark is coming over at 11:15 to check out my presentation and everything. I hope that he likes it. I am slightly disappointed at his timing because HARRY POTTER comes out here at 11:01 AM! Meeting him means I have to wait til later to pick up my copy. Oh, well, we have waited years, a few more hours won't kill me. Besides, I have plenty of other things to read. I haven't taken a true humanities class in awhile, so I have forgotten a little about how much reading there is. I have two essays due within the next two weeks, each of which is 40% of my grade in the respective class. I haven't written an essay in awhile, and I am not sure exactly what kind of style the professors are expecting over here. I am sure that I write differently than the other Kiwi students.

Hm, that is about it. I don't think I have taken any pictures at all this week because it has been overcast and rainy, but I will work hard today to get some for you all tomorrow!

Oh, and I have the internet full time now, so no more of the internet cafe business. I broke down and bought a wireless broadband modem and subscribed to a service. Expensive, but with all the research I have to do online plus the fact that those 6 computers for all 200+ students were always crowded plus I can't access my banking information on them meant that I was getting frustrated with the internet. This is much more satisfactory, and now I am on AIM all the time! It's been good to chat with people that way.

Professors, Dennis, and Meningococcal B

Monday is the Day of School for me. I originally had class from 10-12, tutorials from 1-3, and class from 5-6. My 2-3 got moved to Thursday at 4, but that is still the most amount of class all week for me. I try to take care of all of my university things on Monday, as well, which leads to a lot of running around. I did pay tuition, buy books, have a gym consultation, AND talk to STA Travel about Fiji, though, which is a productive day. However, as I have now had all of my professors for a week, I have formed opinions about them. I still do not know their names, though.

POLS 244: (International Relations) This professor is fairly young, in his early 40s I believe, and very energetic. He really looks for good discussions, and the way he presents his material is enjoyable and entertaining. He is having heaps of guest speakers come in, which is exciting. This is an election year in New Zealand, and foreign policy is having more of an electoral effect than ever before, so we are having senior policy advisors and leaders of all the political parties come in, as well as some retired UN Ambassadors and activists. Our tutorial is a round-table discussion about the readings from class, and I really enjoy hearing the other points of view. I am the only American in the class, so I always get a chance to speak my mind (something I can do fairly easily, I think). I may not want to write the essays, but I do like the material.

POLS 248: (Conflict Analysis) I don't believe this professor could be more vague if he tried. He was born and raised in Hong Kong, which makes for a bit of a difficult accent (I spent a large portion of today's class interpreting "environmental"), but it is more his teaching style that I do not fit well. The class is too open-ended for me. For example, there is no prescribed text book. There is merely a "suggested reading" list to prepare for the next lecture. Firstly, these readings are from books in the library, and he does not put them on course reserve, so you can never get a copy to actually read. When we brought this to his attention, he was response was as such: "Well, just go to Google or YaHOO, type in conflict, and read about what you think class will be discussing." Do you know how many entries you get when you type "conflict" in Google? I do. About 74,000,000. Hmm. Secondly, some of the suggested readings are from an encyclopedia of conflict or something like that. However, he does not specify which entries to read. He prints "selected entries" on the sheet. Very vague. I don't like it.

GEOL 113: (Fundamentals of Geology) This class has many different lecturers, but the main on is this lady who I really believe was a strung-out hippie back in the day. She is so cool, and she really loves her rocks. She reminds me of a quirky grandmother. I really want to video her and send it to people back home. I love listening to her describe things. She gets SO EXCITED about lava flows and sediments. She is a big fan of using overhead projectors for pictures. She seems like she is very smart and accomplished but not quite with it. Also, she is an American, which I picked up on today when she said she grew up in Minnesota and lived in Oregon. That's when I realized she didn't have a Kiwi accent. Funny, I never noticed it before.

So, that's the class business. 2 out of 3 is good enough, I think.

For everyone back home being drowned in rain now: I am sorry! Crazy hurricane season. I hope Dennis isn't too strong and that everyone stays safe.

Finally, apparently New Zealand has a Meningococcal B epidemic. There has been a massive amount of advertising, both print and TV, about being vaccinated. Currently, there is a huge queue outside the computer room for free vaccinations. I don't know why it is so bad here, but it is a big deal. All of the bus stops have ads for being vaccinated, and I see it all the time on TV. Stay safe and be vaccinated! I hope I am!

Two in One Day

OK, so a couple of things have happened since the last post today, and they are important enough (and interesting enough to me) to have me post again. (Also, I always forget things I want to say when I am typing, so I have to do it twice sometimes.)

1) The world has reaffirmed the fact that I have the best little sister ever, and I feel that everyone needs to know this ... again. She called me today while I was in the internet cafe! It's my first real phone call from home (I talked to my parents right when I first got here), and it was nice to hear some gossip from stateside. I love Stacey!

2) I went grocery shoppping again tonight (for random things) and I believe that New World Metro has redeemed itself in my mind. They had everything I needed tonight, even muesli bars without milk in them. A lot of the stuff was even on sale! Even better. I did have a bit of trouble with the lotion (it was hard to find) and the baking soda (even harder to find) but I got everything in the end. Yay for New World Metro.

Once again I have this feeling in the back of my mind that there is so much more that I wanted to say, but I won't remember until I am walking across the street back to my dorm, I am sure. I need to work on this better memory thing. Perhaps that can be a New Zealand Goal.

Pics of the Week

Hello again! I don't have much to say as nothing exciting has happened since yesterday, but I do try to appease people and post pictures once a week.

A little update on me: I am still somewhat sick, but I am trying to keep doing normal activities. My neck is sore from being sick, and it is only my throat that is bothering me. I talked to my roommates, though, and they are going to try to clean a little more in case that is why I am getting sick.

Now, on to the pictures!


Proof that I am still alive and it is me writing this! This is Meredith (another Rotary scholar), Claudia (a German law student), and myself at Murphy's last night.

We ate at the nicest Burger King ever later last night. This is what the inside looks near where we were sitting. Sometime I will get a picture of the outside of the building.

My new shoes! Because I love shoes (and needed some more for walking around) and I know you are interested in my current footwear.

And finally, this is where I live! If I took a better picture, you could see my pile of socks on the floor (it right by the bottom of my hanging clothes). I did buy a plastic box today to put them in. My heater is also towards the left side of the picture, and it positioned by the door, which is why you can't see it. Also, look at that window above my bed. If you look close enough, you can see a wall through it. That is the wall of my living room. My windows open up to the living room. This is a little inconvienent when I am sleeping and people are watching TV or having guests over or something. Oh well, it is a lot like 333 was for me last semester. Just with not as awesome flatmates.

The best gym ever

I am in the process of joining this gym here in Wellington, Les Mills. It is a little pricey, but I have budgeted for it, and it is completely worth it. Meredith and I went to two intro classes this morning (BodyJam, which is dance stuff, and BodyPump, which is weight lifting), and we also went to to actualy BodyPump class. She is a member already, and I have my two-day visitor trial pass. I love this gym. There is another location up on the Terrace that is smaller, but I will be going to the one on Taranaki St. It is 4 levels in an old brick building, and they have amazing equipment (the same brand we have back at Tech, LifeFitness or whatever). There is also this cool cardio theater with rows of rowing machines, bikes, treadmills, and ellipticalls, all arranged in stadium seating, and the room is dimmer, the walls are an eggplant color, and all the equipment faces the giant screen where intense music videos are playing all the time. It is so great. If any of you come visit me in Wellington (which I hope someone will!), bring some workout clothes and come with me (I can bring guests). It is so cool!

I was talking with Meredith and Amy last night, and I believe we are going to Fiji on our break that is coming up. We have two weeks of holidays at the end of August. The final three days I am going skiing, but I thought it would be a good time to travel as well. There are about 10 Rotary clubs in Fiji, so we are going to try to visit those as well. I am meeting them at STA Travel up in the student centen on Monday to see about this trip. It is by no means finalized right now, but hopefully it will all work out!

That's about it for down under. The last All Blacks and Lions test is tonight in Auckland, so I will go out somewhere to watch the game with the other Kiwis (actually, I will probably be out with Americans and Germans, but there will be plenty of Kiwis around). Cheers!

Spring Break

I just remembered exactly what I forgot, and it is enough to make me write a new post. I checked out the GT tentative semester calendar for Spring 2006, and guess what! Spring break is scheduled for March 20-24, which is AFTER I return stateside! Anyone planning an early trip to FL or something? Keep me updated. :)

London

So, I woke up this morning, turned on the Australian news (which is The Today Show, by the way), and London was all over the news. It and the weather were the only things being reported. I don't know if everyone has heard, but London got hit with four almost simultaneous terrorist bombs, three on the underground and one in a double-decker bus. The last death toll I heard (which was about 4 hours ago) was around 30-40 people, 6 of whom were Australians. It was a prime time for transport, and each underground train was carrying upwards of several thousand people. It is amazing more people were not killed or injured. The Australians have stepped up the security on their mass transpot systems because they are closely realated politically, if not geographically, to Britian. New Zealand is so small that it is having no immediate effect. Many Kiwis and Australians, though, have family or friends living in or on holiday in the UK, so it is traumatic all the same.

It seems a little trite to continue talking about my everyday life after a paragraph like that, but that is what we are supposed to do when something like this happens. Try to be back to normal. So, after watching the news for about an hour, I showered, then headed out for some errands. I had to pick up a few things, and since I realized my funds were becoming dangerously low, I have to go back to the bank to cash more traveler's checks so I have money for the weekend. I am not sure yet what I will be doing, but I do know one thing for sure. I have to be at the museum at 10AM on Saturday morning to make up my geology lab!

On an unrelated note, I have finally become sick. I knew it would happen eventually, what with the change in diet, climate, and culture, but I really didn't think it would be this soon. I have a bit of a cough and sore throat, so I have taken to drinking two cups of herbal tea (apricot, peach, and green apple) sweetened with honey a day. That helps my throat a lot. I also got around 11 hours of sleep last night, which helped as well.

I know there is more that I wanted to say, but once again I have forgotten it all while I type! I even have a book now to write everything down, but I still forget. Oh, well. Time to go to the bank (for money) and the library (for schoolbooks).

Cultural Experiences

OK, so I tried to go grocery shopping the other day, and it was one of the more interesting experiences I have had here. I was expecting to find at least half of the brands or items that I wanted as New Zealand is an extremely developed country, but sadly, this was not the case. I couldn't find any exact products! Many things I just randomly picked new brands that I had heard of at some point in time, but that just wasn't always possible. This grocery trip ended in a quick email back home begging for a speedy care package containing some very specific items. At least now I know what I am dealing with, and I will be prepared the next time I visit this New World Metro. One thing I did find, though, that I found intriguing, was Break Apart Skittles. My American body was craving some good old-fashioned refined sugar, and skittles were the perfect option. They come in little packages that are adorable! I love skittles. There is no grape flavor, though, so be warned - you will get blackberry!

I also had an interesting academic experience in that I missed my first lab yesterday. My geology class's first lab was to Te Papa, and I was definately NOT on the bus. I got confused about the meeting time and did not show up to the area at the right time. Hopefully I can make up the lab on my own time (as it is just filling in a worksheet at Te Papa), so it will all work out. This meant, though, that I definately just sat around VUW for three hours waiting for my geology class! This turned out OK, though, because I met A) some new people in my class who I can sit with and 2) some new girls that I recognized from my accommodation. The latter is especially important because I went with them to this Christian worship thing last night, and then we (the girls, myself, and some of their friends) all went out for drinks and dancing. I got in really late last night, so maybe now I will be more on a "student" sleeping schedule. I had been crashing around 10PM and waking up by 8AM, which is completely abnormal for me. This may have remedied that.

Factoid: I am losing my FL tan! The lack of strong sunshine + winter clothing = steadily paling skin for Katie. When I got here, I was dark enough that everyone thought I was Spanish or Greek or something! The dinner lady in the dining hall asked me yesterday if I was Greek and then proceeded to tell me how the origin of my name is Greek. She is a sweet lady who recognized me because I always ask if things are made with milk. :)

I also have learned to use my camera properly and have made my first panoramic picture. It is amazing. The weather was really clear yesterday, but as I had geology all afternoon, I could not enjoy it. It is back to being not so good now. Hopefully it will be lovely again this weekend so I can go up to the top of the city to take pictures!

That's about everything going on here. Now it is back to my room to watch old episode of Days Of Our Lives (yup, it's running here!). The O.C. is still on here, as is Friends. Lovely shows, really. Too bad there's no Alias (or I haven't discovered it yet).

Happy 5th of July!

OK, so I missed the good old American 4th of July celebration. I was too busy being in my first day of class! I had all three yesterday (three! in one day! ha), so that kept me somewhat busy. I think I am going to really enjoy two of them, and the third I have my reservations about. POLS 244 (International Relations and New Zealand) is going to be interesting because it is completely new. I don't really know about about the NZ political system or how it interacts with the rest of the world. It will keep me on my toes (in a sense) because I will have to learn all about what Kiwis take for granted (knowing about the political parties, etc). I also think I will like my geology class, but we'll see how that goes as the semester goes on. I got the course outline yesterday, so I can tell you exactly which weeks I am learning about what kinds of rocks. We have a field trip this week to Te Papa as our lab. The last class, POLS 248 (Conflict Analysis) could go either way. I could really enjoy learning about diplomacy in this side of the world (as opposed to learning about American or Europe), but I could get tired of lectures and papers. We shall see. I forgot to mention that 244 has a lot of guest speakers. I wrote them down yesterday so I could tell you all about them, but of course I forgot my notebook.

Speaking of notebooks, as school has begun, I need to buy my books and supplies and pay my tuition. This is problematic because my Rotary money has not yet appeared. It was issued on June 20th apparently, but it has gotten lost along the way. Hopefully I can resolve this soon!

I spent my 4th of July celebrating in my own way - finishing knitting my belt (which I am wearing today) and watching Independence Day, the special edition. I bet that was on several American stations, so it felt good to watch it. Both of my flatmates watched it with me.

The weather has not been very good lately, and I don't think it will clear up anytime soon. I bought a newspaper yesterday, and the 5-day weather report said it would stay like this (rainy in the early morning, cloudy/overcast the rest of the day) or worsen for the next week. Boo. This is why you haven't seen many pictures. I can afford to be picky and only take them on good days.

The poor weather did not keep me inside, though. This morning I walked down to the other side of town and took a tour of the Parliament building. It is really very gorgeous. I learned about its history and how it burned down in 1907. Also, this is an interesting factoid: because the buildings (the Beehive, Parliament, and the Parliamentary Library) are about 400km from the major fault line, the buildings are basically not connected to their foundations. They rest on these things that I can't remember the name of that can slide hoizontally so the buildings don't come crashing down during an earthquake. Cool, huh? I was hungry afterwards, so I came back to eat my packed lunch (the kitchen closes for lunch, so you make a sandwich at breakfast), and now I am here. I have to buy some things at the grocery store (otherwise known as the New World Metro, for those of you who have been here before), and I want to pick up some All Blacks gear while it is all discounted. (The test between the Lions and the All Blacks was of course last weekend, so now it is all on sale.)

I hope everyone is enjoying their day, no matter which continent you are on!

From the internet cafe

Check it out, I made it to the internet cafe. This is my best option for posting pictures on this little thing, so you will soon have proof that I still look exactly the same. You have to suffer through my day first, though.

Watching the rugby match last night in Courtenay Place was an experience that I can liken only to being in Times Square on New Year's Eve. Imagine this. There are a couple thousand people all crammed into a block area watching this massive big screen. This sounds slightly unimpressive, but when you figure in the fact that New Zealand only has a population of 4 million, and Wellington 300,000, it becomes more astonishing. The All Blacks won, of course, because they are the best rugby team in the world. Afterwards, I went to Hotel Bristol for drinks with some people, but I was in bed by midnight. I keep waking up early, so I keep getting tired early!

On Sunday mornings a cute little farmers market opens up across the street from me. I ventured out to go check it out, and while I was wandering around, I got a call from another Rotary scholar, Amy Carrington, saying that she and Meredith were on their way and would I like to join them? I met them, and then walked them part way home because I was heading downtown. I pre-oredered Harry Potter (I will have a different cover!) down on Lambton Quey, then headed over to Te Papa museum. After learning all about the Maori origins of NZ and how the settlers arrived, I set off to track down this internet cafe.

Now, Tim and Hanneman, you should know that I am really using your advice. Both recommended iPlay, so I am here now. I went to Cozy Noodle last night, and I am going to go to Cuba Kabob after I leave here, or perhaps later tonight. I am excited about this turkish style food. I ate it all the time in Germany and wasn't able to get it in the States! There is great malaysian food here, too. Hanneman - I am following your advice on restaurants!

I did get a little lost walking from the bookstore to Te Papa (I decided to use cross streets instead of following the wharf), but it all worked out for the best. I have now discovered where all of the streets meet each other, and I accidentally found every little restaurant, etc, that people had reccommended. Good for me!

Today is what I am calling the first true "Wellington Winter" day. It is very windy and colder than it has been. It's still in the upper 40s or lower 50s (just guessing), but that wind is harsh. I have already gotten that feeling that I am going to be blown over. It's only a matter of time!

Now, for some pictures.

This is me right after the powhiri yesterday. I am really not sure exactly who this figure is representing, but you get the idea.

This is the view of Wellington from a little spot by the VUW Student Union building. I used to walk by it on my way up the hill, but I discovered a new shortcut and no longer pass it.

Now, this is only a part of the hill I have to walk up every day. This is part of The Terrace. I walk up one side of it, then turn left and finish climbing the mountain. Really, you people need to walk this with me.

This is the view from a rest stop up on the western coast of the north island. I took it yesterday when Anna and Mark drove me up the coast. It wasn't a very nice day (all overcast and whatnot), but normally you can see the south island and everything.

I am still enjoying my time here, and I love exploring this city.

Maori Welcoming

So, I have been busy over the last 24 hours or so.

Yesterday I went through a Maori powhiri, or welcoming ceremony. I have no idea how to spell anything in Maori, so I will continue in English. We (a group of about 50 international students or so) were officially welcomed into the Maori culture. You have to be presented to the meeting house and Maori who are already a part of that particular place, prove that you are friendly and not bringing harm, and then you (as well as the spirits of those whom you have left behind) are welcomed into the place. Go on and google it to learn more because that is perhaps one of the worst descriptions ever written. It was really very special, and it is a scared ceremony. I can now go there any time, within reason.

I also went on a pub crawl last night. We were with a fairly large group of mainly international students, and our student guides took us to some of the more popular pubs. Meredith (the other Rotary scholar), Claudia (a German law student), and I got seperated from the rest of the group at the second pub, so we made our own route. For those of you who have been here, we did go dancing at Shooters. We were seperated because we wanted our pictures taken with some Lions supporters dressed as the "Barmy Army," and then we stayed and talked with them so long that we missed the time to meet up with the rest of the group.

Today my host family took me on a drive of the New Zealand countryside. We drove up the west coast (so northwest out of Wellington) and stopped for lunch in a little rest area called Lindale. It is a little touristy, but very quaint. I had a delicious beef curry. We continued to drive up to their farm somewhere in the next province. They have about 12 acres, and they farm cattle. They used to have about 40 sheep or so, so they are real Kiwis. They want to build a big house up there sometime soon, but there are all kinds of issues with the building permits and such.

I had a good conversation with Anna about the NZ economy and how it has changed over the past 30 years or so. It's going to be interesting to study this kind of thing in school once that all starts. Very different from how our (America's) economy developed.

The weather is a little cooler today than it has been. It is downright chilly at night. Not so good for going out, but tonight is the big rugby match against the Lions. I will be watching it either in a pub or down on the screen in Courtney Place. I am interested to see how to city empties out when all of the Lions supporters are gone. I have not yet gotten to see how crowded it is on a normal basis.