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!