So, you know that feeling that you get right before Christmas break?? Ya- I definitely have that right now. I have 3 hours until my finance exam, and then we are leaving right after to head up to the Bay of Isles. I won't be able to skype/chat/email for the next two weeks, but I would love to hear all about life back home.
Here is the basic breakdown (but nothing really goes according to plan, so I'll update you all when we get back):
Friday night- Monday Evening: Bay of Isles
-very old tree
-beaches
-tramping
-historic Russel
Monday Evening: Auckland and packing!
Tuesday morning- Thursday morning: Christchurch
-cute small town
-friends
-tramping
-art museum
Thursday afternoon to Sunday evening: Wellington
-big museum
-IFSA butler people
-cafes
-shopping
-Kara!!
Sunday Evening: Auckland and packing!
Monday morning- Thursday night late: TONGA!!!
-beaches
-kayaking
-snorkeling
-tan
-boat
-sleep
-sun
-warmness
Friday morning: Auckland
-research
-study
Love you all!!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
“You Go First”
This past week has been full of countless hours focused on Finance, or should I say “FUN-ance”. I had a project due on Friday, and I have a test this Friday from 6 to 9pm. Seriously?!? What am I doing on a Friday night before a 2 week semester break…. That would be taking a midterm. Cruel, so so cruel. However, I refuse to let finance stand in my way of having an awesome week. On Thursday I experienced everyone’s dream [although most people refuse to admit it]- a light-up dance floor. That’s right, we had a good- old American girls’ night at “Boogie Wonderland”. We all got spiffied up together- and my outfit was classified as “International Only” because let's face it, I haven’t worn patterned tights since I was 6. No one was there, but the mass amounts of disco balls, furry walls, and Jackson 5 turned the night from funky to fresh, and we danced with ourselves- having a great time.
Saturday brought a whole new kind of fun. The IFSA Butler group went to “Wonder” in the Waitakeres, but by wonder they meant hike, swim, jump off waterfalls, play in the sand, and oh wait- rock climb. It was an absolutely amazing trip; I still can’t believe how blessed I am to see God’s work half way around the world from my normal world. And looking back, it was hilarious. The first time someone fell, it was kind of embarrassing- but then it just became the norm. In fact, one time no one even touched me and I wiped out on the rocks. That was classy.
We all were unsure of what exactly we were doing at the start of the day, and before we knew it we were told to take off all cotton, since it strips you of body heat when it is wet. That should have been the first clue. Soon, we are approaching a stream that I naively think we are crossing. Sebastian [yes, the 100% man guide] said “No, we’re going down there.” There?!? There is a river. Okay- this is sweet, cold but sweet. At that point in time I turned to Brad and said, “You go first.”
We proceeded down/in the stream of sparkling clear water, over rocks, and down 3 waterfalls. We repelled down the first waterfall, jumped off the second, and climbed down the third. And no, these were not puny streams slightly slanting down the side of a hill. These were full on, water crashing, kick your butt, white-watered waterfalls. We all survived each endeavour, but at several times during the trip, I did notify our guides that they were crazy. We were a slow group, mostly since someone bit the dust every 5 seconds, and the thought of being completely wet had not fully set in for all of us. My friends pointed and experimented with the fact that every time I laughed, I fell over. And yes- every time.
At one point I could see a very painful fall coming ahead when watching everyone attempt to shimmy/slide across some rocks after the 1st waterfall. I already couldn’t feel my feet…so… I opted for option hard core: swim that bad boy. After getting the go ahead, I was in the water and I said to myself [in Ash’s words] “Self, you are in a very cold, beautiful river- it is time to doggy paddle.” Swimming in tramping gear is a whole new kind of wet. We all slowly made it down the stream, but not before climbing trees and sharp rocks, and exploring some New Zealand Mud. So this is the definition of tramping...
Looking up, the scenery took my breath away. It was a rainy, cloudy day, but there was no denying the awe of the massive cliffs. I had to remind myself to take a mental picture, because a) my camera was packed away on the dry bus and b) I never, ever want to forget how amazing God is- He made that landscape, He made me, and He planned for me to be there in that moment. And that is freaking awesome.
At the end of the “Bush” we hit the black sand- it is a fine, black sand from volcanic rock that is magnetic. So, we jumped off the dunes, and then climbed on a bus to enjoy the hot springs. “Very” cold cannot even describe feeling at that time- the feeling of the “Polar Bear Plunge” cold is actually exactly a better description, only instead of being cold for 15 minutes, it was for an extended period of time (About 3 hours). But, the hot springs warmed us up, and we had an awesome dinner, and now I am currently comfortably writing this at a cozy café inside FoodTown.
This next week will be a challenge, but the weekend will bring a trip to the Bay of Island,s Christchurch, Wellington, and Tonga!!!
Miss and love you all!
Saturday brought a whole new kind of fun. The IFSA Butler group went to “Wonder” in the Waitakeres, but by wonder they meant hike, swim, jump off waterfalls, play in the sand, and oh wait- rock climb. It was an absolutely amazing trip; I still can’t believe how blessed I am to see God’s work half way around the world from my normal world. And looking back, it was hilarious. The first time someone fell, it was kind of embarrassing- but then it just became the norm. In fact, one time no one even touched me and I wiped out on the rocks. That was classy.
We all were unsure of what exactly we were doing at the start of the day, and before we knew it we were told to take off all cotton, since it strips you of body heat when it is wet. That should have been the first clue. Soon, we are approaching a stream that I naively think we are crossing. Sebastian [yes, the 100% man guide] said “No, we’re going down there.” There?!? There is a river. Okay- this is sweet, cold but sweet. At that point in time I turned to Brad and said, “You go first.”
We proceeded down/in the stream of sparkling clear water, over rocks, and down 3 waterfalls. We repelled down the first waterfall, jumped off the second, and climbed down the third. And no, these were not puny streams slightly slanting down the side of a hill. These were full on, water crashing, kick your butt, white-watered waterfalls. We all survived each endeavour, but at several times during the trip, I did notify our guides that they were crazy. We were a slow group, mostly since someone bit the dust every 5 seconds, and the thought of being completely wet had not fully set in for all of us. My friends pointed and experimented with the fact that every time I laughed, I fell over. And yes- every time.
At one point I could see a very painful fall coming ahead when watching everyone attempt to shimmy/slide across some rocks after the 1st waterfall. I already couldn’t feel my feet…so… I opted for option hard core: swim that bad boy. After getting the go ahead, I was in the water and I said to myself [in Ash’s words] “Self, you are in a very cold, beautiful river- it is time to doggy paddle.” Swimming in tramping gear is a whole new kind of wet. We all slowly made it down the stream, but not before climbing trees and sharp rocks, and exploring some New Zealand Mud. So this is the definition of tramping...
Looking up, the scenery took my breath away. It was a rainy, cloudy day, but there was no denying the awe of the massive cliffs. I had to remind myself to take a mental picture, because a) my camera was packed away on the dry bus and b) I never, ever want to forget how amazing God is- He made that landscape, He made me, and He planned for me to be there in that moment. And that is freaking awesome.
At the end of the “Bush” we hit the black sand- it is a fine, black sand from volcanic rock that is magnetic. So, we jumped off the dunes, and then climbed on a bus to enjoy the hot springs. “Very” cold cannot even describe feeling at that time- the feeling of the “Polar Bear Plunge” cold is actually exactly a better description, only instead of being cold for 15 minutes, it was for an extended period of time (About 3 hours). But, the hot springs warmed us up, and we had an awesome dinner, and now I am currently comfortably writing this at a cozy café inside FoodTown.
This next week will be a challenge, but the weekend will bring a trip to the Bay of Island,s Christchurch, Wellington, and Tonga!!!
Miss and love you all!
Monday, August 18, 2008
“Did you guys see the elephant?” "No"
So I’m now officially 21- the celebration in Auckland was a little different than I expected, but the decorated door, dinner, and piñata let me enjoy the birthday like I hoped- like a little kid!
We ended up vetoing the Kayak trip due to freezing temperature and the predicted storm. Instead, Vanessa, Kaitlyn and I jumped on a bus to Rotorua- the “Vegas” of the North Island. We got to the city around lunch and went to the Mad Dog Café- which has more character than any café I’ve ever seen before... and totally reminded my of Blue II!! After dropping off our stuff at Blarney’s Rock… our hostel… we hit up the luge. I’m convinced it is my true calling. Not only did I scream like I was 6, I giggled the entire way down the mountain. The luge is basically a grown-up scooter with enough leg room for an 8 year-old. The first time down the mountain I used the break almost the entire way, due to the fact that I couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard. I was getting passed right and left, but the next time down, I definitely went NASCAR on Vanessa and Kaitlyn. After cutting them off a couple times, they made sure to let me know that I am never, ever allowed to drive in New Zealand. So, by the third run we all felt confident enough to go down the advanced run- which was soo much fun. What was not fun was the random hail that we got stuck in on the way up the mountain. It went from “Wow, I think its sprinkling” to “Ouch, Charlie…. That really hurts!!” haha- ok, so no Charlie but people that share my passion for Charlie the youtube video will enjoy that. No really, we were on this bad boy of a chair lift for about 7 minutes of pouring rain and hail. We finally got to the top, then hit up the café while it finished being feisty… determined to finish our last 2 runs. It did stop raining/hailing, and we got a view of the best rainbow ever! On the last run, I whipped out Indiana driving again and won : ] But, I was screaming “Too fast!! Too fast! For the majority of the time”. After drying our jeans in the bathroom dryer, we decided to hit up the Polyensian Spa. That’s right- warm spring water that smells like eggs. We opted for the “adult pools” so we could enjoy the night in peace and quiet. I can honestly say I’ve never seen prettier stars, a brighter full moon, or a prettier sight than soaking in the hot pools about 4 meters from the lake. We marinated for about 3 hours, and then had an amazing dinner at a random restaurant. After a Pack-n-Save trip consisting of candy and Sprite Zero, I was thoroughly impressed by the Olympic men speedwalking back at the Hostel. The next morning we went to Agroadventures for a little FreeFall Extreme, Swoop, and Shweeb. The FreeFall Extreme was basically a flying squirrel experience over a large fan. And no, they body suit they gave me was not long enough, so I looked like a bad version of a ghetto Huck-Fin from the 8Os. [A denim jumpsuit with yellow accents that went MC Hammer in all the wrong places]. In fact, the instructor actually said to me, is that creeping up on you? I’m not going to answer that. So, I laughed until I cried watching both Vanessa and Kaitlyn enjoy themselves and then tried to laugh during my turn, but couldn’t due to the crazy amount of wind blowing in my face.
Next up was the Schweeb- basically, bikes inside of a pill capsule thingy. It was pretty hard on the legs, and a little creepy…. But fun. I talked Kaitlyn into the swing on steroids after the Aerojet was out of commission. The staff saw the fear in our eyes, and took full advantage of creeping us out. After I made our safety person pinky swear we wouldn’t die, I found myself up in the air in a cocoon strapped to Kaitlyn. Instead of freaking out, Kaitlyn was so calm and kept on saying, “Wow, look at the view”. Before we knew it, I had to pull the cord to send us on our way. It was actually so much fun and both Kaitlyn and I could have gone a couple more times. "One more time!!" haha. We then headed back to Rotorua for lunch, walking around in the rain, got tea, and then we waited for our bus, called the Nakedbus, to get there. We slept most of the way home, and Kaitlyn was totally bummed she couldn’t see any more elephants [see below for details]. We got home pretty late, so I am currently behind in all my classes, but it was a great weekend! Watch for pictures!
Oh, and for the title… Kaitlyn definitely looked at me on the bus and said, “Hey, did you see that elephant?” “Um, No- do they have elephants in New Zealand?”
So if anyone knows the answer, please let me know! hahaha
We ended up vetoing the Kayak trip due to freezing temperature and the predicted storm. Instead, Vanessa, Kaitlyn and I jumped on a bus to Rotorua- the “Vegas” of the North Island. We got to the city around lunch and went to the Mad Dog Café- which has more character than any café I’ve ever seen before... and totally reminded my of Blue II!! After dropping off our stuff at Blarney’s Rock… our hostel… we hit up the luge. I’m convinced it is my true calling. Not only did I scream like I was 6, I giggled the entire way down the mountain. The luge is basically a grown-up scooter with enough leg room for an 8 year-old. The first time down the mountain I used the break almost the entire way, due to the fact that I couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard. I was getting passed right and left, but the next time down, I definitely went NASCAR on Vanessa and Kaitlyn. After cutting them off a couple times, they made sure to let me know that I am never, ever allowed to drive in New Zealand. So, by the third run we all felt confident enough to go down the advanced run- which was soo much fun. What was not fun was the random hail that we got stuck in on the way up the mountain. It went from “Wow, I think its sprinkling” to “Ouch, Charlie…. That really hurts!!” haha- ok, so no Charlie but people that share my passion for Charlie the youtube video will enjoy that. No really, we were on this bad boy of a chair lift for about 7 minutes of pouring rain and hail. We finally got to the top, then hit up the café while it finished being feisty… determined to finish our last 2 runs. It did stop raining/hailing, and we got a view of the best rainbow ever! On the last run, I whipped out Indiana driving again and won : ] But, I was screaming “Too fast!! Too fast! For the majority of the time”. After drying our jeans in the bathroom dryer, we decided to hit up the Polyensian Spa. That’s right- warm spring water that smells like eggs. We opted for the “adult pools” so we could enjoy the night in peace and quiet. I can honestly say I’ve never seen prettier stars, a brighter full moon, or a prettier sight than soaking in the hot pools about 4 meters from the lake. We marinated for about 3 hours, and then had an amazing dinner at a random restaurant. After a Pack-n-Save trip consisting of candy and Sprite Zero, I was thoroughly impressed by the Olympic men speedwalking back at the Hostel. The next morning we went to Agroadventures for a little FreeFall Extreme, Swoop, and Shweeb. The FreeFall Extreme was basically a flying squirrel experience over a large fan. And no, they body suit they gave me was not long enough, so I looked like a bad version of a ghetto Huck-Fin from the 8Os. [A denim jumpsuit with yellow accents that went MC Hammer in all the wrong places]. In fact, the instructor actually said to me, is that creeping up on you? I’m not going to answer that. So, I laughed until I cried watching both Vanessa and Kaitlyn enjoy themselves and then tried to laugh during my turn, but couldn’t due to the crazy amount of wind blowing in my face.
Next up was the Schweeb- basically, bikes inside of a pill capsule thingy. It was pretty hard on the legs, and a little creepy…. But fun. I talked Kaitlyn into the swing on steroids after the Aerojet was out of commission. The staff saw the fear in our eyes, and took full advantage of creeping us out. After I made our safety person pinky swear we wouldn’t die, I found myself up in the air in a cocoon strapped to Kaitlyn. Instead of freaking out, Kaitlyn was so calm and kept on saying, “Wow, look at the view”. Before we knew it, I had to pull the cord to send us on our way. It was actually so much fun and both Kaitlyn and I could have gone a couple more times. "One more time!!" haha. We then headed back to Rotorua for lunch, walking around in the rain, got tea, and then we waited for our bus, called the Nakedbus, to get there. We slept most of the way home, and Kaitlyn was totally bummed she couldn’t see any more elephants [see below for details]. We got home pretty late, so I am currently behind in all my classes, but it was a great weekend! Watch for pictures!
Oh, and for the title… Kaitlyn definitely looked at me on the bus and said, “Hey, did you see that elephant?” “Um, No- do they have elephants in New Zealand?”
So if anyone knows the answer, please let me know! hahaha
Monday, August 11, 2008
You People Are Crazy
Yep… I definitely told my kayak instructor that after I attempted to roll in a kayak and got stuck upside-down. In my eyes, I almost died. I haven’t been in a pool in 2 years, and people don’t comprehend that the rivers/lakes in the Midwest aren’t exactly places that you would want to spend a whole lot of time in… But, it was a great night in general, and I learned a lot of new stuff. This next weekend [yes, the birthday weekend], I’m going on a rafting/kayaking trip in the central part of the North Island. Two of my good friends are also going, and we always seem to have the best times in the most random situations, so I’m sure this trip will be no exception. We were advised to get a wetsuit, which was equally as entertaining as getting stuck upside-down. Due to the lack of sizes at the Warehouse, I ended up trying on one of the kids’ sizes, and Vanessa and I had to use a joint effort to get that bad boy off. I know it is supposed to be a “second skin”, but as far as I’m concerned, no skin is should ever feel like that. [Yes Jess, flashback to prom].
We did get to see the opening of the Olympics when we were out Friday night at the Irish pub. After buying a couple diet cokes, I convinced the barrista to change it from the Rugby game [which Lally was watching live in Australia! Yay!]. Everything is on 3 hours later here, and they mostly focus on the sports that New Zealand is doing well in… so I have watched the rowing competition 3 times… Hopefully they will feature a couple of the random sports I love to watch…aka badminton, ping-pong, and sailing. Update me on how America is doing!!
Basically this week I am trying to crack down and work ahead so I can go out and celebrate the 21st this Thursday! It looks like the plan is to go to dinner, then karaoke, then hit a couple bars. It has been beautiful here [just like our clear days that are perfect for football], so I hope it won’t rain. But, last month it did rain 27/31 days….so…. it can only get better, right? haha. I started to get a little homesick when I was telling some people I met at church that it was my birthday this week- I think the realization that I won’t hear anyone’s voice or see anyone on my actual birthday hit me pretty hard. I have to keep telling myself that its just a day, like any other day, but I am so nervous [for no real reason] about the day in general- I still say that I’m 18 sometimes when people ask me. Seriously?!? Plus- most of you know my theory on birthdays.
Well, I should get back to being semi-productive. Thanks for all the emails recently and all the chats! Love you all!
p.s. My roommates and I are obsessed with a local singer- his name is Tikki Taane [sp?], and he looks like a convict, but his song, “Always on My Mind”, is absolutely amazing- YouTube it!
We did get to see the opening of the Olympics when we were out Friday night at the Irish pub. After buying a couple diet cokes, I convinced the barrista to change it from the Rugby game [which Lally was watching live in Australia! Yay!]. Everything is on 3 hours later here, and they mostly focus on the sports that New Zealand is doing well in… so I have watched the rowing competition 3 times… Hopefully they will feature a couple of the random sports I love to watch…aka badminton, ping-pong, and sailing. Update me on how America is doing!!
Basically this week I am trying to crack down and work ahead so I can go out and celebrate the 21st this Thursday! It looks like the plan is to go to dinner, then karaoke, then hit a couple bars. It has been beautiful here [just like our clear days that are perfect for football], so I hope it won’t rain. But, last month it did rain 27/31 days….so…. it can only get better, right? haha. I started to get a little homesick when I was telling some people I met at church that it was my birthday this week- I think the realization that I won’t hear anyone’s voice or see anyone on my actual birthday hit me pretty hard. I have to keep telling myself that its just a day, like any other day, but I am so nervous [for no real reason] about the day in general- I still say that I’m 18 sometimes when people ask me. Seriously?!? Plus- most of you know my theory on birthdays.
Well, I should get back to being semi-productive. Thanks for all the emails recently and all the chats! Love you all!
p.s. My roommates and I are obsessed with a local singer- his name is Tikki Taane [sp?], and he looks like a convict, but his song, “Always on My Mind”, is absolutely amazing- YouTube it!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Sack em!
Rugby here is huge, especially since they only have one national team [not like all our football teams]. But, I learned that the Kiwi fans support their team very differently than Americans. I don’t want this to sound bad- but they actually watch what is going on, and they care about every play. I went through the majority of my intense Metamora football fan career without really understanding what happened at the games. While the All Blacks are moving, no one talks. They don’t wave anything, yell, or anything… I really enjoyed watching the game, since it was fast moving and aggressive [in a good way].
Our group had great seats, and we were able to see all parts of the field. I decided to follow the motto, “Go big or go home” when planning my outfit. It consisted of black pants, black and white underwear on the outside of the pants, black top with the number 1o taped on the back, an All Blacks Hat, and a sign saying “Once You Go All Black, You Don’t Go Back.” Momma Yonker would have been proud. We also found face tattoos and face paint that completed the ensemble. I got a lot of looks, and a few people asked to take pictures of me, but we still didn’t attract enough attention to get on TV.
The All Blacks played really well- and we smashed the Wallabies.
It was pretty easy to tell that some people from my group have never experienced the Metamora football fan etiquette. I got a lot looks after yelling “Sack em’ and Take him down!” But, then they told me that they don’t really use the term “Sack”. Definitley did a little giggle after I realized that. Fun times.
Enjoy the pictures on Facebook, or shoot me an email if you want me to email you some!
Our group had great seats, and we were able to see all parts of the field. I decided to follow the motto, “Go big or go home” when planning my outfit. It consisted of black pants, black and white underwear on the outside of the pants, black top with the number 1o taped on the back, an All Blacks Hat, and a sign saying “Once You Go All Black, You Don’t Go Back.” Momma Yonker would have been proud. We also found face tattoos and face paint that completed the ensemble. I got a lot of looks, and a few people asked to take pictures of me, but we still didn’t attract enough attention to get on TV.
The All Blacks played really well- and we smashed the Wallabies.
It was pretty easy to tell that some people from my group have never experienced the Metamora football fan etiquette. I got a lot looks after yelling “Sack em’ and Take him down!” But, then they told me that they don’t really use the term “Sack”. Definitley did a little giggle after I realized that. Fun times.
Enjoy the pictures on Facebook, or shoot me an email if you want me to email you some!
Potpie Smack Down
Well, three weeks have flown by, and we survived the “worst storm in New Zealand history.” A cyclone hit the city pretty hard, and the city cancelled most things, including ferries going in and out of the city. However, the international student barbecue was still on. Two of my roommates went on a tramping [hiking] trip, so Vanessa and I suited up for a rainy day in the park. Barbecues are a big part of Kiwi culture, but I doubt they are held “Rain or Shine”… Anyway, the trip ended up being really fun- mainly due to the fact that most of the international students had never seen a sheep before, much less a sheep sheering. The fun didn’t stop there: we watched a cow get milked, made some butter, and spun wool. They ended up cooking everything inside, so we all enjoyed the food without gale force winds. Once we returned to the UniLodge, Vanessa and I planned our spring break! Looks like we will be visiting a historic town in the North Island, doing some sailing, flying to Christchurch, visiting Wellington, and Tonga. No worries- we will still have five days to do homework!
The storm passed, and although the lovely UniLodge was swaying – we didn’t loose power. My roommates returned from tramping in once piece with some great stories to tell and a few bruises.
Classes are going fairly well, but Finance is definitely the problem child of the four. The examples are not as clear as I would like, and people don’t sit by me and my American friend/classmate. The professor even asked people to scoot in, and no one budged. I couldn’t help thinking of my high school basketball days when I wasn’t really played, since I 'wasn't gifted at the art of basketball'… a lot. I did make a friend in my international business class! The Midwestern charm will break down the others though… I just know it.
Speaking of Midwest- I got into a ‘verbal altercation’ with someone who decided to harp on the American potpie. Seriously!?! I grew up on potpies! If they made pot-pie in baby food form, Momma Yonker would have been all over them. Don’t mess. I can make one with my eyes closed- the point is this Kiwi girl was talking to other students about America’s version of a 'Kiwi' meat pie- the pot pie. Sorry lady, but they are very, very different. It wasn’t a big scene or anything, but I had to put my foot down. Since it occurred at the International Student Ethnic Food Night, no one else really understood what she was talking about, since I was the only other American. Each student brought a different dish to represent their country. I brought good old PB, and J [Remember that I don’t have access to on oven, dish, mixing bowl, or cooking sheet]. It was actually a hit, especially after I explained that they can be transformed by cutting of the crust or even into shapes with a cookie- cutter. I can’t pronounce most of the other foods- but I felt the apple pancakes, cheese muffin thinggies, and all items on the dessert table were the best. The PB, and Js weren’t even real due to the fact that the peanut butter here in unsalted and unsugared, and I gagged when I tried it. Also- grape jelly doesn’t exist, but Raspberry jam does. I got a little defensive when people started laughing and taking pictures, but I was the only one representing America- so I had no real competition.
I also had a friend from Christchurch visit during the week and weekend, who I met on our Butler IFSA orientation. She and some friends came to Auckland for the All Blacks game, but we also had a great time hitting the town, hiking the inactive volcano called Rangitoto [it was cancelled in last week’s itinerary due to the rain], and catching up on life. We had a great time, and I can’t wait to visit Christchurch!
The storm passed, and although the lovely UniLodge was swaying – we didn’t loose power. My roommates returned from tramping in once piece with some great stories to tell and a few bruises.
Classes are going fairly well, but Finance is definitely the problem child of the four. The examples are not as clear as I would like, and people don’t sit by me and my American friend/classmate. The professor even asked people to scoot in, and no one budged. I couldn’t help thinking of my high school basketball days when I wasn’t really played, since I 'wasn't gifted at the art of basketball'… a lot. I did make a friend in my international business class! The Midwestern charm will break down the others though… I just know it.
Speaking of Midwest- I got into a ‘verbal altercation’ with someone who decided to harp on the American potpie. Seriously!?! I grew up on potpies! If they made pot-pie in baby food form, Momma Yonker would have been all over them. Don’t mess. I can make one with my eyes closed- the point is this Kiwi girl was talking to other students about America’s version of a 'Kiwi' meat pie- the pot pie. Sorry lady, but they are very, very different. It wasn’t a big scene or anything, but I had to put my foot down. Since it occurred at the International Student Ethnic Food Night, no one else really understood what she was talking about, since I was the only other American. Each student brought a different dish to represent their country. I brought good old PB, and J [Remember that I don’t have access to on oven, dish, mixing bowl, or cooking sheet]. It was actually a hit, especially after I explained that they can be transformed by cutting of the crust or even into shapes with a cookie- cutter. I can’t pronounce most of the other foods- but I felt the apple pancakes, cheese muffin thinggies, and all items on the dessert table were the best. The PB, and Js weren’t even real due to the fact that the peanut butter here in unsalted and unsugared, and I gagged when I tried it. Also- grape jelly doesn’t exist, but Raspberry jam does. I got a little defensive when people started laughing and taking pictures, but I was the only one representing America- so I had no real competition.
I also had a friend from Christchurch visit during the week and weekend, who I met on our Butler IFSA orientation. She and some friends came to Auckland for the All Blacks game, but we also had a great time hitting the town, hiking the inactive volcano called Rangitoto [it was cancelled in last week’s itinerary due to the rain], and catching up on life. We had a great time, and I can’t wait to visit Christchurch!
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