Although Sunday was the most action-packed, I can’t forget all the other blessings and funny things that happened throughout the week. I did have 2 assignments- one in Finance [much easier than the first one] and the other in Theology- an essay on the nature of the church. Where do I even start on that one? Nevertheless, everything got turned in on time… barely… and now it is time to focus on exams! Each test is worth at least sixty percent of my grade, which isn’t intimidating. At all.
On Tuesday, my friend Annie and I headed to campus for a vegan/vegetarian cooking class that Jess suggested. We honestly had no idea what to expect, but we ended up with a happy Canadian man that didn’t use any measurements… but he did smile after everything he said/did/thought about doing. The dude was exact opposite of Emeril- no bam, wham, or any vocal fluctuation- a lot of smiling though. The menu consisted of samosas [sp?] made of cauliflower and peas and some Indian cake I can pronounce and don’t even want to try and spell. I’m scared of Indian food due to my first bite that was so spicy that I wanted to lick a faucet…. Really, I didn’t know spices like that existed. Anyway, we made everything from scratch and learned all about spices, grains, and possible variations of the recipe from some chick that was American… but I kind of don’t want to admit that because of the obnoxious amount of times she talked. It was a long process, but worth the wait. Don’t you just love things like that? It makes everything better [And yes, this is coming from the girl who thrives off of immediate gratification]. There is a slim chance that I will ever make Indian food from scratch, but it was an awesome experience.
The cooking class put me in the mood to experiment, and so I tackled…. Wait for it….. no bake cookies [which NO one has heard of here, and they are very hard to explain]. Nothing big, but perfect for a bake sale to raise money for a girl in my Bible Study who is going to India. I know how difficult saving and raising money can be, so I was more than happy to help. Everything turned out pretty good, although my roommate came out to check on me several times- one time I dropped an oat on the burner and it kind of smelled. Homegirl was out in 2 second flat. “Dude, I smell burning!” No worries Jasmine, I won’t pull another granola incident : ] All the extra ingredients got thrown together to make fudge, but the cookies were peanut butter or chocolate with coconut. The fudge needed to be frozen, so it didn’t make the bake sale, but all the peanut butter cookies were sold, and the chocolate coconut ones held their own too.
Thursday was full of PLCs. PLCs, also known as Poor Life Decisions, are the decisions between something good- like schoolwork or just work and something fun- like beaches, but what defines the PLC is always choosing the fun option. On Thursday it was going to Forbe’s Bar with some friends and then talking to the roommate for a few hours before even starting the paper. It was another great night though, and I got to watch the sunset in the morning!
Friday was full of last-minute scrambles, but at night I found myself in a fountain, happy as a clam. I love running through, in, and around fountains- and I haven’t been able to do it for a looong time. This fountain was pretty low key, but the fun was still there. It inspired me to run through all the fountains back at BU, so if anyone is up for a little swim in the library, let me know!
On Saturday, Jess and Estelle to Vaness and I out to Piha. It is a black sand beach, that is like everything else in New Zealand= jaw-dropping beautiful. The weather wasn’t perfect, but sometimes you need a cloudy day. We had fish and chips on the beach for lunch, after exploring the beach/rocks. Estelle then led us to a waterfall that was gorgeous, where the photos on this blog were snapped! On the way home, we stopped for some hot chocolate, and continued to laugh about the random differences in Kiwi and American culture. I came to New Zealand with high hopes of meeting heeps of Kiwi friends, but was convinced that it was simply too hard in such a short amount of time, especially in Kiwi culture. But, Jess and Estelle have been so awesome, and I want her to visit in the states! I also made a few other friends in my classes, and it does break my heart to know I’m leaving.
That night we left for Rotorua… which deserved an entire post to itself.
On Tuesday, my friend Annie and I headed to campus for a vegan/vegetarian cooking class that Jess suggested. We honestly had no idea what to expect, but we ended up with a happy Canadian man that didn’t use any measurements… but he did smile after everything he said/did/thought about doing. The dude was exact opposite of Emeril- no bam, wham, or any vocal fluctuation- a lot of smiling though. The menu consisted of samosas [sp?] made of cauliflower and peas and some Indian cake I can pronounce and don’t even want to try and spell. I’m scared of Indian food due to my first bite that was so spicy that I wanted to lick a faucet…. Really, I didn’t know spices like that existed. Anyway, we made everything from scratch and learned all about spices, grains, and possible variations of the recipe from some chick that was American… but I kind of don’t want to admit that because of the obnoxious amount of times she talked. It was a long process, but worth the wait. Don’t you just love things like that? It makes everything better [And yes, this is coming from the girl who thrives off of immediate gratification]. There is a slim chance that I will ever make Indian food from scratch, but it was an awesome experience.
The cooking class put me in the mood to experiment, and so I tackled…. Wait for it….. no bake cookies [which NO one has heard of here, and they are very hard to explain]. Nothing big, but perfect for a bake sale to raise money for a girl in my Bible Study who is going to India. I know how difficult saving and raising money can be, so I was more than happy to help. Everything turned out pretty good, although my roommate came out to check on me several times- one time I dropped an oat on the burner and it kind of smelled. Homegirl was out in 2 second flat. “Dude, I smell burning!” No worries Jasmine, I won’t pull another granola incident : ] All the extra ingredients got thrown together to make fudge, but the cookies were peanut butter or chocolate with coconut. The fudge needed to be frozen, so it didn’t make the bake sale, but all the peanut butter cookies were sold, and the chocolate coconut ones held their own too.
Thursday was full of PLCs. PLCs, also known as Poor Life Decisions, are the decisions between something good- like schoolwork or just work and something fun- like beaches, but what defines the PLC is always choosing the fun option. On Thursday it was going to Forbe’s Bar with some friends and then talking to the roommate for a few hours before even starting the paper. It was another great night though, and I got to watch the sunset in the morning!
Friday was full of last-minute scrambles, but at night I found myself in a fountain, happy as a clam. I love running through, in, and around fountains- and I haven’t been able to do it for a looong time. This fountain was pretty low key, but the fun was still there. It inspired me to run through all the fountains back at BU, so if anyone is up for a little swim in the library, let me know!
On Saturday, Jess and Estelle to Vaness and I out to Piha. It is a black sand beach, that is like everything else in New Zealand= jaw-dropping beautiful. The weather wasn’t perfect, but sometimes you need a cloudy day. We had fish and chips on the beach for lunch, after exploring the beach/rocks. Estelle then led us to a waterfall that was gorgeous, where the photos on this blog were snapped! On the way home, we stopped for some hot chocolate, and continued to laugh about the random differences in Kiwi and American culture. I came to New Zealand with high hopes of meeting heeps of Kiwi friends, but was convinced that it was simply too hard in such a short amount of time, especially in Kiwi culture. But, Jess and Estelle have been so awesome, and I want her to visit in the states! I also made a few other friends in my classes, and it does break my heart to know I’m leaving.
That night we left for Rotorua… which deserved an entire post to itself.
1 comment:
Bethany, Those No-Bake cookies were they as good as a Grandma Miller cookie? Cooking/Baking with not measurements you soon will be cooking like a Miller!!!!
Love you, Amanda
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