so i've got a month and a day left in new zealand. it's bitter sweet, but i'm gonna spend the last bit having a good time!
i just got back from my friend dudli's bach (aka beach house) it was soo cool. we played cards and hung out all night and cracked up! ha we made spagheti for dinner. we got up early the this morning to go to the hot water beach!!!! you have to dig a hole to get to the hot water. and the sand is black, so the scenery was absolutely beautiful.
then we went to EEldorado. to see the eels. i didn't want to go see them, but i got out to be social and such. we watched the woman stamp on the stairs and spoon food out to them. ugh...it was sooo gross watching them slither out and stuff. ew...they kept biting one another. ugh soo gross. then the woman picked one up and threw towards me..i of course screamed and ran about 2 yards away. ick..apparently dudli told the lady that i was really scared and that it may not have been a good idea and she apologized. igh...i just don't like things with out legs, wings or arms. ew ew ew...don't even want to think about them anymore.
ha...rae and dudli have a thing going one. me and sarah have decided that its just surreal how they are soo cute together. it's like straight out of a movie. haha...dudli isn't really a real person he's an illusion that all three of us have tapped into. ha...yeah right
but hmm...ive work to get done this week. but then me and rae are off on a mini road trip across the north island. i'm excited about that. then i'm gonna chill in hamilton and breathe. i may go visit the coromandel, which is supposed to beautiful. but i want to go to the arts festival which is coming up in a week or two. then i'm off to the very end of the island to the captial of wellington to see the all-black (the national rugby team) play against france. then i have another exam. then me and sarah are off to cape reinga to enjoy watching the tasman sea and the pacific ocean crash into one another. it's supposed to be beautiful. so im excited.
then i come home...leave june 30th, but i;ll arrive in NC airport at 6:11am july 1st!
i'll update with more adventures soon!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Untitled
not much as been happening lately. school is still school. although it will be ending in about 3 weeks time..which means I have 4 major papers and 2 tests to study/be prepared for. and yeah they aren't really that difficult. if i start now i can bust it out.
however..it's that time of the year where you just don't care. the weather outside is terrible. it rains or hails about 3 or 4 times a day. i didn't even think it was cold enough to hail but apparently it is. walked to the warehouse today...my feet got soaked and had to stay that way for about three hours will i had class.
dozed off in class again...this time the only thing that could keep me up was the drool drippin from my mouth to my arm. yuck...definitely woke up after that. lol
been taking pics with my friend rob lately for his photography class. me and our friend dylan used our feet to convey the struggles of interracial relationships...and then we portrayed the truce between religion and science. tonight we did a piece on breast cancer which involved one of my breasts to be marked for removal and the other one with the words "not this breast" with a projected crab on my shoulder. i hope the pics come up good, i'm excited!
i want school to be over so bad, i'm so done with these projects and papers.
however..it's that time of the year where you just don't care. the weather outside is terrible. it rains or hails about 3 or 4 times a day. i didn't even think it was cold enough to hail but apparently it is. walked to the warehouse today...my feet got soaked and had to stay that way for about three hours will i had class.
dozed off in class again...this time the only thing that could keep me up was the drool drippin from my mouth to my arm. yuck...definitely woke up after that. lol
been taking pics with my friend rob lately for his photography class. me and our friend dylan used our feet to convey the struggles of interracial relationships...and then we portrayed the truce between religion and science. tonight we did a piece on breast cancer which involved one of my breasts to be marked for removal and the other one with the words "not this breast" with a projected crab on my shoulder. i hope the pics come up good, i'm excited!
i want school to be over so bad, i'm so done with these projects and papers.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Stubbs Family Farm
So I spent the week end on the Stubbs family farm in Waitomo, NZ which is about an hour south of where i live in Hamilton/Waikato. The program I came on here (Australearn) has this option volunteer weekend on which you do environmental conservation work. Me, Amber, Alex and Lacy all went.
We were dreading this trip like the it was the swine flu. None of us wanted to go because it just didn't sound appealing anymore. But when we got there, everything thing was soo much better than we thought. Us girls stayed in a mean as cabin with a big bed with loft above it with two other smaller beds, a little kitchenette, tv and table. It was cute as. On the first night i slept up in the loft with Lacy, but the second night i slept in the big bed with Amber because it has a heated blanket in it. :-)
We arrive just before dinner which is homemade lasagna!! But what was the best part was that in meeting the family, we immediately felt comfortable like we were part of the family, no awkwardness at all. This would be the tone for the rest of the trip!
On our work day we planted trees in the morning and potted seedlings the second part of the day. Planting trees was crazy. We got so dirty. Alex happened to be wearing all white (not sure why he chose this particular outfit) and got DIRTY!! the rest of us were pretty messed up to. Me and Amber conquered our fears of legless/slithering creatures aka worms. At least for a day. After dinner that night we played a pretty intense game of spoons. Rachel (the mom) totally attacked her soon for one of the spoons. He had a pretty nice bruise in the morning.
The day we were to leave, we went on a bush walk on the farm (it's 1600acres). Where we hiked was once a cave, but the roof had fallen in, but there was still creepy cave things like deep holes we had to be careful around. and lots of MUD!! We all fell at some point. i biffed it on a hill and slid down pretty far on my tush. I was completely covered in mud on my backside afterwards. yessssss!
it was a good weekend, very relaxing and exciting!! the family was incredibly nice and welcoming!!! i think we may go back to help them shear sheep!
We were dreading this trip like the it was the swine flu. None of us wanted to go because it just didn't sound appealing anymore. But when we got there, everything thing was soo much better than we thought. Us girls stayed in a mean as cabin with a big bed with loft above it with two other smaller beds, a little kitchenette, tv and table. It was cute as. On the first night i slept up in the loft with Lacy, but the second night i slept in the big bed with Amber because it has a heated blanket in it. :-)
We arrive just before dinner which is homemade lasagna!! But what was the best part was that in meeting the family, we immediately felt comfortable like we were part of the family, no awkwardness at all. This would be the tone for the rest of the trip!
On our work day we planted trees in the morning and potted seedlings the second part of the day. Planting trees was crazy. We got so dirty. Alex happened to be wearing all white (not sure why he chose this particular outfit) and got DIRTY!! the rest of us were pretty messed up to. Me and Amber conquered our fears of legless/slithering creatures aka worms. At least for a day. After dinner that night we played a pretty intense game of spoons. Rachel (the mom) totally attacked her soon for one of the spoons. He had a pretty nice bruise in the morning.
The day we were to leave, we went on a bush walk on the farm (it's 1600acres). Where we hiked was once a cave, but the roof had fallen in, but there was still creepy cave things like deep holes we had to be careful around. and lots of MUD!! We all fell at some point. i biffed it on a hill and slid down pretty far on my tush. I was completely covered in mud on my backside afterwards. yessssss!
it was a good weekend, very relaxing and exciting!! the family was incredibly nice and welcoming!!! i think we may go back to help them shear sheep!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Happiness in Success!
our featured article in the waikato times... :-)
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=86388143271&h=TQ-oB&u=fFEaa
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=86388143271&h=TQ-oB&u=fFEaa
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
short and sweet
had the most interesting conversation in my vagina m rehearsal/meeting last night, everything from "hairy muffs" to having to much testosterone, with interjections from our only male stage manager reading from a lesbian sex book. yes!
then met up with the gang to watch a movie, he was a quiet man, with christian slater as this really creepy as dude who is fed up with is minuscule life and wants to kill himself and everyone in it. teaches you to be nice to everyone.
then me and rae get the big idea to have a sleep over in her room, so we pull my mattress from the first floor, which is more like the third (the building is basement, ground, first, top) to the basement (or first floor). and we stayed up for like an hour just talking about past roommates and the crazies we have encountered.
love it!!!
then met up with the gang to watch a movie, he was a quiet man, with christian slater as this really creepy as dude who is fed up with is minuscule life and wants to kill himself and everyone in it. teaches you to be nice to everyone.
then me and rae get the big idea to have a sleep over in her room, so we pull my mattress from the first floor, which is more like the third (the building is basement, ground, first, top) to the basement (or first floor). and we stayed up for like an hour just talking about past roommates and the crazies we have encountered.
love it!!!
Monday, April 20, 2009
ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Day 1
Took Naked Bus to Auckland after class!!!! Found our hostel and then met up with some people we know who go to University of Auckland. Had dinner at Istanbul Kebab and Pizza: delicious. I had a chicken kebab burger thing with a passion fruit soda. Ha! Then our lovely friends took us to some a bar where we did karaoke (I sang “I’m Every Woman” by Whitney Houston and “I want to Dance with somebody” with Arielle and apparently drew a crowd with my crazy dancing.) After a bit we headed back to the hostel because we had to get up early to fly to Christchurch in the morning, but me and Rae went out for a few more drinks and to dance!!
Day 2
Woke up before the sun could roll its self out of bed, realized that I lost my hat. We arrived in Christchurch and found an awesome market where I bought a new hat. Went exploring, and booked our rental car and got an awesome plan for our trip. They taught me and Emily and new drinking game....
Day 3
Bought breakfast from the Cathedral cafe: French toast= We went punting (it’s like a boat thing that a person stand on the back of and pushes you along with a long pole like in Italy) with Jamie (). Then we went to the gardens and explored the New Zealand native plant section. We met back up with Rae and went beading. I made a necklace and two pairs of earrings for cheaper that if someone else makes them. We got something to eat and then headed up to the mountains for a ride on the Gondola. Being the adventurous people that we are, we walk on the trails around the top of the mountain (after you get off the ride) and then found our own path. We ended up climbing up the side of a cliff on which we noticed our shadows cast on the mountain in front of us. We decided to shadow dance. Lol It didn’t work.
Day 4
Drove to Lake Tekapo which was absolutely beautiful, we had to get out of the car to see it up close and take pictures. It was soo windy and there was a dead fish on the rock which amused us quite a bit especially since the best place to take pics was on the rock beside the fish. Lol We stayed at a place called Tailor-made Backpackers that had a barbeque (aka grill) and a full kitchen, hammock and single beds!! (no bunk beds..yessss!) We cooked burgers and wedges for dinner and had a salad. Me and Rae went and drank some wine in the hammock and then hiked down to the beach for a few night pics of the water.
Day 5
Didn’t feel too well this morning so I slept most of the drive to Oamaru (sp) to see the Moeraki boulders which are perfectly round boulders on the beach and in the water that no one knows how they formed. Then we continued our journey to Dunedin and took the Cadbury Chocolate Factory Tour (nothing like Willy Wonka) and the Speights Brewery Tour (tasted six beers!). Arielle and Sarah solidified themselves as the cookers of the trip by making spaghetti with me and Em as the dish washers. Learned another “card” game.
Day 6
We were going to visit the castle, but we decided that spending that money just to take pictures was stupid. So we hiked up Baldwin St, which is the steepest street in the world! Then we hit the road to Queenstown, stopping on the way in Ranfurly (RAN-furly/ran-FURLY however you want to pronounce it) to eat lunch. On a bathroom break in Cromwell we played on the playground equipment like little kids. We passed beautiful snow capped mountains and listened to some great tunes. We made it to Queenstown and realized how much of a tourist town it is. We had dinner at the Cow which is the best pizza in town. It’s in an old barn and is tucked away down and alley. Nice! Came back to prepare for our day of bungying tomorrow.
Day 7
Woke up at 8:00 to eat, internet chat, and shower. Went to bungy check in and was soo nervous even though I had spent the night before mentally preparing myself..even sleeping with the picture of the person jump above my bed so I feel asleep looking at it. The free internet in the bungy station was a nice distraction. The drive up was awesome because the driver kept playing songs that had a “jumping” theme, it made me laugh and calmed my nerves. After getting harnessed up and took the cable car to the suspended jumping point, I was actually fine. I looked down to see far down the ground was (134m or about 440ft down...lol ah). I was the second person to go. It was funny because they said I looked like the calmest person there. I only screamed the first 2 seconds because I was like HOLY CRAP I’M ABOUT TO PLUMMET TO THE GROUND HOLY ####!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) but then I remembered that I was tied to by my ankles to the bungy cord so I’d be fine. I couldn’t pull the cord to get myself up right again, so I came back up upside down. Lol no blood rushed to my head though...I was more worried about my shoes coming off. After watching everyone else jump we head back to buy pic and videos. Met up with Em (she didn’t jump and Sarah and Arielle both did the bridge jump: the first/original bungy in the world) we had Indian for lunch and then met up with the rest of the crew. We then went with Arielle to Passover dinner where we had “burnt crackers” lol (long story) but the whole thing was in Hebrew and we were so confused. But we had lots of fun and drank lots of wine. We went and got French fries afterwards and then did a whole lot of crazy things....hahahhahahah LOVE IT!!
Day 8
I drove down to Milford sound for our kayaking trip. On which I hauled ass! Made a 4 hour drive in just over three lol they were holding on for dear life, poor girls. But at least we made it. On time, because we were cutting it close (left at 10, needed to be there by 2:30). But we made it and got kayak. Ha me and Arielle paddled together and sand along the way. We saw a rainbow made in the midst of a water fall. Had a snack of hot juice on the water. Oh and the best part of the whole trip was the great outfits we had to wear! Trip long johns hahaha, and all of our kayaking gear: a fleece, jacket, bathing suit, and a water protected skirt that went over the whole of the kayak. Haha it was a great trip...Jimmy the guide totally shook my hand and NO body else’s haha I was please. but we head back to Te Anau (I hit possum on accident on the way) to spend the night during which we froze to death because there was no heat.
Day 9
We headed out back up towards Queenstown and then on to Wanaka where we had lunch and then went to Puzzle world. They had this big Labyrinth thing that was really cool at first but then started to get on our nerves towards the end. Haha it took forever to get out, I think we took just under an hour. Then we kept driving (well Emily kept driving she did the longest drive of the whole trip) to Franz Joseph where we were to glacier hike. Dinner took forever to cook because the pot wouldn’t boil, but whatevs.
Day 10
So we glacier hiked, again with some pretty awesome gear. Heavy windbreaker pants, hiking boots with crampons (spikes), fleece and rain jackets, hat and gloves. So the first part of the journal was walking through the rain forest, which wasn’t bad, then we had to climb over rocks and past the “do no enter/DANGER signs” (yeah I know right?). then we split in to three groups, 1.2 and 3 we chose the medium pace group 2. So then we had to hike through the rainforest again, I felt like Pocahontas swinging around those trees haha (we had been listening to Disney songs earlier in the car). Then we hiked the glacier. The first part of it was terrible! Even though we had dropped back to the slower half of the medium group (we split up again). We were soo tired. But then it got better after lunch because we were in better spirits and it was less uphill ice climbing. We got to go through a cave and take picture and saw perfect clear blue water ponds in the ice. It was a really physically challenging trip. We had some major battle wounds afterwards: Arielle ha d like four blisters, Emily had blisters, Sarah had a lump on her wrist, and I had a lump and bruise on the back of my ankle. Plus we could barely walk afterward. But we hit the road to Punakaiki that night afterwards.
Day 11
So the hostel we stayed in Punakaiki was probably my favourite.. It was in the rainforest and was a house with two main levels and one landing. The first was the kitchen, sitting area, showers and bathroom, then landing had two bedrooms, and the top floor had a sink area, sitting area, and access to a porch and this lofted area where our bed were! I totally smacked my head on the rafters because they were pretty low, but my favourite bed yet!
Day 12
Woke up, washed clothes, packed and had banana-chocolate chip muffins and pancakes (Punakaiki is home to the Pancake rocks..we thought it was appropriate). Then we head up to nelson! In nelson we went to go see a movie but it was sold out. So we went and spent sometime in the hot tub. And then went to bed.
Day 13
Had breakfast, and then had a lazy morning, and headed out to Abel Tasman National Park. We went to see the Split Apple Rock (rock in the middle of the ocean that has a big split down the middle) we hiked through caves that were on the beach and drew our names in the sand. We headed back to eat dinner at a great Chinese restaurant, we had AUTHENTIC Chinese food, which was so delicious! Me and Em split garlic chicken in sesame sauce and veggie friend rice. Then we went to watch Slum dog Millionaire. I needed a hug after watching that because it was so sad.
Day 14
Since I had to leave to get back sooner than the rest of the girls (haha yeah but when I got back I realized that I could have stayed earlier.. ) So I took the bus to Picton, took the ferry to Wellington. In Wellington, since I had time to kill, I had dinner with a guy (Jamie #2) I met on the ferry and then walked around. I ended up hanging out in Borders and reading magazines, then headed to the bus station to get to Hamilton. Eddie was nice enough to pick me up from the transit station in Hamilton at 5 in the morning when I got there.
So ends the road trip. Once I got back, spent a day doing nothing. Then another day writing a paper due on that Friday (I got back on Wednesday) and had a Vagina meeting/photo shoot for the school magazine on Thursday.
Didn’t do ANYTHING on Saturday, I believe I stayed in my pjs the whole day. I drew the trees outside our dorm with Rae, but that’s about it. Sunday I went to Jeanne’s house where she got me to braid her hair and sew in extensions. Hahaha I guess it didn’t turn out too bad for my first time. She fed me lamb chops and rice, which I couldn’t finish. And then took me home to see where I live so she could pick me up next week for church and my French lesson! We plastered the campus with posters for the Vagina Monologues night!! I’m excited that it’s almost here! I was told to be as American as possible, I just have to figure out what that means. Lol
Today was Kingitanga day which celebrates the relationship of between the University and the Kingitanga (the king)...we learned to weave (it was surprisingly difficult at first, but we got the handle on it) the Whakaraka which are games played with sticks that imitate preparation for war, we played Mahi Whati ( where you had to move to the left or right to catch the stick of the person standing next to you before it falls to the ground), Tirakau (you had to rhythmically pass and tap sticks to your partner),and Titiorea (for upper body strength and flexible, you basically hold a stick in two hands and with the twist of your wrist you do different moves..it’s more complicated than I make it sound). We also learned the Haka again.
don't forget to check my pictures on facebook!
the first set: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2175311&id=21313400&l=883986c308
the second set:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2175357&id=21313400&l=404c0bfeca
the third set:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2175730&id=21313400&l=521652444e
:-D
Took Naked Bus to Auckland after class!!!! Found our hostel and then met up with some people we know who go to University of Auckland. Had dinner at Istanbul Kebab and Pizza: delicious. I had a chicken kebab burger thing with a passion fruit soda. Ha! Then our lovely friends took us to some a bar where we did karaoke (I sang “I’m Every Woman” by Whitney Houston and “I want to Dance with somebody” with Arielle and apparently drew a crowd with my crazy dancing.) After a bit we headed back to the hostel because we had to get up early to fly to Christchurch in the morning, but me and Rae went out for a few more drinks and to dance!!
Day 2
Woke up before the sun could roll its self out of bed, realized that I lost my hat. We arrived in Christchurch and found an awesome market where I bought a new hat. Went exploring, and booked our rental car and got an awesome plan for our trip. They taught me and Emily and new drinking game....
Day 3
Bought breakfast from the Cathedral cafe: French toast= We went punting (it’s like a boat thing that a person stand on the back of and pushes you along with a long pole like in Italy) with Jamie (). Then we went to the gardens and explored the New Zealand native plant section. We met back up with Rae and went beading. I made a necklace and two pairs of earrings for cheaper that if someone else makes them. We got something to eat and then headed up to the mountains for a ride on the Gondola. Being the adventurous people that we are, we walk on the trails around the top of the mountain (after you get off the ride) and then found our own path. We ended up climbing up the side of a cliff on which we noticed our shadows cast on the mountain in front of us. We decided to shadow dance. Lol It didn’t work.
Day 4
Drove to Lake Tekapo which was absolutely beautiful, we had to get out of the car to see it up close and take pictures. It was soo windy and there was a dead fish on the rock which amused us quite a bit especially since the best place to take pics was on the rock beside the fish. Lol We stayed at a place called Tailor-made Backpackers that had a barbeque (aka grill) and a full kitchen, hammock and single beds!! (no bunk beds..yessss!) We cooked burgers and wedges for dinner and had a salad. Me and Rae went and drank some wine in the hammock and then hiked down to the beach for a few night pics of the water.
Day 5
Didn’t feel too well this morning so I slept most of the drive to Oamaru (sp) to see the Moeraki boulders which are perfectly round boulders on the beach and in the water that no one knows how they formed. Then we continued our journey to Dunedin and took the Cadbury Chocolate Factory Tour (nothing like Willy Wonka) and the Speights Brewery Tour (tasted six beers!). Arielle and Sarah solidified themselves as the cookers of the trip by making spaghetti with me and Em as the dish washers. Learned another “card” game.
Day 6
We were going to visit the castle, but we decided that spending that money just to take pictures was stupid. So we hiked up Baldwin St, which is the steepest street in the world! Then we hit the road to Queenstown, stopping on the way in Ranfurly (RAN-furly/ran-FURLY however you want to pronounce it) to eat lunch. On a bathroom break in Cromwell we played on the playground equipment like little kids. We passed beautiful snow capped mountains and listened to some great tunes. We made it to Queenstown and realized how much of a tourist town it is. We had dinner at the Cow which is the best pizza in town. It’s in an old barn and is tucked away down and alley. Nice! Came back to prepare for our day of bungying tomorrow.
Day 7
Woke up at 8:00 to eat, internet chat, and shower. Went to bungy check in and was soo nervous even though I had spent the night before mentally preparing myself..even sleeping with the picture of the person jump above my bed so I feel asleep looking at it. The free internet in the bungy station was a nice distraction. The drive up was awesome because the driver kept playing songs that had a “jumping” theme, it made me laugh and calmed my nerves. After getting harnessed up and took the cable car to the suspended jumping point, I was actually fine. I looked down to see far down the ground was (134m or about 440ft down...lol ah). I was the second person to go. It was funny because they said I looked like the calmest person there. I only screamed the first 2 seconds because I was like HOLY CRAP I’M ABOUT TO PLUMMET TO THE GROUND HOLY ####!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) but then I remembered that I was tied to by my ankles to the bungy cord so I’d be fine. I couldn’t pull the cord to get myself up right again, so I came back up upside down. Lol no blood rushed to my head though...I was more worried about my shoes coming off. After watching everyone else jump we head back to buy pic and videos. Met up with Em (she didn’t jump and Sarah and Arielle both did the bridge jump: the first/original bungy in the world) we had Indian for lunch and then met up with the rest of the crew. We then went with Arielle to Passover dinner where we had “burnt crackers” lol (long story) but the whole thing was in Hebrew and we were so confused. But we had lots of fun and drank lots of wine. We went and got French fries afterwards and then did a whole lot of crazy things....hahahhahahah LOVE IT!!
Day 8
I drove down to Milford sound for our kayaking trip. On which I hauled ass! Made a 4 hour drive in just over three lol they were holding on for dear life, poor girls. But at least we made it. On time, because we were cutting it close (left at 10, needed to be there by 2:30). But we made it and got kayak. Ha me and Arielle paddled together and sand along the way. We saw a rainbow made in the midst of a water fall. Had a snack of hot juice on the water. Oh and the best part of the whole trip was the great outfits we had to wear! Trip long johns hahaha, and all of our kayaking gear: a fleece, jacket, bathing suit, and a water protected skirt that went over the whole of the kayak. Haha it was a great trip...Jimmy the guide totally shook my hand and NO body else’s haha I was please. but we head back to Te Anau (I hit possum on accident on the way) to spend the night during which we froze to death because there was no heat.
Day 9
We headed out back up towards Queenstown and then on to Wanaka where we had lunch and then went to Puzzle world. They had this big Labyrinth thing that was really cool at first but then started to get on our nerves towards the end. Haha it took forever to get out, I think we took just under an hour. Then we kept driving (well Emily kept driving she did the longest drive of the whole trip) to Franz Joseph where we were to glacier hike. Dinner took forever to cook because the pot wouldn’t boil, but whatevs.
Day 10
So we glacier hiked, again with some pretty awesome gear. Heavy windbreaker pants, hiking boots with crampons (spikes), fleece and rain jackets, hat and gloves. So the first part of the journal was walking through the rain forest, which wasn’t bad, then we had to climb over rocks and past the “do no enter/DANGER signs” (yeah I know right?). then we split in to three groups, 1.2 and 3 we chose the medium pace group 2. So then we had to hike through the rainforest again, I felt like Pocahontas swinging around those trees haha (we had been listening to Disney songs earlier in the car). Then we hiked the glacier. The first part of it was terrible! Even though we had dropped back to the slower half of the medium group (we split up again). We were soo tired. But then it got better after lunch because we were in better spirits and it was less uphill ice climbing. We got to go through a cave and take picture and saw perfect clear blue water ponds in the ice. It was a really physically challenging trip. We had some major battle wounds afterwards: Arielle ha d like four blisters, Emily had blisters, Sarah had a lump on her wrist, and I had a lump and bruise on the back of my ankle. Plus we could barely walk afterward. But we hit the road to Punakaiki that night afterwards.
Day 11
So the hostel we stayed in Punakaiki was probably my favourite.. It was in the rainforest and was a house with two main levels and one landing. The first was the kitchen, sitting area, showers and bathroom, then landing had two bedrooms, and the top floor had a sink area, sitting area, and access to a porch and this lofted area where our bed were! I totally smacked my head on the rafters because they were pretty low, but my favourite bed yet!
Day 12
Woke up, washed clothes, packed and had banana-chocolate chip muffins and pancakes (Punakaiki is home to the Pancake rocks..we thought it was appropriate). Then we head up to nelson! In nelson we went to go see a movie but it was sold out. So we went and spent sometime in the hot tub. And then went to bed.
Day 13
Had breakfast, and then had a lazy morning, and headed out to Abel Tasman National Park. We went to see the Split Apple Rock (rock in the middle of the ocean that has a big split down the middle) we hiked through caves that were on the beach and drew our names in the sand. We headed back to eat dinner at a great Chinese restaurant, we had AUTHENTIC Chinese food, which was so delicious! Me and Em split garlic chicken in sesame sauce and veggie friend rice. Then we went to watch Slum dog Millionaire. I needed a hug after watching that because it was so sad.
Day 14
Since I had to leave to get back sooner than the rest of the girls (haha yeah but when I got back I realized that I could have stayed earlier.. ) So I took the bus to Picton, took the ferry to Wellington. In Wellington, since I had time to kill, I had dinner with a guy (Jamie #2) I met on the ferry and then walked around. I ended up hanging out in Borders and reading magazines, then headed to the bus station to get to Hamilton. Eddie was nice enough to pick me up from the transit station in Hamilton at 5 in the morning when I got there.
So ends the road trip. Once I got back, spent a day doing nothing. Then another day writing a paper due on that Friday (I got back on Wednesday) and had a Vagina meeting/photo shoot for the school magazine on Thursday.
Didn’t do ANYTHING on Saturday, I believe I stayed in my pjs the whole day. I drew the trees outside our dorm with Rae, but that’s about it. Sunday I went to Jeanne’s house where she got me to braid her hair and sew in extensions. Hahaha I guess it didn’t turn out too bad for my first time. She fed me lamb chops and rice, which I couldn’t finish. And then took me home to see where I live so she could pick me up next week for church and my French lesson! We plastered the campus with posters for the Vagina Monologues night!! I’m excited that it’s almost here! I was told to be as American as possible, I just have to figure out what that means. Lol
Today was Kingitanga day which celebrates the relationship of between the University and the Kingitanga (the king)...we learned to weave (it was surprisingly difficult at first, but we got the handle on it) the Whakaraka which are games played with sticks that imitate preparation for war, we played Mahi Whati ( where you had to move to the left or right to catch the stick of the person standing next to you before it falls to the ground), Tirakau (you had to rhythmically pass and tap sticks to your partner),and Titiorea (for upper body strength and flexible, you basically hold a stick in two hands and with the twist of your wrist you do different moves..it’s more complicated than I make it sound). We also learned the Haka again.
don't forget to check my pictures on facebook!
the first set: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2175311&id=21313400&l=883986c308
the second set:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2175357&id=21313400&l=404c0bfeca
the third set:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2175730&id=21313400&l=521652444e
:-D
Saturday, March 28, 2009
An eventful weekend thus far.
so i went to learn how to surf on friday. that was fun. i felt like i was in a movie being in the water and such. i didn't get a formal lesson because we go to the beach later but my friend erin did teach me what she knows. for the two hours we were in the water i think i did pretty well, made it to my knees with no hands!!! if i had had one more hour i probably would have made it up. but i'm pumped to give it another go later on.
on another note...i am semi over my semi fear of deep water!
then on saturday i ventured out to get my hair twisted, with the mindset that i would be able to come back with plenty of time to do homework and go to the Ballons of Waikato event (heaps of hot air balloons have been flying in for the past couple of days and there was a big shin dig with live bands and carnival-like food and such with fireworks!..i missed it. :-( )
but that is not what happened. so i get over there around 9:45. she proceeds to make me breakfast even though i insisted that i had already eaten. so i ate breakfast. after i ate she started my hair (don't know exactly what time that was) but in the mist of doing my hair i learned that she is a former bodyguard for the president of the congo, she speaks three different languages, she has no children but would like for me to come over more often. i also learned some on how to be a proper african woman, cleaning and keeping house and such. at one point when we were eating dinner (haha yes...i was there long enough to eat breakfast AND dinner) she told me to not eat like i'm at my husband's house.
which put me in this weird defensive mode because i'm thinking that in order for these "traditional gender roles" to work there has to be more respect and appreciation for the roles of women because their work is more often seen as minor and not as important. she blames women working for the state of the family today. saying that if women were not working they would have more time to tend to their children and keep a clean house for the husband, but when you work all day you are tired and the kids are not getting good education and the husband ends up cleaning which is not good for the relationship.
well...and you all know me. of course i had to put in my two cents. saying that in america in black communities and other places. there is definitely a lack of respect for women. consequently there are not that many fathers that stay to take responsiblity for their families. therefore women have to work. when you have single mom's having to support any number of children something is going to give. no one is superwoman, although so many of us try to be. this convo did have me thinking: damn, then what i am working for?? should i be shopping for a husband, so much of what i've been taught is to break these traditional stereotypes, although many of those who are my teachers are married themselves (and working, duh) so i wonder how it works. (she did say that women are allowed to work they should just work jobs that allow them to be at home when the kids get out of school and to cook dinner). makes me not want to get married. ever.
she was also shocked to hear that i had been living on my own for almost four years. because in africa you can stay in your parents house until your like 30 or 40. children's place is in the home. this argument stems from her ties to the war that is happening in the congo (which is why she is in NZ) with the child soldiers.
she made an interesting point about americans (white americans specifically...there was a lot of racism in her shpill as well...about how racist they are and how african feed anyone, where as white ppl [french ppl actually] will give you a book to read if you come during dinner. i think this is more of a culture different than anything, some people think it is rude to arrive at dinner with out an invitation or forwarning) about thinking all about money and not about living. kinda made me think because so much of my life has been about money or the lack of that it is permanently imprinted in my brain about budgeting and watching and stretching your pennies.
i really enjoyed my time with her. for the 10 or so hours i was at her house listening to congolese gospel music (in french). quite interesting. and the food was delicious!
i've never had my hair braided like this..all i know is that it hurts heaps and is itchy as...i kinda look like medusa meets sheniqua but sexier. ;-)
on another note...i am semi over my semi fear of deep water!
then on saturday i ventured out to get my hair twisted, with the mindset that i would be able to come back with plenty of time to do homework and go to the Ballons of Waikato event (heaps of hot air balloons have been flying in for the past couple of days and there was a big shin dig with live bands and carnival-like food and such with fireworks!..i missed it. :-( )
but that is not what happened. so i get over there around 9:45. she proceeds to make me breakfast even though i insisted that i had already eaten. so i ate breakfast. after i ate she started my hair (don't know exactly what time that was) but in the mist of doing my hair i learned that she is a former bodyguard for the president of the congo, she speaks three different languages, she has no children but would like for me to come over more often. i also learned some on how to be a proper african woman, cleaning and keeping house and such. at one point when we were eating dinner (haha yes...i was there long enough to eat breakfast AND dinner) she told me to not eat like i'm at my husband's house.
which put me in this weird defensive mode because i'm thinking that in order for these "traditional gender roles" to work there has to be more respect and appreciation for the roles of women because their work is more often seen as minor and not as important. she blames women working for the state of the family today. saying that if women were not working they would have more time to tend to their children and keep a clean house for the husband, but when you work all day you are tired and the kids are not getting good education and the husband ends up cleaning which is not good for the relationship.
well...and you all know me. of course i had to put in my two cents. saying that in america in black communities and other places. there is definitely a lack of respect for women. consequently there are not that many fathers that stay to take responsiblity for their families. therefore women have to work. when you have single mom's having to support any number of children something is going to give. no one is superwoman, although so many of us try to be. this convo did have me thinking: damn, then what i am working for?? should i be shopping for a husband, so much of what i've been taught is to break these traditional stereotypes, although many of those who are my teachers are married themselves (and working, duh) so i wonder how it works. (she did say that women are allowed to work they should just work jobs that allow them to be at home when the kids get out of school and to cook dinner). makes me not want to get married. ever.
she was also shocked to hear that i had been living on my own for almost four years. because in africa you can stay in your parents house until your like 30 or 40. children's place is in the home. this argument stems from her ties to the war that is happening in the congo (which is why she is in NZ) with the child soldiers.
she made an interesting point about americans (white americans specifically...there was a lot of racism in her shpill as well...about how racist they are and how african feed anyone, where as white ppl [french ppl actually] will give you a book to read if you come during dinner. i think this is more of a culture different than anything, some people think it is rude to arrive at dinner with out an invitation or forwarning) about thinking all about money and not about living. kinda made me think because so much of my life has been about money or the lack of that it is permanently imprinted in my brain about budgeting and watching and stretching your pennies.
i really enjoyed my time with her. for the 10 or so hours i was at her house listening to congolese gospel music (in french). quite interesting. and the food was delicious!
i've never had my hair braided like this..all i know is that it hurts heaps and is itchy as...i kinda look like medusa meets sheniqua but sexier. ;-)
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