A Thousand Stories to Tell

My time in Dunedin is coming to a close! It's been a bittersweet two weeks of making memories, saying goodbyes, and desperately trying to fit everything into my suitcases. I don't leave New Zealand for another month, and while I love it here and I'm not in any rush to leave......at the same time....

Four Reasons I Know I'm Starting to Miss the U.S.

1. I heard a John Denver song playing in the supermarket last week and got all nostalgic.

2. Sometimes I catch myself unconsciously walking on the right side of the sidewalk.

3. I became "that American" and bought a coffee at the Dunedin Starbucks. I forgot how awesome grande/venti sized coffees are - it's like they never end!

4. I stood dumbfounded (aka culture shocked) in the New World supermarket when I couldn't find canned pumpkin for my vegan chocolate chip muffins. Of course there isn't canned pumpkin here. I guess my body has been culturally programmed to crave pumpkin in November, so when the closest thing to pumpkin I could find was canned butternut squash soup, I was just... sad. Five months in New Zealand and apparently I still got culture shocked!

***Update*** I was just informed by a Kiwi friend that there is indeed canned pumpkin in the supermarket! Apparently it's located in the International Foods Aisle.... which, you know, makes sense... 

Anyway.

Here's some of what I've been up to the past couple of weeks, in addition to studying for and taking my tourism and sociology final exams (which isn't as exciting to talk about).

I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS EVER! Genna sent me "Autumn in an Envelope" because she knew I was missing fall! :D

I got to spend the day with these lovely people! My friend Tess and our tour guide Nick. I got to see Dunedin's hills one last time...in addition to seeing adorable penguins, seals, and lambs! 

Life is rough being this cute...

AND THEN THIS HAPPENED!

Tess and I were so freaking happy. I mean, look at that fuzzy baby lamb face.

The sunrise from outside my flat. (No filter).

Saying good-bye to Emily - the best flatmate ever!

My friend Matt and I did the Cadbury Chocolate Factory tour! It's right here in Dunedin...and we got chocolate samples, so...

My amazing no-sugar-vegan-chocolate-chip-banana-cinnamon-date-and-coffee muffins...with whole wheat flour, wheat bran, flax seeds, and chia seeds... Yes, you can be jealous. 

Going to see the butterflies one last time!!

So those were some highlights of the past couple of weeks. Now it's time to say goodbye to Dunedin, because tomorrow I fly to Christchurch and hop on a backpackers' bus to spend the next 23-24 days touring around New Zealand! 

As always, feeling fortunate and blessed to be on this personal and cultural journey in New Zealand. 

One of my friends once shared the following story with me, and I would like to share it with you now because it definitely inspired my decision to stay in New Zealand this extra month:

"A wise man once told me on his death bed... 'Make sure you always live life to the fullest, so that one day, when you have grandchildren, you will never have to tell the same story twice. Always have a thousand different stories to tell.'  He told me to live without regret, to grab the bull by the horns and to give it one hell of a run for its money. There is nothing in this world not worth doing at least once, because there isn't an experience we can't learn from, and every experience is a new story to tell." 

So I'm gonna go create some more stories! Look for a new blog post around December 11th.

Love to you all.

"Insert Witty Blog Post Title Here"

Five Blog-Worthy Things from Abreana Land This Week 

Also... a list of my favourite 

Kiwi slang is at the end of this post!

1. I spent 30-40 hours in the library writing a paper on tourism sustainability in New Zealand.

Read between the lines... Yes, I do go to school here! I have not been adventuring lately, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to see photos of me drowning in books at the library... hence why there have been only three blog posts this September. 

2. I voted like a responsible U.S. citizen.

Read between the lines... I am a 'grown-up' now. I figured out the absentee voter form all by myself, and I even found some time to research the candidates/issues on my ballot, even though I was tempted to flip a coin at times. (I mean... choose 3 of 7 candidates for Parker town council? I'm sure they're all lovely people...) Oh, and hell YES to the GMO labelling initiative! 

Colourful letter from my friend Genna

3. I got more mail!

Postcard from my Godparents and Hannah

Lovely handwritten letter from Dani's mom, Monique <3

Read between the lines... My family/friends make me feel so loved!! <3 Thank you for adding to the sunshine in my life. 

4. I took a break from my responsible, grown-up life to have a much-needed colouring date with myself.

Read between the lines... Who are we kidding? I'll never grow up... Thank you to Genna for mailing me the pictures and to Ryan for lending me the coloured pencils!

5. I also took a little day trip to Quarantine Island, which is the largest island in the Otago harbour.

Read between the lines... I HAVE PICTURES! 

Map of the little island 

Cool wrecked ship from the 1800s...or something.

There is always a playground to find!!

I like rocks.

Lying in the grass, watching the clouds. 

Graveyard on the island - not a bad view to find a final resting place, eh?

Considering yesterday marked three months in New Zealand for me, I figured I should commemorate it with a list of some of the common slang and sayings I’ve picked up on. Some Kiwi slang is similar to Australia slang (i.e. keen), and some is more English (i.e. biscuits). These fun, colourful words go along quite well with the New Zealand accent! 

afghan - chocolate flavoured biscuit made from cornflakes

brekkie - breakfast 

boot - car trunk

bush - refers to the forests with native trees 

dairy - corner store, like a small convenience store selling groceries, sweets, dairy items, etc.

cheers - good bye, thank you

chilly bin - insulated cooler for food

Dunners - Dunedin

eh - used at the end of sentences sometimes, but with more of an ‘a’ sound

fizzy drink - soda

fringe - bangs 

gumboots - rubber boots

heaps - a lot of something 

Hokey Pokey - type of delicious ice cream flavour with honey toffee in it

jandals - flip flops

jug - kettle 

kiwifruit - the fruit that is called a kiwi in the US (never, ever call a kiwifruit a kiwi in NZ)

keen - to be interested/totally down for something ('I’m keen on that, mate!')

kumara - sweet potato 

lolly - pretty much any sweet or confectionery item

muesli - granola (so yum)

‘en zed’ - how NZ is pronounced, like when giving an Internet URL address ending in .co.nz)

op shop - short for ‘opportunity shop,’ which is just a second hand store

petrol - gas

sammie - sandwich

scarfie - university student 

scrogin - yummy trail mix with nuts, raisins, etc.

sweet as - awesome or cool; ‘as’ is also used to intensify other adjectives (i.e. hungry as, keen as)

ta - thanks

togs - swim suit

toilet - restroom, bathroom

Home at 2a Forth Street

I live at the end of a rainbow.

And no, I'm not joking. Forth Street is literally at the end of a string of rainbow-coloured apartment doors. Technically speaking, Forth Street is at the beginning of the rainbow because that's where the colours start (i.e. purple/red), but that's just an insignificant detail.

It is a beautiful thing. Also, as an aside for my dear friend Genna...You will notice that there are two shades of orange and two shades of green. So clearly, this is the perfect rainbow order!! 

So this is the Forth Street sign that these apartment doors lead to...I must say, I have never seen an "Independent Midwifery" sign before in my life, but hey - there's a first time for everything.

This is a side view of my flat. It isn't the prettiest thing to look at, and it gets a little drafty at times, but I am quite happy to consider it my temporary home!

So we had to tape this lovely sign to our back door...

....because supposedly, in past semesters, students coming to live in 2B, C, D, or E would try to move into 2A because our flat is the one that is featured on the Google Maps streetview, but then came the awkward confusion when they found out their flat was actually at the other end of the little parking lot! The sign seemed to fix that problem, though. Hooray for Kiwi ingenuity!  

This is our 2a mailbox!! Isn't it cute? If you ever send me a postcard this is where it will end up. Note that travel time is about a week and postage will cost something like three or four stamps. But if you do go through the trouble of snail-mailing me, I will take a picture and proudly feature it on my blog! 

Here is the first piece of mail I received, from my friend Genna. (Yes, the same Genna who cares about rainbow colour order!!) We have been pen pals since we were 12-year-olds... But now since we are residing in different countries, we thought we should take advantage and be like "real" pen pals. Aren't we cute? :) So here is letter #165 and counting! 

This was my second piece of mail, sent to me from my good friend and Godsister Kayla. Some classic Colorado right here!! (I think my state pride is almost to a fault at this point.)

And here's some "moustachionary" from my friend Aaron. Look at that suave bunny rabbit!! SO FUZZY!

So my address is 2a Forth Street, North Dunedin 9016, New Zealand. Feel free to send a carrier pigeon my way! Oh, or even better... send me a message via post owl, like they do in Harry Potter... 

While I have you at Forth Street, let me introduce you to my neighbours: Visitec Workwear. 

I walked in there the first or second week after arriving in Dunedin and met the owner. His name is Roger. Really nice guy! (Did I already share this story on my blog before? I can't recall.) He inherited the family business from his father, who inherited it from his father, and I'm pretty sure it will be passed down to Roger's son, too. They supply construction-type workgear (boots, jackets, helmets, etc) all over New Zealand. 

So every now and then I pop my head in to say hello to Roger and we talk about the weather, about his kids and grandkids, how the business is going, and what not. Roger has told me several times that if anything ever breaks down in our flat I can give him a call and he would come take a look at it. 

This is why I chose to go to little old Dunedin instead of a larger city. I get to experience and contribute to this thing called community. And I love it.

The sunrise outside of my window earlier this week. (No camera filters, I promise!)

Snow! And Fiji culture! ....in Dunedin?!

SNOW!

Everybody stay inside - it's not safe. Close the roads leading into the hills, cancel this morning's health centre appointments, tell the students not to come to class... Snow is on the ground in Dunedin!

 

I mean.... really? The entire city shut down for this little dusting?

Dunedin may be known for its damp, bone-chilling cold... but this coastal city don't know a thing 'bout snow! 

I've been loving it though! Snow makes for a proper winter, in my opinion. Theoretically this weather will keep me inside to work on my tourism essay, but then again...it might just be another excuse to keep reading Lord of the Rings. 

Yes. That seems preferable. 

But while I am in the blogging mindset...I might as well tell you about my Fijian culture experience from earlier this week. I got to participate in a traditional Kava ceremony, Fiji style, which I signed up for through the Student Centre (they offer so many great activities), because... why not? It sounded like something cultural.  

Kava is a drink made from the root of the Piper methysticum, which is related to the pepper plant. Drinking kava is a huge part of Fiji culture - it can be social and casual, but it is also highly ceremonial. For example, the oldest male (or the chief) always drinks first; the women always drink last. You always clap once before receiving your bowl of kava, then you drink it in one go, and afterwards clap three more times. 

Preparing to mix the Kava in the communal bowl

We were totally on "Fiji time" that night. Our hosts prepared a PowerPoint presentation about Kava, its history, effects, preparation, etc. We would go through only one or two slides before we drank another round of Kava. We were all relaxed and sleepy because Kava is mildly narcotic. 

To put it positively, Kava tastes earthy. To put it very literally, it tastes like warm, muddy water with sawdust. But experiencing Kava is less about the drink itself and more about the people you are with. Kava is entirely about the community. 

Our little group (of about 7-8 people) stayed in the student centre until the building closed, which was around 11 pm--a full hour over our allotted time. We were just relaxing cross-legged on the floor, listening to Fijian music, chatting about nothing in particular. 

And so, while in New Zealand, I got a small taste of Fijian culture. I also got to experience snow in Dunedin, which only happens a couple times a year, if at all. So I'd say it's been a good week! 

Cheers, everybody!