"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

For Dani

My dear friend Dani, who has been my roommate for the past two years, just demanded that I write her a new blog post. Apparently it has been ages since I last posted something, so this post is for her!

I have officially been in New Zealand for a month... POOF! That time is now gone. Crazy.

The past couple of weeks have been a combination of lectures, studying, kickboxing classes, and random walks/tramps on the weekends. Oh, as well as three-night marathon to watch the Lord of the Rings movies -- extended editions, of course. 

After a while I stop carrying around my camera, but here are a few things I've taken shots of! 

From the Botanic Gardens:

Looks like a crazy hair do, right?

 

Last weekend I volunteered at a little horse stable where disabled people can ride the eight ponies they have there. We fed the ponies dinner, refilled their water, and mucked out their stalls. Loved it!

It was also the first time I have ever used a wheelbarrow! So of course I took a picture.

This is an AWESOME tree house, not too far from the University. 

And here is the first panoramic shot I tried to take on my camera. It was taken from Flagstaff - another hill not too far from where I live. It was a sunny, but blustery day. The rain clouds on the right half of the photo finally caught up with us on our way back to campus. We were cold, hungry, and tired... but definitely still happy!

Now for some random Kiwi observations I've made lately...

• People like to put old couches outside--back yard, front yard, in a tree house, wherever. The idea is that you have somewhere comfy to sit when you're lounging outside... but what if... I don't know... creepy crawling things decide to live in your couch? And, at least in Dunedin, it rains all the time. Can mold grow on couch fabric? 

• "Bangs" (as in the haircut style) are called "fringe" here. Makes way more sense. 

• There's really no such thing as "New Zealand cuisine." I suppose traditional/common NZ meals would be based on seafood, seeing as it's an island-country surrounded by sea. Otherwise it's like a meat-and-potatoes, fish-and-chips kind of place. 

So there you go, Dani! (And all of my other readers.) Thank you for your patience. :)

Greetings from New Zealand

After four flights and over thirty hours of travel time, I finally made it to my flat in Dunedin!

I was absolutely ecstatic as we were riding from the airport to the flat office. Window down, arm hanging and head popping out the window — I felt like a dog! Here are some pictures I took. See if you can spot the sheep in the second picture. (There are more sheep than there are people in New Zealand.)

My first thought was, “This is what they call winter?? It’s so green.” I actually laughed at them. But then the sun set…

Forget about culture shock – how about weather shock??

For those who know me, you know I hike Colorado mountains in a tank top and wear my beloved Chacos in all weather conditions. Well, to put things in perspective, this morning I wore two jackets, jeans, and my sneakers. And for the first time in..I don’t know how many years…my body didn’t overheat.

Being inside feels almost as cold as outside. Last night I slept with 2 pairs of socks, 2 layers of sweat pants, and 3 shirts/jackets…and I was still cold. (Pretty sure my room gets below 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night.) So the first thing I did this morning was buy flannel underwear and a hot water bottle.

But enough complaining, because this was the view from my bedroom window this frosty morning…

It was my first sunrise in New Zealand… New Zealand, guys…And that’s pretty damn exciting.

So I’ve spent the last day and a half getting acclimated — or rather, spending money. Groceries, phone, bedding, etc. Things are quite expensive here, but at least the currency is rainbow colored and highlighted with native birds.

Some random observations/thoughts/experiences I’ve had so far:

1. I love the Kiwi accent! It’s like a British-Australian-Scottish accent, but still uniquely New Zealand.

2. Yes, the toilet water does swirl counter-clockwise when it’s flushed. (This one is for my brothers.)

3. Right away, I found the need to start walking on the left side of the sidewalk to avoid running into people.

4. Also on that note, I am re-training myself how to cross the street (Preschool style)… “Look right, left, then right again.”

5. My Google, Facebook, and Spotify ads are all tailored to my new location. This clearly isn’t an earth-shattering discovery, but it was just a random life detail (normally taken for granted) that I guess I wasn’t expecting to change so effortlessly. Google probably knew I was in New Zealand before my parents did.

6. Like the typical Coloradan, I don’t know which direction is west without the Rocky Mountains. Dunedin sits in a basin so we can only see rolling hills in all directions, but the Southern Alps (the “proper mountains,” as my Kiwi friend informed me) are still west of Dunedin, so I find that comforting.

7. Coffee is EVERYWHERE!!!! There are even coffee cup holders on the grocery carts. I also found this inspiring wallpaper at a cafe at the Christchurch airport:

I’ll post some pictures of my flat and of local Dunedin soon. Until then… soak up some summer tans for me!

The Beginning of a Journey

I leave for New Zealand in less than 48 hours, where I’ll be living in Dunedin and studying at the University of Otago for the next five and a half months. Dunedin is a city located on the eastern coast of the South Island, as can be seen in the map below…

I’ve never blogged before. In fact, I always viewed blogs as somewhat self-centered — a glorified Facebook profile, if you will. But upon further reflection, I decided it was probably more selfish of me to be provided with such an amazing opportunity and then not share that experience with others (or at the very least, my mother).

So a-blogging I will go!

I chose to study abroad in New Zealand for several reasons… For one, it’s just a breathtakingly gorgeous country. There are nearly limitless opportunities for tramping, hiking, climbing, biking, and adventuring. New Zealand is also a popular tourist destination, so from a hospitality management perspective that should be interesting.

And to be completely honest… It is comforting to know that New Zealand is an English-speaking country. (Although while I’m out there I do hope to pick up some Maori, which is the second official language of New Zealand.) Also… Lord of the Rings may or may not have had an influence on my decision…

But at the end of the day, I really chose New Zealand because their culture fascinates me.

“Kiwitanga,” the name of my blog, is an English-Maori word literally defined as “the state of being a New Zealander.” Kiwi is the nickname New Zealanders give themselves, and -tanga is a Maori nominalization suffix (like the English -ness at the end of an adverb). So Kiwitanga is a word to describe the Kiwi culture, which (from what I’ve read and heard) is a culture built around warmth, hospitality, balance, strength, and egalitarianism.

I’m ready to experience this culture – to live in it, soak it up, and try to understand it. I want to learn what it means to be a Kiwi, and maybe along the way I will learn more about myself, too.

I invite you to experience this journey with me –  while maybe not in person, at least through my words and photos.