Butterflies, Hang-gliding, and Falafel Burgers

Kia Ora!

I am now officially done with lectures at the University of Otago. WHAT?!?!? Time is crazy fast.

...Reminds me of that Pink Floyd song..... "You run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking / Racing around to come up behind you again... The time is gone, the song is over / Thought I'd something more to say."

Anyways.

Speaking of suns, how about some moons?? Hope everyone had the chance to see the gorgeous Blood Moon from last week. (Awesome picture courtesy of Thomas Or.)

Last week I also had the chance to visit the Tropical Discovery section of the Otago Museum, where there are BUTTERFLIES!!!! It brought me back about a decade to the time I went with my aunt and cousins to the butterfly museum somewhere in Colorado. Or maybe I went with my mom and brother... Holy Guacamole, where has my memory gone??

 

I admit... I was scared of the butterflies. Yes, me - a grown woman - took half an hour to muster the courage to approach a little butterfly. I had to learn how to pick them up by observing that cute little girl do it. But after an hour I was like a pro! Hooray for conquering fears!

And speaking of fears... on Sunday I went HANG-GLIDING in Queenstown! But what's funny about that is I'm NOT afraid of heights. In fact, hangliding was actually a bit underwhelming. I think I was expecting more of a 'roller coaster' effect - but instead it was more like watching a movie. But it was still awesome! Gliding over the trees and hills, wind roaring in my ears. I could run off a mountain cliff like that every morning. ;)

This was the view:

I went with my friend Michele. She's super awesome!

Yay! We did it!

Awesome big tree! 

This picture shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who knows me.

Where else in the world can you eat Kiwi and Hokey Pokey truffles???

We ate tofu and falafel burgers for lunch! I LOVE BEING A VEGETARIAN! So yum.

Kiwi accents make 'willow tree' sound like 'blue tree' to me.

Oh, and we got to Queenstown by hitchhiking! NOBODY FREAK OUT! Hitchhiking is common in New Zealand and is relatively safe. The rules are you go with a buddy and you don't get into a car you feel isn't safe. Plus just look at how damn cute we are! Who wouldn't want to help us out?

 So the rest of this week is studying and prepping for my tourism and sociology exams, which aren't until the beginning of November, and because I don't want to study for a full month, I'm going to go on a wee 'South-South Island' trip. I leave on Sunday for Invercargill and Stewart Island for a few days, then head to Te Anau and then Milford Sound where I will do sea kayaking. Then I'm going to do a three day, two-night 'Great Walk' - the Routeburn Track - followed by a night in Queenstown before heading back to good ol' Dunners, just in time for Halloween.

Life is good. God is good. I'm so incredibly blessed to have this opportunity to learn and grow and change and love and live. Last week I made two lists (because you know how much I like making lists). I listed all the things I love (and will miss) about Dunedin, and then I listed all the things I love (and do miss) about Denver/Parker. Both lists make me very happy.

Sunny-Side Up

Kia Ora, my faithful readers! 

Believe it or not, I have just reached the halfway point of my semester at the University of Otago. (What?! Time doesn't just fly--it moves at freaking warp nine speed.) Tomorrow I leave for Nelson (a sunny city at the very top of the South Island) with my Kiwihost Georgia for mid-semester break! I'll be staying in a backpacker/hostel near the city centre, and since the weather should be nice-ish, I'll get to explore the city, visit some beaches, and try out the local hiking. 

I won't have my computer with me, so I will post a blog update sometime next weekend! With pictures! Before I leave, however, here are some Random Abreana Notes from the past weeks...

1. I GOT TO RIDE MY FIRST HORSE! 

Isn't she pretty?? Her name is Shannon. She's an Irish sport horse, very gentle, and takes a rubber bit. Her favourite thing is to run on the beach; she also loves jumping! (Obviously this was Day 1 for me, so we just walked around the hills for a bit...) We rode English style, which means the saddle doesn't have a horn like it does in Western style riding. 

And I absolutely loved it. 

2. My body is adapting to-- and enjoying!-- the Dunedin weather.

"Isn't it a bit cold, eh?" asked a guy from park maintenance. I was at a playground (on the swings, of course), and it was cloudy and drizzling rain. 

"Nah, it's nice!" I responded. 

Since when did I start adapting to this weather??

Swinging in the rain happened sometime last week. Then this morning I woke up to another cold/cloudy/rainy day (after a few consecutive days of sunshine) and I was actually excited about it. 

It means I get to wear my blue fuzzy hat!! It also means my porridge and hot tea taste even better. Man, I'm such a complicated person. 

3. Flowers are blooming! Spring must be arriving!

4. "You've Got Mail!" 

This is from my dear friend Maddie. :) I loved the Monet painting on the cover of the card...and the stamp was a Global Forever stamp, which I didn't even know existed! How fun!

5. Apparently I like to hang out by myself and take pictures.

I wandered around the Botanic Gardens the other day (the same place where I got to feed the ducks and pigeons!) I came across a tree that is supposedly older than Dunedin itself. I also found a sunny-side up egg on the side of some building, as well as a silver fern on the floor of the native bush forest. 

 

 

Next up... my mid-semester break adventures in Nelson!

My Playgrounds

Going hiking today wasn't initially in my plans. 

In fact, I had just finished taking a shower and was enjoying some hot tea when my friend Jay Jay popped his head into my flat and asked if I wanted to go on a hike this afternoon... Five minutes later, I had already laced up my hiking boots, thrown on an extra jacket, and was grabbing a bag of trail mix. 

Then, on our way to the Nichols Falls Track I discovered the playground of my dreams... 

I will come back for you, playground... And those swings will be mine.

So instead of taking the usual track to get to Nichols Falls (aka, the well-maintained tourist track), we hopped from rock to rock going upstream, ducking under branches and crawling over fallen tree trunks.

 

...Because who needs trails?

The weather was relatively cold today (surprise, surprise), but at least it was clean and crisp. And everything was green, wet, and mossy - something I have never had the chance to experience before, with the exception of a zoo exhibit. 

It was definitely my kind of playground. 

I am also very happy that I bought a waterproof, shatterproof, Abreana-proof camera - without which I would not have been able to take these pictures. 

At 15 m high, Nichols Falls isn't the grandest waterfall in New Zealand (most are at least a couple hundred meters high, if not 700 or 800 m), but it was charming and refreshing nonetheless... 

Well...okay...it was breathtaking and incredible.

Oh, and this is my hiking buddy Jay Jay!

I felt a little sad knowing my hiking buddy back home wasn't here to experience this awesome hike with me. I have met many incredible people since arriving in New Zealand, but real friendships take time to nurture and develop, and sometimes I get impatient. I miss the ease I can slip into a friendship at home, with the comfort and security of already knowing and caring for the other person. 

The good news is I can be my own best friend, so to speak. I can enjoy the company of other people without depending on them to fulfill or complete my study abroad experience -- because at the end of the day that's my responsibility. 

On that note... I am excited to announce that I signed up for a handful of horseback riding lessons! It's something I have wanted to try for years, and the Student Association at the Uni of Otago had a great deal for students.  

I think I have just embraced the fact that I'm going to come home in December broke with an empty bank account, but rich in experiences and the stuff that really counts.