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!

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!)

The Mountains are Calling...

  "I will lift up my eyes 

           to the mountains — 

                    from where shall my help come?"     

    

   ~Psalm 120:1

The mountains are calling, and I must go.... but in this case, right into a tattoo shop....

The mountains remind me of home. They have also been a source of inspiration and healing for me, especially this past year, so for the past few months it's been on my heart to commemorate that with a tattoo. 

I thought about getting it before I left for New Zealand, but I was so busy running around, seeing people, packing, dancing in Greek festivals, etc., and it just didn't feel like the right time to do it. So I figured I would just come home from studying abroad and get it sometime early next year, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. 

So on a sunny Tuesday afternoon a couple weeks ago, I walked into a local tattoo shop by myself. I went with a photo in hand and a concept in mind. I intended to get a quote, maybe have the artist sketch something up, and then schedule an appointment to get it done later. But when he asked me if I wanted to get it done that afternoon...I paused for only two or three seconds before I responded, "Why not? Let's do it!" 

It was one of the most impulsive things I have ever done, and it was fantastic.

At the same time, though, I've known for a while that this is what I wanted to do--I just wasn't expecting it to happen in New Zealand! Also, for the record, my mom knew I wanted to get a mountain tattoo...but she wasn't expecting it to happen in NZ, either. Once she gave me the wise suggestion of waiting until I was 23 to get a tattoo--which is really smart! But I couldn't be that patient. ;)

I know some people do not approve of tattoos, and I understand and respect that. I admit my tattoo probably won't look very pretty when I'm seventy years old (but by then I probably won't care). And I'm pretty sure the Orthodox Church doesn't approve of tattoos, either... But when I made my decision I knowingly accepted these risks, and I have had no regrets.

"We never grow tired of each other, the mountain and I." ~Li Po

I absolutely love love love my tattoo. After using coconut oil on it for the past two weeks, it's almost entirely healed up. By the way, for anyone considering a tattoo, I wholeheartedly recommend using coconut oil on it. It has anti-bacterial properties, is more moisturising than baby lotion, and my skin was only the least bit itchy! 

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!

Happy Campy Planty!

"Ah! Now, that is one happy campy planty!" said Martin, one of my German friends, after we successfully planted another little tree.

We were volunteering for the Penguin Place, which is a conservation reserve dedicated to helping the endangered Yellow Eyed Penguins (which can only be found in southern New Zealand). These penguins need shade and privacy to survive, but most of NZ's wetlands were cleared for farmland, so today we helped plant over three-hundred little trees in an ongoing effort to reproduce the penguins' habitat.

 

 

While we were there we got a tour of the penguin reserve, and we had the amazing opportunity to sneak a peak at a pair of yellow eyed penguins, as well as some little blue penguins (the smallest penguin species in the world), and even a seal just chillaxing by the beach.

It was a great day to meet new friends and lend a helping hand to the community.

There was also a ridiculously gorgeous day this weekend--I think it broke some 60-year record. So a couple of us spent the afternoon at a local beach to enjoy the weather. It was the first day I've wore shorts since arriving here!

It was the softest, whitest sand I have ever seen. 

Christian and I thought it would be cool to take photos of us doing yoga poses on the beach... It was fun and we had a lot of laughs!

 DOGGIE!!! Playing catch on the beach! So cute!!

I promise I have assignments and classes, too! I don't spend every day playing on the beach or tramping through the hills... Those days just make for the best pictures!