Falling in Love with Aotearoa (Part II)

Kia Ora, my readers!

At long last, here is Part II from my spring break trip! I have yet to get the group pictures from my friends (I assume I will get them eventually) but in the meantime, here are some other pictures I can share with you from that trip, as well as some random ones taken the past couple of weeks... 

We visited the beautiful Archway Islands, which are at the northermost part of the South Island 

It looks like I have a hat on! ;)

We were so proud of this shot. 

Ran into this fella on the drive back from Nelson! The Kea is the world's only alpine parrot, and a very mischievous bird.

 

Coming home from my trip and seeing postcards from my friend Kayla (left) and my Uncle Ron and Aunt Krista (right)! 

Vegetarian stuffed peppers. I love my life.

It's SPRING in Dunedin!! Flowers are blooming everywhere.

 Bone carving classes! My first piece of work.

Also....I have a very special treat to share with you...My friend took videos of our horse trek a couple weekends ago and we pieced them together into this gloriously epic film. So sit back and enjoy!(Video courtesy of Matt Stolfi.)

Rest assured I have not forgotten my homeland. On the contrary, I have been thinking about home a lot lately. Maybe it's because I read another web article about the droughts in California. Or because the seasons are changing to fall in the Northern Hemisphere and it occurred to me that I have never 'skipped' autumn before (but hey, at least I get two springs this year!) Oh, not to mention the University of Denver's quarter just started - and I know this because I wake up every morning to a fresh batch of twenty emails from DU to sift through. (This is not entirely an exaggeration. Fellow DU students will understand.) 

But life here is good. "Wherever you go, there you are." I'm still me, struggling with the same defects I deal with back home. Sometimes I get so caught up in what has happened or what will happen that I need to be reminded that, "If you have one foot in the past and one foot in the future, then you're just pissing all over today." So I wake up, eat porridge for breakfast, go to class, spend time with friends, hit the gym. Beauty and joy in the mundane, everyday things of life. One day at a time.

It's become less about "falling in love with Aoteaora" and more about falling in love with myself. I built up my life around notions of perfection and used to beat myself up for (inevitable) failure, and now I'm slowly learning what it means to cultivate self-love... If I love God, other people, and myself, then I could be anywhere in the world and be happy. New Zealand just happens to be an extra-awesome place. ;)

So thank you for reading about my crazy adventures - or just my mundane, everyday adventures! I love you all.

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!

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!

The Sometimes Not-So-Glossy Side

Study abroad blogs are great at portraying the highlights of an experience, but in reality, life still happens. For example, I caught a cold this week. I also found out I have an inflamed tendon (or something) in my right foot, so I've been slightly limping to and from class this week, all the while sniffling from my cold.

My foot just requires "rest," which is a word I am very unfamiliar with. Apparently it means avoiding hiking, long walks, gym workouts, etc. So.......not sure what that leaves me with..... 

Oh...yeah...homework!! Hooray! 

By the time I burnt my hand last night trying to pour a cuppa tea, I just laughed. Because this is life. Up, and down, and sideways. It may not be as glossy as the pictures portray, but I guess with the right attitude there is always something to learn from.  

I'm very excited to be taking classes at this University... I have mostly intro-level classes, which will transfer back to DU as electives: tourism, sociology, and dance. It's been nice to take a break from business classes and get a little artsy!