Day 9

So today was my first day of university (“uni” as the locals call it). It was pretty good! My first class, Physics of the Atmosphere and Ocean, was at 11, and I can tell it’s going to be a really tough class. I purchased another book for it today, all about Elementary Climate Physics. I also learned that I have a field trip for that class, where I’m pretty sure we will be going to the University of Auckland Physics Field Station. After that I had Coastal and Marine Geography, which I’m really looking forward to. It’s a class about how beaches form, and the different types of beaches, etc. This class has two field trips, which cover five beaches on the west and east coast of the Auckland region. Can’t wait to get out and see more of the coastline! The two days for that field trip is next weekend, so March 12 and 13 I think.

I also signed up for the Auckland University Underwater Club, which is basically the scuba club. I’m SO excited to go on their trips. The first club meeting is this Wednesday, which I’m also really looking forward to. They advertised by having a boat on the sidewalk to attract people’s attention. There were also tons of other clubs and sponsors, so I joined the Auckland University Student’s Association and got a free planner, some candy, a small calculator, and more of those reusable bags. Places here sure love to give away reusable bags, like the ones you can buy at Stop and Shop. Other clubs had activities such as stack as many binders as you can or put on a sumo wrestling suit and wrestle a friend. If I had more time I would have absolutely have done that, but I had to run to class. I also got to try Pineapple Lumps today, which are like chewy pineapple flavored candies covered in chocolate. The Kiwis assured me that they are a very New Zealand thing to eat, and I might say they are very different from any other candy I’ve ever had.

Then I came back to the dorm for delicious fish and chips, which the Kiwis think that they invented. I’m pretty sure that every nation thinks they invented fish and chips. It wasn’t as good as home, but it’ll do! After lunch I relaxed a little bit and then had my Marine Ecology course. It was funny because about ten minutes into class the computer and projector screen turned off so the professor couldn’t give a lecture, and then right after that the lights in the room turned off, so we all just packed up and left. So much for learning today! This course has a two-day field trip up to the Leigh Marine Lab, which is about an hour and a half north of Auckland, and we will be staying there overnight.

After dinner a bunch of us went to the game room to play a few games of ping pong and foosball. Some funny Kiwis thought they could fool me by telling me about this great card game called “Pickup 52” but I know that’s where you just throw all the cards up in the air and pick them back up! I’ve also started a list of places that people from International House are from: Massachusetts, California, Vietnam, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Virginia, Ohio, Dubai, India, Iran, and Russia. I’ll add more as I meet more people! I’d say other than New Zealanders, most of the students here at International House are American.

It’s still early here so I’m going to start reading my physics book then off to bed!!

Day 8

Today I had some time to sit and think, especially after skyping with my parents. I’m starting to miss home when I think that classes haven’t even started yet, and that’s the whole reason I’m here.

We went bowling today, which was pretty much the same as it is in the U.S. It was a pretty long walk to get to the bowling alley, and it turned out to be on the 6th floor of a parking garage- strange place for a bowling alley if you ask me! We ended up walking over the Grafton Bridge (which is in photo 1) which is a roadway that goes over the highway on the way to the bowling alley. Turns out I’m not that bad at bowling but I’m not that great either! The bowling alley also had some ridiculous rules, like they would fine you $100NZ if you threw the ball rather than rolled it.

I’ve also included photos of gas prices, since they’re different from the states. They pay for each liter, so it’s $2.02 New Zealand dollars per liter of gas. So then that would cost $7.65 per gallon in New Zealand money, which is equivalent to $5.71 per gallon of gas in United States currency. What is it in the states right now?

After dinner a bunch of us walked to Meyer’s Park, which is a park near campus where they were hosting an outdoor performance. It was about a human having a dream about being a deer that doesn’t listen to her parents. She ended up dying and we all left very confused. I love art that makes you think but this performance was a little too much to comprehend.

A word about Kiwi culture:

Everyone here loves stairs. It’s great exercise, but like today walking to the bowling alley, one person was going to take the elevator (the lift) but everyone else ran up the stairs so of course that one person also ran up the stairs. If you ask where a place is on say the fourth floor, people ALWAYS direct you to a stairwell. Good exercise!!!

Kiwi fashion- “It’s not about what you wear, it’s about how you wear it.” You can wear clothes that are too big for you, too small for you, lace, mismatched patterns, formal, ripped, sneakers with dresses and heels with circus-looking pants. ANYTHING GOES. It’s so cool that people don’t judge one another based on what you wear. It’s refreshing that everyone can express themselves through their clothing and no one even thinks twice about it.

First day of school tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Day 7: Can't believe it's been a week!

I really should start posting these blog posts earlier in the day; it’s 11:24 pm here and I’m so tired! Today Olly, Anisha, Anna and I went to Ruby, which is a very high end clothing store. When I say high end, I mean hundreds of dollars for one shirt or one pair of shorts. They were selling clothes up to like 90% off in order to raise money for the Christchurch earthquake victims. There are donation collection bins in all of the shops and people walking around trying to get people to donate. There are so many families without power, or water, or with their entire houses demolished. To be in a situation that unfortunate is something that I hope none of us personally experience.

While Anna and Anisha went into the boutique (which was filled with girls literally fighting over certain pieces of clothing), I had my first sausage on bread with Olly. Another fundraiser for Christchurch, they were selling sausages on bread with fried onions for 2$. The girls ended up being in the store for two hours! I decided that the clothes were out of my price range as well as I didn’t want to deal with the crazy other shoppers. We ended up walking down the street and finding a school with two playgrounds which were quite fun. I also jumped my first New Zealand fence on the way back. We also ended up looking at some really nice cars in a Sportscar Garage, called The Toy Shop, such as Porches, Jaguars (dating back to 1966), and Aston Martins.

After that, we went for sushi (my first Kiwi sushi) and we shopped at the dollar store for “Retro” clothes, as tonight was Retro Night at International House. I ended up getting a cheap sparkly pink hat and pulling together an outfit out of clothes from my closet (complete with multicolored leopard pajama shorts!).
Dinner was good, then Retro Night! A great band that played a ton of old American music, like “Summer of ‘69” and “Brown Eyed Girl.” They also played stuff by Tom Petty and AC/DC. It was wonderful! They supplied pizza and drinks, and we danced for quite a long time!

Tomorrow is the last orientation week event, I’m kind of sad that it’s ending. I’m also starting to miss home a little, especially when I’m in my room by myself. I love skyping with friends and people from home because it helps me to feel connected, but being on the other side of the world is actually really far if I think about it too long. I’m very ready for classes to start so I can feel like I’m doing something with my life, rather than being on vacation, as I haven’t been in a classroom since December!

Day 6

Today was great! Honestly, I’m having such a wonderful time in New Zealand! I got up rather late today, had lunch, and went to see about a few textbooks. I ended up getting a book for each of my classes. My marine ecology class printed a textbook for us free of charge, so I also had to go pick that up today. Seeing as Auckland is ALL hills, I sure am getting my exercise! Together, the three books I purchased were about $230 altogether. I really don’t like spending money, but they are very necessary. Also, I don’t feel that bad about buying textbooks because my friend Cameron spent $500 on his for a semester of biomed courses.

Then, we had formal dinner this evening. Delicious seafood with tomato sauce over rice, and roast beef, along with other vegetables and salads. It was bring your own bottle of wine, so we sampled quite a few types of wine as well. I sat with Matthew, Jo, and Cameron, and had a blast. We also finished the champagne from the champagne breakfast the other day. I also got to try pavlova for the first time, which is like meringue (egg whites and sugar whipped and then baked) which you eat with fruit and whipped cream. It was SO GOOD! I love kiwi foods. I also learned that the Australians regularly fight the Kiwi’s over who created pavlova.
Then, we went to a “Kids of 88” concert at the university, which is a pretty popular local band. IT was neat to listen to a local band.

Talking points:

I spoke to a boy that wants to join the Australian army (it pays more than the New Zealand army) and a girl that wants to join the New Zealand army. The New Zealand army doesn’t really fight though, so they have more of a peacekeeping role in the world.

Tomorrow I’ll post more about Kiwi style, but just know that ANYTHING goes. Like, bring any clothes to wear and they will be very widely accepted. I LOVE that Kiwi’s don’t care what you look like, as long as you like the way you look.

The posts have been getting shorter because I’m getting more settled in, as well as not doing as cool of things. I’m trying to plan out my schedule for the semester, however, and will hopefully have some awesome weekend trips coming up.

Day 5- Travel Plans?

Today I got up early and walked all the way back down to The Warehouse to finally get another towel, a hand towel, a second pillow, etc. I also purchased an umbrella! I ended up spending $125 on totally necessary items. Then, I went to an international student information session about safety, busses around the city, etc. After that, I went back to the room and had lunch, talked to my mom, and then got ready to go out to a travel information session.

I learned all about great trips out to Waiheke Island (which is a beachy island right off the coast with tons of local vineyards and barbeques on the beach), learning to surf, going abseiling (which is where you basically repel down a waterfall), going four wheeling through the forest, etc. They all sound like tons of fun! It was so much fun because people answered ridiculous questions like, “who is the most attractive rugby player?” to win rugby tickets, or had to practice surf moves in a competition for surfing tickets. I got chosen for a competition to eat an entire Wheatbix before other contestants. Wheatbix are granola bar shaped dry flatter corn flakes pressed together that you put into milk, but without milk they are very very dry. I ended up finishing it first and I won a trip to go quad riding through the forest, which would normally cost $155. Another girl from International House, Jo, won the second ticket, so we’re planning on going together. So excited for a free trip!!

Then I came back and skyped with my friends, which is like video chatting, which was so nice! I have more “skype dates” tomorrow.

Then, dinner of stirfried steak, rice, and vegetables.

Then, we all went out for a nightlife tour. It was so much fun! I love my friends!
Some things to consider:

The grocery store has no bags. You have to buy a reusable bag for 99 cents every time. Or, remember to bring a bag with you.

A pillow is the worst thing to have to carry across a city.

Everyone here has a “Barbie,” which is a grill. Even if you have the tiniest of apartments, somehow you manage to have one.

The most common religion in New Zealand is rugby. Everyone believes in it.

The distance from Cape Reinga (tip of the north island) to Invercargill (bottom of the south island) is 1000 miles. New York City to Chicago is 900 miles.

There’s 6000 km of coastline.

There’s 4 million people and 39.5 million sheep. There’s 9 million cattle.
New Zealand supplies 54% of the worlds export of sheep meat.

In Auckland, 1 out of every 4 families has a boat.

Kiwi’s call bathing suits “togs” and flip flops “jandals”.

Lots of Kiwi’s drive mopeds.

New Zealand is home to the longest name of a place in the world, called: Taumata¬whakatangihanga-koauau¬o¬tamatea¬turi¬pukakapiki¬maunga¬horo¬nuku¬pokai¬whenua¬kitanatahu

(The pictures I’ve included are a few from the university, some mopeds lined up on the street, and a flaming drink at the bar.)

Day 4- Long Bay Beach Trip

Today was one of the most relaxing days ever! We got up early and headed to Long Bay beach, which is about a half an hour up the north island, on the east side. It was beautiful! Nice sandy beach, blue green water, and the sun even came out for part of the day! The waves were gentler there than they usually are in Connecticut, but a few were great for bodysurfing. Kids were also playing soccer, volleyball, and passing around rugby balls and footballs. We also had a barbeque choice of either chicken patty, veggie patty, or hamburger. They use pre-cooked frozen hamburgers that you only have to throw on the grill for a minute to get it warmed up. Not as good as home! They also had potato salad and coleslaw. Then, they had sausages and bread, which is what they eat in place of hot dogs and buns. I didn’t have a sausage, but maybe another day I’ll try that. They also had a cooler full of “freezies,” which are those kool-aid tubes that you can freeze. They never supply scissors so we’re always biting off the tops! Swimming in the water today was SO wonderful, warmer than Connecticut water but cooler than Florida water, it was perfect. There were also cliffs to either side of the beach as well as islands off in the distance. Beautiful! I also tried L&P today, which is a famous New Zealand drink, called Lemon & Paeroa, which is like lemonade, sugar, and carbonated water. It was very good, they should think about selling it in the United States.

I got SO sunburned, even though I put sunscreen on at least my face. I also got to pick up a few neat shells that we don’t have in Connecticut. Going to the beach today brought back a very strong urge to figure out the scuba club (first meeting is a week from today) so I can start diving!

Later on today I did a load of laundry- 2$ for the wash and 2$ for the dryer! So expensive! And my clothes weren’t even all the way dry! I have some semi-dry clothes hanging in my closet.

New thoughts for today:

I’ve got to try wheat-a-bix, which is a granola bar shaped cluster of flake cereal that you set into a teeny bit of milk and it kind of dissolves.

I feel like I’m starting to talk like a Kiwi… especially when I talk to Kiwi’s. Not a bad thing, they sound more proper to me, possibly because they sound more
British. However, when I talk to non-kiwis I feel myself talking normally again.

I got asked by a Kiwi about UConn basketball! He was rooting for Kemba Walker as well! Go huskies!

You get on the bus on the left side, not the right, because that’s where the driver is. Makes sense, as they drive on the left. They also pass on the right side.

Auckland is beautiful when you look at it from the water-side.

A ton of US movies and shows are super popular here, like Black Swan, The King’s Speech, Dexter and Family Guy. There’s a New Zealand movie “Boy” that just came out that I’m going to have to download and watch. For more info about that, click here: http://www.boythemovie.co.nz/

I can download things “legally” because the residence halls all have connected internet, so file sharing is possible and highly encouraged.

Honestly, it doesn’t feel like I’m all that far from home because I’m so connected and things are different but not too different.

Also, I've added a few photos from the scavenger hunt under the post below, let me know if you want to see videos!

Day 3

So, earthquake in Christchurch… I think there’s 9 people here at International House with family in Christchurch, so it’s kind of concerning the dorm. Here in Auckland, we didn’t feel anything. In fact, we were running around all afternoon in Auckland trying to complete a scavenger hunt while Christchurch was being shaken up. I feel bad, but I’m not sure there’s any way I can help.

I started out the day having my first normal breakfast in the dining hall, which was just cereal and fancy cappuchino from an amazing machine in the dining hall. It has options like “coffee with milk” or “espresso” or “cappuccino” and it will steam milk and put in the right amount of coffee, etc. I also learned that spaghetti on toast is a very common thing to eat for breakfast. And when I say spaghetti think like spaghetti-o’s but long and thin. Apparently that as well as beans on toast are very popular.

Then, I found the international student office and picked up my ID card, found the outgoing mailbox, and met another girl from Maryland. I also stopped by a convenience store and took a look at a lot of the food, which I’ve included some pictures of.

The scavenger hunt was A TON of fun. My group ended up being Rene, Matthew, Cameron, Anna (all from NZ) and me. We had to do things such as “swim a lap in the Albert Park fountain” and “give a homeless person a hamburger” and “take a 20 second video of someone eating a tablespoon of wasabi.” We also got a lot of points if someone wore women’s underwear over their pants, so I ended up doing that. We were running around taking pictures in intersections, at banks, proposing to strangers, riding the bus, etc. Honestly, SO MUCH FUN! I learned my way around Auckland even more as well as had a few laughs along the way.

We also ended up not being able to find a homeless person after we bought the cheeseburger, so four of us split it. If you’d like to see some of the pictures or the video of the poor kid eating the wasabi, let me know!

Then we had dinner and did a quiz round, which consisted of 50 questions from all sorts of topics. My group didn’t win, but again we had a blast and I tried a bunch of NZ candy. Cadbury makes most of the chocolate here, and according to Kiwi’s, American chocolate is not good at all.

Day 2

Last night’s Chinese Lantern Festival was amazing, to celebrate the Chinese New Year (which I think was actually Saturday). Tons of paper lanterns in all animal shapes, people shapes, and teapots, vases, butterflies, dragons, etc were lit up all over Albert Park, which is a wooded area in the middle of the city. There were also TONS of Asian food places, from Vietnamese to Malaysian. I tried a chicken satay kebab, which is just like chicken on a stick. It was delicious! They also had hot donuts and cotton candy (which Kiwi’s call “candy floss”) and corn dogs (which Kiwi’s call “hot dogs”). I've also included a photo of kids in what look like bubbles, over a pool, where they can roll around inside of an inflatable bubble and bump into other bubbles for fun. They call is Zorbing when you get inside of a bubble and travel down a hill, but the kids do a more innocent version over a pool.

The food selection in the city is astounding, but I love to just eat in the dining hall because it’s free and delicious and a great way to meet people. The BEST thing about the dining hall here is that people fill in tables from one end to the next and once one table is full, people will begin to sit at another table. Like, after you get your food you just sit next to anyone, and more people are guaranteed to sit next to you. I wish America was like this, because you’re always meeting new people and having new conversations. I watched a girl purposely sit by herself and within a minute ten or twelve people were sitting with her. Amazing!

I made some new friends this morning, named Anisha, Ollie, and Anna, all from Wellington, which is at the southern end of the north island of New Zealand. Champagne breakfast was amazing, with eggs and bacon and croissants and fresh fruit, and my table each had like four glasses of champagne. We were actually encouraged to drink, because otherwise the champagne would go to waste.
Then, we took a walk to the gym, the bookstore, and an electronics store. I’m starting to figure out a few more streets and I’m hearing a lot more about New Zealand from my new Kiwi friends. After that, the entire hall had a volleyball tournament, which my building (Cobham) won! For a few of the games I was the only girl playing! This experience is about getting out of my comfort zone so why not get out on the court and play with the boys? I was actually pretty good! I’m so proud of myself.

I also tried Jaffas today, which is a local candy. It’s a chocolate ball covered in like M&M shell that is a little bit flavored like oranges. They’re alright but not my favorite. J.A.F.A is also a derogatory term that people call Aucklanders, which stands for “Just Another F***ing Aucklander.” Now that I’ve got some Kiwi friends I’m learning TONS about local culture.

Then, we had dinner, and I tried lamb for the first time ever! It was fried (kind of like breaded venison) and it was completely delicious. International house food is amazing. I had that with coleslaw, potatoes, and peas. Then, a bunch of us went to the liquor store and ended up going out to Margaritas. It’s so weird that I’m allowed to go into bars and clubs here.

Some things I learned along the way:

Doorknobs here turn to the left, not the right.

Kiwi’s are the term for the locals, the bird, and the fruit.

Kiwi’s say “eh” too.

The RA’s freely drink with the residents, in fact they escort us to the bar.

Day 1

So the flights from American Airlines to Texas and then California weren’t so great, I was pretty upset and the people I sat next to weren’t all that nice. I guess I wouldn’t really know what to me either, given the fact that I was crying. The flight from LA, however, through Qantas, was honestly the most enjoyable flight ever! We had hot dinner of mahi mahi and breakfast of eggs with potato and zucchini, with BACON! A plane that will serve me a glass of chardonnay at night and bacon in the morning is a good plane in my book. Also, Qantas flights give out complimentary pillows, blankets, headphones, toothbrushes, and snack packs with lots of goodies and water bottles. I’m sure that they charge you for it at some point but I’m allowed to be super impressed right now. I also sat next to a very nice Fijian woman who told me all about New Zealand. Overall, I’d give that flight a 9.5. It would have been better if the screen on the back of the seat in front of me played all of the movies I wanted to watch, but I really can’t complain. I slept great! I also got to see my first ever Pacific Ocean sunrise.

Since then, I thankfully got my homemade maple syrup through customs, and managed to bring all of my scuba stuff. I met other girls on the plane that were travelling to the University of Auckland, and made some fast friends. Then, when we were all getting into the airport pickup car, Martha goes “I guess I’ll take shotgun” and gets into the front right seat of the car, and the driver walks over and says, “well now, are you driving?” Typical American not even thinking about which side of the car the steering wheel is on!! Seeing people driving on the left side of the street is definitely different!

I got settled into my room, which has a great view of the common area as well as the basketball court. It’s bigger than I thought and I went shopping today to get some things to make it seem more like home. Oh, a note about shopping: EVERYTHING is more expensive here. Shampoo cost me 10$ for something I could buy for 3$ in the states. Things are more expensive so I really limited what I spent my money on. I also got an international phone, with a new number. I’m so proud of myself for being able to navigate the city streets!

Another good thing about today: I tried kiwi gelato- SO GOOD. I also had dinner with Laura (from Canada), a girl from Japan, a boy from Dubai, and a bunch of New Zealand guys. The food was great! Now tonight we’re all going to see the Lantern Festival, because Chinese new year was last night and I guess they celebrate it pretty big here in Auckland.

Some things I learned along the way:

I’ll be using a co-ed bathroom. Kinda strange!

Canadians really do say “eh” (I have a new Canadian friend, Laura!)

Towels are expensive (I’m talking like 30$).

New Zealand really is as green as it is in pictures.

It’s really hard to find an alarm clock in Auckland.

More pre-trip stuff

So basically saying goodbye to everyone I know and love is killing me. Recently I've felt so loved, so appreciated, and now I'm just leaving everyone behind to go on some big adventure. I mean, I have to get out of my comfort zone and experience something new and different, totally for myself, to grow and explore and come back that much more mature and aware of the world. Everyone asks me if I'm excited, and currently, actually, I'm more stressed about getting everything done that I need, saying goodbye to everyone, and somehow packing my whole room into two suitcases. It's not "real" yet.


Some things I've learned about New Zealand along the way:

Auckland is 18 hours ahead of Connecticut time. (If you need help converting time just ask my cousin, Heather).

The exchange rate is favorable, in that 76 cents of US money is equal to a dollar in New Zealand money. So, American money will go further over there, but since their minimum wage is so high, basic things like Coca Cola and mayonaisse are ridiculous, like 6+ US$.

Also, THEY DON'T HAVE ANY PEANUT BUTTER! Or REESES! What the heck kind of country is this!? I am, however, very excited to try lamb and pavlova (a common New Zealand food, meringue cake with a light, delicate, crisp crust and a soft sweet marshmallow center, usually topped with fruit).

Also, everyone should take classes in New Zealand. They all sound wonderful with multiple field trips, or even field weekends or weeks, to get kids outside and actually do hands on projects/research/learning. This semester I think I am taking: Physics of the Atmosphere and Ocean, Coastal and Marine Geography, Intro to Logic, and Marine Ecology. I'm SO excited about the marine courses, not so excited about physics (it should be really hard, but I'm up for the challenge) and philosophy.

Also, I already know that I'm going to be sad and homesick when I get there. My mom calls it "sensitive." And she's so right. If you'd like to brighten up my day and send me a letter/note/photo/care package/anything at all, I promise I'll reply and I also promise you'll make my day. If you'd like my New Zealand address (which I officially found out last night, please ask!)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ahhhhh! So excited!

I'm SUPER excited about going! I'm getting really tired of being in CT watching the snow piles turn from white and fluffy to gray and icy. I'm flying out next Friday (the 18th of February) through Texas and California, and then I'll arrive in Auckland, New Zealand Sunday, February 20 at 9:55 in the morning. Here's the schedule for my first week, as far as meeting people in International House, which is where I'll be staying:

 Sunday 20th

Check-in day and get to know each other. Nothing formal as residents will be arriving all day.

Monday 21st

Champagne and pajama breakfast to start at 9:30am in the dining hall. Pancakes, croissants, eggs, bacon, sausages, fresh fruit etc etc. And a glass of bubbly if you wish! This will be the only time you will be permitted to wear your PJ's to breakfast! IH section volleyball tournament to be held on our outdoor court in the afternoon.

Tuesday 22nd

Scavenger Hunt. Get to know the central city area and a few people from the Hall,  

with a challenging scavenger hunt. Prizes awarded at dinner.

Speed round quiz night, after dinner in the dining hall.

Wednesday 23rd

Beach and BBQ trip to beautiful Long Bay regional park on Auckland's North Shore.

Leaving the Hall at 10:00am return 3:00pm.

Thursday 24th

Auckland Nightlife Tour. Join your RA staff for a trip to some of Auckland's evening attractions.

Movie Night with sweet treats for those not attending Nightlife Tour.

Friday 25th

Formal Dinner in our dining hall. Find out why we are regarded as the Hall with the best food in Auckland. Get dressed up and enjoy a glass of wine with great food.

Saturday 26th

"Time Warp" party in our games room. The "must be there" event of O'Week. Get dressed up in your retro gear and enjoy one of Auckland's best live bands for a

fantastic evening.

Sunday 27th

Recovery exercise with a visit to a 10pin bowling alley a short walk from the Hall.