1st day of classes

Well, I made it through my first day of classes at Vic Uni. I only had two so it wasn't that bad and I got to take a two hour nap in between. This whole not working thing is really great :)

Tomorrow is my 21st birthday so hopefully it will be fun! I don't have much planned...just going out for a few drinks because most people have class the next day. I am going to miss my annual dairy queen ice cream cake though and my trip to Beni Hana. Oh well, maybe when I get back I can go.

In my first class today, Gender, race and development...we ended the class singing a traditional Maori song and I had no idea what was going on. I have never sang in a lecture before but I guess it's a new experience! My second class is Maori society and culture and we were going to sing but no one knew enough of the words to make it sound nice. So I guess I'll have my own little choir practices each week.

The classes seem involved but not hard...or at least not yet. The first day is always hard to judge but apparently Kiwi's are silent studiers. They claim to just hang out but I guess they study all the time. Maybe I'll have to follow their example. It is nice though to think that I only have 11 weeks of class as opposed to 18 that I usually have at a semester at home. My spring break is only a month away..I guess I should start planning now if I want to go to Australia!!!

Hopefully I'll have a really exciting birthday and have something to write about next time! Until then...cheers!

permanent address

This address is for letters or postcards or whatever:

Leah Post
Nexus Accommodation
Victoria University of Wellington
PO Box 600
Wellington 6140
New Zealand

and this address is if you want to sent me a package:

Leah Post
Nexus Accomodation
Victoria University of Wellington
8 O'Reily Avenue
Wellington Central
New Zealand


I STILL don't have internet in my building so until then I won't be able to check my email and such as often.

But I do start school tomorrow so I'll be up on campus more often and be able to check my email and blog more frequently :)

some pictures

One of the vineyards we visited...out of 6 lol

Downtown Napier...it's a beautiful city

Some peeps I live with...Chelsea, Laura, Alex, Me, Sammie

A man down by the pier...we were going to jump together

The beach at wellington

Napier

Well, my little trip by myself is turning out to be the greatest thing I've done for myself lately. I'm in a little town called Napier in the Hawke's Bay Region which is about a 5 hour drive north of Wellington. I took a bus there and am staying in a hostel and my hostel roommates are two guys from London...they are really fun and have made good mates to hang out with the past few days.

This morning I woke up with no plan and walked around for awhile then found an Art Deco self-guided walking tour that I did with Pip, one of the guys I'm staying with. Then I signed up for a winery tour which turned out to be hilarious fun. We went to six different wineries and at each one tasted at least 6 different types of wines, I was definitely feeling it by the time we reached the 6th winery. It is all very cool and nice.

When I got back from the winery tour I went to the Ocean Spa and paid $8 to sit in a variety of spa pools that look out on the ocean and I chatted with two other ladies from London who were also from my winery tour. It was very relaxing. I am just now getting back from the most ridiculous game of trivia I have ever heard of. The questions were ridiculous and nothing made sense at all. Oh well, it's all good fun.

Who knows what tomorrow brings, still no plans but if it's as good as today it should be a fun time :)

nothing new...

Well there isn't much to update on. The past few days I've just been hanging out, watching movies and walking around town. I did go to the beach yesterday which was beautiful but I got a little burnt :( Apparently, there isn't really an ozone layer down here so the sun burns you twice as fast as it would at home and because it's so windy you can't feel yourself getting burnt. But it's not horrible and I know it will turn into a nice tan.

The housing issue is getting a little frustrating. I wish AustraLearn would have been better prepared for us to come. It seems like we are the only group that got shafted and because so many things have gone wrong, the front desk staff doesn't like us very much. Oh well, all I can say is that I would never go through this company again.

I never thought I'd say this but I am actually excited for school to start. I need something to keep me busy and my trip that I wanted to go on for next week fell through so it looks like I'll be exploring Wellington this week. That's alright, there are lots of free things to do and little day trips I can go on.

The city is a beautiful place and we got our Kiwi roommates but they are all temporary and it's hard to make friends when they are all going to be moving to the other side of the city in a few weeks. But, I am staying optimistic and hopefully this week will be fun. We still don't have internet at my house but we are being promised it sometime this week. Who knows when it will really come but until then, the internet cafe will just have to do.

I definitely miss having a vehicle. I am getting tons of exercise but from the grocery store back to my place it would be really nice to have a car to just put it in quick. I must say though that driving on the other side of the road would be really difficult. I'm kind of scared to do it and probable won't because I want to avoid a crash.

As soon as I get internet I will upload videos and pictures on here so everyone can see where it is I'm living :)

uh oh...the negative blog :/

Well, although the city is amazing and just the fact that I am in New Zealand is incredible, there have been a lot of problems.

First off, the housing situation is ridiculous and out of control. I still don't have my permanent room assignment, i woke up this morning to a broken fridge which means all of my perishable food I bought yesterday, had to be thrown away and today there was no hot water. We still don't have internet in the building because the wires are too old and they may have to replace everything, which means no internet for another 2 weeks.

I have been having a hard time fitting into one of the many cliques that have formed so most of the time, I am by myself walking around the city. I love the city and I really don't mind being by myself, but sometimes it's nice to have a little company.

I don't know, this is just a low point I think. I am trying to arrange a trip to the south island for next week but I'm not sure who will go with me. And a week from Monday I start school here so hopefully that will allow me to meet many more kiwis and other international students.

On the upside, the weather has been beautiful the past few days. It rained for awhile but now the sunshine is out again!!!!

relaxing...

Well, things have finally settled down over here, I am mostly settled into my housing, I have done some shopping and gotten some things I need, I enrolled for classes today and got my new student ID and i think I am putting together a trip to the South Island for next week.

Things left to do:

1. Get my final room assignment, which hopefully will be coming tomorrow afternoon, but I don't get to move to my final room until Sunday morning.

2. Get to the warehouse, the kiwi version of target, and get my hangers, soap, check off all the things on my post-it note and not get lost getting there!

3. Make another big run to the grocery store...it's hard to cook for just one person!

4. Get to the farmer's market this weekend to get some fresh veggies and fruit...

5. Make it a goal to walk up the stairs of death at least once a day, if not more. I need those buns of steel!!!

For right now those goals seem pretty manageable. Getting the trip organized for next week might be a little stressful but hopefully it will all work out. I am really trying to get to queenstown so hopefully that all works out. I haven't really bonded with anyone from my original group and it's a little depressing sometimes but I am making new friends and working on finding some Kiwi friends to guide me around the city.

I think tonight is the first night I'll be actually going out on the town. I haven't really gone out or used my power of 18+ drinking yet, but tonight is the night! (Maybe)

I think this weekend I'm going to spend most of my time exploring the city, checking out the shops and even though I live 3 blocks from the ocean, I still haven't made it there yet :( Oh well, just another thing to add to the list!

It's a weird combination of being busy but also having nothing to do all at the same time...it's tough to balance!

I hope all is well at home and with everyone, if anyone wants to contact me my email is postx072@umn.edu. I think i already posted that but I haven't gotten any emails yet!!! :( Otherwise I'll be in touch on here and on facebook!

Cheers!

my temporary address

Hey all :)

My temporary address until our building can receive post.

Leah Post

Nexus

Accomodation Service

Victoria University of Wellington

PO Box 600

Wellington 6140

NZ

I know it's really long but it's only for like a week but I would love mail :)

FINALLY to wellington :)

I can't believe I'm finally here!

We arrived in Wellington today, my new home. The city is incredible and it has a really fun atmostphere but the hills...there are sooo many! My walk to school everyday is going to be very strenuous.

But backpedaling to yesterday, I went caving in Waitomo. It was probably the greatest experience of my life. We had to put on thick wet suits, harnesses and wear helmets with the little lights on top of them and then we were hooked up to a rope and had to lower ourselves down 20m into a black hole. I don't even know how to describe what I did because it was so amazing. We were climbing up waterfalls and crawling on our hands and knees and it was just so much fun. I will put the pictures up soon, I'm at an internet cafe so I don't have my pictures with me.

Today, we had to check out of KiwiPaka, the backpacking accomodations we had been staying in for the past 5 days and take a small plane from Rotorua to Wellington, the flight was less than an hour but it was kind of rough because the plane was so small. After we got here we were shuffled to our designated housing locations and I am a little disappointed in mine but it's a place to sleep. Our housing is overflow so it's not exactly the classiest but at least I get my own room, a desk, a dresser and a closet. Our flatmates aren't moving in until Sunday so we have a few days to get settled in but until then I am only living with the American students that I have been hanging out with the past week. That's alright but I'm ready to pick up the sweet Kiwi accent.

The walk to the grocery store from my housing is about 20 minutes and school is ten minutes but it basically straight up a mountain of stairs. I will definitely have buns of steel when I get home.

I start orientation tomorrow so hopefully all goes well. I'll keep everyone updated :)

If anyone wants to get ahold of me and doesn't have facebook, my email is postx072@umn.edu

Thermal Village

February 15, 2010

Today was an interesting but exciting day. We went into Whakarewarewa Village which is a living Thermal Village. Rotorua is extremely geo-thermal, which means it is basically sitting on a giant fault line and volcano and can and will erupt some day at some time. The village we visited and toured is so amazing it’s almost hard to describe. They use natural hot springs for their baths and to cook. They use “microwaves” which are hot boxes to cook most of their meals. To give you an idea of what they can do, a frozen chicken can cook completely and be falling off the bone in just one hour. Everything in the village is shared between families and there are only 25 families living in the village. New construction is not allowed because of the fragile environment and the environment is so exciting.

There is steam rising from almost every crack or hole in the ground, and although it is sulfuric and has a pretty potent smell, it is still amazing to see. They have huge mud pools where you see just bubbling mud everywhere and it is extremely helpful not only for cosmetic uses but it is a remedy for arthritis and other joint ailments. The effects usually last up to 3 months and then most people return for another treatment. There is a catholic church and an Anglican church in the community and the families were divided many years ago when the chief just chose the left half of those standing around him to be catholic and the right half to be Anglican. It is not a rivalry in any sense and after services, everyone comes together to eat and socialize.

The Maori culture just keeps surprising me every day. Their views about the world and the environment and religion and society are just so fascinating and ahead of their time. Every single person is welcomed and equal no matter your race, color or religious affiliation. As long as you respect their culture, they will respect yours. Also, they don’t have crazy stories about how the fault lines were created, they understand how the world works and how nature will take its course and they embrace that. I was just blown away and the day isn’t over yet. Tonight we are visiting a separate village to eat a traditional meal and see a performance.

New Zealand Valentine's Day

February 14, 2010

How to act like a stupid American:

1. Ask for American cheese at subway in New Zealand

2. Ask for a $5 footlong at subway in New Zealand

3. Buy ginger beer at a gas station and then be shocked when it is alcohol free

4. Go to a community festival and tell a native Maori man that we Americans use pliers to take our hooks out of fish, not those old traditional ways

5. Tell people you are nice because you live in Minnesota

Yes, it’s true. I did all of these things today and as embarrassing as it is, it will make for a really great story later (hopefully).

Today was our day of adventure. I chose the adrenaline package and there were only 3 people in my group, the others were Kevin and frank, both cool guys, and we went to AgroAdventures, this like mini theme park on a mountainside and got to choose 2 out of like 6 crazy activities to do. I chose the Shweeb, which is basically a self propelled roller coaster (youtube it) and then I also did the AgroBoat or speed boat. Both were really cool but I really wish I would have done the skydiving simulator, it looked like a lot more fun, even though mine were both really fun. After we got pack to KiwiPaka (where our group is staying for the week) I went into Rotorua with Kevin and Ben and had a really good time. That is where all of my Americanisms happened. We ate at subway, got ice cream cones and then walked to the queens gardens to check out the local scene. I got a little sunburnt but not too bad. Walking back though we did get a bit lost and had to back track a few blocks in order to find our way back.

It was a very tiring day but also a lot of fun. I’m finding it much easier to make friends with the guys than the girls, but that is typical for me.

It’s hard to be away from home like this. I am a creature of habit and being away from the familiar is definitely putting a strain on me. I think, or at least I hope, that once I get moved into Wellington, I’ll be much happier and will be able to relax a bit.

One goal I have is definitely to lose weight and be much more fit, but also to travel a lot and make a lot of friends. I want to be able to have those lifelong friendships where you can go 5 years without seeing each other and then pick up right where you left off. I really want that. I want to be able to travel to nearly any state and stay with a friend that I went to New Zealand with. I also want to meet Kiwi’s because they seem very nice.

I’m off to bed. Until tomorrow…

First blog ever :) days 1 and 2 NZ

February 13, 2010

Well I am still without internet access so writing in Word will have to do for now. The absence from facebook is somewhat of a bittersweet blessing. It’s nice so that people can’t stalk you, but there are a select few I am dying to be in touch with. New Zealand really is an incredible country. Everything is so neat and clean and yesterday, in Auckland, the air smelt like fresh flowers. It was beautiful

The plane ride was quite an adventure in itself. I was in the exit row but in the middle seat and the seats were not made for someone with a booty such as mine. It was incredibly difficult to sleep but I think I managed at least dozing in an out because there were 6 hours unaccounted for in my memory. Once we landed, customs was extremely easy but we landed at 5:10 AM so we had a full day of riding a bus and many other fun activities I wasn’t aware of when I signed up for this trip.

First, we were given a $10 calling card which turns out works better for internet so when you place calls it is like $3/minute and you can only talk for approximately 3 seconds to each person, that is if you can figure out how to work the damn thing. After I made my three phone calls, more like, left three messages, we got on a big coach bus with our group and headed off. They drive on the opposite side of the road here so it is a scary feeling making wide right turns. Our first stop was this giant Volcano crater that looks out over the city of Auckland. The view was incredible and it was much cooler outside than it was on our bus. I don’t think New Zealand believes in air conditioning. After the volcano we got back on the bus and headed down to the pier. Turns out our driver was just killing time until we were supposed to be at ACB, our home for the evening. Once we got to ACB we had to shove all our bags, from probably 70-80 people in 2 rooms until we were able to check in. In that time, we had a 2 hour orientation talking about safety and blah blah blah. The usual. After orientation, we were FINALLY able to check into our rooms, take a shower and relax a little. The shower felt amazing but I was dead tired and my feet were already killing me. Oh, I forgot to mention, for lunch they had a weenie roast. The sausages weren’t that good and their ketchup is quite interesting. I don’t think they believe in mustard either. For dinner we went to a restaurant in Auckland called the Waterfront where we ate a meal as a group and then went on our separate ways. Me and a few other girls just headed back to our rooms to crash. I fell asleep at 9:00 and had the most glorious sleep I’ve ever had in my life.

The next morning I woke up at probably 6:45 or so. It’s really hard to judge time here. There aren’t many clocks and the clock on my cheap little cell phone is army time so something I’m not willing to do the conversion. Everything here is also very expensive. I have already spent over $100 NZD and had to take out $200 more today. I’m not sure how the ATM is charging me so hopefully it isn’t insane amounts of money. I hope to get online sometime this week but I can’t guarantee that. Anyways, after I woke up, I took another shower, went and had a “continental” breakfast which consisted of either toast or cereal, and then hopped on the bus again to head down to Rotorua, where I am now. Today was much more productive and less pessimistic because I had a shower and a place to sleep the night before. We got to Rotorua around noon where we ate lunch, a sandwich with a piece of fruit and then had a second orientation dealing with schooling. After that, we broke up into 2 groups, one went to learn Rugby, which was my group, and the other went to learn the “Haka”, a traditional dance of the Maori people, the natives. It is a very angry dance that involves a lot of yelling and slapping of the legs. I have it recorded on my flip cam so no worries, you will see it soon enough. After each group had their time we switched so everyone got to learn. After the Haka, we ate fish and chips at the bar here in KiwiPaka, the backpackers sight we are staying at for the next four days. Then a few of us ran to town to get some money out of the ATM and then came back, sat in the sketchy hottub and now here I am in my room.

I will write more when I have more time but for now… Kia Ora.