Take me ouuuuuuut tonight.

So I went out with Tawney last night and we had a lot of fun just trolling around the city. At one point we were at JJ Murphy's and I ordered a shot and she got a beer and they guy turned to me and asked if I had my ID checked on the way in.. and I said yeah but pulled it out to show him anyways, then he asked if I wanted anything else, like a water. A WATER? Did I really come off that drunk? I didn't think so, but okay. As we left there we went to another Irish pub and listened to a band play, then they ended and I saw someone from one of my classes who I had been working on homework with earlier so we started to talk and I realized that he brought along this creeper that I had meet a little while ago. I mean creeper in the best of ways too. When I first met him I was printing out a paper in the physics lab and it wouldn't print, so I asked for help. He came over and we got it printed, and obviously that was an invite to walk me home? Yeah so he said he was headed out too so I walked with him... trying to avoid his every prying question, and finally he asked for my number. REALLY?! I didn't really know what to say... so I just gave him what I thought was one number off of mine, but I accidentally gave him the real thing. Ooh well. Later that night he texted me asking if I wanted to get a drink in town and I just didn't respond. Anywho, he was there with this other nerdy boy and they wanted me and Tawney to go with them. THANKFULLY Jay walked by as they were "walking us home" and we sprinted away as fast as possible and danced the night away with my super-duper flat mate who saved us from what was becoming a very awkward situation. Boy's don't take hints easily, do they? 

OOOH! And I got to sleep through the night because the boyfriend of the girl across my hall didn't stay over =) I was uber happy for this.

Today I got up at 11:23 and was out the door at 11:36 and off to the farmers market which I love going to. I got a whole bunch of kiwi's, some potatoes and carrots and pears and a lemon, which I mistook for an orange last week. They are little round orange things, but taste like lemons. Weird. Yeah then I went to the food store, Metro, and walked up a bagillion stairs (If this is 2 flights, in total there are 8 before my hill.)

and now I am back... with tons of physics to finish because the boy from my class that I met with yesterday and saw last night had no idea what he was doing. He spent the whole time we were in the library together on his computer trying to google the answers... woo!

But today is sunny and warm and I have a celtics shirt on, so I think it will be a good day =)

I Should Be Doing Homework

I had every intention of researching The America Play, which I have ironically read in one of my classes here in NZ, but I don't want to. I suppose I really don't have anything to post about either, but so far today I hoofed it into town to get some food, then ate some Weet-Bix, which I just found out about and actually really enjoy, and now I'm here on my couch with my notes out and my title page staring me in the face. But the news is on, so I'm going to watch that instead. I find it very interesting how the Democratic Convention is all they talk about lately. After the Olympics finished up, the DNC is always talked about. I enjoy keeping informed about American politics, but why should they follow us around as well? Malcolm, from the winery, said it is because we are the most powerful country in the world. Which I guess is true. What a scary thought. So that was on and now they are talking about Kim Kardashian. I suppose that I am on ET right now, so that makes sense, but still. I saw her advertised and questioned what New Zealand must really think of Americans. They think we are crap. We are all rich bitches who do whatever we want and go wherever the wind blows us. Without our underwear on. Wait no that was Britney. Eeh they are like the same person. Why wouldn't they want to come over for a visit? Seriously! Is that not appealing to you? I truly enjoy it.

Back to the play. Its about a black man who apparently looks just like Abraham Lincoln. So he gives up his life, and wife and child, and moves out west to pursue a career in impersonations. He does well by letting people shoot him in a booth similar to where Lincoln was shot then dies (but not for real)... But when he does finally die of old age, his wife and kid go out west to find his body and whatever he has left over. Lucy, his wife, is a listener, and Brazil is a digger, just like his daddy... digger... they say it a lot and it wasn't until I read it a second time that I realized this was a black family and digger sounds just like another word. One of the lines actually says, "Youre uh Digger. Youre uh Digger. Your Daddy was uh Digger and so are you." It's real strange what you pick up on when you read the play the way it is meant to be read. I am not sure how I didn't realize that the black man dressed as Lincoln on the back cover actually meant that the actors were black. 

Anywho I am going to work now... Maybe.

Wwoofing

This past week I have been living in a winery in Levin (near Palmerston North) and helping out around the place in exchange for food and a place to stay. It is called wwoofing, meaning World Wide Organization of Organic Farming. I had a total blast staying at the Celtic Winery. I bottled some Feijoa and some Green Ginger wines, and labelled every kind that they make! I would work for a few hours in the morning, then read and chill out all afternoon. It was a really sweet trade! I lived with Malcolm- the man in charge/dad, Deb- his wife, and Kyoko- the Japanese exchange student staying for the year. They had 2 sheep, Bill and... another one, and a nameless goose and a dog Molly. For a few days Malcolm and Debs' girls came home from staying in Wellington. Zoey is 21 and Emily is 19, and they were both really cool! Since we all live in Wellington we changed phone numbers and hopefully they can show me some cool kiwi things to do here in town! The Celtic Winery is fully organic and everything is done in the traditional Celtic method. I bottled the wine with a small pump and then used a cork press that was over 100 years old. There are similar presses in museums which I think is very neat! The 10 days flew by and I am so so happy that I went wwoofing at the Celtic Winery. They even took me out to the movies, to see Mama Mia, and Pierce Brosnan sang? What? It was not okay, but the movie was entertaining none the less. And it was fun to go out with Malcolm and Deb and 2 of their friends. Also, when the girls were home we went to the beach and walked around for awhile with Molly, their doggie. I got some cool shells there and saw some great views, too bad I forgot my camera =( I loved getting home cooked food and just having that homey feel.  Here are some views from the winery/house:

The house looked out over Lake Horowhenua. It was the most gorgeous place to relax. I had a great break =)

I should do this more...

I have decided that blogging is better than just trying to remember it all and tell it later. I'm going to still do mass emails, but this is an easy way to write down my thoughts and the excitement of each week!

Here is the first email I sent out:

I am so excited to be writing everyone from New Zealand! I arrived 3 weeks ago and I am finally getting settled. I arrived first in Auckland (on the north of the northern island.) and we spent the first full day and night there. I arrived at 5-am New Zealand time after sleeping about 7 hours on the plane. The flight was surprisingly quick, I watched a movie, passed out, then watched another movie and a half and we were descending into Auckland. After getting acclimated we went tramping (hiking) up Northhead to see the full city. It was really beautiful up there. We could see the entire city, all sorts of houses and right out over the water, we were surrounded on 3 sides. After walking all over the city we went to dinner as a group. Later that night we hit the town and went to sleep by about 11- completely wiped out. The next day we spent the day exploring the city by foot a bit more and visited the Aquarium. We got to see penguins and all kinds of fish. We saw them feed a sting ray which was about 4 feet wide, with a 3 foot stinger as a tail. It was the coolest largest sting ray I had ever seen! Later on that day we went on our large tour bus (with driver Mark) and drove a few hours to Rotorua. The town of Rotorua is known mostly for its... smell. It smells like sulphur extremely strongly and it's the first thing that hit me as we walked off the bus. It's like a wall. Seriously. The first day in Rotorua was more of a night, so we went out for dinner all separately. That next morning we went out in the smelly air to visit the sulphur pools and we visited the geyser. There is a geyser in Rotorua and it can only go off once ever 24 hours or so, so each day they put some kind of soap into the geyser and a few minutes later out comes shooting mass amounts of water. They discovered that the rock heap was actually a geyser a way long time ago when prisoners were staying at a local prison went down to the water to wash their clothes. They rinsed their clothes and put soap on them and a few minutes later the water spring was shooting way up about 50 feet into the air... needless to say they went back every week and set it off for fun. We also went to a Zoo type area, it wasn't so much animals in cages as it was a nature walk through an area with many types of trout and birds in the area. We got to see many animals and even got to see the infamous nocturnal Kiwi bird! There was only one that was awake when we were there, but it was really neat to see, since there are only a few left in NZ, their only native land. Before heading home we made one final stop at a ZORB place! It was the neatest thing that I have ever doe. Seriously! I rolled down a hill in a giant plastic ball with two others and some water inside with me! It was such a blast! You will have to check it out online! I think I have discovered my new favorite recreational sport!! If it is a sport that is... That night we went to the Polynesian spa and soaked ourselves in mineral pools of all different temperatures. It was a great relaxing way to end the evening off. That next day we flew to our appropriate schools.. me to Wellington along with 16 others.

Arriving in wellington in the morning we were all dropped off at our separate flats each one in a different location across campus and town. I am right next to campus, just down the hillside/steps, and most of my friends are up the hill some more on either end of campus. My flat is really great. Two people were moved in already when I arrived in the morning and helped me drag my bags up to the third floor of my townhouse style flat. Two girls moved in after me and the five of us started to find out more about each other. I am living with Jay from Wayland, MA (literally right down the road) and he goes to Bates College (and knows a bunch of people that I know) Phil is a British boy from Brighton, England. Claire is from California and goes to Colorado State, and Peyton is a girl from Texas. We all get along pretty well for the most part.

Just after arriving in Wellington I got the chance to attend an All Blacks game! They are the national rugby team for New Zealand! I arrived just in time too, since they only play in Wellington twice a year, this being the final time! It was such a blast, besides the rain which soaked me through then later turned to hail... but that is besides the point! I got to see them do their Haka ritual and the game was just great! I ended up leaving before it ended since I couldn't feel my toes, but I watched the rest from a local pub which was totally worth it!

I started classes one week after arriving in Wellington and I am taking 4 classes. I am taking Electromagnetism - for physics, duh, and a religion course called Myth and Ritual which focuses on different religions and is something that I can not get at SMC. I am also taking a course Dramaturgy and the Avant Garde, which is a Theater/ English course that is really 4 classes combined and broken up by the work load. Each of the classes have tutorials associated with it which are like little lab classes of about 10-15 people. I have 13 hours of lecture/tutorials each week and then 4 sessions of a 4 hour lab over the semester. The course load is a lot, but I start early and get out early each day.

I have already climbed Mount. Victoria twice and I have been down to the waterfront wharf several times. Going into town is a trek since its down a giant hill, coming back up is worse since its up a pretty steep hill, up 178 steep stairs and then up another slightly less steep hill and around a bend to get home. There is a cable car that brings you from downtown up to right beside campus taking the hill away which is a great help when I am carrying groceries.

Ooh and I have a picture website at www.photobucket.com/mcary1088, so check it out!