Typical Fruit

A Week In the Life...

Basically every weeknight we watch a movie. Lazy and entertaining. We've also just finished the 1st season of a tv show called Archer which everyone should check out!

Weekend partying occurs on Thursdays and Saturdays only. It's not kosher to party on Fridays because Saturdays guys are supposed to get up fresh and early to play some rugby (but no one actually does.) I'm not complaining because it's a tradition that keeps us from getting too rundown and broke.

BONUS! No classes Friday! aka: the traveler's dream schedule :)

Speaking of Rugby...

The NZ team, the All Blacks, are REALLY famous and REALLY good in the world of rugby. I consider them very similar to a national olympic team for NZ. A VERY BIG DEAL.

My friend is dating one of them :)

Well, he's an ex All Black but still, its pretty cool! And I would venture to say that (by association) I know him!

Spring Break!

Plans are starting to come together to go to the North Island for our week off in September! It's the first week of the month which is pretty funny because some people going abroad will have just arrived. A friend lives in Wellington so a bunch of us are planning to fly up and then bus around the north seeing as much as possible, but definitely Wellington, Rotarua and Auckland!

Upcoming Destinations:

Sandfly Bay, Queenstown, and more beaches!

Quite Arbitrary

Identity

It's quite an opportunity to be able to invent oneself again in a new environment. I did not take advantage of such an opportunity.

Jenna (pronouned by Kiwis as Ginna)

aka: Martha Stewart

aka: Mom

It has been only 3 weeks and my obsession of babies is well known.

Surprised? Neither am I.

You're from the States, ay?

Damn ignorant Americans. We're probably going to criticize everything that is not exactly done in "the American way" and we're never going to be the most cultured international students, but I've got a second bullet of judgement to dodge: NEW JERSEY. How does everyone outside of the US know of NJ? I was actually asked, "Is NJ really the butthole of the US?" Great. As a result, I'm now a born and bred citizen of NY or CT (however I'm feeling at the moment)

Exercise?

If that's what you wanna call it.. My friend Anna and I have begun our 3 month plan of P90x. It can get pretty intense, especially when we're doing AB RIPPER X! Unfortunately we do not own weights so with those exercises we must resort to common household goods such as jars of terriaki and tomato sauce. Embarrassing.

Trip to the Pharmacy

I've had a pretty nasty cold for awhile now and I explored one of the local pharmacies one day to get some snot medicine. Much more concentrated on medicinal products than CVS, the pharmacy was a little intimidating with many women decked out in lab coats advising me on the many shades of mucus. I was pleasantly surprised however when I received a GIFT BAG with my $10 purchase of over-the-counter cold medicine. Contents included:

- 1 pair of comfy socks

- 1 bottle of body wash

- 1 pack of travel tissues

- 2 fiber packets for water bottles

- 2 condoms

I basically left the store feeling like a celebrity.

Drinking

The cheapest thing to drink here is wine, preferably the boxed assortment. For those of us who are familiar with the oh so popular Franzia and the accompanying tradition "Slap The Bag", here in NZ they call it "Slap the GOON"!

On another note, I've introduced "Fuck Yo Shit" to this great country of the long white cloud. I'm like a missionary of great drinking games.

Tunnel Beach!

A beautiful, beautiful place. My new Kiwi friend Jono took us there (only 10min out of Dunedin on the Peninsula). I hope everyone has seen the pictures on facebook. It's a magical place of sea-carved sandstone cliffs, rock arches, and caves! The history behind the beach is that John Cargill carved this tunnel down through the cliff to give his daughters access to their own private beach.

Speights Brewery

We took a tour of the local brewery during Cadbury Chocolate Week so we got to sample different chocolates with the 6 or 7 different beers they had on tap. The coolest thing I saw was in their souvenir shop: A coozie with an attached coozie glove!

The Key to Happiness

Imagination.

When I begin to wonder why I didn't choose a university located directly on the equator and why I left a warm summer living at the beach, I just look at the millions of seagulls outside my window and I imagine that its 100 degrees outside and that the reason for my 30 degree flat is none other than voluntary air conditioning.

As my wisdom teeth break through my gums and cause continuous swelling and uncomfort, I convince myself that these new teeth will bring me wisdom as I continue my adventures abroad. Similar to how the octopus predicts the results of the world cup.

My First Post! after 2 weeks down under

Where do I begin? I should mention that I have ADD with writing so my posts will mostly include brief descriptions of a variety of events.

My Flat :: I live in a small complex of 8 flats (which should really be called "The Lodges" because all the walls/ceilings are wood) Each flat houses four (2 girls, 2 guys) and everyone has a Kiwi host. We're all mostly Americans and we've been getting along great! During previous semesters the 480 kids (we live at 480 Leith St.) have made sweatshirts repping this awesome complex, and I hope we will do the same.

Friends :: Yes, I do have friends. My roommates are Laurel (F- Vermont), Mirko (M- Germany), and Michael (M- New Zealand). I'm also very good friends with most of the people in my complex, especially Laurel and Anna (from Hawaii). We've all been hanging out together and partying (since we had a week of no classes and we're all LEGAL!) which leads me to...

Partying :: Very different from Richmond. Here we go to bars and clubs, no such thing as frats. Because alcohol is SOO expensive you'll never be offered a beer. People are very protective of their alcohol. They also don't sell anything as big as a handle, so most of us Americans have gotten used to drinking cheap wine and a little gem called BIGFOOT. This is a cheap premixed drink sold in a large soda bottle that also tastes like soda. Perfect.

Weather :: It's cold. Really cold. Well it's really no worse than winter at home, but imagine living in a house that's the same temp. inside and outside. Luckily I've found an equation that results in some comfort: 5 thermal layers + sleeping bag + normal bedding + hot water bottle = sufficient warmth to sleep through the night

Speaking of partying and the weather... I'm sick. It was bound to happen, but nonetheless embarrassing when you huck a loogie on the cute Kiwi boy in front of you in class.

Food :: quite expensive. It's almost cheaper to eat out. A few notes on food: 1. i just want some freakin pretzels. I don't know what they have against pretzels here, but they've banished them from the country. 2. Lamb. It's just as expensive as back home but they have more sheep than people here! 3. The Dairy is magical. Either that, or I'm not longer lactose intolerant.. you decide. 4. So much Thai! I haven't eaten out yet, but there are soo many Thai restaurants! 5. All eggs are organic fresh brown eggs, and they're not expensive! 6. Farmers Markets are CHEAPER! Every saturday we walk into town to grab some fruit and veggies :) Also, I'm happy to say I've been drinking more tea than the Queen of England.

Classes :: Education - Classroom Management; Geography - Economic Geography; History - U.S. Rise to Globalism; Business- Business Statistics

Activities :: So far I've taken a train trip through the mountains and a cruise around the Otago peninsula where we saw dolphins, seals, and albatrosses! Today is the Carnival at school and the International Food Festival! This week is also Cadbury Chocolate Week where there are tons of different chocolate-related events and activities. Tomorrow we are touring a local brewery ending with a beer and chocolate tasting!

What can be better than a city with local breweries and their very own Chocolate Factory?! I'm like the new Charlie in Willy Wonka!