First week - Adventure and Survival

(This should have been posted last week, but computer problems happend...) SO much has happened these last two weeks, it's hard to even keep my mom and sister in the loop. And I haven't posted anything because NZ blocked this site, but now maraculously it works- yay! So here goes a recap of just some of the memorable moments of week one of school. The week prior I spent traveling the entirety of the South Island, and that will have to be its own blog post as the stories are endless, hilarious and worth their own spotlight. Onto my first week week in Dunedin (aka Dunners!)....

First weekend was free of school work and full of summer sun- the beach was a must. The Artic temperatures of the water did not deter the mermaid inside me from playing in the waves for hours (taking breaks so I wouldn't freeze my fingers and toes off). To have waves crashing over my head made this place feel like home. I'm currently reading for my Anthropology of Pacific Cultures class how the ocean connects us, defines us and lives within us; I could not agree more. Having grown up running around naked on the beach every weekend (we won't mention when those naked days actually ceased) I'm at home in the waves. St. Clair is just a bus ride away and it was a pleasant welcome to this new, very large city I came to.

My flat mates (english: housemates) are delightful!! We've gone places together, explored Dunners together, cooked meals together, shared tips and struggled through the first week together - navigating the Uni (english: University/College) was not the easiest. Apparently every flat (english: house) has a Kiwihost (english: local to help you with anything you may need), except our flat. So my flatmates and I have bonded together in order to survive and not crumble, which I could have done my first day here....

Monday morning (leap day.... given the chance I would have happily skipped this day) I could have crumbled. Woke up to an email saying my visa wasn't accepted, I wasn't a full time student, my class schedule wasn't accepted, I can't get my student id, I have no wifi access or any resources for any of my classes. Great. I run around from office to office searching for help only to be turned away, sent elsewhere, barked at.... you get the gist. My first day at a huge university challenged me and my positive attitude. I did my best to stay positive, not break down in frustration or get freaked out by how big the univeristy is (have you gotten the idea yet I am a small town girl???).

Come Thursday it all is sorted. Got my id, I'm no longer an intruder/alien/foreign invader. In the words of MeanGirls, "I actually DO go here." There is tons of time in the day to study, explore, clean your house, bask in the sun, meet a friend for coffee- it's a very different schedule than the US. And I LOVE IT!!!!! The busy schedule is something that I buy into back home, but it is also something I despise. The more free schedule here allows you to decide to study instead of fitting it into a tight schedule, it allows you to take time to meet someone without watching your clock. I've been doing a lot of reading for my classes and actually enjoying them because I'm taking time to understand them - for me, not just to get by in the class!

Speaking of classes, I LOVE MINE!!!!!!! I'm taking Exercise Physiology (hard class, long lab, lots to know and memorize, but it's my favorite subject of interest so it's just fantastic! Lots of sport references), Maori Performing Arts/ Waiata: Te Timatanga (exactly the Maori class I was looking for where I get to learn the language a bit, the culture, the dances, the chants, translations, and so much more. All of what I loved about growing up in Hawai'i Nei and learning the culture, just now in a new part of the Oceania, and I have one of the most revered cultural teachers on campus!), Anthropology of Pacific Cultures is my third class (an overarching view of Oceania- all Pacific Island Cultures. Perfect study of Anthro!), and finally Introduction to Feminism (won't be an easy class, lots of deep, difficult, philosophical type readings to do, but what better topic??? I'm excited to learn more about something I do identifiy myself with- feminism!).

On to the adventures and some pictures :) With the moto of "Never say No" (application is slighty limited) I was invited on a day trip to the Catlins. We went for a 2.5 hour treck to find two beautiful waterfalls, and then another short treck to find more waterfalls!!!!! Back home we're almost all waterfall chasers, so this day was exhilerating for me. NZ has SOOO many waterfalls and I'm in heaven, or as close as I can get to it on earth!! I just think they are amazing. See pics!! Used my gopro and tripod to get some group photos to prove to mom that I'm making friends (every mom worries about that right?). Then during the week I went on a treck in the upper portion of Dunners called Rose Creek with two of my flat mates. WE FOUND MORE WATERFALLS!!!! We thought the first one we stumbled upon was good, then we found the finale... about a 10m (english: 40 ft.) waterfall that my flatmate Zoe and I found natural to climb. She's a rock climber by nature and, having been a waterfall repelling instructor last summer, find it natural to accept the challenge and climb the waterfall!

If you don't already think I'm excited about these waterfalls, I found more waterfalls this weekend!!! I went to Paradise (yes, that is what the area is called) with the Tramping Club (english: the University's Outdoors Club) and had my first, real, intensive trecking (english: hiking?) experience. I am here (alive and well) to tell you that trecking is not hiking. There's a reason they give it a different name here. We moved at a very fast pace, traverising along a path, sometimes along no path at all scalling a mountain side, down slim footings of roots and mucky mud that is untrustworthy... The sites (what we saw whenever the storm cleared for a bit) were gorgeous and I'd do it all again given the chance. I had great Kiwi leaders, Luke and Meg and three other fabulous new found friends along. We stopped soldemly to catch our breath or nurture the bruised and fallen on tailbone. I did get the group to stop at the waterfalls we found!!!!!!!!!! I was able to snap a few photos of a couple and will regret not taking a photo of the others- they are all so dramatic and captivating. I love trees, I love mountains, but I think solely because they provide waterfalls. What can I say, I'm a water baby!

Water baby got soaked and drenched from the weather in this place so called "Paradise." We hiked SugarLoaf Pass (Fitting name for a treck in Paradise) that would have had a beautiful view of Paradise, the surrounding peaks, as well as Lake Wakatipu (longest lake in NZ, connects down to Queenstown), except we got hit with 40 mph winds (kmph?? don't have that conversion down yet..) combined with piercing rain.... no view. Got soaked, my boots became mobile puddles and thankfully I had brought all my rain gear with me. Not even that would stop our pace. We summited (fair word to use?) to the top of our pass, walked the entirety of it and came back down. Thankfully the treck was a loop so we got new views. The next 5 hours of trecking was through mossy forests... that included waterfalls!!!! I convinced my group (possibly purely with my excitement) to eat our lunch by a waterfall, which to me is the best possible lunch in the world!!! Our treck lasted for about 10 hours and I'm still trying to figure out how many miles/km we did so that I can convert that to how many miles of training for cross country it is :)

So this is getting quite long, I'll end soon, however it would be a disgrace to not share that a dream came true!!!! Going back to the Catlins (last weekend), we stopped at Porpoise Bay because we had gotten lost multiple times trying to find the hike (see picture of private road...) and the beach was spoken of highly in my guide book (NZ Frenzy, South Island). Here is where I saw dolphins riding in waves!!!!!!!!! I have wanted to see this with my own eyes for years and I saw it. In this bay there are miniature dolphins and, unlike Hawai'i, it is not illigal to swim with them.... so yes, I stripped down to my swim suit immediately and swam out! Those buggers move fast. I was unable to catch any waves with them but I enjoyed sharing the waves we both love to be in.

There is so much more to tell you but I'll leave it to the next post. Enjoy the pics and have a beautiful day. Rest asured, I am alive and got NZ to allow me to use my blog site - woohoo!!