Saturday, August 8, 2009
P.S. to Day 36!!!
I HAVE LESS THAN 100 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!!! I have 13 weeks...and only 8 of those are school, with another week of finals...which gives me 4 whole weeks of absolutely nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! New Zealand is sooo awesome!!!!!!!! What a great way to end my college experience!!!!!!!
DAY 36: August 8, Hanmer Springs Day-Trip!!!
So I haven't updates since last Wednesday...Here goes:
Thursday evening after getting milk, Sara and I had our weekly "party" with Nikki and Jayme...we made muffins and played Dutch Blitz. Daniel and Amber joined us, and so did Nicole and Haley (friends of Sara's originally) and it was a really fun night. We ended on a game of BS and then pretty much went to bed. I'm convinced I pulled something last Wednesday though (don't know how) because I can't even bend my right arm to brush my teeth. It sucks.
Friday I attempted to go to another PUMP class, but decided against it and ran instead. Then I did the PUMP exercises, but without weights and much less intense =). I dragged Sara along to meet Jane and all the guys for pizza, and I got to see Ashley Hubbal, the lone other girl in Arcadia at Spag's Pizza (the only thing close to an Italian restaurant here). It was fun to see everyone and chat. Afterwards Sara and I ran to Count-Down (the grocery store) and stocked up...on brownies ;). Not really but I did make brownies that night and we sat and watched Knocked Up. Then I went to bed...
YAY FOR HANMER SPRINGS!!! The ride to Hanmer was around 2 hours and was beautiful! I took plenty of pictures on the way there. Jayme, Nikki and I all went and we got the backseat of the coach bus, which was clutch! When we got there we opted to chill in the pools first so we could leave whenever we wanted, plus Sara had told us to go early since it gets crowded in the afternoon. We got too hot and hungry, so we ate lunch around 1:15ish and then laid out on lawn chairs in the sun. The sun is soooo hot here...I mean, it's the middle of WINTER here and we were in bathing suits soakin up the rays (of course, I'm white still but oh well)!!! It was sooo nice and wonderfully relaxing! After about 1.5 hours we decided to go on a super short tramp up this hill in town and see the little town of Hanmer. However, on the way out, we were looking at the pictures that were taken of us, and I tried to get a quick picture of the pictures...The guy flipped out on me and I made some offhand comment about them not making enough money off us already, and then he continued to talk about it while I was right there to the guy next to him. The pictures he took really weren't that good anyways, AND it's not like he had to do much work...sit in a hot pool all day and press his finger on a button. The picture I took didn't turn out anyways because he scared me by yelling at me and I jumped...Oops. Oh well, he was a jerk and when I told my flatmates they just kept going "I'm so sorry that happened in New Zealand!" Their reaction was quite funny. Back to my day: Hanmer's a cute little place and the hill was really easy. Of course we took pics at the top, came back down, got on the bus and to our backseats, and then napped most of the way back. Shrek 2 was on though, so I was slightly distracted between watching that and looking out the window while the sun was still out! After I got back (around 7) I ate dinner and then Sara and I watched Taken...I LOVE Liam Neeson! We needed to laugh and lighten the moods after, so we watched an episode of Friends! There was some extremely loud pounding going on for awhile after that from upstairs (which has parties A LOT) and we decided to check it out. Supposedly they had broken the door handle and were all locked out of the apartment, so the guy was fixing it...AT 11:45 AT NIGHT! Crazy. I told him off. Not really at all, I just said "Good luck and hope you get that thing fixed!" Sara was so mortified because he was really rude...oh well. Now I'm finally off to bed after a long day!
Thursday evening after getting milk, Sara and I had our weekly "party" with Nikki and Jayme...we made muffins and played Dutch Blitz. Daniel and Amber joined us, and so did Nicole and Haley (friends of Sara's originally) and it was a really fun night. We ended on a game of BS and then pretty much went to bed. I'm convinced I pulled something last Wednesday though (don't know how) because I can't even bend my right arm to brush my teeth. It sucks.
Friday I attempted to go to another PUMP class, but decided against it and ran instead. Then I did the PUMP exercises, but without weights and much less intense =). I dragged Sara along to meet Jane and all the guys for pizza, and I got to see Ashley Hubbal, the lone other girl in Arcadia at Spag's Pizza (the only thing close to an Italian restaurant here). It was fun to see everyone and chat. Afterwards Sara and I ran to Count-Down (the grocery store) and stocked up...on brownies ;). Not really but I did make brownies that night and we sat and watched Knocked Up. Then I went to bed...
YAY FOR HANMER SPRINGS!!! The ride to Hanmer was around 2 hours and was beautiful! I took plenty of pictures on the way there. Jayme, Nikki and I all went and we got the backseat of the coach bus, which was clutch! When we got there we opted to chill in the pools first so we could leave whenever we wanted, plus Sara had told us to go early since it gets crowded in the afternoon. We got too hot and hungry, so we ate lunch around 1:15ish and then laid out on lawn chairs in the sun. The sun is soooo hot here...I mean, it's the middle of WINTER here and we were in bathing suits soakin up the rays (of course, I'm white still but oh well)!!! It was sooo nice and wonderfully relaxing! After about 1.5 hours we decided to go on a super short tramp up this hill in town and see the little town of Hanmer. However, on the way out, we were looking at the pictures that were taken of us, and I tried to get a quick picture of the pictures...The guy flipped out on me and I made some offhand comment about them not making enough money off us already, and then he continued to talk about it while I was right there to the guy next to him. The pictures he took really weren't that good anyways, AND it's not like he had to do much work...sit in a hot pool all day and press his finger on a button. The picture I took didn't turn out anyways because he scared me by yelling at me and I jumped...Oops. Oh well, he was a jerk and when I told my flatmates they just kept going "I'm so sorry that happened in New Zealand!" Their reaction was quite funny. Back to my day: Hanmer's a cute little place and the hill was really easy. Of course we took pics at the top, came back down, got on the bus and to our backseats, and then napped most of the way back. Shrek 2 was on though, so I was slightly distracted between watching that and looking out the window while the sun was still out! After I got back (around 7) I ate dinner and then Sara and I watched Taken...I LOVE Liam Neeson! We needed to laugh and lighten the moods after, so we watched an episode of Friends! There was some extremely loud pounding going on for awhile after that from upstairs (which has parties A LOT) and we decided to check it out. Supposedly they had broken the door handle and were all locked out of the apartment, so the guy was fixing it...AT 11:45 AT NIGHT! Crazy. I told him off. Not really at all, I just said "Good luck and hope you get that thing fixed!" Sara was so mortified because he was really rude...oh well. Now I'm finally off to bed after a long day!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Sorry!!!! (August 6)
So, I haven't written on this in forever and would like to apologize to all those who actually check this often. I will be better about keeping this updated and you can decide how much you want to read or not.
Ok, so it ended with me complaining last Wednesday. Awesome. I would like everyone to know I'm done being negative and pessimistic; it's too energy-consuming. Plus, I really am enjoying myself here, and things have been so much better since I've moved. I really didn't realize how much added stress and depression it was to live there and not feel connected with anyone in any way. So, I'm on to bigger and better things :).
Last Thursday, the 30th of July, I went ice-skating with my flatmate Sara. There is a Winter Festival going on in Christchurch, and one of the attractions is an igloo-dome thing with ice on the inside. When Sara and I got there, they didn't have our sizes in skates (which I learned is different than in the States of course and they actually DID have my size), so we were able to just sit inside and watch. It ended up being kinda lame anyways since the area was so small, and I would definitely have gotten bored going around in such a tiny circle with all these other people and on crappy ice. So we were able to watch and see the City Centre at night was beautiful too. Afterwards we rode in THE MOST GHETTO van ever! It was awesome; it looked like a Scooby Doo van, one window was broken out, and the back seat wasn't tied down or properly in, so it was wobbly haha! It was probably the most dangerous vehicle I've ever ridden in, but it was extremely fun and a short ride. Upon returning to our flat [at this point Sara and I are the only 2 people living in a 6-person flat], Sara and I invited our friends over, Nikki and Jayme. Jayme goes to Wesleyan, which is awesome since we both know Bloomington! Anyways, we made brownies in our awesome oven while Jayme did her laundry, and then Nikki and Sara taught us how to play Dutch blitz! It's a fun game, but definitely hard to get used to. After pigging out and staying up late for my first time ever in New Zealand, we all said goodnight and then it was off to bed.
Friday, 31st July: Sara and I went souvenir shopping in the City Centre. We needed some dish towels and pot holders, so we bought some and are going to give them to our friends/family back home as souvenirs (I promise I'll wash them before giving them away). We wanted to be practical, so this was our way of spending money without feeling bad about it haha. We were searching for this supposed "3-story shop" and couldn't find it anywhere. We did end up asking in another souvenir shop if they knew of a 3-story shop...they said 'no' and I felt the need to buy something from their store since we were basically saying "hey, your store sucks, can you tell us where the 3-story one is?". I bought an All Blacks umbrella, which is the National Rugby Team, and I'm really happy with my purchase. It's awesome. Anyways, we were about to give up when I said "let's just try this one right here, maybe they might know where it is or something." As we were walking in, Sara's jaw drops open and she looks at me in wonder because I had found the 3-story shop completely on accident and without even intending to. The store really was 3-stories full of souvenirs! It's awesome and cheaper than the others as well! After spending some time in there, we ate at this awesome place called Carnivores that I think I mentioned in here earlier but who knows. It was delicious and hit the spot. Later that night we went to a Global Potluck which was OK, and then we Skyped Joshua until 6 a.m. his time....Not my fault, he called me. Anyways, that was fun and afterwards I think I went to bed.
Saturday, 1st August: Our new flatmates moved in today. I was extremely nervous about them, but they're great. They brought heaps more stuff, including another toaster and couch. They're really cool and they like to cook, so the place always smells great now. Their names are Emma, Hannah, and Ash (the only guy currently). Sara and I spent most of the day at the library reading, then grabbed some Subway. We were invited to a birthday bash that night, and I got sucked into this horrific New Zealand movie on the Tube about a man who went nuts and started randomly shooting everyone near his uber-small town. It was crazy and a true story...I guess he just lost it one day, hauled off and started killing anyone who passed his house, including his best childhood-mate. Because the town was sooo small, it took FOREVER for people to realize, and the closest hospital/police force was a town away. Plus, it was on the outskirts of town, so no one inside the town fully knew what was going on! It was absolutely crazy and scary, but it happened in 1990. Anyways, I was transfixed until the movie was over, and then went to the birthday bash for about 45 minutes. Everyone else went to town after that, but it was already midnight and I had a headache, so of course I was lame and went home and to bed.
Sunday, 2nd August: I woke up early and went to church with Amy and Joe. We went to an International Church, and it was very different. The churches here are very extreme, either conservatively or liberally. There is no in-between, which is why Amy and Joe are trying to start one that is. This particular church was very modern I guess, and it was an interesting service and worship. I've noticed that here in New Zealand, there are about 2-3 songs sang per worship service, and each song is repeated over and over and over before they move on to the next. It's quite annoying actually. There was a girl screaming during this worship and it definitely creeped me out. I didn't want to judge, but I was still creeped. The pastor's wife preached (in New Zealand the wife of the Pastor is a Pastor as well) about this vision she'd had of heaviness and etc. and it was similar to the first service I attended. Basically, I feel like they talk about this "cloud of heaviness" over the congregation and how God will uplift it...but only on "Wednesday and Thursday nights, make sure you show up!" They all preach on how God is all-powerful and how he can change lives, but then they confine the life-changing process to a "Wednesday or Thursday prayer-service." I dunno, it's tricky. Just different than what I'm used to I guess. And the other side of the spectrum is shown too...either you attend a very "modern" church, or a very conservative one. But denominations have no meaning here really...you could go to an Anglican church, where you might expect conservative and traditional, and you may get that or you may get an extremely "modern" one (I'm using " around modern because I don't know how else to describe it). Anyways, I pretty much chilled the rest of the day and did homework. Nothing too exciting happened.
Monday, 3rd August: I ran with Sara today, went to class, and talked to Joshua and Morgan on facebook. My conversation with Joshua was fantastic, and made me soo appreciative him ;). He's great and I'm blessed. That was pretty much my day. Sara and I made chicken breast and pumpkin soup that night, or maybe it was the night before, but it was nice and a good meal. That's pretty much it.
Tuesday, 4th August: I woke up, went to class, went to the gym and bought a membership hoping it'll give me motivation to work out if I pay for it, went to the library and studied, went to class again, then went back to my flat and made pasta. I was going to go to a Trivia night, but was too late, so I sat in my room and did homework. Sara came back from her dinner out and we talked, watched Luke's, Danny's, and Jordan's youtube videos, then went to bed. Another boring day.
Wednesday, 5th August: I didn't do much yesterday either. I went to classes and then came back home, made lunch, talked to Morgan online, then called to remind Joshua that he'd missed our Skype date...we ended up talking for quite awhile on the phone and I'm so glad I've figured out my calling card since it only costs me 3 cents a minute to call a landline in the States. After talking to him I hit the gym for PUMP, which is a muscle-toning group class...and it was hard. I didn't convert kilos to pounds before I went, ended up thinking "oh, 15 kilos isn't a lot" and then after class figured out that it was around 40 lbs and I haven't lifted in 4 years. I was quite sore after class and was going to stay for Fusion but couldn't move. Ugh. I went home, made tacos with Sara and Daniel, chatted with them, tried to teach them the right way to eat Tim-Tams (the most delicious cookie ever), talked the night away and then went to bed.
Thursday, 6th August: Today I woke up sooooo unbelievably sore! I was going to go learn how to roll tonight in a kayak, but I can't lift my right arm higher than my face, so that's a no-go. I went to class and then came back here and have been updating this blog and facebooking people. I just finished an interesting conversation with Tyler (a friend of my other flatmates) about politics and religion, though it wasn't deep at all. Basically I was asked if I voted for Obama, if I was sad that McClain didn't win, and if I was a Christian and if I'd read the whole Bible. I then found out that Tyler is an atheist, and we'll have some interesting discussions I'm sure...so pray that God speaks through me and that I don't screw up this kid's perception of Christ even more. I'm feeling way overwhelmed and inadequate...thankfully God provides the tools eh?! Anyways, I'm off to send some letters and pick up some milk before class!!!
Ok, so it ended with me complaining last Wednesday. Awesome. I would like everyone to know I'm done being negative and pessimistic; it's too energy-consuming. Plus, I really am enjoying myself here, and things have been so much better since I've moved. I really didn't realize how much added stress and depression it was to live there and not feel connected with anyone in any way. So, I'm on to bigger and better things :).
Last Thursday, the 30th of July, I went ice-skating with my flatmate Sara. There is a Winter Festival going on in Christchurch, and one of the attractions is an igloo-dome thing with ice on the inside. When Sara and I got there, they didn't have our sizes in skates (which I learned is different than in the States of course and they actually DID have my size), so we were able to just sit inside and watch. It ended up being kinda lame anyways since the area was so small, and I would definitely have gotten bored going around in such a tiny circle with all these other people and on crappy ice. So we were able to watch and see the City Centre at night was beautiful too. Afterwards we rode in THE MOST GHETTO van ever! It was awesome; it looked like a Scooby Doo van, one window was broken out, and the back seat wasn't tied down or properly in, so it was wobbly haha! It was probably the most dangerous vehicle I've ever ridden in, but it was extremely fun and a short ride. Upon returning to our flat [at this point Sara and I are the only 2 people living in a 6-person flat], Sara and I invited our friends over, Nikki and Jayme. Jayme goes to Wesleyan, which is awesome since we both know Bloomington! Anyways, we made brownies in our awesome oven while Jayme did her laundry, and then Nikki and Sara taught us how to play Dutch blitz! It's a fun game, but definitely hard to get used to. After pigging out and staying up late for my first time ever in New Zealand, we all said goodnight and then it was off to bed.
Friday, 31st July: Sara and I went souvenir shopping in the City Centre. We needed some dish towels and pot holders, so we bought some and are going to give them to our friends/family back home as souvenirs (I promise I'll wash them before giving them away). We wanted to be practical, so this was our way of spending money without feeling bad about it haha. We were searching for this supposed "3-story shop" and couldn't find it anywhere. We did end up asking in another souvenir shop if they knew of a 3-story shop...they said 'no' and I felt the need to buy something from their store since we were basically saying "hey, your store sucks, can you tell us where the 3-story one is?". I bought an All Blacks umbrella, which is the National Rugby Team, and I'm really happy with my purchase. It's awesome. Anyways, we were about to give up when I said "let's just try this one right here, maybe they might know where it is or something." As we were walking in, Sara's jaw drops open and she looks at me in wonder because I had found the 3-story shop completely on accident and without even intending to. The store really was 3-stories full of souvenirs! It's awesome and cheaper than the others as well! After spending some time in there, we ate at this awesome place called Carnivores that I think I mentioned in here earlier but who knows. It was delicious and hit the spot. Later that night we went to a Global Potluck which was OK, and then we Skyped Joshua until 6 a.m. his time....Not my fault, he called me. Anyways, that was fun and afterwards I think I went to bed.
Saturday, 1st August: Our new flatmates moved in today. I was extremely nervous about them, but they're great. They brought heaps more stuff, including another toaster and couch. They're really cool and they like to cook, so the place always smells great now. Their names are Emma, Hannah, and Ash (the only guy currently). Sara and I spent most of the day at the library reading, then grabbed some Subway. We were invited to a birthday bash that night, and I got sucked into this horrific New Zealand movie on the Tube about a man who went nuts and started randomly shooting everyone near his uber-small town. It was crazy and a true story...I guess he just lost it one day, hauled off and started killing anyone who passed his house, including his best childhood-mate. Because the town was sooo small, it took FOREVER for people to realize, and the closest hospital/police force was a town away. Plus, it was on the outskirts of town, so no one inside the town fully knew what was going on! It was absolutely crazy and scary, but it happened in 1990. Anyways, I was transfixed until the movie was over, and then went to the birthday bash for about 45 minutes. Everyone else went to town after that, but it was already midnight and I had a headache, so of course I was lame and went home and to bed.
Sunday, 2nd August: I woke up early and went to church with Amy and Joe. We went to an International Church, and it was very different. The churches here are very extreme, either conservatively or liberally. There is no in-between, which is why Amy and Joe are trying to start one that is. This particular church was very modern I guess, and it was an interesting service and worship. I've noticed that here in New Zealand, there are about 2-3 songs sang per worship service, and each song is repeated over and over and over before they move on to the next. It's quite annoying actually. There was a girl screaming during this worship and it definitely creeped me out. I didn't want to judge, but I was still creeped. The pastor's wife preached (in New Zealand the wife of the Pastor is a Pastor as well) about this vision she'd had of heaviness and etc. and it was similar to the first service I attended. Basically, I feel like they talk about this "cloud of heaviness" over the congregation and how God will uplift it...but only on "Wednesday and Thursday nights, make sure you show up!" They all preach on how God is all-powerful and how he can change lives, but then they confine the life-changing process to a "Wednesday or Thursday prayer-service." I dunno, it's tricky. Just different than what I'm used to I guess. And the other side of the spectrum is shown too...either you attend a very "modern" church, or a very conservative one. But denominations have no meaning here really...you could go to an Anglican church, where you might expect conservative and traditional, and you may get that or you may get an extremely "modern" one (I'm using " around modern because I don't know how else to describe it). Anyways, I pretty much chilled the rest of the day and did homework. Nothing too exciting happened.
Monday, 3rd August: I ran with Sara today, went to class, and talked to Joshua and Morgan on facebook. My conversation with Joshua was fantastic, and made me soo appreciative him ;). He's great and I'm blessed. That was pretty much my day. Sara and I made chicken breast and pumpkin soup that night, or maybe it was the night before, but it was nice and a good meal. That's pretty much it.
Tuesday, 4th August: I woke up, went to class, went to the gym and bought a membership hoping it'll give me motivation to work out if I pay for it, went to the library and studied, went to class again, then went back to my flat and made pasta. I was going to go to a Trivia night, but was too late, so I sat in my room and did homework. Sara came back from her dinner out and we talked, watched Luke's, Danny's, and Jordan's youtube videos, then went to bed. Another boring day.
Wednesday, 5th August: I didn't do much yesterday either. I went to classes and then came back home, made lunch, talked to Morgan online, then called to remind Joshua that he'd missed our Skype date...we ended up talking for quite awhile on the phone and I'm so glad I've figured out my calling card since it only costs me 3 cents a minute to call a landline in the States. After talking to him I hit the gym for PUMP, which is a muscle-toning group class...and it was hard. I didn't convert kilos to pounds before I went, ended up thinking "oh, 15 kilos isn't a lot" and then after class figured out that it was around 40 lbs and I haven't lifted in 4 years. I was quite sore after class and was going to stay for Fusion but couldn't move. Ugh. I went home, made tacos with Sara and Daniel, chatted with them, tried to teach them the right way to eat Tim-Tams (the most delicious cookie ever), talked the night away and then went to bed.
Thursday, 6th August: Today I woke up sooooo unbelievably sore! I was going to go learn how to roll tonight in a kayak, but I can't lift my right arm higher than my face, so that's a no-go. I went to class and then came back here and have been updating this blog and facebooking people. I just finished an interesting conversation with Tyler (a friend of my other flatmates) about politics and religion, though it wasn't deep at all. Basically I was asked if I voted for Obama, if I was sad that McClain didn't win, and if I was a Christian and if I'd read the whole Bible. I then found out that Tyler is an atheist, and we'll have some interesting discussions I'm sure...so pray that God speaks through me and that I don't screw up this kid's perception of Christ even more. I'm feeling way overwhelmed and inadequate...thankfully God provides the tools eh?! Anyways, I'm off to send some letters and pick up some milk before class!!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I lost track of days....
So I don't remember the count I had going anymore, but I'm back in Christchurch and I remember updating from the weekend. What follows are my activities since I've been here...:
Monday - I did nothing interesting most of the day. I got on here around 3 my time and figured out how to skype Sydney and Liz, who were both on! It was SOOOO GOOD to hear their voices and catch up with them! It made missing home a little easier knowing I could talk to them! I will be sooo relieved to get off that plane when this trip is finally over and see Joshua, my family and friends all waiting for me! I skipped class to talk to them a little longer, and I promise that I will never again miss another class, but I'm glad I did this type anyways :)...
Tuesday - Again, I went to class and that was about it. I sat at the library forever reading for classes and being bored. I chatted with Erinn for a bit on facebook and was able to catch up with her, but other than that not much happened. Later that night I went with Sara and some of her friends to Coffee Culture. I met a girl named Yuka (sp???) who's sense of humor reminds me of JiHy (sp???)! She's great and her and Nicole are hilarious together (they're flatmates). Anyways, Sara and I listened to the rowdiness above us before we tried to catch some shut-eye....
Wednesday (Today) - I have done nothing constructive. I went to class from 10-2, came back to my flat and made lunch, and now am sitting on the computer wishing people would be on Skype and being frustrated because no one is. I have nothing more to do today except sit on my butt and watch movies. I may run to a coffee shop tonight and do some reading, or I may be too lazy and instead will just sit here updating my blog and putting pictures up on facebook. Eventually, I will get all my pictures up on Snapfish as well, but I hate using the internet. That is my non-interesting day. Oh, New Zealand TV consists of all the crappy reality TV shows from MTV and a few New Zealand soap operas. It sucks. K I'm now done ranting thanks for reading :).
Monday - I did nothing interesting most of the day. I got on here around 3 my time and figured out how to skype Sydney and Liz, who were both on! It was SOOOO GOOD to hear their voices and catch up with them! It made missing home a little easier knowing I could talk to them! I will be sooo relieved to get off that plane when this trip is finally over and see Joshua, my family and friends all waiting for me! I skipped class to talk to them a little longer, and I promise that I will never again miss another class, but I'm glad I did this type anyways :)...
Tuesday - Again, I went to class and that was about it. I sat at the library forever reading for classes and being bored. I chatted with Erinn for a bit on facebook and was able to catch up with her, but other than that not much happened. Later that night I went with Sara and some of her friends to Coffee Culture. I met a girl named Yuka (sp???) who's sense of humor reminds me of JiHy (sp???)! She's great and her and Nicole are hilarious together (they're flatmates). Anyways, Sara and I listened to the rowdiness above us before we tried to catch some shut-eye....
Wednesday (Today) - I have done nothing constructive. I went to class from 10-2, came back to my flat and made lunch, and now am sitting on the computer wishing people would be on Skype and being frustrated because no one is. I have nothing more to do today except sit on my butt and watch movies. I may run to a coffee shop tonight and do some reading, or I may be too lazy and instead will just sit here updating my blog and putting pictures up on facebook. Eventually, I will get all my pictures up on Snapfish as well, but I hate using the internet. That is my non-interesting day. Oh, New Zealand TV consists of all the crappy reality TV shows from MTV and a few New Zealand soap operas. It sucks. K I'm now done ranting thanks for reading :).
Sunday, July 26, 2009
QUEENSTOWN TRIP!!!
To start with, I need to explain a few things/people. Here goes. I believe I've explained that Arcadia is a university in the States, but also has agreements with schools around the world to offer study abroad. In New Zealand, there are four main Universities that Arcadia offers study abroad programs at: Canterbury (me), Otago, Victoria, and Auckland. Each university also has a "student support coordinator" that lives in the same city as campus or possibly on campus. There is also a program director, who is in charge of EVERYONE within New Zealand, the boss of the bosses basically. Her name is Jane Gunn-Lewis, and she also happens to be the "director" for us Canterbury kids. However, she does not live in Christchurch but in Queenstown, and travels all over New Zealand for Arcadia. Then there's Shane, who's in charge of the Otago students, Aislinn for Victoria, and Kate for Auckland.
K, now on to the good stuff :). This past weekend was awesome and definitely what I needed.
After a fitful night of sleep where I kept waking up and thinking I'd missed the bus, I woke up to Joshua calling me at 5:55, 5 minutes before I wanted to get up :(. I hate waking up! Anyways, after chatting with him and his family for about 20 minutes, I got ready and headed for the corner of Ilam and Riccarton to meet the rest of my Canterbury Arcadians. They all made fun of me for bringing my suitcase, which I only brought because I decided to bring a sleeping bag. Not really sure why, but oh well. We had a LONG bus ride, about 6 hours, with only 2 stops. We got to Queenstown and met up with our Otago friends! It was great to see them again! We were split up into two lodges, each with 4 rooms and 4 bunk beds in each room. After putting our stuff in the rooms, we headed off to ride in a Gondola up a mountain in Queenstown. Queenstown is located south of Christchurch and is a huge tourist town. It is absolutely beautiful and in the middle of the Southern Alps. It's great for skiing, snowboarding, and tramping.
Anyways, we rode the gondola up the mountain and then each got 3 luge rides! It was so fun. Basically, you sit on these little rubber/plastic sleds that have bicycle-like handlebars to steer. Then you ride down these concrete tracks. It was soooo much fun! I tried to tip mine several times (which didn't work) but I did manage to almost fall out once (on accident) and could smell the rubber burning on the bottom from going around the corners too fast ;). It was so much fun though! After that, we rode back down the gondola, and a bunch of us bungee jumpers went to go sign up. This is where my weekend took a crazy turn...there were two separate bungee jumps offered. One is the Kawarau Bridge, which is cheaper, shorter, and the one shown on the Bachelor last season with Jason :). It's less scary too, obviously, and over a river where you can choose to get wet or not. The other jump is the Nevis and is the second highest jump in the world. It's over a huge ravine with a creek below, and is 234 meters high, or about 450 ft! I, naturally, wanted to do the bridge. However, when signing up, I was surrounded by all the guys and was completely pressured into "go big or go home." I was also under the impression that NO ONE else was doing the Bridge and didn't want to be the ONLY loser chickening out and doing the little one. So I gave in and signed up for the Nevis. After that, I learned that there WERE people doing the bridge, just not very many, and that everyone else not bungee jumping would be at the bridge to cheer people on. Great. I was so mad, and I blamed the boys the whole weekend...
Anyways, that night we didn't do much. A heap of us made pasta and frozen pizzas for dinner and split it, so dinner was about $4 (way cheap!). Then I hit the sack, and I was so thankful that I brought my sleeping bag because our sheets were dirty in our room and the comforters smelled HORRIBLE...I won't go into detail.
The next day we all woke up early. We were split into two groups again: our options were either tramping or snowboarding/skiing. I chose tramping with most of the other kids and we headed to a new tramp site that Jane had never tried before. We were originally supposed to do an 8 hour tramp up a mountain, but it was closed because they were poisoning the opossums. The trail was supposed to take about 2.5 hours up and 2 hours down, and we were going to eat lunch at the top. We all started with Jane in the lead, who is the most fit 50 year old woman EVER (she skis almost every day), and we ended up finishing a small portion within 20 minutes that should have taken us 40. Woah. After that, the trek was pretty much uphill, and it kept getting steeper and harder. I got to a point where I refused to stop because I was afraid I wouldn't start again, and I was pushing off my legs with my arms in order to keep going! We saw heaps of dead opossums, and the trail got to the point that only single file was possible. The scenery, however, was breathtaking in itself. We drank from a natural spring (Dad, I know you'd be proud), and finally made it to the top after shedding pretty much all of our layers. The coolest part was that, if you slipped, you were going down and there was no stopping. It was a blast though. After reaching our destination, which was a day hut called "Bonnie Jean," we all started putting our layers back on (it was quite cold) and sat down to enjoy the view and eat lunch. Some of the guys decided to tramp all the way to the top, but I was way too sore already. After everyone got there and the boys made it back to us, we started the trek down, which was much easier for me than up. Nothin like a tramp up a mountain to show you how outta shape you are :)! After tramping, we all showered and got ready for dinner. We went out for pizza and had this awesome desert apple pizza that was delicious. Karie, Malia, Dan, Barrie, Rachael, and I went for a short walk, ended up at a cozy little bar where I almost fell asleep. We decided to go back and wait til 10 to go out and sat around and talked til then, but I couldn't muster enough energy to go out and went to bed at 11 instead.
The next morning we layered up and went jetboating!!! It's this awesome boat that can go through 4 inches of water since most of it is above water, and it goes an average 85-90 miles per hour! I wish I could have taken my camera, but we did 360s and such and got wet, so cameras were a no-go. But if you google "new zealand jetboating" it shows what we did. It was gorgeous and we were sooo close to hitting the giant rocks it was unbelievable! The whole time, all I could think of was how much my dad would love it, so I've decided that if I ever have the means to do it, we're taking a trip to New Zealand for him to experience some of this stuff! After that, reality set in that I was going to literally jump off a platform 450 feet in the air with nothing but a rope attached to me, and I got extremely nervous! We grabbed coffee at Starbucks and then checked in for bungee jumping. I was able to get on the internet for a few minutes before our bus left. We had a 45 minute ride out to the platform and plenty of time for me to freak out. Once there, we got strapped up and then headed out to the platform...it was so scary. I was freaking out, got really quiet, and then started projecting my anxiety into making sure that the people knew us Canterbury kids HAD to be on the 2:30 bus back because our other bus was leaving at 3:15, and if we missed it we were in trouble. The jump is set up so that each rope has a weight range, so the heaviest people went first. This meant that I was to go last, however, and that just was not possible for me and I was flipping. Once they switched cords and I'd watched most of the guys jump, I was up first. I really think they just wanted to shut me up since I was freaking out so much, but oh well, it worked ;). I sat down in this dentist/gyno looking chair and my ankles were strapped onto the bungee. Then the walk to the edge was the hardest thing ever. I was afraid my knees were going to give out. I kept telling the guy that I really didn't think I could do this, and I also told him I might pee my pants. At that, he said to make sure I pulled the black string that would allow me to sit upright so the flow didn't go down my face...funny eh? Anyways, I got to the edge, was trying not to look down, felt like throwing up, and he goes "3, 2, 1" and then I jumped!!!! It was AWESOME!!!! I can't even put it into words!!!! I was just falling it was so intense! And then I bounced back up, tried to pull the string but couldn't get it out all the way, and then i just hung there upside down looking at the water below and thinking "OH MY GOSH I REALLY JUST DID THAT" the whole time! It really helps to have people cheering you on! I finally was able to yank the black cord and sit up and enjoy the view as they brought me up. It was the most intense feeling ever! Very comparable to Joshua asking me to marry him, though slightly different :)! I still am on a high whenever I think about it and totally want to do it again!!!
Anyways, after that I didn't care if we missed the bus or not. I tried to talk to Joshua on Skype offered at the bungee place, but it didn't really work out too well. Tonya had answered and once she figured out how to work it I had to go :). Anyways, we made the bus with plenty of time to spare and then settled in for a nice long bus ride home. I met my new flatmate, Sara Young, who is awesome as well and then went to bed. What a crazy AMAZING day!!!!!!
K, now on to the good stuff :). This past weekend was awesome and definitely what I needed.
After a fitful night of sleep where I kept waking up and thinking I'd missed the bus, I woke up to Joshua calling me at 5:55, 5 minutes before I wanted to get up :(. I hate waking up! Anyways, after chatting with him and his family for about 20 minutes, I got ready and headed for the corner of Ilam and Riccarton to meet the rest of my Canterbury Arcadians. They all made fun of me for bringing my suitcase, which I only brought because I decided to bring a sleeping bag. Not really sure why, but oh well. We had a LONG bus ride, about 6 hours, with only 2 stops. We got to Queenstown and met up with our Otago friends! It was great to see them again! We were split up into two lodges, each with 4 rooms and 4 bunk beds in each room. After putting our stuff in the rooms, we headed off to ride in a Gondola up a mountain in Queenstown. Queenstown is located south of Christchurch and is a huge tourist town. It is absolutely beautiful and in the middle of the Southern Alps. It's great for skiing, snowboarding, and tramping.
Anyways, we rode the gondola up the mountain and then each got 3 luge rides! It was so fun. Basically, you sit on these little rubber/plastic sleds that have bicycle-like handlebars to steer. Then you ride down these concrete tracks. It was soooo much fun! I tried to tip mine several times (which didn't work) but I did manage to almost fall out once (on accident) and could smell the rubber burning on the bottom from going around the corners too fast ;). It was so much fun though! After that, we rode back down the gondola, and a bunch of us bungee jumpers went to go sign up. This is where my weekend took a crazy turn...there were two separate bungee jumps offered. One is the Kawarau Bridge, which is cheaper, shorter, and the one shown on the Bachelor last season with Jason :). It's less scary too, obviously, and over a river where you can choose to get wet or not. The other jump is the Nevis and is the second highest jump in the world. It's over a huge ravine with a creek below, and is 234 meters high, or about 450 ft! I, naturally, wanted to do the bridge. However, when signing up, I was surrounded by all the guys and was completely pressured into "go big or go home." I was also under the impression that NO ONE else was doing the Bridge and didn't want to be the ONLY loser chickening out and doing the little one. So I gave in and signed up for the Nevis. After that, I learned that there WERE people doing the bridge, just not very many, and that everyone else not bungee jumping would be at the bridge to cheer people on. Great. I was so mad, and I blamed the boys the whole weekend...
Anyways, that night we didn't do much. A heap of us made pasta and frozen pizzas for dinner and split it, so dinner was about $4 (way cheap!). Then I hit the sack, and I was so thankful that I brought my sleeping bag because our sheets were dirty in our room and the comforters smelled HORRIBLE...I won't go into detail.
The next day we all woke up early. We were split into two groups again: our options were either tramping or snowboarding/skiing. I chose tramping with most of the other kids and we headed to a new tramp site that Jane had never tried before. We were originally supposed to do an 8 hour tramp up a mountain, but it was closed because they were poisoning the opossums. The trail was supposed to take about 2.5 hours up and 2 hours down, and we were going to eat lunch at the top. We all started with Jane in the lead, who is the most fit 50 year old woman EVER (she skis almost every day), and we ended up finishing a small portion within 20 minutes that should have taken us 40. Woah. After that, the trek was pretty much uphill, and it kept getting steeper and harder. I got to a point where I refused to stop because I was afraid I wouldn't start again, and I was pushing off my legs with my arms in order to keep going! We saw heaps of dead opossums, and the trail got to the point that only single file was possible. The scenery, however, was breathtaking in itself. We drank from a natural spring (Dad, I know you'd be proud), and finally made it to the top after shedding pretty much all of our layers. The coolest part was that, if you slipped, you were going down and there was no stopping. It was a blast though. After reaching our destination, which was a day hut called "Bonnie Jean," we all started putting our layers back on (it was quite cold) and sat down to enjoy the view and eat lunch. Some of the guys decided to tramp all the way to the top, but I was way too sore already. After everyone got there and the boys made it back to us, we started the trek down, which was much easier for me than up. Nothin like a tramp up a mountain to show you how outta shape you are :)! After tramping, we all showered and got ready for dinner. We went out for pizza and had this awesome desert apple pizza that was delicious. Karie, Malia, Dan, Barrie, Rachael, and I went for a short walk, ended up at a cozy little bar where I almost fell asleep. We decided to go back and wait til 10 to go out and sat around and talked til then, but I couldn't muster enough energy to go out and went to bed at 11 instead.
The next morning we layered up and went jetboating!!! It's this awesome boat that can go through 4 inches of water since most of it is above water, and it goes an average 85-90 miles per hour! I wish I could have taken my camera, but we did 360s and such and got wet, so cameras were a no-go. But if you google "new zealand jetboating" it shows what we did. It was gorgeous and we were sooo close to hitting the giant rocks it was unbelievable! The whole time, all I could think of was how much my dad would love it, so I've decided that if I ever have the means to do it, we're taking a trip to New Zealand for him to experience some of this stuff! After that, reality set in that I was going to literally jump off a platform 450 feet in the air with nothing but a rope attached to me, and I got extremely nervous! We grabbed coffee at Starbucks and then checked in for bungee jumping. I was able to get on the internet for a few minutes before our bus left. We had a 45 minute ride out to the platform and plenty of time for me to freak out. Once there, we got strapped up and then headed out to the platform...it was so scary. I was freaking out, got really quiet, and then started projecting my anxiety into making sure that the people knew us Canterbury kids HAD to be on the 2:30 bus back because our other bus was leaving at 3:15, and if we missed it we were in trouble. The jump is set up so that each rope has a weight range, so the heaviest people went first. This meant that I was to go last, however, and that just was not possible for me and I was flipping. Once they switched cords and I'd watched most of the guys jump, I was up first. I really think they just wanted to shut me up since I was freaking out so much, but oh well, it worked ;). I sat down in this dentist/gyno looking chair and my ankles were strapped onto the bungee. Then the walk to the edge was the hardest thing ever. I was afraid my knees were going to give out. I kept telling the guy that I really didn't think I could do this, and I also told him I might pee my pants. At that, he said to make sure I pulled the black string that would allow me to sit upright so the flow didn't go down my face...funny eh? Anyways, I got to the edge, was trying not to look down, felt like throwing up, and he goes "3, 2, 1" and then I jumped!!!! It was AWESOME!!!! I can't even put it into words!!!! I was just falling it was so intense! And then I bounced back up, tried to pull the string but couldn't get it out all the way, and then i just hung there upside down looking at the water below and thinking "OH MY GOSH I REALLY JUST DID THAT" the whole time! It really helps to have people cheering you on! I finally was able to yank the black cord and sit up and enjoy the view as they brought me up. It was the most intense feeling ever! Very comparable to Joshua asking me to marry him, though slightly different :)! I still am on a high whenever I think about it and totally want to do it again!!!
Anyways, after that I didn't care if we missed the bus or not. I tried to talk to Joshua on Skype offered at the bungee place, but it didn't really work out too well. Tonya had answered and once she figured out how to work it I had to go :). Anyways, we made the bus with plenty of time to spare and then settled in for a nice long bus ride home. I met my new flatmate, Sara Young, who is awesome as well and then went to bed. What a crazy AMAZING day!!!!!!
Day 20: Bad Day :(
Today was a really awful day for me. I'm going to just sum it up by saying that I had a meltdown this morning and was ready to throw in the towel and come home. Literally. I got overwhelmed by the financial situation I'm in, the flat I'm in, the people I can't seem to relate to at all, the fact that I'm half a world away and spending money I don't have, and finally because I have NO IDEA why I am here. It all got to me today and I broke down. I even went so far as to email my program director, Jane, and ask about withdrawal fees and such. I just hit a really low point and had no desire to do anything or see or talk to anyone either...HORRIBLE feeling.
Anyways, after my freak-out, I got a call about 5 minutes later from the office telling me I could move that day. Completely out of the blue and not what I expected at all, since I was under the impression I would have to wait quite awhile and possibly not moving at all. But God works in mysterious ways I guess. I spent the next hour packing, then ran to town briefly before moving all my crap into my new (and thankfully still empty) flat. Another American girl named Sarah will be moving in tomorrow, but I am leaving for a weekend trip to Queenstown with Arcadia and won't meet her until Sunday. So hopefully, we'll see how it goes.
Another refreshing moment was when I opened my Bible to Jeremiah (which I've never read) and came across verse 17 in chapter 32. It reads "Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you!" It was definitely what I needed to get through that day, as well as Joshua's encouragement. He encouraged me that I could do this, and that I would regret it if this was the one thing I ever gave up on. He also reminded me that, once I finish here, I'm completely done with school and will have a heads up on job hunting since I'll be done before most everyone else graduating in December. Talking to him was awesome, and of course he told me everything I needed to hear. So thanks baby :).
Anyways, I do have a washer and dryer here, so I'm off to finish some much-needed laundry and then to bed. I leave tomorrow morning at 7 for Queenstown, and it's a trip I'm looking forward to! Goodnight!
Anyways, after my freak-out, I got a call about 5 minutes later from the office telling me I could move that day. Completely out of the blue and not what I expected at all, since I was under the impression I would have to wait quite awhile and possibly not moving at all. But God works in mysterious ways I guess. I spent the next hour packing, then ran to town briefly before moving all my crap into my new (and thankfully still empty) flat. Another American girl named Sarah will be moving in tomorrow, but I am leaving for a weekend trip to Queenstown with Arcadia and won't meet her until Sunday. So hopefully, we'll see how it goes.
Another refreshing moment was when I opened my Bible to Jeremiah (which I've never read) and came across verse 17 in chapter 32. It reads "Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you!" It was definitely what I needed to get through that day, as well as Joshua's encouragement. He encouraged me that I could do this, and that I would regret it if this was the one thing I ever gave up on. He also reminded me that, once I finish here, I'm completely done with school and will have a heads up on job hunting since I'll be done before most everyone else graduating in December. Talking to him was awesome, and of course he told me everything I needed to hear. So thanks baby :).
Anyways, I do have a washer and dryer here, so I'm off to finish some much-needed laundry and then to bed. I leave tomorrow morning at 7 for Queenstown, and it's a trip I'm looking forward to! Goodnight!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Day 19: PRAYING FOR PATIENCE!!!
There are four days til Ev's birthday! I have no idea what to get him, but it's going to count as both a souvenir and a birthday present bro, sorry :).
Anyways, a pretty boring day...I went to my only class at noon after skyping mom and the kids briefly. Then I ran back to my room to grab a bite to eat and then went to go get on the bus to go to my tutorial at the Arts Gallery in the city centre...unfortunately, I jumped the gun on the bus and got on the wrong one! I rode for over an hour in the completely wrong direction and got motion-sickness from reading to try to distract myself. Lovely. I finally got on the right bus and made it to the Arts Gallery, where I chatted with a Psychiatrist Professor on Sabbatical and his sister, both originally from England, but the sister lives both in England and France. He is a teacher at a college in San Diego, California. It was a fairly brief conversation, but it broke the monotony of the day and was good to have some human interaction with such an interesting man. He said he'd just been from Australia, and also visited India and rode down the Nile in Egypt. AWESOME! Anyways, I stood around staring at pictures for my tutorial, then walked down to the Central library and used their internet. Apparently, they put a limit on how much you can use, and I used all of it in about an hour. Whoops. Then I realized I was going to be way late for my tramping club meeting, so I grabbed a bite to eat at KFC (I know how American right?) and rode the bus back. I was so late that I didn't end up going to the meeting, but came back to my room hoping to settle down with a good movie and some hot tea. However, my cup is missing, one I specifically bought so I wouldn't have to share with my flatmates. Selfish, yes, but I'm beyond the point of caring. So, I'm rather irritated at that, and the fact that I still can't move! AND my new cell phone keeps telling me I have no credit even though I paid an extra $20 for credit!!! UGH!!! So, the mixture of everything negative has finally gotten to me today and I'm extremely close to the edge of a meltdown, which I have thus far held off. It's 8:45 exactly, so I'm just going to pop in a movie and let the rest of the night disappear. If you're in the mood to pray, please pray that my living situation gets moving ASAP and that I can be out of this place and somewhere that I'm actually comfortable moving around in!!! Oh, and did I mention that my flatmates have a TON of people over tonight and I have an 8 a.m.? Awesome. Ok, forgive me for complaining and being negative. Now that's all out, I'm done. But at least on here, if you don't want to read it, then don't. I can release the stress by typing it though. Ok, off to a movie and bed. Hopefully my mug will turn up soon...sweet dreams everyone! Love and miss you all!
Anyways, a pretty boring day...I went to my only class at noon after skyping mom and the kids briefly. Then I ran back to my room to grab a bite to eat and then went to go get on the bus to go to my tutorial at the Arts Gallery in the city centre...unfortunately, I jumped the gun on the bus and got on the wrong one! I rode for over an hour in the completely wrong direction and got motion-sickness from reading to try to distract myself. Lovely. I finally got on the right bus and made it to the Arts Gallery, where I chatted with a Psychiatrist Professor on Sabbatical and his sister, both originally from England, but the sister lives both in England and France. He is a teacher at a college in San Diego, California. It was a fairly brief conversation, but it broke the monotony of the day and was good to have some human interaction with such an interesting man. He said he'd just been from Australia, and also visited India and rode down the Nile in Egypt. AWESOME! Anyways, I stood around staring at pictures for my tutorial, then walked down to the Central library and used their internet. Apparently, they put a limit on how much you can use, and I used all of it in about an hour. Whoops. Then I realized I was going to be way late for my tramping club meeting, so I grabbed a bite to eat at KFC (I know how American right?) and rode the bus back. I was so late that I didn't end up going to the meeting, but came back to my room hoping to settle down with a good movie and some hot tea. However, my cup is missing, one I specifically bought so I wouldn't have to share with my flatmates. Selfish, yes, but I'm beyond the point of caring. So, I'm rather irritated at that, and the fact that I still can't move! AND my new cell phone keeps telling me I have no credit even though I paid an extra $20 for credit!!! UGH!!! So, the mixture of everything negative has finally gotten to me today and I'm extremely close to the edge of a meltdown, which I have thus far held off. It's 8:45 exactly, so I'm just going to pop in a movie and let the rest of the night disappear. If you're in the mood to pray, please pray that my living situation gets moving ASAP and that I can be out of this place and somewhere that I'm actually comfortable moving around in!!! Oh, and did I mention that my flatmates have a TON of people over tonight and I have an 8 a.m.? Awesome. Ok, forgive me for complaining and being negative. Now that's all out, I'm done. But at least on here, if you don't want to read it, then don't. I can release the stress by typing it though. Ok, off to a movie and bed. Hopefully my mug will turn up soon...sweet dreams everyone! Love and miss you all!
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