For all those who were somewhat concerned about my wellbeing this weekend (cough*mom*cough), I am ALIVE! Yes, I went bungee jumping and sky diving, and it was so totally WICKED! And yes I did not get hurt. You can now sleep in peace tonight :) I'll let you know how the weekend went later this week - no time for that now. As a fitting end to our Mt Doom weekend, my friends and I are watching Lord of the Rings 2 tonight! God bless!
As a sneak peek at this weekend, enjoy the video! (it's a little stretched due to file conversion problems)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The mines of Moria ... kind of
As you can tell, it is getting more and more difficult to keep up with my blog, but I will do my best. The hardest posts are the weekends ones b/c there’s just sooo much to describe! However, since I’m leaving tomorrow morning for my next weekend trip, I figured tonight might be a good time to talk about last weekend ;)
Last weekend was PACKED! There are so many things to talk about, so I may gloss over the small details of the not-quite-as-amazing-things. My group left Thursday afternoon, after my bio class. There were 9 of us (the 4 from the previous weekend plus Charity, Sheri, Tomas, and Matt). It was a good group. There was a little tension at times but it was fine. We had two cars – which is perhaps the cause of most of the trouble we had. It turns out, it is very difficult to communicate b/w cars when you don’t have phones. (Note to self: Bring Walkie-talkies next time.) We drove to Waitomo that night and arrived at midnight. (Thank you Katherine for driving the whole way!) We had to get there that night b/c our adventures started early the next day.
Next day: We woke up and went CAVING! But not just caving… we went into a cave with GLOW WORMS! But not just glow worms… we went into a cave with glow worms and a river… and went RAFTING! We each got wet suits and an inner tube. We started out by abseiling into the cave. (Abseiling in NZ = vertical caving in US.) That was AwEsOmE! Then we climbed through the cave and got all wet and then tubed back down the river. When we turned off our head-lights we saw all these little dots of lights – a lot like stars out in the country side where there’s no city light to wash out the millions of lights you see. Then, our tour guide made this really loud noise, and the glow worms got brighter! How cool!
Next activity: When we got back to the hostel we were staying at, the girls were all tired so they took a nap – but us men (Tomas, Matt, and I) went out for some more fun. We found this trail to a natural tunnel near the caves so we went on it. A little ways into the trail, we saw this opening to a cave, so naturally we went in.
It was pretty tight and very dark – in fact we could not see anything, so we improvised. None of had a phone, as I already said, so we used our cameras. We have since named in Photo Cartography – mapping out your position and path by the use of photos. We took a picture of the cave emptiness in front of us and then used that to decide where to go. It was surprisingly effective and unbelievably fun! We eventually made it to what looked like a high cliff. Leaning over the edge, I looked down and took some pictures. Just then, a tour guide looked up with his head lamp from about thirty feet below and said, “I see you up there! Are you supposed to be in here?” uh oh. I slunk back into the shadows without a word. My immediate plan was to sneak out with the other guys, until we reached the opening to the cave and realized that just outside our opening was where the tour guide was exiting! We kept our cool. With some quick thinking, we climbed into a narrow cave passageway we found earlier and hid out for a few minutes. Luckily, the tour guide didn’t come into the cave, but rather just passed on. We were safe, and not caught. Oh yeah! We later finished the trail and then went on another trail and went back to the sleepy girls, who by that time had had a wonderfully long nap. We had a late dinner and crashed.
Next day (Saturday): I got up early to cook breakfast – which was amazing! I made French toast and we put all sorts of stuff on it: PB, nutella, PB and nutella, jelly, syrup, PB and honey, I think that’s it. My favorite is still syrup, though. It was delish!
Then we drove to the hot springs. We paid a few bucks to enjoy a few hours of bathin in the sun in naturally heated hot spring pools. They had at least four pools of various heats, from warm, to very hot. It was splendid :)
Then we went to Hell – or rather the gates of Hell. Hell’s Gate is this place where there a geotherms in abundance. They’re basically a lot of really hot mud and water that boil and sizzle and make bubbly noises. It was pretty cool. At the end, we were taught how to etch a carving into a piece of wood by a Maori artisan. I made a kiwi. He looks cool.
Then (it keeps going and going and going) … we went to a Maori performance. They fed us a wonderful buffet – it was delicious! And then the native Maori performed. The women did a poi dance (sorry, no fire Jim) for which Sheri got to go up and perform.
Then the men did a Haka for which I got to perform. A Haka is a dance they do just before going to battle. When the Maori would battle they would make grotesque faces with the hope that the enemy would surrender without a fight. These faces are incorporated into the dance. I must say my performance is a little less frightening than I intended … it was actually quite funny! By the end, my group was complaining about their abs hurting from laughing. I tried. lol - it was a blast.
Next day (Sunday): Sunday involved a bit of driving, but we also went canoeing! Little did we know that the canoeing would actually be kayaking and that there were minor rapids on the river!
We got a late start for the canoeing so we ended pretty late, but it was a lot of fun! The countryside was beautiful – something like Rohan and the Shire mixed. At one point, we stopped on a bank to eat our lunch and I climbed up a neighboring hill. I could see so far! There were sheep and some cows, rock boulders, and cliffs! It was breathtaking! The rapids were fun too. Just down the stream from where we began, I kayaked over a big boulder and flipped over. Tomas and I were the only ones who fell out of our kayaks. Tomas and I also got into a little bit of trouble later on. When we got to the end, we had to wait about forty minutes until the van would pick us up. DETOUR: I forgot something of MOST importance:
In order to get to the river, some of us went with the kayak driver, but four us had to drive ourselves. The driver handed us the keys to a company car and asked us to follow. The car was a stick shift. And I was the only who knew how to drive it! Whoohoo! So I got to DRIVE! It was awesome – once I figured out that 1st gear was not 4th gear and stalled pulling onto the main road. It actually wasn’t that strange, driving on the left side of the road. And roundabouts are definitely awesome. And so are wide right turns!
Anyway, when we got to the end, Tomas and I decided to go on a little adventure. We were feeling confident in our kayak expertise and decided it would be fun to go down some small rapids further downstream and then try to paddle our way back up. Paddling up = Not fun. Actually it equaled impossible. We had to walk our kayaks along the bank and then get in mid stream when the water was up to our stomachs. Once I got in, I realized that the river was starting to pull me back down! So I paddled really hard and finally made it to the stopping point. Tomas was not as lucky. He got swept down, backwards. It did not end well, and for his dignity I will not relay the full details. However, he is ok and we got the kayak back – a while later. And now everything is smoothed over. Though I did learn that sometimes guys just don’t think things through all the way! Yes, Katherine, you were right. ;)
We made back to Wellington at 1am and I crashed. This week has been crazy with a midterm and paper due. By God’s grace I am energetic (though not entirely during class) and healthier than I was on Monday! God is packing my days full of blessings and healing! I cannot help but thank Him every moment of the day for all He does! And being out here, in the untampered countryside, I cannot help but awe at His wondrous beauty! Thank you Father!
P.S. This weekend is the trip to Mt. Doom. Today, I booked two things of particular interest: Skydiving over Lake Taupo, and bungee jumping into Lake Taupo – yes “into” it. They have the option to dip half your body in the water at the bottom of the bungee jump! More on that next time!
Last weekend was PACKED! There are so many things to talk about, so I may gloss over the small details of the not-quite-as-amazing-things. My group left Thursday afternoon, after my bio class. There were 9 of us (the 4 from the previous weekend plus Charity, Sheri, Tomas, and Matt). It was a good group. There was a little tension at times but it was fine. We had two cars – which is perhaps the cause of most of the trouble we had. It turns out, it is very difficult to communicate b/w cars when you don’t have phones. (Note to self: Bring Walkie-talkies next time.) We drove to Waitomo that night and arrived at midnight. (Thank you Katherine for driving the whole way!) We had to get there that night b/c our adventures started early the next day.
Next day: We woke up and went CAVING! But not just caving… we went into a cave with GLOW WORMS! But not just glow worms… we went into a cave with glow worms and a river… and went RAFTING! We each got wet suits and an inner tube. We started out by abseiling into the cave. (Abseiling in NZ = vertical caving in US.) That was AwEsOmE! Then we climbed through the cave and got all wet and then tubed back down the river. When we turned off our head-lights we saw all these little dots of lights – a lot like stars out in the country side where there’s no city light to wash out the millions of lights you see. Then, our tour guide made this really loud noise, and the glow worms got brighter! How cool!
Next activity: When we got back to the hostel we were staying at, the girls were all tired so they took a nap – but us men (Tomas, Matt, and I) went out for some more fun. We found this trail to a natural tunnel near the caves so we went on it. A little ways into the trail, we saw this opening to a cave, so naturally we went in.
It was pretty tight and very dark – in fact we could not see anything, so we improvised. None of had a phone, as I already said, so we used our cameras. We have since named in Photo Cartography – mapping out your position and path by the use of photos. We took a picture of the cave emptiness in front of us and then used that to decide where to go. It was surprisingly effective and unbelievably fun! We eventually made it to what looked like a high cliff. Leaning over the edge, I looked down and took some pictures. Just then, a tour guide looked up with his head lamp from about thirty feet below and said, “I see you up there! Are you supposed to be in here?” uh oh. I slunk back into the shadows without a word. My immediate plan was to sneak out with the other guys, until we reached the opening to the cave and realized that just outside our opening was where the tour guide was exiting! We kept our cool. With some quick thinking, we climbed into a narrow cave passageway we found earlier and hid out for a few minutes. Luckily, the tour guide didn’t come into the cave, but rather just passed on. We were safe, and not caught. Oh yeah! We later finished the trail and then went on another trail and went back to the sleepy girls, who by that time had had a wonderfully long nap. We had a late dinner and crashed.Next day (Saturday): I got up early to cook breakfast – which was amazing! I made French toast and we put all sorts of stuff on it: PB, nutella, PB and nutella, jelly, syrup, PB and honey, I think that’s it. My favorite is still syrup, though. It was delish!
Then we drove to the hot springs. We paid a few bucks to enjoy a few hours of bathin in the sun in naturally heated hot spring pools. They had at least four pools of various heats, from warm, to very hot. It was splendid :)Then we went to Hell – or rather the gates of Hell. Hell’s Gate is this place where there a geotherms in abundance. They’re basically a lot of really hot mud and water that boil and sizzle and make bubbly noises. It was pretty cool. At the end, we were taught how to etch a carving into a piece of wood by a Maori artisan. I made a kiwi. He looks cool.
Then (it keeps going and going and going) … we went to a Maori performance. They fed us a wonderful buffet – it was delicious! And then the native Maori performed. The women did a poi dance (sorry, no fire Jim) for which Sheri got to go up and perform.
Then the men did a Haka for which I got to perform. A Haka is a dance they do just before going to battle. When the Maori would battle they would make grotesque faces with the hope that the enemy would surrender without a fight. These faces are incorporated into the dance. I must say my performance is a little less frightening than I intended … it was actually quite funny! By the end, my group was complaining about their abs hurting from laughing. I tried. lol - it was a blast.Next day (Sunday): Sunday involved a bit of driving, but we also went canoeing! Little did we know that the canoeing would actually be kayaking and that there were minor rapids on the river!
We got a late start for the canoeing so we ended pretty late, but it was a lot of fun! The countryside was beautiful – something like Rohan and the Shire mixed. At one point, we stopped on a bank to eat our lunch and I climbed up a neighboring hill. I could see so far! There were sheep and some cows, rock boulders, and cliffs! It was breathtaking! The rapids were fun too. Just down the stream from where we began, I kayaked over a big boulder and flipped over. Tomas and I were the only ones who fell out of our kayaks. Tomas and I also got into a little bit of trouble later on. When we got to the end, we had to wait about forty minutes until the van would pick us up. DETOUR: I forgot something of MOST importance:In order to get to the river, some of us went with the kayak driver, but four us had to drive ourselves. The driver handed us the keys to a company car and asked us to follow. The car was a stick shift. And I was the only who knew how to drive it! Whoohoo! So I got to DRIVE! It was awesome – once I figured out that 1st gear was not 4th gear and stalled pulling onto the main road. It actually wasn’t that strange, driving on the left side of the road. And roundabouts are definitely awesome. And so are wide right turns!
Anyway, when we got to the end, Tomas and I decided to go on a little adventure. We were feeling confident in our kayak expertise and decided it would be fun to go down some small rapids further downstream and then try to paddle our way back up. Paddling up = Not fun. Actually it equaled impossible. We had to walk our kayaks along the bank and then get in mid stream when the water was up to our stomachs. Once I got in, I realized that the river was starting to pull me back down! So I paddled really hard and finally made it to the stopping point. Tomas was not as lucky. He got swept down, backwards. It did not end well, and for his dignity I will not relay the full details. However, he is ok and we got the kayak back – a while later. And now everything is smoothed over. Though I did learn that sometimes guys just don’t think things through all the way! Yes, Katherine, you were right. ;)
We made back to Wellington at 1am and I crashed. This week has been crazy with a midterm and paper due. By God’s grace I am energetic (though not entirely during class) and healthier than I was on Monday! God is packing my days full of blessings and healing! I cannot help but thank Him every moment of the day for all He does! And being out here, in the untampered countryside, I cannot help but awe at His wondrous beauty! Thank you Father!
P.S. This weekend is the trip to Mt. Doom. Today, I booked two things of particular interest: Skydiving over Lake Taupo, and bungee jumping into Lake Taupo – yes “into” it. They have the option to dip half your body in the water at the bottom of the bungee jump! More on that next time!
When Sleeping In Class is Appropriate...
So today, lab class was wonderful. I got to sleep! Yeah, that's right. At the beginning of class I was dozing off - that wasn't good. But then later, sleeping was actually appropriate. We studied the brain today, and I was the patient. So what I got to do was put this gunky stuff on my head and attach some probes and then lay down on a table. Our lab instructor turned off the lights and asked those of us laying down to relax. I had no trouble doing that. (For those of you who don't know, I can fall asleep just about anywhere - so a lab table is no different, especially when there's a blanket on it!) Then my lab partners observed my responses to a series of commands - like 'open your eyes' or '20 + 5' - things like that. It was peaceful and relaxing - just like lab should be. At one point there were computer problems, but I fell asleep while they fixed them. All in all, lab today = good. Score! Thank God for nap time!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Where's Waldo?
Last night I took a break from studying and went to the concert at botanical gardens. It was a lot of fun. My group of friends has expanded a little. Some people I haven't really mentioned are Drew, Sheri, and Charity. Anyway, there was this one guy there who looked just like Waldo. Can you find him?
Today was a regular day of classes. One class went to Parliament, so we got out of class a little early, so I took a nap - it was wonderful! I had a mini test in my geology class, which I studied a good bit for, and I think I did really well. Now, I'm ready for the weekend!
I'm about to leave for my next weekend adventure! We have the rental cars and I'm packed! (I actually packed early this time!) The plan I mentioned before is still the plan, so we'll drive up to Waitomo tonight (~6 hrs) so we can go caving at 8am tomorrow! I've got a jam packed weekend but it's gonna be a blast!
Today was a regular day of classes. One class went to Parliament, so we got out of class a little early, so I took a nap - it was wonderful! I had a mini test in my geology class, which I studied a good bit for, and I think I did really well. Now, I'm ready for the weekend!
I'm about to leave for my next weekend adventure! We have the rental cars and I'm packed! (I actually packed early this time!) The plan I mentioned before is still the plan, so we'll drive up to Waitomo tonight (~6 hrs) so we can go caving at 8am tomorrow! I've got a jam packed weekend but it's gonna be a blast!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Wellington ROCKS!
Today was my first class field trip! We went to a quarry to study geology. I find it quite fascinating (earthquakes, volcanoes, and things like that), but the biology majors don't. We examined the sedimentary rock faces revealed in the quarry, and then the fault lines that litter Wellington. I think I mentioned before that there's a fault line less than a mile away. Well, there are at least 6 other fault lines within the Wellington area! Tomorrow is Thursday which means it's almost the weekend! We leave directly after class tomorrow to head towards the middle of North Island. The plan is to go caving and canoeing as well as to visit some geotherms and an authentic native village! It'll be packed, and expensive, but lots and lots of fun!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Land, more land, more ocean, more land…
Where to begin… This weekend was AWESOME! And EPIC!
Though it is impossible to pack all that happened into this post, I will try, so it’ll be quite long. Most of my classmates chose to go to Abel Tasman and go kayaking at the beginning of the week. We (Aerin, Allison, Katherine, and I) didn’t know what we wanted to do until a couple days before we left – which turned out great! We were able to add on to some of the things the big group was doing, and thereby get the group rates, but still be independent. (Just one of God’s many blessings this weekend!) The adventure begins with the ferry over to Picton. People get to South Island (the southern part of NZ) two ways: ferry or flying. We chose ferry. The ferry was very big! We checked baggage and everything! When we got off we collected our baggage at a baggage claim like at an airport! Anyway, the ferry was pretty fun. I met 3 kiwi girls and played cards with them. (My friends decided to sleep.) I am proud to say that I am beginning to pick up the kiwi accent – one of my goals for this semester. We arrived in Picton 3.5 hours later, at about 9:30pm. Apparently, much of New Zealand shuts down at about 9pm. Who knew!? We didn’t. We checked into our hostel, and looked around town for something to eat. There was nothing. So we went back and went to bed. Hostels in New Zealand are sooo much better than in the US! It’s amazing!
Next morning: Picton was a much prettier place in the morning. There were some cool little shops with good souvenirs. But the best part of the morning was the breakfast. We had pancakes and Canadian ham (NZ’s ‘bacon’) and bananas! Delectable! We picked up our car at noon and started driving to Nelson – about half way to Abel Tasman. The only thing we had booked for the day was our hostel that night – which was frickin sweet!, but I’ll get to that later. So we had all the time we wanted to do whatever! Katherine, being the only one 21 years old, was the designated driver. I quickly became the designated camera man – my choosing. Allison has a really nice camera – it’s really nice :) But I still love my camera much more. My camera is the perfect combo of fast shooting with good zoom and excellent quality all packed into a small space! I was positioned next to the window with the view, so I took TONS of pictures. My computer will overflow before I get back home, I’m sure of it. And did I mention, NZ cars are british! So we got to drive on the left side of the road, and had only a few close calls all weekend! Katherine was a very good driver. We stopped at random times for scenic pictures or playing in streams.
Once we got to Nelson, we unloaded at the hostel, and grabbed some lunch at the biggest McDonald’s I have ever seen! It even had a separate cafe section for pastries! Then we went to Tahuna beach. The coolest thing was this BIG rock I climbed. I swam out to it, scaled it, conquered it, upset a few birds perched on top, and swam back. It was equivalent to my swim to the bouy at the Virgin Islands! By this time we were starving, so we went to the grocery to stock up. Dinner was awesome only because I now know how to make AMAZING corn on the cob! in the microwave! All you do is cut off the ends, cut it in half, and stick it in for 6 minutes. Bon appétit! Make sure to leave the husk on it for microwaving! No joke! Food for the rest of the weekend consisted of Peanut Butter and Honey sandwiches, which I have discovered an insatiable liking for! (I know mom, it’s weird;)
Next day was kayaking day. We woke up early and went to a farmer’s market type thing. They had all sorts of booths selling food, and clothing, and crafts. It was pretty cool. Then we drove to Abel Tasman and got our kayaks. God worked out all the details so that everything went smoothly, even though we could have gotten stressed about it! We had two kayaks, Katherine and I, Allison and Aerin. The kayaks we used had a rudder so I sat in the back to operate it, having had the most experience out of the group. Out on the ocean, I was like a machine! Man, I just kept paddling and paddling – Katherine helped some, but helped the most by taking pictures. (I actually ended up over-stressing my hand, but God is healing it up beautifully!) We stopped at a small beach for some PB+H. Just off the shore was a small 6 ft high island, which I climbed up, of course. And the water was deep enough to jump into! I even attempted, note the wording, a front flip. I didn’t quite complete it though, and ended with a pretty good smack on the back – but it was worth it! We then sailed for the seals. We saw at least 8 of them, including two babies! The landscape was breathtaking, and Katherine was fun to kayak with. She took a pretty funny panoramic video which is the source of my title :) One thing that’s kind of disorienting about the beaches was that low tide was really low! The water was so shallow, so far in, that low tide pulled the ocean a couple hundred feet out! And they drove tractors across the beach to pick us up, since tide was out when we got back! We then drove back to Nelson to stay at the same hostel. The hostel was awesome – because, it serves chocolate pudding/cake and ice cream every night. YES! That’s a bingo! On the way back to Nelson, we stopped at Rabbit Island, and took some incredible pictures! Sorry, no rabbits. Though we did see sheep! I’ve been waiting all week to actually see some sheep! Whenever we saw sheep while driving, we would say “Sheep!”
The final day (Sunday), I made breakfast for the girls (brownie points!) and we drove back to Picton pretty early. We hung out at the little souvenir shops and got some stuff. I got a shotglass with a carabiner handle! We arrived at the ferry at noon, even though it was to depart at 2:25. God put it on my heart to check for any delays. There was, but wait! Since I went up there early and asked, we were able to get on an earlier ferry, instead of having to wait! This was perfect b/c we had nothing to do anyway! PLUS, the ferry we switched to was nicer and we didn’t have to pay $92 that we should have! (The girls attribute the fee waiving to the fact that I talked with a girl. I’m cool with it, b/c now they think I can sweet talk my way out of all sorts of money! They are rather impressed) I know it was God. Only He could work it out so perfectly! The ferry was GIGANTIC! It was like a cruise ship! And we got reclining chairs, so we could sleep on the way back. God also woke me up, so that I could get some final pictures as we left the Queen Charlotte Sound. Thanks Dad! The walk from the ferry back to Weir House was wet, but we made it. Once dry and in our pajamas we reconvened for some final PB+H and to reminisce on our crazy weekend. And this was a laid back weekend!
Some things I realized this weekend: PB+H = good, rooming with 3 girls is pretty fun, God will always, w/o exception surpass your expectations when you rely on Him!
Though it is impossible to pack all that happened into this post, I will try, so it’ll be quite long. Most of my classmates chose to go to Abel Tasman and go kayaking at the beginning of the week. We (Aerin, Allison, Katherine, and I) didn’t know what we wanted to do until a couple days before we left – which turned out great! We were able to add on to some of the things the big group was doing, and thereby get the group rates, but still be independent. (Just one of God’s many blessings this weekend!) The adventure begins with the ferry over to Picton. People get to South Island (the southern part of NZ) two ways: ferry or flying. We chose ferry. The ferry was very big! We checked baggage and everything! When we got off we collected our baggage at a baggage claim like at an airport! Anyway, the ferry was pretty fun. I met 3 kiwi girls and played cards with them. (My friends decided to sleep.) I am proud to say that I am beginning to pick up the kiwi accent – one of my goals for this semester. We arrived in Picton 3.5 hours later, at about 9:30pm. Apparently, much of New Zealand shuts down at about 9pm. Who knew!? We didn’t. We checked into our hostel, and looked around town for something to eat. There was nothing. So we went back and went to bed. Hostels in New Zealand are sooo much better than in the US! It’s amazing!Next morning: Picton was a much prettier place in the morning. There were some cool little shops with good souvenirs. But the best part of the morning was the breakfast. We had pancakes and Canadian ham (NZ’s ‘bacon’) and bananas! Delectable! We picked up our car at noon and started driving to Nelson – about half way to Abel Tasman. The only thing we had booked for the day was our hostel that night – which was frickin sweet!, but I’ll get to that later. So we had all the time we wanted to do whatever! Katherine, being the only one 21 years old, was the designated driver. I quickly became the designated camera man – my choosing. Allison has a really nice camera – it’s really nice :) But I still love my camera much more. My camera is the perfect combo of fast shooting with good zoom and excellent quality all packed into a small space! I was positioned next to the window with the view, so I took TONS of pictures. My computer will overflow before I get back home, I’m sure of it. And did I mention, NZ cars are british! So we got to drive on the left side of the road, and had only a few close calls all weekend! Katherine was a very good driver. We stopped at random times for scenic pictures or playing in streams.
Once we got to Nelson, we unloaded at the hostel, and grabbed some lunch at the biggest McDonald’s I have ever seen! It even had a separate cafe section for pastries! Then we went to Tahuna beach. The coolest thing was this BIG rock I climbed. I swam out to it, scaled it, conquered it, upset a few birds perched on top, and swam back. It was equivalent to my swim to the bouy at the Virgin Islands! By this time we were starving, so we went to the grocery to stock up. Dinner was awesome only because I now know how to make AMAZING corn on the cob! in the microwave! All you do is cut off the ends, cut it in half, and stick it in for 6 minutes. Bon appétit! Make sure to leave the husk on it for microwaving! No joke! Food for the rest of the weekend consisted of Peanut Butter and Honey sandwiches, which I have discovered an insatiable liking for! (I know mom, it’s weird;) Next day was kayaking day. We woke up early and went to a farmer’s market type thing. They had all sorts of booths selling food, and clothing, and crafts. It was pretty cool. Then we drove to Abel Tasman and got our kayaks. God worked out all the details so that everything went smoothly, even though we could have gotten stressed about it! We had two kayaks, Katherine and I, Allison and Aerin. The kayaks we used had a rudder so I sat in the back to operate it, having had the most experience out of the group. Out on the ocean, I was like a machine! Man, I just kept paddling and paddling – Katherine helped some, but helped the most by taking pictures. (I actually ended up over-stressing my hand, but God is healing it up beautifully!) We stopped at a small beach for some PB+H. Just off the shore was a small 6 ft high island, which I climbed up, of course. And the water was deep enough to jump into! I even attempted, note the wording, a front flip. I didn’t quite complete it though, and ended with a pretty good smack on the back – but it was worth it! We then sailed for the seals. We saw at least 8 of them, including two babies! The landscape was breathtaking, and Katherine was fun to kayak with. She took a pretty funny panoramic video which is the source of my title :) One thing that’s kind of disorienting about the beaches was that low tide was really low! The water was so shallow, so far in, that low tide pulled the ocean a couple hundred feet out! And they drove tractors across the beach to pick us up, since tide was out when we got back! We then drove back to Nelson to stay at the same hostel. The hostel was awesome – because, it serves chocolate pudding/cake and ice cream every night. YES! That’s a bingo! On the way back to Nelson, we stopped at Rabbit Island, and took some incredible pictures! Sorry, no rabbits. Though we did see sheep! I’ve been waiting all week to actually see some sheep! Whenever we saw sheep while driving, we would say “Sheep!”
The final day (Sunday), I made breakfast for the girls (brownie points!) and we drove back to Picton pretty early. We hung out at the little souvenir shops and got some stuff. I got a shotglass with a carabiner handle! We arrived at the ferry at noon, even though it was to depart at 2:25. God put it on my heart to check for any delays. There was, but wait! Since I went up there early and asked, we were able to get on an earlier ferry, instead of having to wait! This was perfect b/c we had nothing to do anyway! PLUS, the ferry we switched to was nicer and we didn’t have to pay $92 that we should have! (The girls attribute the fee waiving to the fact that I talked with a girl. I’m cool with it, b/c now they think I can sweet talk my way out of all sorts of money! They are rather impressed) I know it was God. Only He could work it out so perfectly! The ferry was GIGANTIC! It was like a cruise ship! And we got reclining chairs, so we could sleep on the way back. God also woke me up, so that I could get some final pictures as we left the Queen Charlotte Sound. Thanks Dad! The walk from the ferry back to Weir House was wet, but we made it. Once dry and in our pajamas we reconvened for some final PB+H and to reminisce on our crazy weekend. And this was a laid back weekend!
Some things I realized this weekend: PB+H = good, rooming with 3 girls is pretty fun, God will always, w/o exception surpass your expectations when you rely on Him!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
It's only been one week, what!?
So I was sitting at my computer yesterday reading for my ethics class and realized that I left home only 6 days ago! I couldn't believe it! It seems like it's been sooo much longer! So much stuff has happened already, and my life is so tremendously busy, I didn't have time to count the days! (Though when reading ethics, anyone's brain would tend to wander;)
This week has gone well! I just got back from my last class for the week, which let out 30 minutes early! And now I have to pack for my weekend adventure! We leave in about an hour!
My classes are going really well. I admit that by taking the biology which is taught in both countries, I've added on a lot of work to my schedule, but I am learning to maximize my time and squeeze the seconds, as I said before. Wednesday was pretty standard with classes, but after dinner ... that was fun.
(Parent advisory - as in I advise my parents not to freak out ;)
Last night all of us went clubbing! I have never done this before, and I must say it was soo much fun! We started out going to the Botanical Gardens for the concert. It was ok, but my friends were fun to hang with. Then, our NZ resident advisors who know Wellington, because they live here, took us to the student clubs. We danced, stayed out late, and goofed off. Yes, I did drink a bit, though I was completely in control of my senses, which is good. As far as I was concerned, as long as I was in control of mind, then the devil couldn't mess with us. And he definitely did not! We made it home safely and I went to bed. Woke up this morning a little tired but ready for classes. And now, it's time to get ready for another adventure! The plan is to take a ferry to south island (south part of NZ) and then stay the night in Picton (where the ferry drops us off). Tomorrow, we'll rent a car and drive to Nelson for some hiking. Saturday, we're going kayaking all day. and sunday we're driving/ferrying back and getting caught up on work before classes Monday morning! Woohoo! It's gonna be busy but there's no time to lose!
God bless! Have an awesome weekend, and I'll let you know how it all went when I return!
This week has gone well! I just got back from my last class for the week, which let out 30 minutes early! And now I have to pack for my weekend adventure! We leave in about an hour!
My classes are going really well. I admit that by taking the biology which is taught in both countries, I've added on a lot of work to my schedule, but I am learning to maximize my time and squeeze the seconds, as I said before. Wednesday was pretty standard with classes, but after dinner ... that was fun.
(Parent advisory - as in I advise my parents not to freak out ;)
Last night all of us went clubbing! I have never done this before, and I must say it was soo much fun! We started out going to the Botanical Gardens for the concert. It was ok, but my friends were fun to hang with. Then, our NZ resident advisors who know Wellington, because they live here, took us to the student clubs. We danced, stayed out late, and goofed off. Yes, I did drink a bit, though I was completely in control of my senses, which is good. As far as I was concerned, as long as I was in control of mind, then the devil couldn't mess with us. And he definitely did not! We made it home safely and I went to bed. Woke up this morning a little tired but ready for classes. And now, it's time to get ready for another adventure! The plan is to take a ferry to south island (south part of NZ) and then stay the night in Picton (where the ferry drops us off). Tomorrow, we'll rent a car and drive to Nelson for some hiking. Saturday, we're going kayaking all day. and sunday we're driving/ferrying back and getting caught up on work before classes Monday morning! Woohoo! It's gonna be busy but there's no time to lose!
God bless! Have an awesome weekend, and I'll let you know how it all went when I return!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Applying what I'm learning?
In ethics today, we discussed Cost-Benefit analysis. So the question comes down to this: How much am I willing to sacrifice academically to enjoy the benefits of a foreign country? Answer: Minimize time spent on academics + maximize trust in God to prosper that which I do = greatest possible benefit, period.
Termites, and crickets, and ants, oh my!
Today was the first day of Biology lab. interesting. The standard lab is to pen a figure eight on a piece of paper and watch a termite follow it. Apparently, the termite can trace a chemical in the ink. I wouldn't know because termites also are illegal in New Zealand. So we did an experiment with ants. Ackkk! I've had bad experiences with ants in the past, mainly one experience in particular. For the experiment, we had to observe which food an ant prefers, peanut butter or honey. Having done the experiment, I still assume ants prefer honey, but I have no idea! The only definitive result from my experiment was that ants are indecisive. Writing the report for that lab will be interesting...
We also dissected a cricket! That was pretty cool. I did everything perfectly, and didn't hurt the organs. Only mistake: I forgot to pour a preservative over the cricket so as soon as I cut it open the organs died. We were supposed to watch them move - obviously mine didn't, but whatever! I was impressed with my knife-manship. The saddest part of the experiment was that I had to kill my cricket. That and the fact that dinner was immediately afterwards :/
We also dissected a cricket! That was pretty cool. I did everything perfectly, and didn't hurt the organs. Only mistake: I forgot to pour a preservative over the cricket so as soon as I cut it open the organs died. We were supposed to watch them move - obviously mine didn't, but whatever! I was impressed with my knife-manship. The saddest part of the experiment was that I had to kill my cricket. That and the fact that dinner was immediately afterwards :/
Squeezing the seconds
Last night was a blast! After dinner, we went to the Botanical Gardens to see a concert by Brazealand. We stopped by the playground and played on the tire swing and zip line some more - which was great! Then we went to the concert. 
There were so many people there! As we walked up, the band, Brazealand, made their entrance with a parade of drums and someone dressed in a chinese dragon looking costume. We quickly sat down on the hillside and watched for a few songs, long enough to build up the courage to go dance in front of everyone in the group that was forming in front of the stage. All of us went down, with me at the lead, of course! We danced a sorta salsa, mambo, Brazilian dance - I don't know what I was doing except that I through in some swing!
One of the girls in our group tried to dance with a kiwi guy who turned out to be a English visitor, but that failed miserably because the band then switched to its tribal slow music. We left and stopped by the playground one more time before heading home. I got back, intending to study, and was wiped! I got through a few pages, put it aside for the morning, and crashed. I finished reading this morning before class.
Today, I received an email from a friend who said to squeeze the second, make every moment exceptional. I am going to do just that!
There were so many people there! As we walked up, the band, Brazealand, made their entrance with a parade of drums and someone dressed in a chinese dragon looking costume. We quickly sat down on the hillside and watched for a few songs, long enough to build up the courage to go dance in front of everyone in the group that was forming in front of the stage. All of us went down, with me at the lead, of course! We danced a sorta salsa, mambo, Brazilian dance - I don't know what I was doing except that I through in some swing!
One of the girls in our group tried to dance with a kiwi guy who turned out to be a English visitor, but that failed miserably because the band then switched to its tribal slow music. We left and stopped by the playground one more time before heading home. I got back, intending to study, and was wiped! I got through a few pages, put it aside for the morning, and crashed. I finished reading this morning before class. Today, I received an email from a friend who said to squeeze the second, make every moment exceptional. I am going to do just that!
Monday, January 11, 2010
If you didn't know me, you'd think I was a biology major
Today was the first day of classes. Woohoo! They were rather enjoyable, actually! I have a pretty intensive course load for New Zealand because I have to take one class that bridges both semesters. So my course load is as such:
8-9:30am, Environmental Ethics
11:30-1pm, Island Biogeography
2:15-3:45, Biology (standard biology course)
I think my favorite will be Island Biogeography. We get to go on field trips to all sorts of places, like the beach, mountains, a natural reserve, and a volcano! In Biology, we get to sit on couches the entire class.
Later tonight, my friends and I are going to a concert at the botanical gardens. It'll be nice to relax on our beach towels and enjoy the show!
The plan for next weekend is to go to Abel Tasman on the South Island. There, you can go sea kayaking and see furry seals, and go on loads of hiking trails. I think the next weekend, we'll go rafting in caves, but both of those trips are still under construction. I'll let you know the full details before I leave.
Time to study. I mean, after all, I am taking GT classes ;)
P.S. to anyone going to fellowship tomorrow: I'm going to call in, so I'll talk to you tomorrow!
8-9:30am, Environmental Ethics
11:30-1pm, Island Biogeography
2:15-3:45, Biology (standard biology course)
I think my favorite will be Island Biogeography. We get to go on field trips to all sorts of places, like the beach, mountains, a natural reserve, and a volcano! In Biology, we get to sit on couches the entire class.
Later tonight, my friends and I are going to a concert at the botanical gardens. It'll be nice to relax on our beach towels and enjoy the show!
The plan for next weekend is to go to Abel Tasman on the South Island. There, you can go sea kayaking and see furry seals, and go on loads of hiking trails. I think the next weekend, we'll go rafting in caves, but both of those trips are still under construction. I'll let you know the full details before I leave.
Time to study. I mean, after all, I am taking GT classes ;)
P.S. to anyone going to fellowship tomorrow: I'm going to call in, so I'll talk to you tomorrow!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Wellington, the other windy city!
So today was windy. Which was AWESOME! I mean, if I had long hair like the girls on the trip, I might not like it so much, but I don’t! The feel and sound of the rushing mighty wind ;) was incredible, and nearly swept me off my feet!
Today was my first full day in New Zealand, and it was definitely a blast. Today I unleashed the child within. After breakfast, which was delicious by the way, we had a tour of the campus and housing. It was helpful and slightly entertaining. My favorite comment by the tour guide was, “If there’s an earthquake and you’re in your housing building, pray.” It turns out a fault line is half mile from our housing! After the tour, we went to the botanical gardens. Yesterday we heard from a professor’s daughter that there was a big playground with a zipline, so I was pumped! The gardens were very pretty. If I were a biology major, I would probably categorize the plants by type. Instead I was more interested in only two categories: climbable, not climbable. There were some pretty awesome climbing trees, I must say! My friends even said they would like to come back to climb trees. That made me happy! We walked back to our dorms around noon for lunch. After lunch, we split up for a couple hours. I played ping pong; some others took a short nap. Apparently, hiking up and down mountains is very wearing! Then, a large group of us went to Te Papa, which means ‘Our History,’ or ‘Our land,’ or something like that, but definitely not ‘Your Dad’ (spanish-ish). Te Papa is the National Museum for New Zealand, kinda the equivalent of the Smithsonian, but not quite as extensive. It was pretty cool. I think the coolest thing was the ocean section, which includes a giant squid they have preserved there. We’ll go back sometime in the next few weeks to look at it more. On the way to the museum, the wind was so strong we had to grip the railing next to sidewalk to prevent ourselves from being blown into the street. Professor Garton said these are normal strength gales. 32 mph winds are normal. Tonight, we are going to plan out some of our weekends. Talking to a professor today, I learned you can rent an ATV, drive out to some massive sand dunes, and go sand tobogganing! Other possibilities include underground caving/rafting zip-lining through forests, and much more!
Today was my first full day in New Zealand, and it was definitely a blast. Today I unleashed the child within. After breakfast, which was delicious by the way, we had a tour of the campus and housing. It was helpful and slightly entertaining. My favorite comment by the tour guide was, “If there’s an earthquake and you’re in your housing building, pray.” It turns out a fault line is half mile from our housing! After the tour, we went to the botanical gardens. Yesterday we heard from a professor’s daughter that there was a big playground with a zipline, so I was pumped! The gardens were very pretty. If I were a biology major, I would probably categorize the plants by type. Instead I was more interested in only two categories: climbable, not climbable. There were some pretty awesome climbing trees, I must say! My friends even said they would like to come back to climb trees. That made me happy! We walked back to our dorms around noon for lunch. After lunch, we split up for a couple hours. I played ping pong; some others took a short nap. Apparently, hiking up and down mountains is very wearing! Then, a large group of us went to Te Papa, which means ‘Our History,’ or ‘Our land,’ or something like that, but definitely not ‘Your Dad’ (spanish-ish). Te Papa is the National Museum for New Zealand, kinda the equivalent of the Smithsonian, but not quite as extensive. It was pretty cool. I think the coolest thing was the ocean section, which includes a giant squid they have preserved there. We’ll go back sometime in the next few weeks to look at it more. On the way to the museum, the wind was so strong we had to grip the railing next to sidewalk to prevent ourselves from being blown into the street. Professor Garton said these are normal strength gales. 32 mph winds are normal. Tonight, we are going to plan out some of our weekends. Talking to a professor today, I learned you can rent an ATV, drive out to some massive sand dunes, and go sand tobogganing! Other possibilities include underground caving/rafting zip-lining through forests, and much more!
Kiwis can fly!
This is now the morning after my first day in New Zealand! Yesterday was a day of firsts: First time flying out of the country, first flight that was longer than 6 hours, first alcoholic beverage on a flight! Apparently, when flying, as soon as the plane leaves the ground, anyone who is 18+ can drink! I had a free tall Steinlager, it wasn't that great - still finding a beer that I really like. It was loads of fun! Tiring, but loads of fun! The plane ride went very smoothly – thank you God! Just before takeoff from Atlanta, it started to flurry so I got my taste of GA snow for the year! Several of my classmates were concerned about the snow delaying our flight, but I gave it to God, and as I’ve told you, everything went very smoothly! 5 hours to LAX, 13 hours to Aukland, 1 hour to Wellington – it was … long. On the 13 hr flight I sat b/w two British, no, English people – a girl age 18 and a guy in his 30s. We talked for hours, and hours – it was rather enjoyable! The girl is staying in Welllington for week so we might meet up sometime soon, which would be pretty cool. I was assigned the emergency exit row, so when the plane crashed I had to help everyone out! (Kidding) No, actually it was really nice b/c I had 3x as much leg room as everyone else! And, I could get out my seat easily to walk around. It was perfect.
I arrived in New Zealand at sunrise 2 days later. Whether Friday, Jan 8 disappeared or I did, I do not know. New Zealand is beautiful, rugged cliffs, untampered countryside, clear air, and an ocean breeze. The temperature was 62 degrees with a slight breeze – perfect in the sunshine! Once in Wellington, we took a bus to our housing at Weir house. It’s on a big hill overlooking the city, so going to the city is a workout. Whether that’s good or bad depends on the time of day ;) My dorm is wonderful, and includes a sink. And the showers are great too! There’s a trolley that goes straight up the hill and costs a dollar. I spent yesterday moving in, and then exploring the city with some friends (Katherine, Aerin, Charity, Allison, and Drew). They’re a fun crowd. On the bay, you can pay to roll around in a human sized hamster ball! It looked pretty fun, but we decided against it for now. Also, at the edge of the wharf, there’s an 8ft plank that you can jump off into the bay from. We’ll make each other walk the plank sometime while here :) All in all, yesterday was wonderful. I got lots of sleep last night, and am now well rested and ready to party and explore some more! The adventures begin . . .
P.S. Random fact: New Zealanders are called ‘Kiwis’ so when they fly on a plane, you have a flying kiwi! :)
I arrived in New Zealand at sunrise 2 days later. Whether Friday, Jan 8 disappeared or I did, I do not know. New Zealand is beautiful, rugged cliffs, untampered countryside, clear air, and an ocean breeze. The temperature was 62 degrees with a slight breeze – perfect in the sunshine! Once in Wellington, we took a bus to our housing at Weir house. It’s on a big hill overlooking the city, so going to the city is a workout. Whether that’s good or bad depends on the time of day ;) My dorm is wonderful, and includes a sink. And the showers are great too! There’s a trolley that goes straight up the hill and costs a dollar. I spent yesterday moving in, and then exploring the city with some friends (Katherine, Aerin, Charity, Allison, and Drew). They’re a fun crowd. On the bay, you can pay to roll around in a human sized hamster ball! It looked pretty fun, but we decided against it for now. Also, at the edge of the wharf, there’s an 8ft plank that you can jump off into the bay from. We’ll make each other walk the plank sometime while here :) All in all, yesterday was wonderful. I got lots of sleep last night, and am now well rested and ready to party and explore some more! The adventures begin . . .
P.S. Random fact: New Zealanders are called ‘Kiwis’ so when they fly on a plane, you have a flying kiwi! :)
Friday, January 8, 2010
Go time!
Just finished packing, at the last second of course. Weighed my heaviest bag and it came in at 48lb 6oz. Man that's good! God's holding off the snow so it's time to go!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The time has come to pack...
I am quite a procrastinator, and tend to plan to finish everything I do at the last minute. For my trip to Wisconsin last week I packed between 1 and 3 am the night before I left. However, I have decided to push myself to start packing a few days in advance in order to ensure that I have everything I need. Shipping any left-behinds from home is no small matter. So, it begins...
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