This week was so busy! But even with homework and school, we still have so much fun! How could I not be so incredibly happy that I am living in New Zealand and it's summer here?? I love it. I am so blessed to be here.
Monday: Happy Birthday to Mom! It was so weird, because it was her birthday here, but not in Georgia! But my Monday night it was finally Monday in Georgia, so I left a Happy Birthday video on her wall. I am so sad I couldn't be home to celebrate with the family, but at least she got my little package in the mail! Monday night was our big study abroad 'picnic', except it had been raining all day, so the location was changed to the Lord family's house, where Heidi and Anna are staying. They have such a beautiful view out the back on their house. But Alice wasn't able to go with Katie and I because she had to work late, so Dr. Jacobs was able to pick us up and take us. But because it was a pot luck kind of thing, Alice picked out a recipe for us to make when we got back from school. We made these really yummy puff pastry pinwheels! Katie and I had fun making them together!
It was a fun night :)
Tuesday: In Social Studies we watched a little clip of Pocahontas to introduce the topic of racial stereotypes, and afterwards Alexis told us we could borrow the movie. Katie had said earlier that she had never seen Pocahontas, so of course we had to borrow it and watch it! After school I went for a really good run outside, wrote a paper for Science, then we had dinner, which was so yummy! Alice made us her chicken and mushroom pies, along with mashed kumera--which I absolutely love! Sid, Daena's husband told us that New Zealand is one of only three places where it grows naturally. I will be determined to find a store in Georgia and Utah where it is sold...it has to be somewhere! AND for dessert Alice made bread pudding! I had only tried bread pudding once at the Cannon Center freshman year, and I did not like it at all. But Alice's bread pudding is incredible!! It was so good! Anyway, so after cleaning up the kitchen, Katie and I watched Pocahontas, which was so fun. I love Disney movies. Watching them brings back so many memories! I wish Disney still made movies like that...Tangled comes pretty close, but nothing compares to the Disney Classics.
Wednesday: Nothing too exciting happened...I went running with Whitney that morning and went to school! On Sunday at choir practice after church Alice had volunteered to help out the Altos at her house, so at 6:30 a few women from the ward came over to sing, so I played the piano for them. Then we had dinner- Toad in the Hole! Katie and I made it while Alice taught us, and it didn't quite work out as it should have, but we had fun making it! haha.
Thursday: My first touch Rugby experience! After school, Katie and I went to the library and got library cards in prep for being in the schools. We also walked around the mall for a little while, then took the bus back home. We have the bus system down! But when we got home, Alice told us about Sid's touch rugby game, so we decided to go! The boys (Zion and Ahanu) had their game at 5:30, so we missed their game, but made it in time for Sid's game. It's a social league, so it's all just for fun, and it's co-ed, so Katie and I might join in in the next few weeks! I'm excited :)
Friday: Our last day of class!
The beautiful chapel we have spent countless hours in the past month!
Saturday: We were originally supposed to go to Piha beach, but because of the weather, plans were changed, and instead we went to the Auckland War Memorial Museum and Kelly Tarlton's, this cool aquarium kind of place that is along the waterfront underground.
Outside the museum--it was so windy!
Such a pretty building
Anna, Nancy and me!
This is a Marai they have in the museum. A Marai is a sacred enclosure where special welcoming ceremonies are held for visitors. This was covered in wood carvings, which all are very significant. All the traditions we are learning about are so neat. They go back centuries, and the Maori people continue them today. When we were at rugby, we saw many people with all kinds of tatoos, especially around their legs, and one man had them all over his body and face. I asked Daena about their significance, and she had one of her friends who was there explain it to me a little bit. She has a tatoo that represents her family. The design is really neat, and each part of it represents each member of her family. She said that the man who had the tatoos all over his body probably had his entire tribe on him. Talk about painful, especially the traditional way they put the ink into their bodies, but I think it is so cool! The people here take such pride in their culture. I love learning about it.
We got to see a Maori cultural performance in the museum which was really neat!
The Museum was huge, and part of it was about the New Zealand wars, and how New Zealand was involved in WWI and WWII. It was really interesting to read about the wars from a New Zealand perspective. 1 in 5 of the male population of NZ fought in WWI. I couldn't believe it!
The Kiwi bird! Interesting fact: The Kiwi egg is the largest bird egg relative to the female's size...ouch!
We got to see a Stingray feeding at Kelly Tarlton's! I had never seen stingrays this huge! They are 220 kg...which is almost 500 pounds!
This reminded me of the Georgia Aquarium...which is much bigger and better than Kelly Tarlton's, but this was still so fun!
Sand Tiger shark!
Blowfish!
Seahorse!
All in all, it was such a great day! We felt pretty touristy, but we pretty much are tourists for the next few months! We're taking it all in! When we got back, we worked on homework until dinner. Daena, Sid, and their cute kids all came over. Alice made roasted chicken, stuffing, kumera, carrots, broccoli, potatoes...it was delicious. It was like a Thanksgiving feast! And we topped off the night with Hokey Pokey ice cream- the best ice cream you will ever have! We hung out with everyone for a while, but had to get back to our Social Studies file, this big project that is due the day we start the practicum. But we really don't want to do any homework while we're in the South Island, so we're trying to get everything done before we leave.
We're being picked up to head to the airport in the morning at 5:45! I am so excited for Queenstown! I cannot decide what I should do...there are girls going bungy jumping, going on the world's largest swing, and skydiving! I just want to do it all...and I think I might. When will I ever be back in New Zealand? And to say that I have not only been bungy jumping and skydiving, but that I did them in New Zealand?? That's pretty cool! And I do not want to have any regrets when I leave! We'll see what I decide...but I won't have internet while I am in the South Island. We get back February 9th, so I'll have a lot to blog about! :) BUT I still have my iphone, so I might be able to check my email, so keep them coming :)
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