*I wrote this blog post last Wednesday evening, but my friends and I planned a super spontaneous trip so I got distracted and forgot to post it. Pretend it's last Wednesday and continue reading :)
I almost titled this blog post "A Week in Wellington," until I realized that I've only been here for three nights! It's hard to believe we arrived just a few days ago. Already, I'm beginning to recognize my surroundings and I'm even starting to call my flat "home." As I write this, I'm eating my first New Zealand kiwi fruit! (Here, it's essential that you refer to it as the kiwi "fruit," as the term "kiwi" also denotes the nation's famous kiwi bird, as well as New Zealander's themselves. We wouldn't want people thinking I'm eating a local.....)
Speaking of the locals.... they're great! I have yet to meet a Kiwi (person) that I dislike. Everyone has been super helpful as I've been settling in and getting my schedule situated for the semester. As of now, I'm taking a class called Music of World Cultures (gotta love the liberal arts education), a Tourism Management course, a Management Accounting class, and a Legal Environment of Business class. Here, taking four classes is considered "overloading." Naturally I'm still struggling with Wake to even give me a total of 15 credits for all four of these classes. So even though I'll be working harder than the average student here, I'll barely be a part time student back at home. Typical Work Forest.
On the bright side, I have NO FRIDAY CLASSES. So now I just need to recruit some friends to start making some weekend trips with me! Our first adventure is actually starting tomorrow! Myself and three other Butler students are spontaneously catching a bus to Napier (winelands!) tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM. We don't have much of a plan, but I'm sure we'll improvise and have a great time.
Sooo what have I been up to? Well, I'm officially all moved into my flat and I just got back from the first large grocery shop. We had to take a 15 minute bus ride to New Zealand's version of Costco, which sounded like a good idea, until we realized that we had 20 minute uphill walk from the bus station with $100 worth of groceries. I'm considering bringing my rolling suitcase next time. Seriously.
Yesterday the seven of us Butler/Victoria students met up with two students studying at another university in Wellington (Massey University) and our student services cooridnator, Karen Flett, for sailing and dinner. First of all, let me just say that Karen is super cool. She was the art director for The Hobbit which premiered in Wellington. I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't seen The Hobbit.... but now that I know the woman who made all the sets, I definitely need to watch it. (SPOILER: Karen is taking us to the Weta Cave in Miramar where the LOTR movies are produced later in the semester.... I'll keep you posted!)
So the 10 of us set off on two sailboats from the Wellington harbor and sailed around the various peninulas that make up this city. When Karen originally told us we were going sailing, I pictured us lounging on a boat while some other guy did all the work. Well I thought wrong. The second we stepped off the dock and into the boat our captain was assigning us each a job. I was the skipper first, steering the boat away from the dock and towards Miramar. Despite the unexpected work, we all had a great time, enjoying the views of the city from a different perspective. I loved being out on the water and I hope to get down to the beach soon! Summer is definitely still hanging around here and I'm perfectly okay with that.
I almost titled this blog post "A Week in Wellington," until I realized that I've only been here for three nights! It's hard to believe we arrived just a few days ago. Already, I'm beginning to recognize my surroundings and I'm even starting to call my flat "home." As I write this, I'm eating my first New Zealand kiwi fruit! (Here, it's essential that you refer to it as the kiwi "fruit," as the term "kiwi" also denotes the nation's famous kiwi bird, as well as New Zealander's themselves. We wouldn't want people thinking I'm eating a local.....)
Speaking of the locals.... they're great! I have yet to meet a Kiwi (person) that I dislike. Everyone has been super helpful as I've been settling in and getting my schedule situated for the semester. As of now, I'm taking a class called Music of World Cultures (gotta love the liberal arts education), a Tourism Management course, a Management Accounting class, and a Legal Environment of Business class. Here, taking four classes is considered "overloading." Naturally I'm still struggling with Wake to even give me a total of 15 credits for all four of these classes. So even though I'll be working harder than the average student here, I'll barely be a part time student back at home. Typical Work Forest.
On the bright side, I have NO FRIDAY CLASSES. So now I just need to recruit some friends to start making some weekend trips with me! Our first adventure is actually starting tomorrow! Myself and three other Butler students are spontaneously catching a bus to Napier (winelands!) tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM. We don't have much of a plan, but I'm sure we'll improvise and have a great time.
Sooo what have I been up to? Well, I'm officially all moved into my flat and I just got back from the first large grocery shop. We had to take a 15 minute bus ride to New Zealand's version of Costco, which sounded like a good idea, until we realized that we had 20 minute uphill walk from the bus station with $100 worth of groceries. I'm considering bringing my rolling suitcase next time. Seriously.
Yesterday the seven of us Butler/Victoria students met up with two students studying at another university in Wellington (Massey University) and our student services cooridnator, Karen Flett, for sailing and dinner. First of all, let me just say that Karen is super cool. She was the art director for The Hobbit which premiered in Wellington. I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't seen The Hobbit.... but now that I know the woman who made all the sets, I definitely need to watch it. (SPOILER: Karen is taking us to the Weta Cave in Miramar where the LOTR movies are produced later in the semester.... I'll keep you posted!)
So the 10 of us set off on two sailboats from the Wellington harbor and sailed around the various peninulas that make up this city. When Karen originally told us we were going sailing, I pictured us lounging on a boat while some other guy did all the work. Well I thought wrong. The second we stepped off the dock and into the boat our captain was assigning us each a job. I was the skipper first, steering the boat away from the dock and towards Miramar. Despite the unexpected work, we all had a great time, enjoying the views of the city from a different perspective. I loved being out on the water and I hope to get down to the beach soon! Summer is definitely still hanging around here and I'm perfectly okay with that.
After sailing, we went to a fish 'n chips restaurant for dinner. We took our meals to go so that we could hike to the top of Mt. Victoria to watch the sunset. It was one of the Massey student's 21st birthdays so we celebrated with some cupcakes. Overall, a very solid evening. We didn't get all the way to the top of Mt. Victoria, so I hope to do that soon.
So about my flat....
I live here, at 38 Adam's Terrace, Kelburn, Wellington, NZ (incase you wanted to send me something)
I live here, at 38 Adam's Terrace, Kelburn, Wellington, NZ (incase you wanted to send me something)
It's not the fanciest place in the world, but it's pretty great. We have everything we need, and there's only four of us! I really can't complain. Also, my kiwimate tells me that our house is over 6.0 proof on the earthquake Richter scale, meaning we should be totally fine as long as a hugely massive earthquake doesn't strike. Apparently Wellington is due for a BIG one though, so say a little prayer for me please!
This is just a small section of the huge staircase I have to conquer multiple times everyday if I want to go basically anywhere. Today, on my third or fourth conquest of the day, I counted the stairs: 73 in total. Considering your average set of stairs has about 12 steps, thats 6 flights! Who needs a stairmaster when you can live at 38 Adam's Terrace?
There's lots more to report on but for now I need to pack! I'll post again after this weekend of wine tasting and exploring :)