May 2010 Archives

Today in my Maori Media and Communication lecture, we had a guest speaker come and present to us about Kapa Haka. 

Kapa Haka, in Maori literally means "Group-Dance" and has a Whakapapa (genealogical heritage) of coming from the God of Haka, named Tanerore, who was the personification of the heat wave. It has many forms and meanings when it comes to being a form of communication. It both sends a message through performance, the actual physical movements, expressions and music used, and also depending on it's lyrics.

Kapa Haka's most frequent association is with being a challenge, or form of provocation or defiance. Everyone, at least in New Zealand, knows about the Haka, especially the one that the Rugby team The All Blacks perform before each match. It is thought to be a challenge to the opponent, conveying their power and impending threat. 

This morning I took another early morning surf session trip down to Raglan to start off the day, and the week, the right way. 

We got up around 6:30, ate some breaky and hit the road. As we pulled out of the parking lot around 7:00, the sky to the right looked like this...

I have had coffee pretty much ALL over Hamilton. I love coffee, have worked in coffee shops since I was 14, and to my enjoyment New Zealand happens to have amazing coffee.

It's incredibly hard to find regular 'drip' coffee here. Actually, instant is more popular than drip and to find drip you have to go to a place like Starbucks. Almost every kitchen has a hot water maker, an electric kettle that is plugged into the wall and heats water in minutes. I actually had never seen one of these things before, people in the states really don't use them, at least the people I know. But they're pretty sweet. Instant coffee, Nescafe and lots of other brands, are what people usually drink when making coffee at home, unless you have an espresso machine.

Espresso is what coffee shops and cafes serve. They have similar drinks to those back home but they seem to vary slightly. For example, there's the latte and cappuccino of course but then they have something called a "Flat White", which seems to be something between the two in terms of foamy-ness. Then there is a "short black" and a "long black". A short black is basically just two shots of regular espresso and a long black is espresso and hot water, which is what we call an Americano. But then there is also an Americano here as well, so that just confuses me. 

Needless to say, the quality of the espresso here is awesome. I imagine it's because of New Zealand's proximity to coffee bean producing nations in the pacific as well as it's fair trade commitment. It's difficult to find a bad cup of coffee. Even at a little bakery, they have a proper espresso machine and what ever you order turns out great. Latte art is very prevalent as well. In my years of working as a Barista, I have acquired minimal latte art skills, but not as good as what i see here in every cup i am served.

Since the beginning of the semester, my flat mates and I have been having 'cottage dinners' together monday through thursday nights each week. Each of us picked a night and cooks for the other 3 that night. It's been really nice; not having to have a meal planned for each night of week and not having to cook and clean up each night.

About mid way through the semester, one of my flat mates decided she didn't want to be a part of it anymore, for reasons I am not sure of, so Declan took her place because his cottage didn't want to have a system like ours and he ended up joining us pretty often anyways.

I greatly enjoy cooking. Growing up, my parents pretty much always made homemade meals for my brother, sister, and I and I loved helping them. One of my favorite things about coming home from school, is having meals with my family. I love the home cooking and miss it so much when I'm away! My Dad's slow cooked pork, that he turns into unbelievable Pulled-pork burritos with sauteed onions and red peppers... homemade tomato sauce, pasta and italian sausage... macaroni and cheese... green-bean casserole... Mom's vegetable soup... Uh oh, I'm getting hungry, and I haven't even mentioned dessert...

My Dad is a master pie maker, as well as other things of course. He whips up a delicious homemade crust and then assembles a perfect apple pie, pumpkin pie, or strawberry/ rubarb pie. Also, he and I have the same "birthday cake" preference, which makes March a double-header of a month for our family... It's my Grandma Doris' Poppyseed Cake recipe he has kept going with precision. It's this unique, delicious two layered poppyseed cake with creamy walnut filling, covered with whipped cream on the outside... I sure missed it this year.

My Mom has a hand for yummy apple crisps, homemade granola, all kinds of cookies, and of course RASPBERRY PUDDING! "Raspberry Pudding" is an Eastern Shore of Maryland family tradition. It's really not a pudding, but a white-yellow-ish kind of cake made with raspberries (fresh from the garden back in the day) and then a creamy, sweet white sauce poured over top. I actually don't really know what the sauce is, but it makes the yummy dessert what it is, and it reminds me of being a kid in Bivalve at Mommom's house. My Mom is carrying on the tradition and I hope to make it for my kids too.

I've been having a lot of fun having my own kitchen these past couple years in college, being in apartments and this semester in a cottage, and having the ability to cook real meals. This semester, I've been making classics like Sheppard's Pie, Italian Meatballs and Sauce, Mac'N'Cheese, Venison Burgers, Lasagna, Meatloaf, Potatoes Au Graten (Scalloped Potatoes), Roasted Veggies, Stir Fried Chicken and Shrimp over brown rice or noodles, and of course Burritos and Tacos.

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals and I have expanded my usual routine recently too. I love omlettes, oatmeal, etc, but I've come up with some new ideas with the help of movies and friends. One night a month or two ago, I was watching "V for Vendetta" with some friends and in the movie, the main character V is making something he calls "Egg in a Basket" which is a fried egg cooked inside a slice of toast with a whole in the middle. It's really good actually, and i've managed to spice up a little by serving it with feta or cheddar and ham and veggies on top.

Then Declan showed me something that his parents make; Slices of bread pushed down into muffin tins, then filled with maple syrup, an egg, ham, and some cheese on top. Then it's baked for 20 or so minutes. I call this 'Egg in a Cradle' and it's awesome. Then of course there are pancakes, which remind me of my house on saturday or sunday mornings. Sometimes I make breakfast for dinner which is always a hit...

I've been trying to stay really healthy and eat right during my stay here in NZ. It's been pretty easy actually; I'm just sure to eat a lot of vegetables and fruit and mainly my homemade stuff. Going out to eat is actually kind of pricey in general here, so it's not too tempting, although it's nice sometime and I have found some decent options. Groceries seem to be the same price-wise as back home as well.

So recently the family cat died. She had been extremely healthy for about 15 years until about two weeks ago when she started having seizures. My dad took her into the vet and they ran some blood tests and decided she likely had a brain tumor that had grown large enough to push into her brain, causing the seizures. So they put her down. That was kinda sad, but she had a good run of it. And she left us with lots of funny memories, like when I was younger me and my brothers would have nerf gun wars in the house when mom and dad were out. One time I pulled a sweet James Bond and burst into my brother Logans room guns blazing. I didn't get him but I shot the cat out of his second storey window by mistake. She made the funniest noise I have ever heard, fell into a bush, and by the time we ran downstairs to see if she was okay, she was as cool as ever, chillin in the grass like nothing had ever happened.

The whole situation made me realize how lucky our (my) generation is. Here I am halfway around the world, and I could keep in touch with my family throughout the whole process with zero difficulty. Relatively new communication innovations like skype have revolutionized both communications and travel. "Back in the day", you could only communicate by letter, or ridiculously expensive phone calls, or, I have decided, only by morse code and messenger pigeons. (I have no idea if that is historically accurate or true but it sounds good).

Now with Skype, and a cheap upgrade I purchase yearly, I can call virtually any phone in the world, at any time of day, and talk to whomever answers. This enables me to phone my brother on his cell, or call my parents at home, work, the cabin, in the grocery store... I can also use it to call travel agents, and sort out student loans, etc. Its brilliant, and it erases the distance between the people I love.

SO distance, considered yourself beat by communication. Until you try and fly home, that still takes ages....

VS

Surprisingly enough, the semester is seeming to come to close pretty soon. As far as classes go, we only have one more week of lectures and tutorials until we get a study week and then final exams begin. 

My Schedule is looking like this...

     June 1- Test in Political Science

     June 8- Paper in NZ Literature Due

     June 12- Paper in Maori Media Due

     June 15- Paper in Political Science Due

     June 19- Final Exam in NZ Literature

I am basically prepared for all of these duties and have started planning for 2 out of my 3 papers. 

I honestly can't believe it's already time for the semester to be just about over. I have been here for just about 14 weeks! That's 3 months and 1 week... It really has gone by fast in many ways, but also very slowly. Thinking back to February, when I was leaving Baltimore, Maryland directly following the 3rd blizzard of our season, I feel like it's been forever and that that time was so long ago. I think back on all of the incredible things I've done this semester and I am amazed. From conquering a VOLCANO, to surfing basically weekly- the most I have ever been able to do in 3 months, to all of the new amazing people I have met and come to cherish... it's been an awesome experience and I feel so thankful.

These next 40 days...

I have precisely 2 weeks until Hanna, my sister and best friend and soul mate, arrives here in New Zealand. I seriously can-not wait to see her. It's been difficult to be away from her and my entire family. We are so close in so many ways, unique even for being sisters, and it's a relationship a greatly cherish. She studied abroad last spring (north american spring mind you) in Dakar, Senegal. She was away for about 6 and a half or 7 months, with much less communication options than I have here and it was pretty hard. It's an amazing phenomenon how the perception of distance and 'being away' is for the two parties. When she was away, I was just still at school at USC, doing the same old thing, working the same old job, and missing her like BANANAS! Now she is at home, kicking ass in school, blossoming as an artist, seeing the same people, doing the same things, and it might be more of a challenge for her. Don't get me wrong, it kills me, but somehow it's different than last spring, me being the one in the new and exciting place now. 

When she arrives on June 11th, I will meet her up in Auckland and we'll stay the night there and explore the city the next day. We'll go to museums, art galleries and stores etc and have time together to truly catch up. I couldn't be more excited to give her a huge hug! Then we'll hang out in Hamil-tron for a few days while I finish up my classes before we head down to Christchurch, pick up our camper van and have our South Island Adventure!

Starting in the beginning of April, I took up playing the guitar. My roommate Jan has an acoustic, as well as an electric, and Declan also has an acoustic, so there are always instruments around to play in my free time. 

I have a lot of free time here in New Zealand, as I am only taking 3 classes, or papers as they call them, and I don't have a job, which is the first time in years. I've always wanted to learn to play the guitar, and I actually tried when I was around 14 years old but gave up due to it's time requirement and being busy with other things like school and sports.

When I started picking it up a few months ago, I decided to start with finger picking. I find learning chords to be much more difficult and thought that semi-mastering one skill before the other would help to one day be really good at both. I started trying to learn pretty simple songs by repeating them over and over again. Songs that I have learned pretty proficiently include "Burn One Down" by Ben Harper, "So Nice" by Kate Nash, and a riff from a Pixies song, as well as other short things. 

Music is a source of energy, happiness, and anwers for me in my life. I don't go a day, or a few hours for that matter, with out it. To be able to create it, even in my beginner and simple stage, is really satisfying and exciting. My Mom has an old guitar, it's actually been in my closet for years untouched, that she's had for many, many years that I intend to restring and fix up when I return home in July. I'm really excited about continuing to play, improving my skills, and mostly playing a guitar with history and symbolic meaning to me, it being my Mom's!

The last few days the good ol Tron has experienced, along with the rest of the country, the first real taste of the rainy winter I experienced oh-so first hand last year. I would assume more is to come, so here is a very short and brief survival guide to rain in the Tron.

The first thing you can do when the weather takes a turn for the worse is . . .. NOTHIN!

Likely the rain is going to pass, or do that thing where the weather goes rain-sun-rain- both at once…. The only important thing is to bring a jacket/umbrella or you’ll end up like me and walk all the way across campus in the brilliant sun, and then get stuck in the rain for the way home…

The above describes the vast majority of the ‘rain’ that we will get here in the Tron. It will come and go and it really shouldn’t stop you from doing anything… However, when the weather really gets nasty, i.e. Monday night, you need to adjust a bit.

1. Go for a run. – Seriously, running in the rain is epic, it is a great way to fight the building boredom of being stuck inside, and it shows Mother Nature your just not gonna take it.

2. Do a reverse rain dance. – Because you don’t want more rain, make sure its reverse.

3. Do an actual rain dance. – There’s a small chance you could upset the rain/sun continuum and it will become sunny again. Or you might cause a hurricane…

4. Watch a movie. – There is nothing better than sitting inside and chillin when it’s cold and rainy. A movie can be substituted for pretty much anything that is entirely indoors….

5. Drink Irish coffee – This is actually awesome at any time of day, but particularly if combined with 4, it will rock your world.

6. Study… but who wants to do that?

In all seriousness though, the rain is a fact of life here in New Zealand and once you get beyond the fact that for a few months it is just gonna be cold and rainy, its not so bad. At least its not -30 and your skin is going to freeze, as my mom always says.

So enjoi the rain, get over it and go do whatever you were going to do in the sun, or if all fails, get a lil irish.

Unless you see that outside, don’t try and dance that off, just hide.

While my friends Jess and Sara were here in New Zealand last week, we went to one of my favorite places- Raglan! On Saturday morning, we got up and had a little breakfast and then hit the road with Declan over to the shore. 

It was the first sunny day since Sara arrived on Wednesday, so we were all psyched for the beach. We brought the surfboards and went to the beach first. After a little football toss on the huge flat beach with the girls, Declan and I went out for a surf. The waves were decent, but a little inconsistent and we both got cold pretty fast. The sun is still really hot down here, but the water definitely feels like winter has arrived.

After the beach, we went into the town of Raglan for some lunch and a gander through out the stores. Sara got a sweet sweat-band set with the New Zealand silver fern emblem on them. We debated about whether or not to go for our intended hike on a mountain just outside of Raglan, the name I cannot recall right now, or to do something else. It has been extremely rainy lately and we were told that the trail and slopes would be really muddy and hard to hike on, so we decided against that idea. I love Bridal Veil Falls, a waterfall about 20 kilometers from Raglan, and so I thought Jess and Sara should see it. It's only about a 15 minute or less hike to the falls and then a 250 step set of stairs down to it's base. It was such a nice day out and with the sun shining, the falls were gorgeous!

On the drive to the falls, we saw something really wild. Ahead in the road, a hawk was attacking a cat! it had it up in the air a foot or so and was dragging it out of the road. We came to a stop to see it, everyone in awe, and the hawk got scared and flew away a little ways. The cat was completely dead, and not a pretty sight, but had no signs of being run over or anything. The hawk had actually caught it in it's talons! This was a prime example of PREDATION AT ITS BEST!

The next day, it was rainy again and we couldn't decide what to do. All three of us really wanted to go Bungy Jumping during our time here in New Zealand, me especially being here for so long. It's one of those things you have to be able to say you have done. So once we found a car to borrow for the day, thankfully, we hit the road to Taupo. This is a town on Lake Taupo and is in a region with a high concentration of mountains, peaks, and volcanic activity. The actual Lake is a giant crator! Mount Doom, the volcano I hiked in March, is at the opposite end of the huge lake. 

We arrived and got some food in our systems and then searched out how to go about doing the infamous Bungy. We went into the "I-Site" store, which are information centers that are in almost every town in NZ, and found out we could actually pay for it there and get picked up from this location. We decided to just go for it and about an hour later we on our way to "Taupo Bungy"!

When we arrived we got all checked in, weighed, and proceeded to sign a consent form before heading out onto the platform. Sara went first, not by choice but just by being the first in line and the guy closing the gate behind her. She has a fear of heights and was pretty nervous about doing it, but to our surprise, hardy hesitated and dove off almost immediately. She was in a cute crouched position almost the whole way down and hardly screamed. 

Then it was my turn. When I got out there, they strapped tight harness type material things around my ankles and then also a karabeaner (SPELLING?) to the middle of them, where the bungy chord would be. Then they told me to come to the edge, and as i inched forward the weight of the huge bungy line seemed to pull me closer which was a scary feeling, and look up at the camera. I crouched down and was about to go but hesitated and let out a little scream. The instructor told me to calm down and just put my hands up in the air and go for it! And that's what I did... screaming the whole way down!

This was one of the most terrifying but incredible things I have done. It was so different from just jumping off of a high rock into water or something. I was actually falling head first for an incredible distance over a body of water. It was such an adrenaline rush! When the bungy finally catches and you feel it bounce you, you're right above the water and you fly back upwards and bounce down a couple more times. At this point I was just laughing with excitement. There's then a guy in a boat at the bottom with a huge pole that he holds up for you to grab onto and he pulls you down to be unhooked. 

Jess went next and hardly hesitated either, and when we were all back up at the top we were so excited and happy that we all did it. It was so awesome and I would recommend it to everyone. Bungy Jumping is AWESOME!

Last wednesday, my friend Sara from USC came to visit me here in Hamilton. Her planes and buses were a little delayed, but she finally arrived in the foggy evening and i picked her up from the bus stop. Our other friend Jess was due to arrive the next day, but was delayed in Sydney and didn't arrive until friday instead. 

For Sara's first day and because her luggage was lost, we spent the day in the city of Hamilton doing some shopping after breakfast at a little cafe/coffee shop. That night, I introduced her to all of my friends and we went out on the town to a few dance clubs and had a really fun night. We ended up staying mostly at Bar 101, a very fun high energy dance bar. Sara was impressed... She commented that drinks were more expensive than in the States, but the beer was much better quality.

  
إنتهت إختباراتي ..وبعد ثلاثة شهور كانت ساعتها مليئة بالمذاكرة ..والروتين المتكرر    إلتقطت عدستي بعض الأماكن المتنوعة في نيوزلندا .. بين هاملتون وأوكلاند .. 
في كل صباح كما هي عادتي وعادات أهل البلد .. فهم يأخذون من النهار معاشا ومن اليل سباتا  ..لهذا السبب النشاط يصحب أجسادهم وعقولهم .. يقسمون أوقاتهم .. ولذلك لا يجدون التعب أو الملل .. أشياء كثيرة وجدتها مفيدة     عندهم فلا يمر يوم الإ والفاكهة قد كانت إحدى وجباتهم الرئسية والحليب مشروبهم الصباحي ..سوف أبث جزء من الصور هناء .. والمتبقية في الأسبوع القادم بإذن الله
                                            تغريد العويفي

So I had the pleasure to spend last weekend in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. I really like being in this city, because it is by the sea, and has lots of hills, and beautiful old houses. I also like it because it has a fantastic art scene, with heaps of theatre, comedy, opera, music, strange bars and crazy op-shops. This time, we stayed in the Museum Hotel, which is world-famous for its art collection – one of the biggest privately owned ones, displayed all over the hotel! It is also ridiculously central to everything, the waterfront, the Te Papa museum, bars, restaurants and shops. Worth mentioning in the hotel was the fantastic gym with rather long pool, spa pool and sauna, which we enjoyed to cheer up the rather rainy morning. It is a little more expensive than the backpacker option, but definitely recommended if you feel like splashing out for a weekend.

We spent the weekend catching up with friends, shopping, strolling along the waterfront and, the big highlight, enjoying a special night out with dinner and opera. (Again, relating to the rather more expensive variant, a beautiful place for dinner is the Matterhorn, very centrally located restaurant with AMAZINGLY good food!).

Based on this and prior visits, here is my very personal top 7 of things to do in Wellington:

1. Have breakfast at Fidels on Cuba Street
2. Go op-shopping (Cuba Street, try Recycle Boutique!)
3. Cycle out to one of the bays and try to spot whales or penguins
4. Take a guided tour through the House of Parliament
5. Stroll around botanic gardens
6. Go to a show at St James Theatre
7. Take the ferry to the South Island and enjoy the stunning views on both ends of the ride!

Personally I think Wellington is one of the cities that one should visit in New Zealand, not only because it is the capital and full of politics in its various shapes and expressions. It is also a capital of culture, with heaps of galleries, art all over the city, interesting museums, and uncountable small theatres. The people on the streets are very diverse, of all ages, cultures and ideologies. This makes for a very interesting stroll through the CBD, but also generally for a brilliant vibe that is otherwise only found in much bigger cities of the world.

Try not to miss out on this opportunity, because it guarantees good times whatever it might be you are looking for. Experience the buzz before it gets re-named Wellywood as if a cheap copy of the American movie industry!

After intentionally under packing when I first came to New Zealand, I have been able to make some additions to my closet by finding thrifty places to shop in Hamilton. 

Not only at thrift stores and vintage shops, I have also found some great finds at retail stores during their sales, such as Cotton On and Glassons (both popular New Zealand brands). 

The young people here, who I mainly see everyday on campus or out on weekend nights down town, have a similar style to college students back in the states. The new fashion of dressing like a 'hipster' is very popular here, which I some-what expected. This includes wearing throw back styles like ones popular in the 80s or 90s. I personally like some of these fads, but some are little over done; for example bleach-washed super high waist jeans, which I think just look kinda funny.

My first major find was at Salvation Army, where I found an awesome women's size wool, green army jacket. 

Yesterday was the 17th of May, which is The Norwegian National Day. In Norway, it is the biggest holiday and day of celebration of the year. Festivities last all day long and entail eating, drinking, marching, playing games and shouting "Hip Hip Hurrah" while waving the Norwegian Flag.

I have met a lot of Norwegians studying here in New Zealand. Everyone was very excited about this holiday and have been planning it for weeks. My good friend Anette, who goes to school in Oslo, Norway, went all out for this day yesterday and organized a wonderful day full of festivities.

It all began with breakfast...

About 15 or 16 of us, all American, Norwegian, and German, headed over to Student Village (a hall on campus) around 7 AM and were met with delicious smells of home made food coming from the kitchen. There were flags all over the place and Norwegian music, both classic and modern, playing in the background. After singing the national anthem, or more like listening to the Norwegians sing it, we started our meal. We had multigrain bread, crisp bread (which was like hard crunchy dark crackers), two kinds of cheese; cheddar and brown goat, ham, tomatoes, cucumbers, scrambled eggs, and lastly champagne and orange juice. We were told to build open faced sandwiches and they were really tasty. The brown goat cheese was like nothing i've ever had before. It's basically caramelized goat cheese. So it was really creamy, sweet, and the texture of peanut butter. It was really, really good. After we ate our sandwiches, we had dessert which was a beautiful tower cake (in the picture above) of rings of cake, kind of the texture of a soft cookie. It had homemade icing drizzled over it and little Norwegian flags stuck all over it. It had a flavor of almond and was insanely good! Everyone was amazed and so impressed with Anette's talent.

Some people had classes or exams, so after breakfast everyone went about their business until about 12:30 when we returned for lunch. For this round, we had a dish my friend Sigurd prepared called "Rommegrot", which is a sour cream based porridge that you eat with butter, cinnamon, and sugar on top. We also had homemade pancakes, made with whole grain flower and chunks of bacon inside, as well as sliced sausage to eat side by side with the Rommegrot. It was all delicious.

After another break for people with classes, we started the holiday's tradition of games. First we got into two lines, side by side, and marched over to a field on campus, waving our flags and singing Norwegian songs. In the field, Anette and Sigurd set up the competitions. All of the games resembled those that we often play in the US and probably many other places in the world. First, we tied one leg to a partner's and had a relay race. Next, we ran another relay race while carrying eggs on spoons and then a hopping race with our legs inside of trash bags. Lastly was a game kind of like bowling, but instead you threw a tennis ball at a pyramid of empty aluminum cans. My team sadly came in second in all of the games...

When we returned to Student Village to have dinner, we were first told by Anette that we had to put on a show for her and Sigurd. Our same teams from the outdoor games had to come up with a skit to preform using a few criteria of content that Anette decided upon. They were to use the Norwegian word for sheep, "Sow", the phrase "17th mai", the character of Sigurd making Rommegrot, a Kiwi bird and as many other Norwegian words as possible. My group's play turned out to be about a sheep and a kiwi going to bar and eating some Rommegrot. The Rommegrot didn't sit well for the kiwi, who i was portraying, and it had to 'use a toilet'... which in Norwegian sounds like "Yai Mo Pa Do!". Laura played the toilet and, well, you can imagine it was more of a comedy than any other kind of skit. Also, before we ate dinner, we took turns using a 'fishing pole', which was a mop with a ribbon attached to the end, to fish out of the window to the 'Trolls' who would give us things. Most of us fished and caught Lolly Pops, noise makers, and ribbons. It was pretty funny.

For our final meal, Anette and Sigurd prepared sausages and potato pancakes to wrap around them, as well as bread, ketchup, mustard, and onions. For dessert we had another one of Anette's homemade cakes, this time a gorgeous 5 layer cake with almonds, cream, berries, and other flavors I can't even begin to try to describe in words. We also had a brownie cake and lots of ice cream. Ice cream in apparently a big deal in Norway, particularly on the 17th of May. Children and young people have ice cream eating competitions, which Anette won a few times. The competition is for who can eat the most number of servings of ice cream through out the entire day of the 17th. When Anette was 13, she ate 27 ice creams! UNBELIEVABLE...

After all of this eating, everyone was too tired to drink anymore and we ended up sitting around on the couches, drinking coffee with just the girls talking and laughing. It was one of the most fun holidays and days I have had the joy of taking part in. I love the spirit and patriotism my new friends have for their country and it's traditions. I am inspired to travel to Norway someday, having ancestry there and now new, great friends to visit!

Early saturday morning my friends Declan, Neda, Tanner and I got up real early to drive over to The Mount, which is right near Tauranga and one of the places I went on my semester break solo trip. It was nice to go back and with friends this time. We left around sunrise and saw some beautiful skies as we drove east through the farm land to get to the coast. When we got to The Mount, got out of the car and into our wetsuits, it started to drizzle. We still went right into the surf. As soon as I paddled out and made it past the breakers, it started to really pour and it was absolutely beautiful. Seeing the drops hit the surface of the water and to just be surrounded by it as it hit my body, felt incredible. The waves were pretty nice; maybe 4 or 5 feet with decent shape to them. I caught a couple during this first session that felt really good. The drop in to one of my rides was really long and I almost lost my balance but as I turned into it, I could really feel the power of the wave carrying me. 

A while into this first session, as the rain calmed down, we looked out in the ocean and saw a tornado! It was probably about a half mile away but was really tall and we could see it moving and the spray flying off of it. At its base where is was hitting the surface of the water, waves were spraying and gushing away from it. Everyone in the water, the 30 or so surfers all in dark wetsuits, had their heads turned watching the twister.I saw its tall rounded shape start to curve some, but it only lasted a few minutes and then dissipated. It really was one of the coolest things I have ever seen!

We got out of the water before anyone got too chilly, and went for a coffee in town at this little Swiss Cafe; a cafe that i had tried on my previous trip. They have excellent coffee and serve them with little shortbread cookies on top of the to-go lids. We warmed up on the shore for a while and then went for a walk out onto a rocky outcropping right near the surf beach. There was a man on a paddle board surfing right near where we had just been. A paddle board is a huge, thick surfboard that you stand on, feet facing forwards, and is used with a paddle- like from a canoe or kayak- to propel yourself. He was catching some waves and it looked like a lot of fun.

New Zealand is a wonderful location to be rediscovering my love of photography. I have always had a nack for taking pictures; seeing things in the sense of how a picture could be made out what i see and finding interesting things to photograph. Lately, since i've been here in New Zealand, i have been seeking out things to photograph more than ever and have greatly been enjoying it. 

With New Zealand's incredible natural landscapes, from coastal scenery to mountains and rolling farmland, there are endless beautiful scenes to capture with a camera. Especially with it having been summer turning into autumn during my stay here, i have been loving what i am seeing. This is particularly evident if you look at my facebook photo albums... they are getting quite full! I just love taking pictures and love sharing them as well.

I first took to capturing the gorgeous coast lines i came across on my travels here and particularly found myself fascinated with including the tropical plants and branches in the foreground of my pictures; with the ocean, beach, or coast in the background. I love how the focus is altered when taking pictures this way. It also shows depth and a sense of where you are, at least to me as the photographer.

It's hard not to take insanely awesome pictures when you're doing something like hiking Mount Doom or walking on a beach in Whitianga, but i love every minute of it! I feel like pictures truly capture a moment. Of course being there in person, feeling the breeze or the sun on your skin and seeing every other detail of the moment, is different than a simple photograph, but i really appreciate what a picture does to make a memory. It can capture the intensity of a moment or even the comical element of a memory. 

This is a photo of my friend Alex while we were climbing Mount Doom. To me, it could be in Backpacker Magazine or something. I love his sillouette, the sky and then the focus on the gnarly rocks in the foreground. 

As autumn has made it's full entrance into life here in the Waikato, I have been loving the colors. I find myself taking walks quite often these days and continually finding things to take pictures of. I try to find things most people wouldn't notice and capturing their uniqueness. I especially love creating contrast.

I especially love the Maori artwork that is present in New Zealand culture and also prevalent on my campus. I am enrolled in a Maori Media and Communication class here and have learned about the types of Maori Media, most of which being truly forms of art- other than mainstream media. There are many carvings, stained glass designs, and other pieces of Maori art around campus that bring an element of beauty to the buildings and structures. 

 

I know I seem to be rambling about my photos, but I am only trying to emphasize the beauty and asthetic quality of the country of New Zealand. It is not only beautiful and appealing to the eye- not to mention culturally fascinating, but the scenery adds so much to the overall experience of being here. It calms me to be able to just take a walk and become absorbed in what i see, when i'm feeling homesick or missing my family.

As my family and close friends know, I also enjoy the occasional "funny face" picture... 

Me and some friends took a day trip to the town of Rotorua and loved it! It was a pretty adventurous and fun day. First of all, Rotorua is known for a few things... it's formidable stench of sulfur that is present in the air at all times and some adventurous activities to take part in. The smell comes from all of the geothermal activity in the region. 

There are constant hydrogen sulphide emissions which give the town it's world famous odor. After we got over the smell of slightly rotten eggs as we explored the town, walking through government grounds with pits of rising steam and observing the beautiful Moari carvings and statues, we got right to having fun. 

There is a famous activity called Zorbing in Rotorua. Zorbing is a modern form of extreme entertainment that basically involves getting into a giant plastic ball and getting pushed down a hill while inside. As soon as I heard of this, I had to do it! When we arrived, we discovered that there were two types of Zorbing- dry and wet. Dry Zorbing involved being strapped in on the inside of the ball so that you just flipped around and around, like on a roller coaster. Wet Zorbing entailed there being a few inches of water inside the ball and getting into it in just your bathing suit so you'd slide and slosh around as you rolled down the hill. This one sounded more to me! We had the option to go in pairs so since we were such a large group, we decided to. 

After signing some forms and vowing not to sue if you got hurt, we all piled into a big dirty SUV and rode our way up a bumpy dirt road to the top of the hill. When it was my friend Phylicia and my turn, we jumped through a "just large enough" hole in the side of the giant ball to get into the middle of it and splashed in the water. It was humid inside the ball and my heart was already pounding. We heard the guy outside yell something and then we felt the ball start to roll. As soon as we hit the hill, we both fell down and started sliding around, rolling over each other, laughing and screaming. At one point I tried to stand and ended up riding on my knees on the front curve of the ball, water gushing around me. It was so fun!

When our turn ended, we had to squeeze out of that same opening, which was a little more uncomfortable this time with some of the water coming out with us. It was nice to reach fresh air and feel the sun, and as we stood there, still laughing, an employee told us to jump in the air so she could take a picture of us. 

Later that day, after the excitement of Zorbing, we had a little lunch and then went for walk in the Redwood forest. It was a truly beautiful place. There were some really big trees there. I was told that trees in New Zealand grow faster than anywhere else due to the climate. So a tree that was as big as a 200 year old tree in the US, was only 100 or 120 years old in NZ. I've never been to California or really seen Redwoods before, but these were really impressive. We went for a 2 mile-ish hike and then returned to the others, who had gone to a Thermal Reserve Spa to get a mud bath which is a huge tourist attraction of Rotorua. The drive home was relaxing; it was time for sunset in the open farmland we were driving through and everyone was tired, mellow and pretty quiet in the car. Our day trip to Rotorua was another successful trip!

This semester my friend Declan and I started a weekly tradition of early morning surf trips to a town called Raglan. It's about 40 minutes away from Hamilton. The drive is beautiful; a curvy country road that winds though a mountain pass and through farm land until you reach the top of one curve and you catch a glimpse of a bay opening into the ocean. The city's a cute little costal town with a main street lined with palm trees, shops and cafes. A ways further down the road you take a turn to get to a public beach with an incredible view of the sea and the shoreline.

One day in particular a few weeks ago, was my favorite day ever in Raglan. This day, no one else could join, so it was just Declan and I and we arrived around 7:30 AM. Immediately we noticed from the top of the hill down to the water how clean and nice the waves were. We got really excited and rushed into the surf. The paddle out wasn't too difficult because it was so calm and the waves came in neat sets easy to read and get past. Just sitting on my board, bobbing in the movement of the water, I felt overwhelmingly happy and content. The rugged hilly terrain of the coast line was so beautiful and the morning sky was a light pink-ish color that gave me a feeling of being in a dream. As i paddled for and caught a couple amazing litte rides on the perfectly shaped waves, adrenaline pumped through my veins. It was truly a fantastic morning to be out in the ocean being active and enjoying the scenery with nothing but a surfboard, nature and a good friend. 

A week later we returned and the waves were drastically different. It was extremely rough and the waves were inconsistent and very powerful. I paddled out and after a struggle, made it beyond the breakers. The first wave I went for was way too big and I wasn't in the right place to catch it. I got in a bed episode of what I call "The Washing Machine". Its when you get tumbled by the wave and tossed around, caught underwater by its power. Its not very enjoyable, and this particular time was kind of scary. I paddled in to the smaller waves and after recovering played around in the white water, getting up a few times and having short little fun rides in a more safe zone.

 It was a lot colder this day too. My shorty wetsuit wasn't quite enough in this kind of weather, so I only stayed out for maybe 30 minutes. Even in not perfect situations, the thrill of surfing still enthralls me and I enjoy it so much. Having Raglan so close and friends who are interested in going as often as I do is such a perk to going to school in Hamilton!

Hello everyone out there (somewhere?),

I proudly present my first entry into this blog, and really into any blog. It is about time I endeavour to walk on new paths, and hey, why not write a blog about life, New Zealand, and our beloved Hamilton? AND about the university, of course – how could I forget? In fact, I am sitting in it right at this micro-historical moment of writing my first lines.

My name is Hannah and I am postgraduate student at Waikato, currently working on a Masters research degree which consumes a substantial amount of my waking hours. I was born in Germany (land of the poets and thinkers I was told), but went to the Netherlands to study undergrad at the Universiteit Maastricht. During my studies there, I got the chance of spending a semester abroad, and I scored – guess what – a spot at Waikato University and in 2008 I set upon my adventure to study in New Zealand for half a year (hence I know all too well of all the queries, but also the pleasures of being an exchange student for a semester, which is much scarier, but also much more exciting than just plain studying somewhere). After graduating last year, I returned back to Hamilton to continue my studies, which is a small hint that I got somewhat hooked up with the university (or was it the country? Or hang on, something different still??)

However, now that the romance of being an exchange student is long gone, I find myself being “just” a student at Waikato, slaving away for my degree... or rather, enjoying my studies with all their challenges, and their (postgraduate) benefits like my own office with view of the campus lake and – yes!! – free coffee. Indeed, student life is fantastic!

And because this is the case, I am happy to get the opportunity of sharing some experiences and valuable moments with you, dear wider audience, in the hope that there might be something good coming out of it, something like advice, information, inspiration or epiphanies even.

By way of a summary before I even really started I would like to emphasise a few general points I think worth noting about living and studying here: (1) Going abroad to study was one of the best things I have ever done, and I would always, always do it again. Don’t miss out on that experience; it will teach you to (even more) enjoy life, no matter where you chose to go. (2) New Zealand is an extra-ordinary country I can only recommend to everyone at least for a visit, yet ideally to live in for some time. (3) Waikato University is outstanding in its support for students, especially international ones. Whomever I approached, wherever I went with any problem, I always encountered people that were truly welcoming, supportive and warm. I never felt left alone, and there was always someone trying her/his best to make life easier for me.  And last but not least: (4) Hamilton is the city of the future people!

Thanks for reading. Next time I will hopefully be able to report on very exciting things that happened during my weekend trip to El Capital, Wellington, this weekend! Happy days!

Wow. It’s been ages since I have written a blog, and sitting down and trying to fit everything that has happened in the last few months into semi-coherent sentences is blowing my mind. So instead I will make a list of a few highlights…

First off, I went back to CANADA!!!!!!!!!! – Which was so epic that if the trip were a movie, the DVD Player wouldn’t be able to play it because of its impressive size and nature of awesomeness. Really though I went home right when the Olympics were starting, and stayed pretty much for their duration which was good because for the first time Canada seemed to be gripped with a national pride that I think has been sorely lacking. Plus we won gold medals, which we have never done on Canadian soil before…. AND, most importantly, we beat America at hockey and won gold, which is all that really mattered anyways…. On my way back here to sunny NZ, I had a stopover in Vancouver so I took the train into town and partook in some Olympic celebrations- awesome. The best part was I got to go check out the Olympic torch that I had seen for weeks on TV in person.

This semester has been hectic as well. I have been to Raglan excessively, re-discovered surfing, which turns out is cheaper than driving to Rotorua to bike, watched the balloons over Waikato, done a wee bit of school, went to Taupo, randomly played handball (which kicks ass by the way), had coffee all over Hamilton, went snorkelling at Goat Island, camped at Bridal Veil falls, went back to Cathedral Cove, went to Auckland… Oh and Dad, so you know, I managed to do a bit of school as well….

In summary, it’s been a real blast, but I can’t believe it’s the second week of May already, that’s ridiculous. I have only a few more weeks of school and then the semester is over?!?!? This year I am done on June 3^rd, which means that I have a month or so with no classes or assessment. I wonder what I will do?

Anyways, here are some pictures to get the ball rolling… First off is Boxing Day at Raglan, and Tui :) Then we have Cathedral Cove, some dude at Raglan, and the Mount.

Enjoi! :)

Classes here at Waikato have been both challenging and enjoyable. I am taking two 100 level classes, or 'papers' as they are called here, and one 200 level class. The hundred level system works the same as back in the US; 100 being first year, 200 being second year, and so on.

I have greatly enjoyed my Political Science paper- International Relations. It is basically an overview of all the politically charged events since the pre World War One era. It is different from a general history class in that it gets deeper into the political motives and the 'behind the scenes' actions and decision making processes that took place through out history.

For my New Zealand Literature class I have read many short stories and poems by famous historical New Zealand writers, including Katherine Mansfield and Mary Ursula Bethel. For my first large assignment for this class, I wrote a poem in the style of Bethel on a landscape that meant something to me and than wrote a 1500 word analysis on how my poetry resembled Bethel's. My poem was entitled "Carried Away" and here it is...

Carried Away

My feet trod the wet sand beneath.

It pushes away in smooth rimmed piles

Surrounding my toes with little pools of water.

Each pool slowly dissipates as I leave them behind.

Wave and wind weathered branches reach deep,

Clutching to tight sandy securities below.

I wonder if it’s difficult for them to hold on,

Or if each rush of water pushes them deeper into the earth.

Unable to let go

To get carried away.

The sound of the ocean’s rush

Carries my mind to a place of repose.

Broken up by seconds of silence between crashes

Windy watery bursts collide with the surface of the sand.

She’s displaying her power

Her passion.

I start to feel much smaller than her grand might

Like one grain of sand in an infinite number.

A soul just lucky to see

To know her elements so well

Allowed to feel her power.

There’s a grey ardent sky above

With wind blowing bits of water into the air

As a wave curves and crashes.

He’s taking some of her power for himself

Only to return in the evening’s shower.

Her energy takes over

My relaxation and leisurely stroll quickens.

I start to run but from nothing

And to get no where,

Only with the rush of feeling her by my side.

The idea of waves so powerful consumes me.

I feel powerful.

I am not so little.

I wrote this poem in reaction to this photo I took on the beach in Whitianga.

 Over the first weekend of my semester break in April, I took a solo trip to a few places in the Coromandel Region, a peninsula south east of Auckland. I took about 4 days and traveled by bus and stayed in hostels. First I traveled to Tauranga and stayed in a crowded, loud hostel right in the heart of the city. I was a little disappointed with the quality of this hostel, but only stayed there one night before I continued on to Mount Maunganui. 

 The mount was really cool! There's a little section of town right at it's base with a lot of shops, restaurants, hotels, and a backpacker's lodge, where I ended up staying the next night. The beach surrounding the mount was really beautiful and flat, with huge rocks out in the water I walked out onto where I found some nice views. I decided to hike the mount the next morning after a quick coffee and breakfast on the beach. The hike was pretty intense. Although the mount is not very tall, the trail is very steep. There was a 'medium' track and also a 'difficult' track for different levels of hikers. I could tell a lot of the runners and walkers I saw went there probably daily for a work out. Once I made it to the top, the views were incredible. I could see the beach I had just come from as well as the town of Tauranga, other uninhabited islands surrounding the area and huge bays of beautiful blue water. I could also see plants in the water off the shore of the beach, creating dark patches in the light colored water- it looked very tropical. 

 The next day I took a "Naked Bus", which is a popular bus service common in New Zealand, to the city of Whitianga. When I finally arrived after the 3 or 4 hour ride through curvy mountain roads, it was mid afternoon and went straight to my hostel called "Backpackers On The Beach". It was awesome. It was literally across the road from the beach, which was right on Mercury Bay. The beach was breathe taking. The bay was walled in by rocky cliffs on two sides and there were a few huge rock islands jutting out of the water in the distance. The town was quite small and quite, but I loved it. It had lots of places to eat and shop right along it's harbor. 

After making breakfast in the kitchen of my little hostel 'suite', which i only shared with 3 other people, I went for a walk on the beach and watched surfers all morning. Later in the day, I walked through town and then rented a bike from my hostel so I could go for a ride over to Cook's Island. There is a 3-5 minute ferry that is very cheap over to the island leaving right from town of Whitianga. I rode around the island and found some really sweet beaches to relax on as well as a short hike up to a look out point called "Shakespear's Summit". It had beautiful views of Cook's Bay and also Mercury Bay. It was very sunny and warm up on this look out, which only added to the serene atmosphere of the afternoon.

I have been amazed at all of the beautiful, pristine natural landscapes I have come across on my travels here in New Zealand. I hope to go back to Whitianga when my sister visits me in June, it has been my favorite place i have been so far!

                                                                               ثم توالت البقية خلفها .. لتكسو السماء بالالوان والأشكال المثيرة .. نشاطات لا حصر لها                                                                      

وبعد مرور أربعة أيام .. كان حفل الختام ... وهو تجمع جميع البالونات .. وسير أنوارها في إيقاعات موسيقية                                                            

Hey guys it's been a while! 

If I have to choose a word to describe my current lifestyle, it would certainly be lazy.

Ok here we go.

Can anyone tell me what this little (ugly little thing in my opinion) creature is?

I guess we have a volunteer who is so eager to share.

Lady Gaga : P-p-p Poker Face pp..

Blogger: Sorry the answer was "Possum"

Possum. Possum. I see at least one everyday. But I've never seen one alive until a few weeks ago. Here's how the story goes:

I was at a garage in Morrinsville; band practice. The sweet melody of Green Day filled the room. The song reached its climax and I was silently smiling as I vigorously-yet-dexterously hit the drums. 

But the bassist wasn't. He was staring at the ceiling, then at me.He did that about three times before I looked up. Holy mary mother of god. What do I see? It's a freakishly ugly creature. The grin on my face was long gone. My face became a P-p-p-Poker Face. I was surprised and slightly frightened, to be honest (but punk-rockers do not show it because we are tough) What do I do? except keeping the rhythm? so I decided to share my newfound fear with the singer, a problem shared is a problem halved. At that point, the whole band knew about the filthy intruder. Probably having sensed that, the pest panicked and fled. However, things don't always go smoothly when you are panic-stricken. It lost control and half jumped half fell to the floor ,then headed straight outside while being tangled up in guitar cables. 

We all continued playing as if nothing happened. HAPPY END...Nah.

That moment (not before unfortunately) I realized the boot of my car was left open. Who's the one in a panic now.. After the song, the bassist and I decided to go inspect the car with weapons of mass destruction in our hands (high-quality drumsticks) Slowly approaching the car, I could hear my heart beating out of time. Closed the boot. Check front seat, no possum. Check back seat, nope.  My faint hope of catching it and maybe eating it later was gone. But being able to drive home safely without being ambushed by a possum was much better. So we both went back inside and played some more.

But if the beast did not flee, I reckon we would have been like this:

So the next time you see a dead possum on the road, just put on a poker face, pray for the departed soul and never try to imagine how it would have looked when it was alive.

AMC

       On the weekend of March 20th, a bunch of my friends and I, whom are all international students like myself, went for a weekend camping trip to Taupo. It's only about a two and a half hour trip from Hamilton to get there. We camped overnight in a nice riverside free site, located right off the road just before you enter the city of Taupo. On saturday, we hiked Mount Ngauruhoe, otherwise known as "Mount Doom" from the Lord of The Rings movies. It was one of the most exciting adventures I have ever had the opportunity to take. We woke up quite early that morning to foggy, raining weather but everyone was so excited, the weather didn't matter to us. The trail going in to the base of the mountain wasn't too strenuous and consisted partially of boardwalks, which was nice since it was so wet that day. The terrain was very rocky, consisting of dark rugged volcanic looking rock, and there were only very little plants. I learned later that the last time the volcano was active was in the 1980s, which explains the tiny vegetation growing around it's base. As we got closer to the mountain, the sky started to clear and finally we got a clear glimpse of the volcano, which was absolutely breath taking. I felt tiny in comparison to it and sort of like i was in a movie, maybe not The Lord of The Rings, but some kind of adventure movie.