June 2010 Archives

The Soccer World Cup puts the world to a hold, at least a little. Certainly my world, in this case because it makes me get up in the middle of the night on a weekday to watch a game at the pub (we don’t have TV, which is not very common but it just happens to be that way, and I’m usually quite happy about it but not at the moment!), only to return to bed for a couple of hours to then get up in the morning for a full day at uni. I’m glad that this is only for four weeks at a time; slowly but surely I am starting to get super-ueber-tired. But of course, coming from a soccer-loving country, I find it’s totally worth the hassle to support and cheer for the team!

Last night, we watched the Germany-England game at an English pub. I felt rather daring, entering the room full of Brits with my German flag and all, but luckily I had my British-flag-waving flatmate to protect me, and a few other Germans scattered amongst the English. After the first half, feelings turned quite sour, but the clear victory at least got rid of any doubts about not-given goals.

The anger turned into rather silent long faces on the English side, and humble jubilations on ours. After all, it was a good game, and I think our win was well-earned. Sorry England!!

Generally, I was a bit gutted before the cup started because I realised that nobody (at least not many of those born in this country) really cared about soccer at all. With the rugby world cup coming up next year, the games seemed to be a non-topic, and it didn’t help that they were shown at inhumane times of the day. But then the miracle happened: New Zealand’s All Whites were not as expected completely bashed in the tournament, but remained unbeaten throughout their 3 matches, and almost made it into the next round.

And then, suddenly - soccer enthusiasm is everywhere, how wonderful. Thank you All Whites, for bringing attention to the cup. And good luck for the next one in four years. I am sure they will get even a little bit further. At least I wish!

As for our team, I will now have to go hunt out a pub willing to show the next Germany game on Sunday early morning. I hope to succeed, as I obviously don’t want to miss a match. But with England and New Zealand gone home, there seems only a minority of people left wanting to watch, but I might be mistaken. I remain positive that interest will not completely fade away.

May the best team win!

Here it is, the day before I check out of my cottage and leave the University of Waikato, and the city of Hamilton. These 4+ months have been incredible. I feel as though it has flown by, but at the same time, like they've been really long and full of events, trips, and all kinds of awesome memories.

Thinking back to the first week when I had just arrived here, all the new faces and places... it feels like forever ago. I have grown to love those places, adore those faces, and I am now leaving with lifelong friendships and a cherished life I shared with those people. It's a very unique experience, studying abroad. You go to an incredible place for a relatively short amount of time, meet a whole bunch of other people doing the same thing, (and a few people there for longer) and you get to travel and experience this new culture with them, getting really close to them.

You are all in the same boat: not really knowing anyone, being homesick, etc, so friendships are formed quickly, and before you know it, you have great, trustworthy friends that you feel like you've known for way longer than a few short weeks or months. It's a wonderful feeling and I will always value the people i have met here, in our little 4 month New Zealand 2010 world we made and shared together, a world will never be the same again!

Tonight was girls night. An amazing, fun, much needed event! It kicked off with Hanna, Anette, Phylicia, Evelyn, Laura, Kirsten, Marlene, and I meeting at my cottage and then us all walking down to Namaste, the Indian restaurant down the street, to get take away for dinner. After the wait, and the walk home, we put on the first Sex and The City movie and chowed down on our yummy dishes. We didn't make it all the way through it, because it's actually ridiculously long, before we had to call for taxis and head down town to catch the 8:10 showing of SATC2!

We went to the classy theater, on the 2nd floor of the center place mall, where they are decked out with chandeliers, fancy carpet, embroidered reclining seats and crazy curtains and mirrors. It was the perfect place to watch such a glamourous movie, and with such a fine group of ladies! 

We got some beverages; ranging from coffees, to beers, to the cliche cosmopolitans, and a few treats and then headed into the movie... I wont go into details on what happened in it, in case anyone wants to see it, but all will admit that it was all i was expecting. It was funny, girly, fashionable and entertaining, but at the same time, definitely ridiculous, over the top, and little stupid. But overall, I loved it and loved spending time with my good friends even more.

When my friends Jess and Sara were here in town a few weeks ago, one night we decided to check out the casino! I have never been to a casino, always being under 21 when I was in the U.S., so we thought it was be fun just to see what it was like.

As soon as we got there, we were told, actually more like yelled at, that we couldn't take pictures inside the casino and that we had to erase any that we had taken. I thought this was rather strange, and wondered why we werent allowed to take pictures. I joked that maybe it was an illegal casino... But it's not, and we enjoyed our short stay there, and actually got away with a couple pictures (don't tell anyone!)

The "Number 8 wire mentality", a concept present within Kiwiana, holds that anything can be made or fixed with basic, everyday materials; or simply using what is at hand, such as number 8 fencing wire. This can-do mentality is a quality people hereabouts in NZ tend to have, and I think it's so great!

With this mentality as it’s inspiration, The Art Post, the art gallery and shop adjacent to the Hamilton Museum, is currently featuring a show displaying a recent competition, requiring artists to use the number 8 wire as a medium for works of art. It was a really neat show with extremely creative uses of the medium, and many of the pieces were really interesting…

I have really grown a fondness for this way of thinking, and think that it's a really cool concept because of where it came from. The fact that it is based on the integrity, durability, and versatility of a simple material like fencing wire, makes it really natural and homemade way to conceptualize being hardworking and having persistent integrity. I hope to hold onto this mentality and use it in my own life.

After picking Hanna up in Auckland on Friday evening, and after sharing a wonderful and full of laughter and screaming reunion, we did a little walk around downtown Auckland and had dinner at a Tapas restaurant. Then we decided to head back to Hamilton, instead of staying the night up there, because we were both so tired. Hanna fell asleep shortly into me showing her a few songs I've learned on the guitar. I think she was lullabied to sleep... It was so cute.

The following day, we did a little shopping and exploring of downtown. We went to Casabella Lane in the center of the city for lunch, and then to Salvation Army, Pack and Save for some food (mangables) and then to the Hamilton Lake; but it was raining so we didn't walk around it.

The other day, after I returned home from the white water rafting trip to Rotorua, I headed back out again to go to Raglan for the afternoon and evening for a little camping/ surf trip. We left Orchard Park around 4 or so and drove west to the coast, watching the sunset. It was perfect evening to be going to Raglan!

We decided to go straight to Manu Bay and have a little super there, watching the surfers and enjoying the sunset.

Yesterday, Anette, Phylicia, Evelyn, Alex and I went to Rotorua to go White Water Rafting! We got up really early and hit the road around 8 am to drive out and meet our guides in Rotorua at 9:30.

When we arrived, we paid for our portions of the tour, $80 each for a group of 5, and picked out proper sized wetsuits, booties and helmets. Then we piled in the van, towing the huge raft, and drove for 20 minutes out to the river put-in. 

We were taught instructions and code words, etc for what to do on the river and then got in. The river was a decent size and at many point had pretty strong rapids. Each one had a funny name, like "The American Dream". 

The main event of the trip was the 7 meter water fall we would be going over. Everyone was a little nervous, but mostly excited about it. We had our procedure down pretty well for what to do as we made the drop and so we went for it!

New Zealand housing styles are pretty similar to those in other western countries like the U.S. and Canada. I decided to give you a little peak at some examples of the cool designs I've come across during my time here with a mostly Photo oriented blog...

Well first of all, this is my cottage. It's simple and I love it, but now that it's winter, I really wish we had a little insulation...

Everyday houses around Hamilton and around where I leave near campus look similar to those back home. Here are a few examples...

Architecture in town can vary a lot also, there are plenty of regular western looking boxy buildings like you see everywhere else, as well as some European looking structures as well.

Lastly, one house in particular that I've had the pleasure to see was a boat house. Yes, not a house boat, but a boat-house. I thought it was pretty inventive!

                                                                              بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

                                                           هناء بعض مقتطفات كميرتي وعدسة المبتعث ..توفيق الحمراني

                                                               من أماكن متفرقة .. ولكنها فقط بين أسوار جزيرة نيوزلندا 

                                                                                 الجزء الأول   

                                                                                                *** 
                                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLth7YhATXQ

                                                                             الجزء الثاني   

                                            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g106fBuONZk&feature=channel

                                                                                                  تحياتي

                                                   تغريد العويفي

Distance puts a major weight onto interpersonal relationships. Whether they be romantic, friendships, sibling relationships, or parent/child, distance makes things more difficult. The main “thing” that creates this difficulty is communication and how communication changes when more distance is placed between the relationship’s two parties. It’s all about effort. Being willing to go out of your way to communicate. These days we have email, facebook, skype, cell phones, and even the old school way of sending a paper LETTER, something I really enjoy doing for my loved ones.

In terms of romance, distance is usually a horrible idea. I’m just being honest and little blunt, but it seems to be true. If distance and a long time apart, never ‘seeing’ each other, don’t completely destroy the relationship, then it puts so much stress and tension on it that both people involved have to be incredible strong to make it work. They have to possess the patience and courage to just suck it up and get through it. That takes a certain kind of connection, trust, and all together, a certain kind of person. If both people don’t both feel the same way, and are both willing to work for it, then it collapses. I have friends here with boyfriends or girlfriends waiting back in their home countries, who are doing just that. I know that they’ve struggled, had times where it got a little rough, but they are strong enough and are in love enough to wait it out. I really admire that.

My sister, who is also my best friend, and I have gone through many periods of being apart. I went away to college as a freshman 500 miles away from home, in South Carolina; a 9-hour drive. We would go months at a time apart and then see each other, and our relationship would be exactly the same. Then she went abroad, to Senegal for 7 months, and still when she returned we were just as close, if not closer. When we are apart it’s pretty hard and I miss her like crazy, but we still communicate almost daily and without effort. I just love her and enjoy talking to her about ANYTHING, that it’s not a hassle to put in that extra time and effort. We truly have a unique relationship that will never change.

I miss my entire family so much. I email, facebook, and call my Dad, Mom, brother and sister as often as I can, but it’s still not enough. I could never move somewhere permanently that’s as far away from my home as New Zealand. Being here has made me realize what is most important to me and what I value above all else. And that is my family. I cherish my home, the towns I am familiar with and my way of life there. This experience has forced me to be more adult and stand solely on my own two feet. I’ve had to budget, plan, etc. I think returning home will be a nice reminder of what my life is all about. The reunion with my family and then returning to school to knock out my degree, are just the next couple steps in my life full of challenges and joys.

It's June 7th- exactly one month until I fly back to my home on the other side of the world. I have been here for nearly 3 and 1/2 months, and somehow life here also feels like home, in some strange way. I feel like February was so long ago, and I have done so much, and grown so much, here. I have definitely gone through the cycle that's every student going abroad is warned about...

HONEY MOON! Everything's new and awesome and everything you do couldn't be more exciting!

HOMESICKNESS! Suddenly you release how far away you are and you miss home like crazy! The once awesome and exciting things about this new culture start to be bothersome or annoying... You really just miss what you are familiar with.

ASSIMILATION! After a while, you aren't too bothered by things anymore, you find a respect and comfort in them and you start to feel like you're part of the culture. Leaving soon started to feel bittersweet...

I'm getting very, very excited to go home, but at the same time I wish that this experience didn't have to end and that all the places I've seen and people I've met, didn't have to be turned into memories and facebook relationships.

Elli is the ultimate poor student car. She is big, beautiful, and has a whole LOT of attitude. Think foxy brown from Austin Powers mixed with betty white, and Barry white. She has been "in the family" for basically the entire time I have been in New Zealand.

Originally she was bought in Auckland from three Aussie girls who presumably took her all around the country. After she came into our possession, she went everywhere! The Coromandel, the Northland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin, the Milford Sounds.... EVERYWHERE.

In terms of pure technical ability, she has an analog clog, a cd player that looks touch screen but actually doesn't work unless you press it just right. She also loves gas, and has a large trunk that doesn't stand up without the help of a long rod. She has space for many things including multiple surf boards, guitars, bikes, people, camping gear, once she even hosted a party in her trunk... Elli also possesses a mind of her own, turning down the volume, changing songs, refusing to start for no reason sometimes....

But Elli has more than just that. She has memories. Through her gracious hand friends have been made, adventures undertaken, she has taken friends to the airport when they leave, and picked them up when they arrive again. On my Mac I have a suprising amount of pictures with elli in them. These are from various travels, and are filled with old and new friends driving her and and taking full advantage of the fact that she takes us where we really want to go (i.e. Raglan).

In summary, she is more than a means of transportation, although she does take me to work and back, and to get groceries, etc. She is really and truly like an extra person on every trip, and without her my time here just wouldn't be what it has been.... Funny how inanimate objects can do that to you eh?

So its that time again, the end of semester whirlwind of tests, exams, and whatever other forms of assessment your respective professors can throw at you :)

This time of year always give me reason to reflect on and examine my own study techniques. Over the years I have perfected a few methods, from very good and proper preparation, to all night cram sessions, to "ill just take the test and see what happens". In no way are all of these methods valid, but I have worked hard at getting towards the first, proper preparation method....

I have found the most important thing when preparing for an exam, as I am at the moment, is to start early, make sure you aren't too far behind, and take study breaks!

Preparation is of the utmost importance, it greatly reduces your stress come exam day, it increases your confidence in your abilites, and you really need it to pass. Even though you may scratch by a few years worth of class based solely on natural ability, it eventually catches you. Trust me.

So, for example, make sure you look at what you need to study well enough in advance that you can figure you a timeline for study, one that is most importantly, REASONABLE!

yes you could probably stay up for 48 hours and do nothing but study, but life has a funny way of introducing really awesome distractions when you least need them.... I.e. when you are trying to study!

Secondly, make sure you study with the purpose of the EXAM/test in mind. If the teacher is kind enough to tell you what is being covered, don't focus on the other bits!

Last, take a few study breaks. Apparently the brain doesn't like to learn for more than an hour max at a time, so in keeping with the whole proper preparation thing, make sure you take a break! this could be a walk around the block, or some facebook time, or to watch a tv show, or do some pushups... whatever it is, you need it, especially if your are planning to be at it for a while, as the tendency to burn out and give up after a day of straight study is near impossible to avoid.

Lastly, you could also do what I like to occasionally do, and look at funny pictures.

Exhibit A below

One more suggestion, get a blog, as a nice hour break to plan and write a blog, and find a good picture to match, is both a good study break and productive! Trust me on this one, I speak from experience.

Good luck!

:)

Hamilton is for the most part a very beautiful city. The Waikato river, the stadium, Victoria Street, the lake, the Hamilton Gardens, even Uni Campus, are stunning. I love how in the middle of farmland and pasture you can find huge palm trees and water, it is very much unlike back home. It also provides a convienant escape from study and campus when you just really a short break and a little change of scenery.

However for me, there is a place in Hamilton that although not classically beautiuful, is one of my favorite places to go and check out. Its an old wall, located at the south end of a car-park, and sandwiched between the downtown Warehouse, near the central bus depot, and the Wintec Campus. What makes this wall so cool is that it is covered in constantly changing graffiti.

A couple years ago I had the idea of capturing on camera some of the better pieces of graffiti found at the local skatepark and around in Lehtbridge, like this one:

The thing about so called "urban art", is that most of it is unskilled rubbish, and in the rare occurence that someone produces something worth looking at, it is either removed by the city or covered by more rubbish.

The exception is a place like the wall previously mentioned. This wall is always covered only by very skilled art, done by what appears to be a small group of skilled artists. Every few weeks it seems one or two will change, and for a very long time, I had planned to go and take some pictures of it but just never got around to it. However Sally did one time while in town, and so I present to you a small sampling of this art for your appreciation, with special credit to the mad skills of the photographer.

Back home in Calgary, there are places around the city that have been more or less designated for graffiti, and the city just doesn't remove it as it does 'art' everywhere else. I am not sure what the Hamilton City Council policy is on graffiti here, but I am glad that this wall is allowed to be what it is. Providing a place like this is both good for controlling WHERE graffiti is painted, but also allows people like me to enjoy what I see as an integral part of city living. Here's hoping it continues.

For the second half of my semester break in April, after I returned from the Coromandel and Mount Maunganui, I spent some time here in Hamilton and then also in Raglan. For several days, my friends and I went to Raglan, with the intension to surf, relax, eat cheap, and camp. Needless to say, some people bailed out of the idea of camping because the weather wasn't prime, but Declan and I were enthusiastic and tough enough to handle the elements- all for the love of surfing the next morning.

After the others left us, we got a coffee in a local restaurant/bar that had a nice little common room to lounge in. We sat back with our steaming lattes in big hawaiian print arm chairs and watched the drizzling rain. It was entirely relaxing and worth dealing with the weather. It ended up clearing up slightly later that afternoon and we went for another surf, before exploring our options for campsites.

Declan had camped before on a nearby beach, which we checked out, but decided would be a little difficult with the rain and sandy hike necessary to get into it. After deliberating about what to do, I had a wild idea of camping at the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls, which Declan immediately agreed to, because well come on, it's brilliant. I've been to the Falls several times now during my stay in New Zealand, and since the first time i saw it the first week i was here, i thought the little covered structure at the bottom would be a picturesque place to set up a tent and relax for an evening. 

We ate a little camp-stove style dinner at the top of the falls at the pic-nic table before taking the descent down to our destination. Although it was so dark that night, I could see a little glistening light reflecting off the falling water from the moon. The sound of the falls seemed to be louder than ever that night, i guess because audio was only sense we could use it such dark, wild uninterrupted country. 

We set up the tent by flashlight light and then relaxed with a bottle of wine we brought along and played some cards. It was a truly relaxing and unbelievable to place to be. We were so remote, away from anyone else to disturb us and happy as we reveled in the days exciting surfing.