Recently by Jana Esteban

Hello Home and Away Bloggers! Today I spent an entire day in NZ's capital. It was a lovely day: nice warm sun with little wind. I walked the Civic Square, where the i-Site and City Council offices are located. I also went in the City Art Galleries, as well as the Museum of Wellington City and Sea. It was a very good tour, because the museum is celebrating "10 years of Wonderland", or its 10th anniversary. I especially liked the Top 100 Wellington events, and I recommend anyone visiting Wellington to make this a must-see stop.

Then I went and viewed Te Papa, which speaks for itself. It has seven levels of all things New Zealand, mostly natural and geological history.

My favorite tour of the day was the NZ Parliament. The Beehive has a wonderful architecture, and its history is amazing. Tomorrow, I go to Picton via Cook Strait. I am excited!

Hello home and away bloggers! It's good to be back. Since the last time I wrote, I went back to Manila, gone around the North Island's East Coast, partied in an Art Deco Weekend, finished a thesis, and travelled South. Well, as yet, travelling south. Am writing from a backpackers in Wellington, up late at night (wee hours of the morning actually) marvelling at how I've spent a year in New Zealand. This trip is my reward to myself for finishing my degree, so from time to time, I will regal you with stories of my adventure to the South. Cheers!

  I celebrated my seventh month in New Zealand last August 20, so I look back at my favorite moments since arriving at Hamilton on the 20th of January. 2009 is such an eventful year for me, and because I got to be part of all the action, I think it is a good time to be an international student at Waikato this year.

I remember my NZAID scholar friends, who helped me feel so welcome and at home here at Waikato. I remember my mates in Orchard Park, international students and locals alike, and how we bonded through sports, food festivals, and parties. We eventually became good pals.

I remember my first friends Berthina Auguste-Walter from Saint Lucia (the Caribbean), Chandan Boodhoo from Mauritius, Kerren Vali from Papua New Guinea, and my Timor Leste flatmates Kika, Ani, and Tina. We had good times, and we still do, whenever we get the chance to get together and catch up.

I remember my neighbors and Ultimate-disc buddies Thomas Debacker, Truels Dentler, and Philippe Thuaud. They brightened up my day each time we let discs fly in the Uni field (or on any patch of green!), and they are great companions to any grand food buffet. I miss Thomas (who went back to France to run marathons and teach Ultimate to willing French disciples) and Truels (who went back to Germany to take salsa dancefloors by storm). I am glad Philippe is still here to keep me company, and to bring me delicious Melting Moment cookies from Grey St. Kitchen every now and then. Merci beaucoup, Cheri.

My current flatmates Kaya Boonputh (Thailand), Shoko Kita (Japan), and Amrita Maan (India/Auckland) are wonderful flatmates, and never fail to keep our flat a lively place to be in. My favorite people next-door-- Amar Durakovic (Croatia), Johanna Berheide (Germany), and Carolyn Thomson (Tauranga)-- are fantastic people...I can rely on them whenever I need to get that quick cinema fix (Chartwell movie night, neighbors!)

I suppose the best moments about NZ-Hamilton-Waikato events are with the people we meet. These people make our stay in the University worthwhile. I thank God for them everyday. (Amen!)

It feels good to have finished all my taught papers (Praise God!)  It was a very rigorous A Semester and first half of B Semester for me, but it was all worth it. I enjoyed my Environmental Planning Theory class, where I learned about urban planning, Hamilton City, and global trends in public planning theory. I also learned a lot about New Zealand and the Resource Management Act 1991 in my Environmental Evaluation class. Both were Level 500 taught papers, and for an international Masters student like me, both inspired me to look at the parallels between New Zealand and the Philippines.

Those papers (one was a geography paper and the other an environmental science one) gave me perspective for my thesis topic. Finishing my classes in EnviSci and Geog sharpened my reading and research skills; I now feel that I am more ready to embark on writing my own story about mangroves in the Philippines.

What are mangroves anyway? Mangroves are lovely ecosystems occupying the fringes of fresh and salt water, usually the coasts, and are associated with trees having big prop roots and funny-looking seeds called "propagules".  Mangrove trees are endowed with amazing cells that allow them to thrive in mud and brackish (near salty) water. Mangrove forests are also nurseries for fishes and fat mudcrabs and shells. Mosquitoes inhabit them, and the smell of decaying leaves and other matter reminds you of Rotorua on a windy day. Mangroves are murky, smelly, tangly, and wet, and I am absolutely in love with them!

I have travelled all over the Philippines just to glimpse at the beauty of mangroves, and I have travelled to neighboring Malaysia and Vietnam to see how their mangrove stands compare with ours. I found Philippine mangroves incomparable to those I have seen elsewhere. I prefer the diversity of our islands' estuarine forests; we have 24 of the known 27 species all over the world, and in one stand (forest area) found in Central Philippines, 23 species were present in a 27 hectare area! 

 In Bani, Pangasinan (north Philippines). Those are Sonneratia alba trees in the background. They attract fireflies.

 While touring the Can Gio Mangroves in Can Gio region, Vietnam. Those are Rhizophora Apiculata trees, the one with the famous stilt roots.

Unfortunately, mangroves are declining in the Philippines. In 1918, there were 450,000 hectares of documented mangroves in my country. In the 1990s, there were only 128,000 hectares left. The figure is still diminishing today, so many sectors in our society are getting alarmed. Most mangrove areas are converted to shrimp or fishponds because of the high economic value given to aquaculture(read: fishponds can make an investor rich) . That is why many concerned individuals, like marine scientists and development workers, are working with local communities to stop the disappearance of mangroves from Philippine coasts.  Many international agencies fund or sponsor mangrove rehabilitation projects to prevent mangrove destruction as well.

However, the "quest for mangrove restoration" story is not as simple as it looks. Though there is an ecological need to conserve mangroves in the Philippines, Filipino communities living in the mangrove forests have other priorities too. Coastal villagers need to feed themselves first, and to earn money next. Fish is a staple food in the Filipino diet, so fish always fetches a good price in the market. The high cash value of fish (and shrimp) in local and international markets make converting the smelly mangroves into "productive" fishponds attractive to local folk. This complicates the story of the mangroves in my country, and this is what I will look at in my thesis.

It promises to be another great adventure for me then! What began as a fascination for mangrove beauty has turned into a genuine interest in the mangrove story. Fortunately, the discipline of geography is here to guide me in seeing the multiple intriguing layers found in the stories surrounding Philippine mangroves.

 Ahhh, the sun! Wonderful to see you again after a long winter time!

We had a full day of sun today, 26 August, and it was a good day to be out. I was able to put out my laundry to dry, and I was able to do some spring cleaning for my room...the winter mold in the ceiling and windows had to go!

Life at Orchard Park is simple during bright sunny days, but blissful at the same time. I get to cook my own lunch (Mi Goreng instant fried noodles and leftover vegetable salad from last night), and get to do bask in the sun after. I was even able to go out for an afternoon stroll to have a glass of Chai Latte at the Station, too.

I highly recommend this Hall of Residence if you are planning to stay in University. Cheers!

On July 25, Orchard Park sponsored a snow trip to Mt. Ruapehu. I've been to Ruapehu in the summer, but I've never been during the winter; so I tagged along. For a tropical climate person, it was a great opportunity to see snow for the first time.

Seventeen of us went up Ruapehu that day. A motley crew of internationals and Kiwis, we were a jovial bunch. On the ride to Ruapehu Friday night, my Kababayan-turned-Kiwi Jan and our resident DJ Claire played Pearl Jam and Jim Morrison (The Doors)  music to keep us awake and entertained (everyone snoozed in the van). We stopped at Taupo to get some food (Pizza Hut or Burger King) around 9, and arrived at Taurangi close to 10pm. Club Habitat was good backpacker's inn ($22 worth of warm rooms, warm beds, and clean bathrooms).

Next day I woke up at 6am to find the ground covered in frost; it didn't stop me from taking my regular morning walk though. The lady at the Reception was an early bird as well, so I was able to buy myself instant coffee and a Cornetto Mint trumpet for breakfast.

Around 9am we began the drive to Ruapehu. We stopped by a ski rental shop on the way, and since I wasn't keen on skiing (I'm more of a trekker and a hiker), I had a ball posing for the camera while I held one of the rented snowboards for show.

We arrived at the mountain itself a little past noon, and everyone was enthralled at the sight of snow--and the amount of people already in the area. I found it too crowded, but some folks say that was normal this time of the year (late winter). While the rest of the Orchard Parkers went ahead to ski or snowboard or build snowmen, I went off and explored Ruapehu in snow. It was magnificent! The sky was blue (not a cloud in sight) and the snow gleamed immaculate white. I spent the first hour just marvelling at the surroundings and rolling (literally) in the snow.

I spent the entire afternoon walking on snow and watching people slide down slopes on their skis or sleds (it looked like fun!) I was content to watch families chat or sit in the sun; I even heard some families speak in Tagalog (marami palang Pilipino dito--there are a lot of Filipinos here!)

We went down the mountain a little after 5pm. Everyone was happy and contented. It was indeed a good day for everyone to see snow and to spend time in the slopes of Ruapehu.

View image of New Zealander Philip from Orchard Park and why we think he was this trip's poster boy.

View image of Cottage 25's first ever snowman.

I had two unexpected visitors who called on my cottage the past week. They were two mallard ducks who visited Orchard Park for a stroll. I christened them Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, because it appeared that they were out strolling for a date. As they waddled across from Cottages 20 and 21, I was so amused to see that Mrs. Mallard (the all-brown one) chose to stay close to trees or spring flowers on the grass. Mr. Mallard (with the green feathers on his head) appeared bored, so I watched him waddle across the walkway to our footpath. It was an amazing sight, because it was the first time I saw mallards outside the University lake!

It was a joy to see the Mallards at our front lawn. Spring holds beautiful little surprises at Orchard Park; I expect to behold some more in the coming days!

View image of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard at our front porch.

View image of Mrs. Mallard admiring the fresh spring flowers.

View image of Mr. Mallard's quizzical expression as an unexpected feathered friend joins in.

(Note on photo: this was printed on the front page of the Philippine Daily Inquirer last June 12, 2009 during our independence day. Photo credit goes to them.)

Hello Home and Away friends!

I've been away on various adventures since my last entry, that is why I have been MIA (missing in action) for a while. I shall tell you more stories in the blogs to follow, but for now, I am inviting everyone to attend the Maori Week events at the Uni for the week of 27-30 July.

There shall be public seminars about different Maori haka, and I highly recommend attending it. I attended today's lecture about the ngeri of te Rauparaha, He Oranga Mai. It was amazing!!! The Maori haka is best heard narrated and performed live, so I invite everyone to attend the Maori Week events in campus.

The Ka Mate haka shall be presented tomorrow, 28 July, at AG30 (the building across Block E, at the Science and Engineering blocks), from 12nn-1pm. This should be interesting and at the same time culturally enriching, as the Ka Mate  is also the All Blacks' official haka.

See you there!!!