May 7th-May 26th: Days 89- 108

The past few weeks have certainly been busy ones. I havn't had much time to travel or do anything overly exciting especially with the semester coming to a close. Classes have been keeping me in line and out of trouble for the most part, but I still have a good laugh when I can. The second week of classes from Easter break was very eventful to say the least. May 9th around 12:00pm I was sitting in sheep production class and we had another big aftershock, well not terribly big but you could sure feel it. It was a 4.0 on the scale. It was almost funny because our professor was a guest lecturer that day and the first thing he said was "now don't anybody panic"!! Well it's not like we could really panic. Seeing as how they expect us to hide under the desks for cover, I think it would be a good start if they designed classrooms in which you could actually get out of the seat without sucking in your gut. I think I have a better chance of falling to the side and rolling under the tables rather than jumping and diving under the desks.

It was 3:04am Tuesday when things really started to get shaken up. I had just woke up to a few aftershocks before that time and was laying in bed. Well at 3:04 there was a huge violent shock of a 5.3. It was the most violent one thus far. In my opinion I'd consider it worse than the actual quake back in February. It actually lasted a lot longer than the other shocks, almost to the extent that u'd think it was another quake. I wasn't sure what to think at first but once it was over it rattled me up. People were pouring out of their rooms and halls rushing outside. I heard a few screams out my window and people were out on the lawn for the next few hours.

Ahh yes and for those of you avid readers and emailers...you know that I was asked to the Halls Ball. And of course I had to wear a dress! Icky I know. I havn't wore a dress in over 4 years and I was perfectly ok continuing that streak. However, I was pressured otherwise. So, over break I ordered a dress online. Why I ordered formal wear online is still a question in my mind, but I decided to make things harder than what they should have been. So on Wednesday I was expecting to get this dress, I went and picked it up from the book shop and opened the box. Ahh yes,it was purple and full of sparkles....so other words it was not me at all. Well seeing as how I waited a month for this thing to get to NZ (oh and apparently when you order formal wear online it comes from the US) I opened it up to try it on. Haha ya right!! I couldn't even zip the darn thing if my life depended on it. They sent me the wrong size....oh and to make matters worse it was a size 2!!! So at this point I just wanna say screw it Id rather go in my jeans and t-shirt anyways. But I had a skype date with my Dad, and of course he wanted to see the dress (he has only seen me in a dress once). So I had this freaking bling bling of a dress that I couldn't fit into and the ball was the next day....lovely. So I go to various neighboring towns looking for an alter, and of course no one would work on it. Its 4:00pm, no dress, s***. So I skype my mom and tell her my situation and she tells me to just get another dress. So Alan was nice enough to take me to Riccarton Mall after our coffee date and find a dress and he needed a tie anyways. So all I can say is that I found a dress...and it zipped.

Needless the say I had a dress, well I also order shoes from this formal wear place. And I must say, never order shoes online. The picture looked much "nicer" than the product. I opened my box and load and behold I have a pair of silver hooker shoes...Oh S***. I don't even wear heels, let alone own a pair. All I can say at this point is that this guy freakin owes me big time, and I was praying to God I wouldn't fall and bust my butt. To make things even better, I don't have insurance so if I did fall and practically put myself in a coma...tough luck!

The next night was the ball. I got ready and Alan picked me up at 9:00pm. I struggled with the shoes...terribly. I tripped at least 5 times just getting to the door. And once I got to the door I forgot my ID so of course I had to go back and get it. That meant another painful walk across campus and back. Finally I got in the door and immediately I took of the shoes...I still don't see how any female in their right mind would wear such things. Personally, I think there a male invention to make it harder for women to get away.

The ball was a success, I really enjoyed myself and had a great time. The bar was open and the dinning hall provided snacks, and the live band played kiwi music all night long. The dance mostly had kiwis attend, not many Americans, which was okay too. It was nice to get out and have a good time with new people. That is something that I have tried to do, is hang out and spend more time with the kiwis as apposed to other study abroad students.

The following week was filled with more studying and more work on my genetics project. It is slowly coming together. But this next week I have to give my presentation and hand in my paper so I have my fingers crossed. I had a marketing test Wednesday morning, I ended up studying an hour before the exam and got the second highest grade in the class. Too bad that can't happen more often. I was pleased how things turned out. The rest of the week I worked on learning my various species of plants for my practical.

On Saturday night I cooked Alan a dinner for his birthday that was the next day. I made chicken alfredo with peas and garlic bread. Richard brought over some wine and it was a great evening. The meal turned out edible and that's all I could ask for. Later that night we went in to Riccarton Mall to watch Fast and the Furious 5. When we got there, they said they were sold out. So we got on the phone to see if there were any other theatres....nope. So we decided to go ask the cashier about other movies and discovered they weren't sold out to begin with. So we were able to watch the movie. I really enjoyed the film, Id say its the best of the series thus far. We finished the night of by making a Mackers Run (McDonalds) and then headed back to Uni.

And of course since Alan was turning 20 Richard and I wanted to pull a prank on him...by duck taping is door shut. Haha well it would have been a success if Alan had actually been inside his room at 3:00am. Turns out he caught Richard in the act through a window outside...figures. Its okay though, its not over yet.

The next week flew by fast. I didn't have any assignments or tests to do. So I focused on my genetics project and started to build my presentation. I plan on building a life sized puzzle with the picture of GAR Precision 1680 on it, which is the bull who caused the AM defect. I ended up sketching out the bull and then  sprayed it with hair spray to keep the pencil from smudging. I then cut it into puzzle pieces  and now I'm just waiting on getting some cardboard and velcro to finish it up. So as a final product I will have 12 pieces that I hand out to the class and they have to put the puzzle together. That way I get the audience attention and have a class activity to use up time in my 25 minute slot.

This week was going to be one that tested me. I had a marketing test, sheep test, and plants id test. I had my marketing Tuesday afternoon, it went pretty well and I feel confident about it. Wednesday morning I spent my time studying sheep and plants. That afternoon I had a sheep review and I went to that. I'm glad I did because most of the test material was covered in the review. After the review I went on a plants walk with Alan where we identified weeds, grasses and worked on estimating herbage masses. It was a productive walk to say the least. We then went to Rolleston where we had our usually Wednesday afternoon coffee. It was good to get away. I love going to to cafe's in NZ. With your coffee they draw a design on top of the foam and they give you a chocolate covered marshmallow fish to dunk!!!
Our cups finally ran out of coffee and it was time to head back to Uni. I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening studying for my sheep and plants tests.

This morning I got up early and studied one last time before sheep. I felt confident about the material and it was over stuff I found very interesting, minerals, deficiencies, animal health, feeding, lamb growth. The test was 8 short answer questions and I knew everyone, thank goodness I went to the review yesterday otherwise I would have been a dead duck. I finish my test just after 9:00, head back to my room and start studying for plants.

It was finally 11:00am and time for plants. I know my weeds, grasses I'm decent at. To top off this lovely practical id test, it was outside...in the rain. Ahh life couldn't get much better haha. Oh and it only gets better!! We had 45 seconds to walk to each id site, identify the plant and answer a multiple part question. Our professor supplied us plastic bags so we could put our exam inside it and write to keep it from getting wet. Well seeing as how I like to make things difficult, it didn't really work for me. So I said forget the darn bag! My paper was soaked, covered with dirt and my ankles and pants were caked with mud. Long story short, it was the most miserable testing environment of my life. But thank goodness it is over.

This weekend I plan on finishing up my genetics project and finishing constructing my poster/ puzzle. Things are really coming together for me on it and I'm excited. The project has been a hair puller and has been time consuming but overall I really enjoyed doing it. I got to learn more about the Angus industry and a lot of animal genetic defects in general. This class has been well worth it.

My time in NZ is running out. I have 27 days left until I have to leave this beautiful country. I have built a family here and lifelong friendships. I love the country as a whole and what their agriculture means to the people. I look forward to seeing my family again and being able to spend time with Dad and Mom. Julia's wedding is coming up. And yes, that means another dress! But I'm happy for her and what she has accomplished. My time in NZ has been amazing, but it has gone by far too quickly. It has been an experience of a lifetime and I hope that one day soon I will be able to come back.

Oh and to my avid readers....I have another visitor...Ahh yes spiders! They are back...well at least for a while until I can corner them.

May 2nd- 6th Days 85-88

This week was our first week back from Easter Break. Over Easter Liza and I had been on grabaseat website where we were lucky to find plane tickets to Rotorua for $40!! We both had been wanting to go for a long time and these were the cheapest tickets we had found this far. The only problem was, was that they were only running their deal this week, during school. So we decided to multitask to say the least. I had two tests this Friday and I really needed to study, but on the same note I really wanted to go to Rotorua! So we booked our flight!!! Monday came and went, it was just another typical painful day of school but we learned what would be on our test and were set for departure.

Tuesday morning we left Uni at 10:30, Alan was nice enough to drive us to the airport so we didn't have to worry about catching the bus and getting there on time. We checked in our bags and then waited for the flight to depart. While we waited I was able to catch up on my journal and had a steak and cheese pie for lunch. 11:15 came and we loaded the plane. it was pretty empty so Liza and I were both able to have our own double seats. All along the way I took pictures out of the plane. It was a gorgeous view of the Alps and the lush farm land. It was around 1:30 when we landed in Rotorua We got our bags and waited for 20 min until the bus arrived. As we were gathering our bags we just happen to have the luck where the bus kept on driving, not even looking back to pick us up! Ugg...figures. So we waited another 30 minutes for the next one to arrive. And this time we were ready! Liza stood out in the street and made him stop, it was quite the crack up really.

                             The view from the plane ride to Rotorua.

We made our way into town and after a while we were able to find our hostel, we stayed at Treks, YHA. It was a real nice hostel compared to some other ones that I have been to. We had our own room, so we had no excuses of not studying. Once we got our things dropped off we decided to go walk through town until 5 where we had booked to go to the Mitai Maroi village. We glanced in the various shops for gifts and topped off our afternoon with a flake of ice cream from McDonalds. Once we got back we waited for the Mitai tour to pick us up. While we waited we ended up meeting a couple of guys who were from Canada. They had just arrived in NZ a few days ago and are backpacking through the country, with all of the traveling I've done lately it is still soo neat to meet people from other cultures.

It was just after 6 when we got picked up. We made our way to the village where we were seated and got a brief outline of the events for the evening. At the introduction we got the opportunity to share where we were from etc.. and all of the "tourists" were formed to create the tribe of Nine Nations. We had to choose a "chief" for our tribe who would face the Mitai chief. We learned a few of the Maroi songs and headed off to see the men of the Mitai village row up on their homemade canoe. After we got to see them row on their sacred waters we were taken to a viewing area where we got to see the village perform several dances and songs regarding the history of the Maroi. They showed us the Haka war dance, which the Maroi people are well known for. It was an amazing experience. All through the ceremony the chief taught us about their culture and some of their history. It was actually rather fascinating. During the performance the chief form the Nine Nations (our tribe) had to face the Mitai chief. He had to speak in Maroi and thank him for the gifts he has given us. The Mitai chief accepted his speech and they pressed foreheads.

After the ceremony we got the opportunity to have a buffet of all Maroi food. It was absolutely amazing! They fixed the food underground by cooking it for three hours with stones from the river. It was a neat process they showed us, but the food was even better. They served us chicken, lamb, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad, bread, and a delicious dessert of chocolate logs and a custard. Since Liza and I are living in the halls and have been eating nothing but cafeteria food, we went to town on the buffet. But since we paid a decent amount to go we figured we needed to get our money worth!

We topped off the evening by going on a moonlight walk. It just started to rain and they gave us a glorified trash bag to wear. It was literally made from trash bag material, but it had sleeves, cuffs around the wrists and even a hood with the trash bag drawstring!! It was quite impressive. As we made our way through the night we got to see our first Kiwi bird!! Ahhh it was soo

War haka (peruperu) were originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition. Today, haka constitute an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries, serving to impart a sense of the importance of the occasion.
Various actions are employed in the course of a performance, including facial contortions such as showing the whites of the eyes and the poking out of the tongue, and a wide variety of vigorous body actions such as slapping the hands against the body and stamping of the feet. As well as chanted words, a variety of cries and grunts are used. Haka may be understood as a kind of symphony in which the different parts of the body represent many instruments. The hands, arms, legs, feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the occasion.

The next morning, Wednesday I had scheduled to go on a tour to the Waitomo Caves. The Waitomo Caves are very famous for their glow worms! The Waitomo Glowworm Caves were first explored in 1887 by local Maori Chief Tane Tinorau accompanied by an English surveyor Fred Mace. Local Maori people knew of the Caves existence, but the subterranean caverns had never been extensively explored until Fred and Tane went to investigate. They built a raft of flax stems and with candles as their only lighting, floated into the cave where the stream goes underground.

 As they entered the caves, their first discovery was the Glowworm Grotto with its myriad of tiny bright lights dotting the cave ceiling. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they saw a multitude of lights reflecting off the water. Looking up, they discovered that the ceilings were dotted with the lights of thousands of glowworms. Debris and logs littered the waterway, but by poling themselves toward the embankment they were able to leave the raft and explore the lower levels of the cave. Here they found themselves surrounded by the glorious cave decorations.

Jubilant at their discovery, they returned many times to explore further, and on an independent trip Chief Tane discovered the upper level of the cave and an easier access. Only after many subsequent visits did they discover an entry point on land. This is the same entry point used today by thousands of visitors annually.

The Glow Worm caves were absolutely amazing! I truly enjoyed it, I think it was probably one of the best things that I have done thus far on my journey in New Zealand. It is hard to describe how neat it was. They first took us down into the limestone caves and we looked at the formations of the stalactites and stalagmites. It takes 100 years for a cm to grow!! It was so neat! They took us into an area where they called it the Cathedral. It was a giant open room that many events had taken place. People have had a wedding there, choirs etc.. It is said to be the perfect sound system because the limestone does not create an echo effect. Our tour guide even sang a Maroi song and it was beautiful. 

After we looked at all of the formation they showed us the habitat of the glow worms and then took us on a small fishing boat beneath the caves so we were able to see thousands of glow worms light up the cave. 

That afternoon I got back from the tour around 1:30 and Liza and I decided that we wanted to go zorbing!!! Zorbing is an activity that was actually founded in Rotorua by a man whose first intention was to make people walk on water. Well turns out it wasn't that exciting, so instead he put these giant plastic balls on a mountain side! Well, to explain zorbing you are basically acting like a hamster inside a giant plastic ball that can be filled with water or have no water. You get into the ball and they roll you down the mountain! It was actually quite fun, I decided to stay dry and be harnessed. So I got in the ball, harnessed myself into the seat and then they pushed me down. I went head over feet for about 30 seconds until I came to a stop, but it was an experience I'm glad I did.

After our zorbing extravaganza we got back to the hostel where we decided that we should probably study. I spent the rest of the evening studying for my genetics and plants exams. It was such a good trip, I'm really glad we went even though it did cost us time from school. The next morning we got up early and did some more studying before we headed to the airport. We were able to catch a bus at 10:00am and arrived out at the airport. As we got out of the bus they announced that all flights had been delayed!! Ugg, due to the heavy fog all flights had been delayed, we didn't know when we would be getting back or if we were. We tried to check in our bags but they wouldn't take them. So as we waited for the fog to clear and I decided to get in some studying. As time passed I was starting to wonder about our situation. I got my things together and went and asked the front desk what the deal was....well turns out our plane was taking off!!!!! Oh yes they did not announce this and our bags were not even checked in yet! So we gave them our bags and ran out to the plane to catch it just in time. I guess we got too involved in studying for school.

We got back into Christchurch around 1:45. We got our bags and were able to take the bus back to Uni. It was a long drawn out day but well worth the frustration. We spent the remaining time studying some more. And honestly, after all of this Id like to say that we are not so much of bad students, as were are excellent multitaskers who are making the most of their New Zealand experience!

However, the week wasn't as glorious as it seems. Tuesday (Monday morning in the US) my amazing Uncle Fritz passed away. I was sad and heart broken to hear the news, but I know he is in a better place. It was hard to read the email from Dad, reading it I could picture everything that was taking place. But the thing that worried me the most was Dad and Uncle Dan. I talked to Dad on skype the night I got back and it was hard to see him talk about it. I know it really hurt him and the family, I just wish I could have been there to support them all. As much as I love being in NZ, I also know that my time has come to a costly expense. It's hard to read and hear about a tragedy so far from home and not be able to do anything about it. It was only a few weeks ago I sent him and e-mail and told him we had a date for the next county fair in July. I was really looking forward to it, but I know that one day we will have it. Uncle Fritz was an amazing man who touched many lives and I'm proud to call him my Uncle. I love you Uncle Fritz.

A Day That Will Never Be Forgotten

May 2nd, Day 84

Today was a day that will forever live in the hearts of every American citizen, it is a day that was long over due as nine years, and five months of battle, blood shed and sacrifice have become justified. Almost a decade ago our homeland was attacked and innocent American blood was shed on our home soil on September 11th, 2001. When I first heard the news that our home land had been attacked I was in 6th grade, 11 years old. I remember like it was yesterday. The smoke, the rubble, tears and shock on the faces of the American people. I remember hearing the radio in my language arts class. The school was silent, the building creaking was the only noise other than the radio broadcast. I remember going home after school and watching the news with my dad, over and over again they showed the Twin Towers falling, the coverage of the memorial service, it's like it had happened just yesterday.
I know that over the years I heard so many stories of soldiers falling in the line of duty. The stories that soldiers I knew had brought home. And it is such a relief that today, the American people can stand proudly and know that justice has finally been served for all of those innocent men and women who have passed within the 10 year battle. It is because of our brave service men and women that we are able to have the freedoms that we do. Even though I walk the streets and am capable of having my freedoms, I can't help but think of those who had fallen and the families that they will never be able to go home to.
Part of me wishes I was in the States to experience this glorious moment in our nations history. But I do know, that being across seas, and witnessing the defeat against Osama has still been mesmerizing. I look at the pictures on the news stations, listen to the radio broadcasts, and watch the feed over the internet. It is soo good to see the faces of the American people light up. I have never seen my nation soo proud of its people and the accomplishments it have obtained.
Today, as every other day I'm proud to stand and say that I'm proud to be an American. "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all".
 God Bless the United States of America!!!

USA National Anthem

United States of America 

The Star Spangled Banner 

Oh, say! can you see by the dawn's early light 

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming; 

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, 

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? 

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, 

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there: 

Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave 

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? 

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep, 

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, 

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, 

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? 

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, 

In fully glory reflected now shines in the stream: 

'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh, long may it wave 

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! 

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore 

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion 

A home and a country should leave us no more? 

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution! 

No refuge could save the hireling and slave 

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave: 

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave 

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand 

Between their loved home and the war's desolation! 

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! 

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, 

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust": 

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave 

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.