Mid-Week Surprise!

So here's a rare mid-week blog post!  I started playing touch rugby last week and we got our first win this week, but let's back up to 9am.  Yes, on my day off, I got up at 9am.  If that's not exciting enough, my friend Will and I went scuba diving at Aramoana Mole, about 30 minutes from town where the harbour meets the ocean.  I did bring my camera, but forgot my sandwich that I made and left on the counter.

Will is a dive master (the highest certification besides instructor), so I felt comfortable going out alone with him.  We went and picked up our gear and headed out and were all dressed and ready to go in the water by 10:30am.  It was pretty sunny out, so all good.  There are 3 wrecks, two of which are dive-able, out there.  The water was a brisk 11 (50) degrees, but we were all suited up in a two piece wet suit with boots and a hood!  So, we'll summarize the first 2 dives together.  The first two were both on the same wreck, but different areas.  I was a little unsure what it would be like after diving the Great Barrier Reef, but it was incredible!  Not nearly as many fish (and really no colorful ones), but there is so much stuff growing on the rocks and ship parts.  It was covered in nudibranchs, nudibranch eggs, some blue things that I'm not sure what they were, we saw a Conger eel, heaps of starfish of all different sizes and colours (I almost said shapes, but they were all the same shape), kelp and corals.  It was amazing!  One part in particular was like a cage, almost, of boat pieces.  They were large enough to swim through but it was just poles covered in plants and things all around you!  Kind of claustrophobic, but not as bad as kelp forests!

Now, dive three.  The infamous one.  We were really enjoying the day and it was really nice out, so we went in to the new (and closer) wreck and planned to swim back.  I had the camera, so we dropped down, all good.  We were swimming around, just as planned, and I was happily taking pictures of the side of the boat.  Then it happened.  I saw it coming right at me, at full speed, jaws wide open!  This sounds unreal, but trust me, it was real.  Surreal, but real!  No, it was not a shark, though, but enough to scare me.  Instead, as I turned my head, maybe 10ft to my left was a full grown sea lion coming straight at me, maybe 20ft underwater.  In case you weren't sure, it was bigger and a faster swimmer than me.  And yes, its mouth really was wide open.  So, just

like you're taught to do, I panicked!  The sea lion quickly shot straight up to the surface then back down, circled me twice, and left.  Will is from California and has over 200 dives, so he is kind of familiar to these ferocious creatures, but not me.  I yelled, or at least, the best yell you can do with a regulator in your mouth and went straight to the surface and on the rocks.  Not sure what that was going to do because sea lions can climb on rocks way faster than me, especially with fins, but I did it.  However, he was gone, or so I thought.  Will couldn't find me under water, so he came to the surface, all excited and yelled "did you see that sea lion?!?"  Of course I told him my dramatic story and he had a similar one and then I saw it swim right along the rocks just in front of me, then stop, pick its head out of the water, give me a 5 second stare down, then it was gone.  This time for good.  It was incredible.  Unfortunately, I didn't think to take a picture.  After talking to Will, some people on shore, and the folks at the dive shop all said that it's common for them to come up and play with you.  Also, they are very curious, so they will sometimes even put their teeth on you to see what you are, but not actually bite.  Guess I know for next time to stay calm and video it--just like you're taught.  Anyway, we went back down and finished our dive and had an incredible time.  We also saw Paua, which is an edible, big shellfish, but we it's illegal to take them with scuba gear on and you need a knife.

So that was my Wednesday, how was yours???  Anyway, I got back, went straight to rugby, got our first win, went to work on a group project, and now its 10:30pm and I'm writing a blog before getting back to my project.  This weekend, I am off to Mt. Aspiring National Park for some tramping and camping! 

Moral of the day--I, in fact, CAN, survive from 9am-5pm without eating (although I desperately missed my sandwich)!

Laid Back Weekend

For a change, I actually hung around town this weekend.  Before that though, on Wednesday, we talked to the local dive shop and a friend and I are hoping to dive at a ship wreck near town this week!  After that, I went to one of the beaches nearby and got some cockles (clams) off the beach and mussels off the rocks for dinner--delicious!!  Then, Friday night, we just watched a movie because a lot of us decided to run a 6K going on Saturday morning to support kids with cancer.

Saturday afternoon, after doing my good for the day, I participated in the 2013 378 Leith Street Beer

Olympics (this is where any of you from work stop reading and go to the next paragraph...).  Our team's theme was Brunchin in Bathrobes, but I had some odd sleep sack onesie thing.  Despite a valiant effort, we finished 3rd of 5.  However, we would've been 2nd if we didn't forfeit two games.  Anyway, it was a great chance for all of us to bond and have a great time for a few hours, except that everyone was falling asleep around 9pm.

Sunday, after sleeping in a bit and watching some football and the Caps preseason game, I went for a bike ride on the Otago Peninsula.  This was on Lonely Planet's top 10 cycling routes in the world!  It was beautiful--rolling green hills (spotted with white sheep) and then blue water and golden beaches on both sides.  If only it were a little warmer, it would've been ideal.  Anyway, it was 3.5 hours--I forget how I did a 3-day bike trip because my bum was sore!  We drove to the highest point, then rode along the top with scenic vistas for a while before dropping down to the coast and ending on a beach.  There were some seals there, but no penguins.  We did see tons of birds though, including terns (Caspian and White-Fronted), Paradise ducks, Pied Stilts, Variable Oystercatchers, White-Faced Herons and heaps of boring seagulls. It was fairly leisurely as some people on the trip couldn't bike very fast, but the guide was good about letting the faster people go ahead and there were some tougher stretches!  After spending 30 minutes on the beach, we rode back off into the sunset--literally! Unfortunately, my "good" knee is starting to hurt, so I will take it easy this week and last week I pushed it more than I have been.  Oh, and I forgot my camera, sorry!

 It was a very relaxing weekend and as of now, I've got no plans for next weekend, but am looking for something to do!

Kiwi as!

So, kiwis tend to add "as" after things to emphasize it.  The most commonly used phrase is "sweet as," which actually just means "ok, cool."  However, if something is very stereotypical of New Zealand, it's "kiwi as" and, therefore, my weekend was kiwi as.

I went on a field trip to the Catlins area, which is just a part of New Zealand south of Dunedin with lots of native temperate rainforest, pretty beaches, and lots of waterfalls and very few people.  The field trip was good--we just got to walk around and look at different ecosystems and discuss them.  It reminded me of my Pingree summer field course, except no quizzes/tests/essays.  Oh, and the food was delicious!  Plus, we got 3 main meals, and 2 "snacks" during the day, all with desserts, so yes, it was another rough weekend for the healthy eating.  However, two highlights (and I only took one picture all weekend) were the first module we were on the beach and all the sudden a herd of sheep came storming through.  They really are everywhere! Second one--this morning we were on a different beach after a rainy night and there was a bright rainbow coming up from the ocean, over the beach and dropping back into the rainforest.  Very cool, eh.  It was also a great chance to meet new kids in my class and almost all Kiwis as I'm one of 2 Americans and add heaps of new Kiwi-words to my vocab!  Last thing I noticed--there are heaps of Canadians here.  4 of our 10 lecturers/demonstrators (in American, known as professors and TAs) were either born in Canada or spent a significant part of their lives there!

Next two weekends I will be doing shorter trips and just hanging around town I think, then the travelling picks up!  After checking bank accounts, my wallet needs a little rest!!

Mid-Semester Break Down Under!

Wow!  Those 9 days were crazy and went fast, but were so much fun and I can't believe it's back to class,

working out, and writing papers tomorrow.  Anyway, I will try to summarize 9 days in Australia in one readable post (yeah, right)! Well, let's begin.

What I learned in Sydney...

1. Money goes fast there.  Very fast.  My friend told me it's the most expensive city in the world for American exchange students.  However, Sydney gets better!
2. Apparently, Aussies are pyromaniacs.  I saw fireworks both of my first two nights in Sydney.  Not sure why, but they were pretty!
3. There's a difference in being unsure where you are and being lost.  Sometimes, a bite to eat and a deep breath help tons... story to come later
4. Travelling alone is relaxing, but terrifying and freeing, but lonely.  There were times when I really enjoyed doing things at my own pace, and not waiting or planning around others, but other times were it would've been great to have someone.  My friend did come to the city with me one day!
5. Thank god they speak English.  It would've been rough in a completely new city, alone and not understanding the language!
6. Sydney is a beautiful area!  The harbour was gorgeous with the bridge and opera house and there are lots of nice beaches around as well!
7. There are tricks for transportation, but it may take a few days to learn.  For example, walking is free and when you're 20 and alone, walking distance can be huge!  Also, no one verifies that you're a New South Wales student, so I could get student tix for half price on bus/train/ferry!
8. Surfing is awesome, but hard.  I was able to get up on the learner board and feel comfortable renting a board from our rec centre and going to try it here!  However, spending the entire day in my sandy/wet bathing suit was not wise or comfortable..
9. There's nothing wrong with being out of your comfort zone.  Yes, this is related to numbers 3 and 4.
10. There are people from MD everywhere!  I met four people in Sydney from MD just because one guy wore a shirt with the MD flag from Green Turtle in Ocean City!

So, basically, I got off the plane in Sydney and my phone didn't work (surprise!) and I had no Australian cash, and had no idea where I was going.  That's where I was out of my comfort zone and being alone sucked, but them speaking English was amazing.  After I took a breath and relaxed (and ate), I figured it out and it was all fine.  Really after one day, I figured stuff out and didn't have much trouble at all.  The harbour is really pretty with the Opera House and Bridge.  My friend and I discussed how it's one of those places you'd see pictures of, but never really expect to be there.  It was a dream come true, really.  Also, if I was rich, I could really spoil myself in Sydney with $40/meals and hotels with Ferraris and Aston Martins out front.  However, even on a budget, I had an incredible time there and feel so fortunate to have gotten to see that city!  Plus, I went and spent a day hiking in the Blue Mountains National Park (so many loud birds!) and another day at a wildlife park--koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies are awesome!!  And, I visited Olympic Park, where the 2000 Summer Olympic Games were played! Very neat area with tons of arenas, stadiums, artifacts, etc!

Then, Wednesday, I headed even further north to Cairns and met up with Megan Bethge from home, who is studying abroad about 4 hours south of Cairns (pronounced "cans" by the way).  Thursday morning we got

picked up and spent 3 days on a 26.5m boat, the Taka, on the Great Barrier Reef and scuba dove 12 times.  How incredible!  We saw blue-spotted sting rays, white-tipped sharks, thousands of different types of fish including lionfish, turtles, giant clams, crustaceans, starfish, tons of types of coral.  It was unreal how much lives there!  Two of the most memorable dives were the second night dive (yes, it's completely dark except your flashlight), when there were 3 sharks circling around a group of fish just right in front of us and also swimming with Wally, a humphead Maori Wrasse, who loves to have his lips scratched if you stick your hand out!  Oh, and the food on the boat was extremely good too, so I was sure to get my money's worth out of each meal!! There are a few pictures here and a video, but I have many more and some of them are on facebook or can be shown when I come home!  They take ages to upload, so that's why it's limited, sorry...

 Now, after an 11 hour layover, in which I got 5 hours of sleep on an airport bench, I am back home!  A few final thoughts on Australia:

1. "Day pack" is a loose term.  I made it 9 days with just a school-sized backpack.
2. I, in fact, CAN go 9 days without a hoody--it was a struggle though...
3. Sunscreen only works on the places where you put it--my inner arms and shins wish I figured that out sooner...
4. The girls in Australia are much prettier than in NZ.
5. This whole trip has seemed like a dream--seeing Sydney and then scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef!  I can't get over how fortunate I am to have had the chance to do both!!!

I learned tons from this trip and had a spring break that will be very hard to top!!!

Aotearoa!

Well, it's Sunday night, so it's Blog Time!!
First of all, I'm going to try (keyword, try) to make this one shorter and more readable.
Alright, alright, I'll get to the title.  Aotearoa (goodluck pronouncing it) is the Maori name for New Zealand translating to "The Land of the Long White Cloud."  Maybe my facebook album name makes sense now?!? How does that relate to this blog? It doesn't, but I thought a foreign language would get your attention.  Well, I guess there were long white clouds in the blue skies, but they were great (except for picture taking).

Anyway, first of all, I jumped! 134m (440ft) off a perfectly good ledge for no reason other than because I wanted to (and paid tons of money to)!  It was incredible!  Such a rush as you free-fall for 8 seconds head first to the ground!  It really was so much fun and totally worth it, plus I got a free t-shirt for doing it!  Oh, and it's the highest bungy jump in Australasia and owned by the guy who invented bungy jumping.

We also stopped at a few wineries on the way, as we were in the heart of Pinot Noir country with heaps of vineyards everywhere--plus they have free tastings of actually good wines!

However, Queenstown is an awesome little town!  Very touristy, but sits on a beautiful lake, with tons of shops, food, a garden, ski resorts, bars, and is the "Adventure Capital of the South."  Oh, it's expensive too...  But, they have a place called Fergburger, known for massive, delicious burgers.  I'm sure you'll all be shocked to know I devoured it with no problems.

Then, Saturday night (after bungy and Fergburger), we drove the "Gateway to Paradise" to the start of the Routeburn Track.  What an amazing drive along the shore of Lake Wakatipu (pronounced just how it's spelled)! Bright blue water with huge peaks behind it!  I would love to waterski there--just throwing that out there!  We hit a traffic jam though--sheep were being herded across the road...

Then, we went to go hike the Routeburn Track--one of Lonely Planet's top hikes in the world! I see why.  First of all, you hike along the river with the clearest, turquoise water imaginable. We stayed at a hut next to some falls and the night skies are incredible here but I can't get them in a picture, so you have to believe me!  We got up at 5:45am and walked up to the Harris Saddle at 1277m to watch the sunrise.  There is also a lake up there and it may have been the most beautiful place I'd ever been!

The colors are so vivid here!  The water is so blue, the grass/forests are so green, the mountains are so picturesque and gray with some snow!  This experience has been so incredible so far!  I know every blog says "this was the coolest place ever" but I think this one may have actually been, but around every corner here there's new mountains, rivers, lakes, etc that are all so amazing! The land down under the "Down Under" has been absolutely amazing, but I can't wait to see what Australia's get in store next week!!  P.S. Happy belated anniversary ma and pops.  Sorry I missed it, but hope you did something fun!  Love you and miss ya!! Captions: Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown Gardens, Remarkables behind Lake Wakatipu, the Routeburn River, Lake Harris

All Kinds of Things

Ah, where to start...

Let's start with Thursday.  Dunedin is hosting the International Film Festival for 3 weeks, which is featuring 74, I think, films from/about all sorts of things.  I went to the opening film called Antarctica: A Year on Ice.  The director was actually at the showing with his wife--he was a kiwi and she was American.  They met in Antarctica because the NZ and American bases are the closest two and he proposed on the ice with a huge ring carved out of ice, then they had a very makeshift wedding in Antarctica (how cool)!! He has spent 15 summers and 9 winters there and she was something like 10 summers and 8 winters.  A few of the coolest things were that he said they have 4 months of complete sunshine and 4 months of total darkness.  They discussed how your perception gets messed up over time--his wife once asked him how the weather was and his response was "not too bad" but then when they thought about it 1-she asked if the weather was nice in the middle of winter in Antarctica and 2-he said "not too bad" when it was -40 with 100mph winds and they hadn't seen the sun in 3 months! Also, the southern lights looked AMAZING there.  They work hard though--6 days/week, 7:30-5:30!  Anyway, just a really really interesting and cool documentary.

On to Friday.  We went to Long Beach.  It was definitely near the top of the list for the coolest things I'd done! First of all, I've always wanted to camp on a beach.  There are sweet caves you camp in there, so no tents even needed!
It was so warm as well.  I was sleeping in a cave, on a beach, with a fire, and listening to the ocean waves crashing maybe 50m away, but it gets better!! (that speaker you got me, Andrew, was sweet again) To make things better, we could walk out to a point on the rocks and you just pull mussels off the rock.  We cooked mussels on the fire in tin foil for dinner and breakfast, then I brought a bag home for lunch as well!  However, when we woke up, the sunrise was awesome, and I got the fire going again and was in

paradise.  The fire was roaring, the waves were crashing, sun shining, life was great!  We even went in for a little swim (ya, it was cold), but the sun warmed me right up after!  At several times, whether sitting by the fire eating chicken, potatoes, and mussels, or passing a soccer ball on a beach, listening to the ocean crash while laying in bed, or just watching birds fly around during sun rise I had several moments where I truly felt in heaven.  I was awake first and there is something about having a little bit of quiet (except for the birds and ocean of course) that make you really appreciate what you've got and the experience I'm having.  There were several "is this real life" kind of moments.  We'll get back to that though. I'm learning new things with these picture too if ya can't tell!  Anyway, there are heaps more pictures on Facebook, but I've got more to tell ya if you're still with me!

So, on to Saturday.  We were going to camp in the Catlins, but decided to just kind of chill for the night instead, so we did and went into town and even did some homework (added that for you Pops!)  Going in to town was also a kind of special time because it was my first real weekend night here and I ran into tons of people I know in town--not just Americans, but kiwis too--and it was the first time when I really felt like this town is becoming more of a home then a place that I'm staying for a little while!  Except, if I want to fit in I've got to stop wearing hoodies and sneakers, but they're too comfy to give up!

Now that Saturday night bored you,  we're on to Sunday.  Just did some homework in the morning--really sucks that school work is picking up a bit--then went with a friend to watch the Dunedin Thunder of the NZIHL (New Zealand Ice Hockey League) play their final game.  What a, umm, I guess we'll say "show!"  They were bad.  As in, significantly worse than CSU's club hockey team.  Check them out in the video if you want!  However, it was really cool.  How many people can say they've been to a NZ "pro" hockey game (it's technically amateur hockey)?  With that said, I think I could play here, in all honesty.  Told ya I could be a pro hockey player!  Then I had to make flat dinner, so we had paninis--easy to make vegetarian or throw some meat in.  I ended up slicing three of my fingers open on a tin can though--never thought I could hurt myself making a frickin sandwich!

Alright, if you're still with me, this is the last paragraph.  In all honesty, I don't know what I will learn from this study abroad experience.  I know I will learn tons and am learning things now and these experiences will stay with me whether I ever make it back here or not, but it's hard to put a finger on exactly what the "it" or "these" are right now.  However, I've been reflecting some.  First of all, before we even left, they warned us at some point 1-2 months in lots of students go through a period of being kind of on edge, where little things bother you and you don't know why, then you snap out of it ideally.  I think the weekend for Christchurch was that for me.  My friends were annoying me, the city was annoying me, I felt I was missing something, not sure exactly what it was, but something was wrong.  So, that's why I said I wanted to back away from home a little bit (yes, I still love you all), but I just want to immerse myself in NZ and not worry about all that's going on back home.  It'll be there in November and I've got a great support system if I ever need it, no matter what.  They told us, when you snap out of it, you'll realize again how special this place and opportunity is--that's where I am now!  When I graduated HS, there were paths to take.  Enter the workforce, go to college, go play junior hockey, etc, but college seemed an easy choice.  International seemed like a big, scary thing.  I graduate college in 9 months.  There are jobs everywhere.  I know now that there is nothing wrong with other countries, other cultures, other people!  This is such a huge planet with so much to see.  I feel Americans are often surrounded by the "we're the best and everyone else is inferior" culture.  In lots of ways America is the best, but there are plenty of other amazing places.  It's also a little bit shocking how much everyone knows about us, when we know little to nothing about them.  Everyone here knows Obama, but do you know who John Key is?  With that said, this weekend was amazing, I am absolutely loving every second here, soaking up as much as I can, and the more I reflect (which I'm sure will be tons when I'm home), the more I realise I really am learning and changing!  Anyway, off to Queenstown (just booked a 440ft bungee, sorry!) this weekend and will spend Saturday night in the Routeburn Falls hut.  Then off to Australia the next weekend!  Can't believe how fast time is flying!  Check out facebook for more pictures!

Christchurch and things

A few random things from the week before I discuss Christchurch.

1. I scored my first points in netball....and also seemed to get a penalty every play (I learned what offsides was, I learned that you can't be within 3 feet of the person you're defending, and I learned that no contact really means NO contact).
2. I met a Caps fan from McLean, VA (yes, I wore my Caps hoody to a bar...)
3. I was told that I "reek American" (maybe I shouldn't wear my Caps hoody to a bar...)
4. For those of you who haven't seen, I did a little blog-style write up of some of the work I've done on Poplar Island with my internship and they've posted it on the Northeast Region blog site and the Dept. of the Interior employee page.  Here's the write-up

Now, for my weekend in Christchurch.  Let's start off by saying, thank the lord I picked to study in Dunedin, not there.  On Saturday, we went to Akaroa, a small peninsula town that's supposed to be pretty scenic, and did a 3+ hour hike.  It was a nice walk, but the low clouds were higher than the peak we climbed.  The views from Stony Bay Peak were awfully white.  I also gave my new $15 Walmart rain-pants their first test...they failed.  Within 30 minutes of walking, they ripped, so I learned that lesson--sometimes, cheap isn't always worth it. Then after Akaroa, we went into Christchurch--what a boring place.  I'm glad I went and saw it, but it is still very messed up from the earthquake and there really is no "downtown."  From what locals say, there never really was.  Even some students who study there (Kiwi students) asked "If you're from Dunners (Dunedin's nickname), why would you come to Christchurch?"  I forgot my camera, so I have no pictures, but lots of buildings and roads are blocked off and show obvious signs of damage.  Then today, we were going to walk around the hills near town and maybe stop by the beach, but it was foggy and dreary with a chance of rain, so we decided to do a high ropes adrenaline course instead.  That was fun (and surprisingly cheap!), but I forgot my camera so sorry there's no pictures, but we didn't see much picturesque.  We stopped in Oamaru on the way back to hopefully see some blue penguins, but we didn't see any--it was $20 to walk to the edge of the peninsula to see them, so we jumped the fence, didn't see any penguins and got yelled at--oh well!  Anyway, as of now, no plan for this weekend, so we shall see.  I may actually spend my first weekend in town!  Goodnight from here!