Days Four Through Six (July 8th – 10th)

10:45AM NZ Time

Orientation for international students, though rife with cheerful Powerpoints and free juice and cookies, is very dull. It is during said orientation that driving in New Zealand is discussed at length, in between the basics of how to study while in college. Did learn a bit from the speakers.

How to Speak and Spell Kiwi (1):
Kia Ora = Maori welcome
Squeeze them = question the panel
Bob’s your uncle = form of cynicism, similar to ‘will you look at that’
Organised = organized

It’s gradually getting more realistic to me here…before now, it’s been pretty much a blur. At this point, I’m feeling very glad I’ve got someone else here with me; even more glad that it’s Steven. Mushiness aside, knowing someone who comes from the same area you do is a relief. This fact is especially evident during dinner (a subject I will rant on shortly). The Americans try to cluster together and get to know each other better. Can’t be helped, as it’s only the first few days before classes start, and to be honest, I don’t mind. Dinner here—correction, the dining center—is going to take some getting used to. There’s only one, for starters. For another, you get one ‘main,’ two sides, and dessert. Soup and a bun are optional additions. Drinks are juice and water. I’m already missing Iowa State’s vast buffet-style dining. 

In other news, my first Maori experience was on Friday night. We went to Palmy’s convention center and got dinner and a show. The show was a Maori haka group, and I was absolutely floored. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Their voices are so powerful, and the war chants they do are mind-blowing!  

Afterwards, a group of us walked to Pak’n’Save, the New Zealand Sam’s Club, for some pancake supplies. I was in a cooking mood. J We failed to realize that the city buses didn’t run past 6pm during semester break hours, so we enjoyed a pleasant walk back to campus. Saw the stars for the first time; blown away by the sheer amount in the southern hemisphere. 

During the day, Friday was spent exploring the research farms around campus. Witnessed my first bit of sheep shearing/herding, and saw legitimate free-range cows that ate real grass! The only time they go inside is to be milked, and the rest of their time is spent out in the pasture! I was talking with some of the other students from the States, and most of them had no clue that American cows weren’t treated the same way. 

Saturday has been spent doing laundry and exploring the gardens/parks near Atawhai. Managed to make friends with a pair of fantails, adorable New Zealand natives that are skilled in the art of aerial ballet. Very hard to get pictures of them!   

Day Three (July 7th)

9:30AM NZ Time

The most difficult part of being on the other side of the world is adjusting to the new sleep schedule. I’m almost there, but I keep waking up obscenely early. The fastest and easiest way to integrating oneself into the culture, I’ve discovered, is to ride the bus. If you’re riding the bus, chances are other students, national and international, will be riding it with you. In this way, I found out about ‘party buses’ and TradeMe.co.nz, which is the New Zealand Ebay. Tempted to explore for a television since there isn’t one in the flat…

I managed to find Steven, though we were communicating via email for a day. Turns out he had run up to my area, but went to the wrong hall! Got a pretty nice view of the land though (and a work out to boot). Once we were reunited, we took said bus to The Plaza—aka local mall—to find out what we could about phones. By a stroke of luck, my roommate Mandy had an extra from Singapore; all it needed was a SIM card. There are three phone companies in New Zealand: Vodafone, Telecom, and 2degrees. The locals all use Telecom, and 2degrees has some pretty good deals because they’re a fresh company, but Vodafone has the best pre-pay. After phones, we hit up the bookstore, where pieces of my soul probably still stain the walls. I will be dwelling in the recesses of the library, gleaning what bits of new fiction they have. Books are expensive.  

In other news, tomorrow is orientation! I can’t wait for papers/classes to start.
1. Biomechanics
2. New Zealand Natural History
3. Media Skills
4. Greek and Roman Religion
How’s that for a class list, eh?

Day Two (July 6th)

[9AM NZ Time]

When traveling to a distant country, it helps to get your bearings straight away. Road signs are helpful. So are designated drivers…the take-you-to-campus-now kind. On the way to said campus, I gathered a few bits of information.

1)   It is rugby season.

     2)   Possums are not opossums, and are actually adorable.

     3)   Kiwis are hard to find (the bird, not the native New Zealander).

Knowing this didn’t help me in any way, but still, good to know.

The weather that greeted me was overcast and rainy, with an average temperature of 11 degrees Celsius [which I still don’t know how to convert to Fahrenheit]. It was beautiful.

Massey University is nothing like Iowa State. Campus is smaller, the focus is on veterinary school and agriculture (difference is evident when comparing research farms), and the buildings are a bit less architecturally creative. BUT there are trails and forest everywhere, and the center of campus is paved with cobblestone. That’s right: cobblestone. Added bonus: New Zealand has the cleanest, freshest, best-smelling air ever.

The biggest difference is the location of accommodation. I discovered upon settling in my flat that there are 200 vertical feet of steps through the forest between me and campus. I am located in Atawhai (at-a-fai) Village, one of the highest places on campus. Luckily, it’s marked by a giant cement mushroom! Unluckily, it’s pretty far from Steven’s flat/apartment. More unluckily, I lost said boyfriend. We last saw each other as he exited the take-you-to-campus-from-airport van. If you see him…don’t bother calling. Neither of our phones work here.

I spent my free time exploring the Massey bus system, and The Square in Palmerston North. The first thing I bought in New Zealand was a pillow and duvet…from Kmart. Internationalism at its finest. The pricing here, thanks to a goods and services tax of 12%, is a bit ridiculous. Going to take a bit longer to get used to that.

My roommates are great. I’ve got two so far (out of five rooms total). Mandy, who is even more of a nerd than I am because she plays WoW (something I always dreamed of trying but never got around to); and Ohra, who is very cheerful and friendly. The flat itself is great. We have a full kitchen and a living room, and I have my own room with a little sink. Life is pretty good.

Now if only I could locate the elusive Steven…

Day One (July 3rd)

In Which I Travel to New Zealand!

Before embarking on such an epic journey, there were a certain number of preparations that I needed to make. The best way to do this, I figured, was to make a list. Rather, many lists. 

How to Travel to a Distant Country:

1)      Book plane tickets

2)      Wait. Get excited. Make a list.

3)      Lay out clothes.

4)      Find a suitcase.

5)      Realize that you’re going to need a bigger suitcase. Panic.

6)      Find bigger suitcase. Pack.

7)      Get excited.

8)      Go to airport. Remember giant suitcase.

9)      Pick up tickets, check bags.

10)   Go through security.*

11)   Panic. Chew gum.

12)   Board plane.

13)   Watch how-to-survive-a-crash video.

14)   Consider the chances of a crash.

15)   Panic. Chew gum.

16)   Fly!^     

17)   Land.^  ^ Sometimes, repeat.

18)   Arrive in Distant Country!

*Security: in which they check your belts and shoes for drugs and/or explosive items. Laptop bags are especially suspect.

During the transition period between flights, it is important to keep some things in mind. For example, when traveling to the other side of the world, it is not uncommon to have a layover. Most times, this layover gives you just enough time to arrive at your next gate. In special cases, you get some free time. In my case, I had roughly 10 hours. These ten hours were spent experiencing the area around the airport; namely, Los Angeles. I learned a few things.

How to Catch a Taxi Cab (in LA):

1)      Cross the street repeatedly.

2)      Locate a vehicle sporting the “taxi” sign.

3)      Realize you are standing by the bus stop.

4)      Panic slightly.

5)      Get directions from the guy in charge of taxi traffic to a free shuttle that takes you where you need to go.

6)      Realize that there are misconceptions about Los Angeles-ians. They are actually very friendly.

7)      Eat and be merry!

How to Find the Ocean (in LA), Without Taking a Cab:

1) Walk towards the wind.

2)      Keep walking.

3)      Stop and ask for directions.*

4)      Proceed to follow directions.

5)      Get lost.

6)      Ask someone else for directions.

7)      ARRIVE.**

8)      Take pictures.

9)      Frolic in surf.

10)   Trudge back to airport.

*Do not follow directions that are shouted at you while you are standing on a bridge with four lanes of traffic between you.

**The time between following second set of directions and arriving at destination may vary, but often takes twice as long as it should have.

How to Survive a 13-Hour Plane Ride:

1)      Sleep.

 How to Survive Jet Lag:

1)      Stay awake.

Kia Ora (Welcome) to the Preface

During my second year at Iowa State, I have the privilege of embarking on a rather epic journey to the other side of the world. For the most part, I've been uploading pictures and whatnot on Facebook. After a while, I realized how overwhelming this can be for people who don't really care and still get the notifications in their news feeds. 
Ergo the blog. This will be a [delayed] account of my adventures abroad at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. I've been keeping a brief journal of my experiences so far, and will post in order of those experiences. So, even though I'm sitting at my desk in my flat very much settled, the following posts will begin with leaving the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, and continue up to the present. I will not assault you with multiple posts in a day. This way I have the opportunity to not fall behind, as I've been known to do with this type of thing. I suppose you can think of it as a memoir of sorts, seeing as I'll be reliving the experience as I retype it for your reading pleasure.