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.
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!
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!
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.
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! 
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