Catch up!

Hello Lovers.

So last update was about my horrible internet. Turns out it's fine. It just knew I wanted to make phone calls and so it stopped working. Once it got me to the verge of tears it decided it had been mean enough and decided to work again. Stupid computer.

Anyways, quick update on things-
Wednesday- we went to Devonport. We laid on the beach and climbed an extinct volcanoe (otherwise known as a small grassy hill). But it did have beautiful views of Auckland. I also sunburned the crap out the back of my legs and tops of my feet. Amazingly, I did not peel.

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Get your own

Thursday we started orientation. It was pretty low key. We have morning tea everyday which is a fun break and they give us food so I can't complain. The food has gotten better since the masses arrived (there are 55 UC kids here). I also heard my hall is known for having the best food. I guess when you're a residence hall the standards aren't very high. We had a fun talk called "do we speak the same language?" from which I have many new words to add to the Word of the Week section. Be excited. I also bought a dress on Thursday because it was adorable and they DRESS UP at the bars here. Boo for that.

Friday- We had a few talks that cover more boring EAP stuff. In the afternoon we went to the Auckland Museum and watched a Maori performance. It was pretty cool and I actually just switched my classes so I will be learning more about performance in their culture and possibly even doing a little dancing myself (watch out world, lack of coordination is coming!). Then after dinner we had a talk about the NZ political scene which was quite enlightening.

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Get your own

Saturday I was sick. My sensitive stomach kicked in and I wasn't sure if I was going to get to go on the trip that day. I did survive though and we went to Tiritiri Matangi Island which is an open sanctuary. Lots of birds and amazing plants. We did a nature walk with a guide and then had lunch. Afterwards we headed back to the beach, lathered on the SPF 30 and hit the water. My face has been really dry so upon entering the water, it started burning like it was on fire. Needless to say I got out and spent the rest of the afternoon on the sand in pants, tennis shoes, and a t-shirt with my face covered by a towel. Being white sucks.

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Get your own

Yesterday we learned about a bunch of EAP paperwork. It was way boring even to me who has to fill out all those papers so I'll spare you all the details. We all went to Devonport for dinner and it was lovely. The food was delicious and we all got mildly dressed up. Of course lots of pictures were taken, but none by me because my camera died in the first 10 minutes. Apparently my screen doesn't display my battery status until it's dying. I'll have to fix that. EAP bought us all lots of wine and like good college students, we finished it all. We took a double decker bus home and it basically turned into a party bus. Lots of fun.

This morning was our last breakfast all together but it wasn't really that exciting. Dinner was better. We all basically had breakfast in the dining hall, but it was as split up and scattered as normal.

Today is busy. I leave for Christchurch tonight to start my south island expedition. There are 7 of us going so it should be interesting (and probably bitchy at times). Something both good and bad is that my friend Kate and I kind of added on to this already formed group. So they basically have planned everything. This is good because they rented the car, have secured our hostel for the first night and got us rides from the airport. This is bad because I'm a control freak. I guess I'll have to learn, but it is nice to not be the one planning all of this :)

As for the travelling, I will probably be fairly MIA until the 25th at the latest. I don't know the internet situation at hostels so I'll be posting here so you know I'm alive, but may not have much time to do anything else. We'll see.

That's all for now. The travelling wonder is finally going to start travelling. YAY!

ps. If the slideshows bug you or you want to see the pictures bigger or at your own pace, you can click on them and it will take you to my photo album :)