Ice cream, Abba, and Superheroes

I'm afraid I may slowly be drifting away from updating this blog on a strict, regular basis. I apologize.

Last week Monday, we had an Ice Cream Party at our flat. We decided we'd be supplying all the delicious toppings - hot fudge, caramel, shell chocolate, crumbled cookies, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, nuts, and sprinkles, just to name a few - and all our guests would supply the ice cream. A lot of people showed up and there was a lot of ice cream. We had some New Zealand favorites - Goody Goody Gum Drops, Jelly Tip, and Hokey Pokey - as well as some classics - vanilla and chocolate - and then a few special ones like blueberry cheese cake and strawberry cheesecake (mmmmmm, all so delicious). It was good fun. Later we had one of our infamous flat singalongs. My flatmate Anna is very good on the piano and knows quite a few songs from Disney musicals. We sang songs from The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, and Aladin. Always a good time.

Tuesday a few of us headed over to Damian's house to watch a movie. It's a bit of a choir tradition. Every Tuesday for the past couple of years, whoever is keen for a movie goes over to Damian's to hang out and watch something cool. We started with Once Were Warriors, which is an excellent New Zealand film, but disturbing, depressing, and difficult to watch. We lightened the mood a bit by following it up with the wonderful American classic family film, The Goonies. I am such a fan of that movie. What can I say - I grew up on it. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I traveled the three hours from Portland all the way to Astoria JUST to see The Goonies house :].

On Friday I attended a superhero/villain party with a few of my mates from choir. Clare, one of the sopranos, celebrated her 25th birthday and wanted to have a fun party. Oh, it was very fun. I remember having some cookies precisely shaped like dinosaurs. They were wonderful. Pretty much everyone there dressed up. I saw Sailor Moon, Bomber Mouse, Cat Woman, Robin Hood, The Joker, and Indiana Jones. I dressed up as Obi Wan Kenobi:



We ended up spending the night at Damian's since his kids were with his ex wife for the weekend. The next day, I went out to dinner at a Japanese restaurant with a few friends for my choir mate Kimberly's 20th birthday. Later that night, we ended up going to Damian's again and singing Abba sing star (which has evolved into a favorite past time of ours) and watched a couple of movies ('The World's Fastest Indian' and 'Wedding Crashers').

That was my weekend, in a nut shell. I had lots of fun. Too much fun, apparently, as I found myself stressed on Sunday trying to catch up on some reading and doing some research for my poetry presentation on Michael Longley, which was today. It went very well, actually. I presented the poem "Wreaths" by Irish poet Michael Longley. It is a tripartite poem, consisting of three smaller poems within it. Each poem is an elegy, an offering for specific people who were killed as a result of the violence in Northern Ireland in the 70s during the Troubles. It's a good poem (Longley is a good poet). I'd recommend reading it sometime. It's on the web. Check it out.

Other than that, I was feeling a bit stressed about homework earlier this week because of all my partying this weekend, but I am back on track and feeling good about the work I've completed so far this week.

The remainder of this week should be loads of fun. The choir is having a potluck dinner after our rehearsal tomorrow, which is then followed by a night of karaoke. Then on Friday everyone's getting together for another party. I'm not really sure what the party is for, but I know it will probably involve a lot of singing. That's what happens when you put alochol and choir folk together.

I'm very happy I've joined the choir. I've made some really impressionable friendships with choir people and have been busy going out and enjoying Dunedin with them.

There are still little things I miss about being in America (like cookie dough ice cream and Reese's peanut butter cups and maybe Taco Bell, just a little) but I'm slowly finding myself getting more and more accustomed to life here. Traffic isn't a problem anymore at all. I've grown used to looking in the opposite direction when I cross the street. Distances in metric units isn't a problem anymore either. And the Celsius scale? It's as if I never even know Fahrenheit (ha ha). I also noticed I sometimes want to talk with a kiwi accent. It's a little strange. But I have been finding myself picking up some kiwi slangs. It happens.

Anyway, I have a mid-semester break coming up on the 10th, and I still haven't actually finalized my plans, although I'm wanting to go up to the North island (Wellington and Napier) then travel down from Christchurch back to Dunedin on a bus. We'll see though. I'll let you know how my plans go.

Timaru, Mozart, and Salsa Dancing

Since my first week of being in New Zealand, I've been in the Cantores Choir. It's a small choir affiliated with the Otago University Students' Association. We usually meet once a week (Thursday from 5:30-7:30) and have a wonderful time.

A few weeks ago, Greg, the instructor, broke the news that we'd be travelling to Timaru for a concert. The concert would feature the second half of Handel's Messiah, as well as Mozart's Coronation Mass. It was roughly 16 songs to learn within just a couple of weeks. It was a bit of a shocker, to say the least. We survived, though, so that's all that matters. Also, we performed with a big-time cathedral choir from Christchurch for all the concerts. That was helpful.

We were originally supposed to have 4 concerts this weekend, but Greg cancelled the 4th as he felt it would be too hectic (and yes, crazy) to squeeze in 4 performances.

Out of the 40 or so people in choir, only a little less than 14 were able to make it up to Timaru for the first concert on Thursday. We left at around 2PM on Friday. Timaru is about 200km away (a little more than 120 miles) and it took just about 2 and a half hours to get there. The drive was very nice. Relaxing. Peaceful. We had a rehearsal with the Christchurch choir and the orchestra at 5. The concert started at 8 and it went all right. It was probably obvious that most of us were pretty much sight reading, but it still sounded good. That's the most important thing.

After the performance, we headed over to our motel to hang out and socialize for a while. Only 7 of the 14 were staying over at the motel as the other half had to drive back that evening because they had obligations early in the morning. After everyone left near midnight, we hung out in the room and talked and laughed till just about 3 in the morning. It was very fun.

We left Timaru at around 8AM Saturday and got back to Dunedin near 12. Had to hurry up and shower and get ready for our rehearsal at 1:30. That concert started at 3 and went a little better than the performance on Friday. After the concert, we joined the Christchurch choir at the hotel they were staying at for a few drinks at the hotel's bar. It was a good time. Most of the people in the Chrischurch choir were at least 40 and over. Some of them were getting a bit drunk and it was the funniest thing.

Went home and changed into something nice and went over to Damian's house (he's also in choir) with a few other choir folks. Damian's older sister (who also sings with the choir occasionally) had her 40th birthday party Saturday night at her house in Brighton and everyone in the choir was invited. We had a bit of fun at Damian's house before heading over to Brighton. Had some dinner, a few drinks, and played Abba Sing Star on Playstation. What a fun game. I only know 2 Abba songs (Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia, of course), but it was good times. The kiwis have taken to calling me Hawaii 5-0, after realizing I'm from Hawaii, of course. It's become my nickname, I guess you could say. I've also been conscious of the way kiwis sound when they say my name; it sounds like: Crus-toyna. I can't help but laugh about it whenever I hear them say it.

Aussie Peter (the designated driver) drove us over to Brighton at around 11. There were so many people there. The music was loud and upbeat, and everyone was dancing salsa on the dance floor (the birthday girl - Simone - used to be a professional dancer). It was a great time. One of the Peters from choir (there are about 3 or 4 Peters in our choir) taught me a few of the basic steps for salsa and we danced for a while, which was very entertaining. I also danced with Dom (also from choir) for a little bit too, and that was also fun. We didn't leave the party until around 3 in the morning (and it was still going on and on after we left). Aussie Peter dropped us all off and I didn't get to bed until about 3:30. Had to wake up at 8:30 that morning for the final choir performance. It was not so good for me. I was way too tired.

All in all, I had an epic weekend. It was exciting, busy, and a little hectic, but so much fun. I got to know a few of my choir mates really well, and even made a couple of new friends. It makes me excited that I'm finally starting to meet a lot more people and starting to hang out with people other than my flatmates and Americans. Not that there's anything wrong with my flatmates or the Americans I've met - it's just nice to open up and venture out of my comfort zone.

I am falling in love with New Zealand. I can tell it's going to be painful to leave in June.

Wine-making, Bollywood, & Moeraki Boulders?

What a week.

I had my first wine-making class Tuesday evening. There are about 11 students in the class, and it's being taught by a man who owns a successful vineyard in New Zealand. We are currently making Merlot (I know, delicious). He explained the entire process of making wine - from crushing the grapes, to adding all the ingredients, to the whole process of fermentation. To be honest, it was all very confusing. I couldn't follow it thouroughly. However, we're making 30 L - which will be about 2-3 bottles per person at the end of the semester. Exciting? Yes(!) We meet once more on Tuesday to check on the wine. Then we meet again in May, when it should be ready. During that time, we'll also come up with a name for our class wine and design labels, which Jeff (the instructor) will have professionally done and put on our wine bottles. I know, it's all going to look so legit and cool. We're making our wine completely chemical-free and preservative-free, so the wine will probably only last up until 6 months or so after it's complete. It would have been nice to save the wine for a long time, but I think making it completely natural will be worth it.

We've been having extra choir practices this week. This is because we have four (yes, four) concerts coming up this weekend (yes, this weekend). Friday we head out to Timaru for a concert. Saturday we get back to Dunedin for another concert. Then on Sunday, we have two concerts. I should also add that for two of the concerts, we are singing the second half of The Messiah choruses as well as the Coronation Mass. Yes, rehearsals have been crazy. I feel like I can barely keep up (especially since I haven't sung with a choir in years, and I can't read music). Choir turns out to be one of the highlights of my week, though. Rehearsals are always upbeat, relaxed, and fun. It's an enjoyable experience.

This weekend was exciting. Last night (Saturday), my flatmate Anna and I went out to an Indian restaraunt on George Street (it was amazing), and then went to the Bollywood concert that was put on by the Indian Student Association at Otago. I had never been to any concert like it. The band consisted of Indian students from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. It was their first performance together. I decided I love that Indian style of singing. It's remarkable - the way their voices fluctuate so suddenly and quickly. Combined with the language - it sounds beautiful. It's a style of singing I don't think I could ever have the ability to do. It was a fun time.

Today, Anna and I headed out on a bus to Moeraki to see the famous Moeraki Boulders. They are unusually large and spherical boulders lying along the Koekohe Beach in Moeraki.



Maori legend says the boulders are the remains of eel baskets, calabashes, and kumara washed ashore from the wreck of a large sailing canoe.





They are really quite remarkable. Some of them are nearly perfectly spherical. It's quite a site to see these huge, round boulders sitting along the beach.












After hanging around Moeraki for several hours and walking many kilometers along the beach, we boarded another bus and headed north further along the Otago coast. We had decided to go to Oamaru, even though we weren't sure exactly what the town would have in store for us.

We arrived at about 2:30PM and, being a small town and Sunday, nearly everything was closed (except the bars and the supermarkets - well, there were two supermarkets). We walked around the town center for a bit admiring all the beautiful, historical buildings. Also, there are blue eyed penguin and yellow tailed penguin colonies in Oamaru (one of the things it is highly noted for). We tried to head out to Oamaru's little peninsula area to see something cool, but we weren't allowed (without paying a lot of money to go through a tour). It was okay because we did see this excellent street sign:





The sign was absolutely hilarious to me, but I had to make myself realize that it is completely serious - penguins really do cross there! People need to be careful and look out for them (especially during early morning and early evening).

We wanted to head out to the lookout point on the pensinsula, but that required hiking a massively steep street (I'm thinking this is a recurrent obstacle in New Zealand), and our feet begged us not to, so we listened. We also wanted to look around the Oamaru Public Gardens (it was huge on the map and I could bet it was probably beautiful), but we didn't have time as our bus back to Dunedin was coming soon and we were desperate for food. So Oamaru wasn't as exciting as we had hoped, but it was still a nice, well-needed adventure.

Getting out of the city area of Dunedin feels so good. The bus ride to and from Oamaru was about 3 hours of breathtaking hills, fields, mountains, lakes, and beaches. I constantly had flashbacks to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Everything is so beautiful here. It's amazing.

I know my feet are going to ache for a few days (and my face is going to hurt from the sunburn), but the pain is well worth it.

An Evaluation of my Second Week in Dunedin

This week turned out to be interesting and packed with random activities.

Aside from classes (which have been great), we went out on Tuesday night to St. Lee's, an old church that's been converted into an espresso/dessert cafe. There was a showcase of local musicians, and it turned out to be wonderful. There were about four artists her perfomed acoustically with a guitar, which, really, is my favorite type of performance to watch. There was one artist, Kristin Macdonald, who took my breath away. Her music was absolutely amazing. So powerful, so moving. Her voice was beautiful. Later, we found out she was only 15. I couldn't believe it. She is a lyrical and musical genius. Later the lead singer of a popular local band called Tono and The Finance Company performed an acoustic set, and he was highly amusing. It was great to experience some Dunedin music.

Friday I attended a special lunch event for Pacific Islands Students at Otago. It was so much fun. I actually met another student from Hawaii (she's doing a Master's here) and we exchanged phone numbers. I also connected with a girl from (I believe) the Marshall Islands, and we exchanged numbers too. It was really nice to meet a lot of Pacific Islands students.

Later Friday night, we had our Thanksgiving Flatwarming, which turned out to be a great success. My flatmates and I cooked a lot of food. We made all the typical Thanksgiving foods (minus Turkey) from scratch, and it really took a lot of time and effort. Everyone who came (20+ people) was really impresed with our cooking skills. Also, the kiwis kept making a big deal about baked sweet potatoes covered with melted marshmallows. I think it freaked them out a little, but it was fun.



The kiwis loved Thanksgiving. They even made the Americans sing The Star Spangled banner. Good times.

Yesterday (Saturday) was a gorgeous day in Dunedin. I decided to wander around the area for a bit and ended up going to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens to write some poetry and read Mrs. Dalloway for class.









The Garden was surprisingly gigantic. I don't think I even managed to wander through half of it. There were winding paths and hills leading to various places. Most of the paths looked a little dark and uninviting as they lead into forest area. I decided against wandering those dark, secluded areas by myself (probably a wise choice). I did, however, climb to the top of a hill and found a great view of the hills in North Dunedin.





I sat on a bench for a while and read Mrs. Dalloway. It felt so good to get away from city life for a little bit.

Later that day, my flatmates and I went to a rugby game. It was Otago vs. Canterbury. It was an interesting cultural experience, I suppose, but rugby fans are a bit crazy. Imagine hundreds and hundreds of scarfies [uni students] standing in an area wearing ridiculous clothing, drinking lots of beer, screaming, singing songs, and yelling obscenities at the opposing team. It was chaotic, and a little difficult to pay attention to the game.



I think this may be the perfect segway to discuss the intensity of the uni students here. Walking around Dunedin at night time has turned out to be one of the strangest experiences in my life. Me and my flatmate were at a bus stop at 11PM waiting for the bus that she had lost her wallet on. We watched drunk uni students stumbling, fumbling, running, screaming, singing everywhere. It was a bit startling and overwhelming. Everywhere you go around the city, you will find drunk students partying, throwing glass bottles on the street, screaming obsecenities out of car windows, flashing body parts at strangers. It's scary. Maybe most college towns are like this. However, this was unexpected. I wasn't expecting to come to Dunedin to be harassed and annoyed by swarms of drunk people roaming the streets at night. We were approached by a drunk scarfie who asked us if we were Americans. We didn't answer, and he replied with, "F*** America." It was the first time I've experienced any sort of Anti-American sentiment since I've been in the country. The bus never came and we left shortly after.

So far, I've gotten a negative impression of kiwi uni students. I know not all the students here are insane, but it seems like a great deal of them are.

I just don't fit in with that sort of crowd. I couldn't spend all four years of university at a school like this. It makes me thankful that I go to a small school like Concordia where crazy events like last night are an extreme rarity.

The first few days of papers

I think this semester is going to rock.

I love all my papers [classes].

Monday I had only one paper - Literature and Gender. At least five minutes into the course, I decided it was going to be amazing and I am going to love it. The professor seems wonderful. She's intelligent, and very passionate about the subject; she also just had a book published about modernity and gender in modern novels. Also, here is our reading list for the semester: Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, To The North by Elizabeth Bowen, The Hours by Michael Cunningham, and Saturday by Ian McEwan. These are books I've heard are good and have wanted to read (sometime or another), but never got around to doing so. I'm excited that I'll be reading them. I've already started Mrs. Dalloway and the writing is excellent.

Yesterday (Tuesday) I had New Zealand Art from the 1890's - 1970's. The professor seems a little weird, and maybe a tad bit boring, but the subject matter is fascinating, although, unfortunately, we won't be looking very much at Maori art history.

Today was a full day. I had Lit and Gender at 11 again, immediately followed by 2 hours of Irish poetry, then a one hour break, then 2 hours of Religion in Popular Culture. Irish Poetry is very small (about 12 students). It's taught by two professors - one a kiwi, the other from Scotland. The latter had a wonderful accent, but it was a bit difficult to understand sometimes, since the accent was very strong. Religion is very small (8 students), but very fascinating. I'm excited about it. We'll be looking at how different forms of media (movies, television, graphic novels) depict religion and examining how religion may use the media to teach. I just love that it's a religion class that isn't based on Christianity. We'll be looking at several different perspectives, which seems interesting.

I think my favorite thing about all my classes is that they are being taught from a perspective that counters any perspective in which I've been taught before, in the sense that the perspective is completely non-American. I love seeing what it may be like to look at society and the world around us through a non-American perspective. Further, it wll be interesting to look at America from a non-American perspective.

This is so cool.

Teaching in New Zealand universities is structured differently from teaching in America - at least teaching structure I've been accustomed to at Concordia. Once or twice a week - depending on the paper - there is a lecture. Then at a different time during the week, students attend tutorials. This is when students meet to have discussions. Large papers are divided into many small tutorial groups and smaller classes simply meet at a different time to discuss the lecture and reading materials. Also, the tutorial is often led by an upperclassmen or a graduate student knowledgeable in the area. Also, most classes don't have very many assessments for grading - just one or two major essays per semester and a final exam.

In other news, we are having a Thanksgiving dinner at our house, mainly for my kiwi housemate who has never experienced the amazing-ness of a Thanksgiving meal, being from NZ and all. We're having a few other kiwis over and they seem excited about it. It should be fun.

Hopefully we'll do something epic this weekend so I'll have more great pictures to post for you.