Week #3

Well this week went by fast. I had lectures and tutorials, nothing too interesting. Tutorials take the original lecture class and break it into groups of 20-30 people for a closer learning experience. It gives everyone a chance to ask questions and go over the lectures. Anyway, any time I speak up in tutorials (which is a lot) I get funny looks or you can tell people are paying more attention b/c of my accent. It is pretty funny, but also a little intimidating. I also don't know if my questions are because of cultural differences or good questions. No one has complained so far. I have been doing homework in the evenings, planning our two week holiday, and reading Harry Potter. I have to make deals with myself so I make sure I get my homework done. Not good!

Thursday we had a pot luck at Railway Campus. Leigh and I made peanut butter blossoms. SOOOO GOOD!!! everybody loved them. There was lots of good food again and someone made sloppy joes. A girl from Western Europe, but English isn'ther first language and I don't think she is German, saw the sloppy joes and referenced "It Takes Two" an Olsen Twins movie. Nora and I have wached that movie tons of time, probably our first pre teen chick flick! Anyway, no one knew what the girl was talking about until I finally clued in. She wanted to know if they were the same thing from the movie! There is a scene in the movie when one of the twins stuffs her face with a sloppy joe. It was really funny. I told her they were, but later realized the ones at the pot luck were really spicy. So later I went back and told her that the ones I normally eat and ones for kids are not normally spicy. Our cookies were gone really fast, but Leigh and I had our own individual plates in our room.

Friday I don't have class. I was supposed to do tons of homework this day but really didn't get any done. I met Leigh and Victoria for lunch at the Railway Cafe and we were joined by a couple other people. The cafe is good, I had a burger! They put carrots on it, I felt like I had a whole salad within my bun. It was still very good. Then We went out to go by base travel to ask some questions about renting cars on the south island. Across the street from Railway there is another little cafe. I check every day to see what the muffin special is because I promised myself I can stop and get a muffin if I have money and it is a kind I would like. So far they have had pinapple and chocolat chip, passion fruit and banana, banana choc chip, and some others. I never have money with me!!! or I am in too much of a rush, but on Friday they had a strawberry jam muffin and I had money. It is the little things in life. I also went for a long run in the afternoon. I decided it is a thing-to-do for people to yell at runners along the bay. I had two carloads of people yell at me and scare me. One was a group of Asian tourists screaming What's UP!!! I told some other students and they confirmed my idea of it being the thing to do.

Friday night a group of us went to an International Food Banquet held by the church I am attending. We took the bus up town and got there almost an hour early, so we walked around for a bit. After walking in one direction for a ways, we came to a sketch part of town with people smoking who knows what and strip clubs, so I made everyone turn around. I told them I refused to walk past a strip club and everyone laughed and agreed with me. haha! We went the other way and found a music store with a live band. Basically unless you are eating or doing some sketchy activities, all of Auckland closes down at 7 or 8PM. We made it back to the banquet at the correct time. They set up tables in an arcade, which seemed more like a mall or shopping area above an arcade. There were closed shops all around and the tables were facing a big window that looked out at the Sky Tower. There was a stage in front of the window prepared for live music. It was dark, but every table had candles. The food was also great! I think it was mostly Asian food. One dish was Indian and another may have been Malaysian. Really good food. We walked back after the dinner instead of taking the bus. The picture includes Victoria and Riley, both from the States. Victoria is one of the girls I will be traveling with a lot.

Today was awesome!!! The Arcadia group met Kate (our coordinator) at 10 to go to the West Coast Beaches. She stopped on the way so we could get some fruit at a stand. I got a Nima, a cross between an apple and a pear. It was good, but supposedly mine was not totally ripe or soemthing. We went to Maori Bay and it was beautiful. Lots of pictures and we walked around. Everyone brought a lunch and Kate had something so we could make a fire and have tea. It was pretty funny. She also had buscuits for us! Chocolate chip cookies for those not up to kiwi lingo. Then we walked down the other side of the bay on the beach. Some of us rolled up our pants and took off our shoes so we could frolic in the water. The Tasman Sea!!! I got a few shells and they are sitting in my windowsil right now. We went to Kate's house after leaving the beach to make a Pavlova. A traditional kiwi dessert. It is a white, fluffy, cream cake that you add cream and fruit to. A lot like a marange. She also cooked some tamarillos for us to try because most of us didn't know what they are. She is sending us the pavlova recipe, the fool proof version, and I am going to make it at home sometime.

That about wraps up this week! I hope everyone is doing well. Thank you all for your emails and responses. I am sorry I haven't gotten around to replying. I am not totally sure what to tell you other than what I have already written. But I wanted you all to know I am loving the responses I am getting and I am so happy I did this to keep up with everyone. I am glad you are all enjoying it. Oh! and due to popular demand, I am including a few more pictures with myself in them. Not too many though because I think those aren't the good ones.