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I go home in less than a month now, which is a weird thought because New Zealand is feeling more and more like home to me. By the time I'm done with college, I'll feel like home could be any number of places I've been--Los Angeles is certainly a home, New Zealand is home, Israel felt like home in a different kind of way, and Vancouver is certainly home. College life seems to put you in a constant state of liminality, but I feel like I'm just now beginning to appreciate that instead of get frustrated by it.

After stressing hardcore on a hugeas essay I had to write (they call papers here essays, and courses are called papers, so 'I write an essay for my media paper'...complicated. Plus, if you say "paper" to refer to essays, they get really confused), I turned it in on Friday and spent the rest of the day gloating about being done. I went to the Saturday Market on Saturday really early (read: 8:00 AM) and got this delicious extra-sharp cheddar cheese (I am so sick of edam cheese...it's all my flat buys! Why don't they see the joy that is simple cheddar cheese?!) and tried to buy challah, but the baker was out. We bought flat veggies and fruits and then I stopped off at this giant book sale going on. It's held at this huge theater in the Octagon (our downtown area) and benefits a local charity. It's this GIANT collection of cheapas books, all $3 or less, and it's open 24/7! It's like the best thing ever. I got a trashy mystery novel that looks like a John Grisham wannabe from the 70s and a scandalous story about a pool boy and a murder in the neighborhood. It looks like good reading to entertain me when I just can't study for exams anymore, and I can always read it on the plane. After stopping for delicious filter coffee, I decided to reward my huge amount of activity before 10:30 AM by watching movies, napping, and cooking all day long. Sounds like a good day to me.

Today we went down to the Catlins, the southernmost part of the South Island. Just driving down there is an incredible experience--the hills are lush and rolling, everything is green, there's sheep everywhere (so what else is new? Sheep DOMINATE New Zealand), there were cows on the road being herded to a new place, there's really still ponds with the reflections of the mountains...it's absolutely gorgeous. We started off at Cathedral Caves, this giant, open cave right by the ocean. It really does look like a cathedral, the ceiling is full of cool designs from all the rocks, and the sides have this bright purple rock. It's awesome. You can only get out there during low-tide and we were there a little early, so we had to run across the water and get our feet a little wet. Plus, once we were in the cave, the water kept gushing in and we had to outrun it.

After that, we drove to this petrified forest right near the Very Southernmost Tip of New Zealand That's Closest to Antarctica which has been there for 160 MILLION YEARS. That's the Jurrasic Period! There's all these tree trunks and stumps that are petrified in rock, and even some plant prints. It's mind-blowing to think that I was touching something that's been around for 160 million years. 160 million is a number that I use to exaggerate things, like "it's about -160 million degrees in my flat," or "I just ate my weight times 160 million in Tim Tams," not a real number of years that things have been around! I can't even comprehend that much time.

We saw a few waterfalls (been there, done that), and then drove out to Jake's Blowhole. It's a 55 meter deep cavern with a 200 meter canal that leads to the ocean and the water just sweeps in this blowhole and crashes and booms so loudly. It was quite cool, though slightly nerve-wracking after we determined that if you fell in, you were definitely whale food.

Finally, we finished off the day at Nugget Point, this spit of land that has a lighthouse on it and is named after these giant boulders that stick out of the ocean that look like gold nuggets. All of the Catlins has this real rugged feeling to it, and walking to the lighthouse, you walk along a beach with crashing waves, jagged rocks, and really steep cliffs. It's incredibly powerful and beautiful and one of the nicest, most natural parts of New Zealand we've been to.

Now, it's back to real life for me...I have a final presentation to give tomorrow, a final exam to take on Wednesday, and the West Coast and glaciers to hit up next weekend! Despite my looming exams, I am so ridiculously happy here that I can't even be bothered to worry or stress too much about the upcoming academic pressures.

Loooooooove to everybody at home!


Nugget Point lighthouse at dusk.

The purple rock along the sides of Cathedral Cave.

Spit overlooking the petrified forest with the Pacific Ocean against it.

Gladys the Gladiator, our trusted mode of transport, gleaming against the rolling hills of the South Island.

Jake's Blowhole with the water gushing in from the ocean.

The outside of the cave--note the water along the beach that we had to wade through.

Looking out to the water from the inside of the cave.

Awkward picture of me standing on top of 160 million year old trees. Patrick was trying to get the waves spraying in the background, hence the bored look.

Petrified forest! Even though it just looks like boring rocks.

Crashing waves against fossilised rock.

Petrified tree trunk!

Proof that I really actually go to school here and not just travel the entirety of the South Island:

I have stayed home this weekend to do homework instead of going to Stewart Island to go backpacking. I decided it wasn't worth spending from $250-300 for a 3-day backpacking trip, and I decided that the urgency of my upcoming essay due Friday and my test on Wednesday demand that I stay home. I actually got a decent amount done, and had plenty of time to lounge around.

I am slowly falling in love with Paul Simon's album Graceland. We're studying the tracks Homeless and Under African Skies in my world music class, and he does some really cool stuff on there. We have a test CD and we're required to know the title and artist of all the tracks, as well as be able to discuss the instrumentation and the social implications of the pieces. Some are really easy to recognize (Bob Marley's Exodus, anyone?) but I keep getting the Javanese and the Balinese gamelan pieces mixed up. We have some cool music from Zimbabwe using a mbira (thumb string piano) and a Japanese salsa band. It's pretty sweet.

Oh, and a quick brag session: I applied to be an Alumni Ambassador at Oxy, and got the position! I'll be attending various student/alumni events and working with the Student/Alumni Relations Committee to present the most accurate student views of Oxy today. It's an exciting time to do this, especially with the opening of the new dorm and a new president at Oxy, and I'm jazzed to participate.

Since I don't have new adventure pictures from this weekend, I thought I'd share some more from last weekend.

Panorama view from the peak of the McKinnon Pass.

Dan and me by Sutherland Falls, the tallest waterfall in all of NZ.

Dan, me, and Patrick with the mountains in the background--check out the rainbow in the background as well!

Pretty waterfall along the way.

The last stream crossing we made before reaching Sandfly Point, the end of the track.

Good coffee has returned to my life

So one would think that Otago, a university of over 25,000 students, would be prepared for students to be freezing in their flats and need a warm space to study, but noooo--all the study spaces are constantly taken, half of them by students who aren't even physically using the space but have saved it by placing their textbooks, readings, computers, backpacks, whatever in the chairs so that no real student can come use it. It's desperately annoying. Also, their collection of books is severely lacking. I have a giant list of books that I want to reference in my paper, and only two were at the library, and only available for checkout for two hours. So irritating. The one time I want to use the library for research and it's not even helpful! I requested a few books from the Wellington Uni library, but who knows if they'll come in time to be useful for my paper.

The other day for my music class we had an African drumming workshop which was really cool. We learned a couple West African rhythms on the djembe and even synched them with some other ones on different types of drums. I think I want to find a drum circle somewhere with a spare drum and join in, Folklife-style. Maybe in my next life I'll come back as a wandering musician who joins drum circles everywhere and only showers a few times a year.

Yesterday was the capping show, which is an annual show for the upcoming graduates. It's hard to describe, but it's kind of a combination between Mr. Hudson's Bay (a fundraiser where senior boys dance around and perform "talents," to raise money for cancer research), Saturday Night Live sketches, and a comedy show. They had the girls and boys a capella groups (the Sextet and the Sexytet) perform, and all the boys from a freshman residence hall performed a ballet complete with see-through tutus and tight briefs. The whole show was extremely edgy, mildly offensive, and very college-oriented. It poked fun at local advertising on TV, school administration, the campus security, and various hick-towns around the South Island all while revolving around a Batman theme. I went with Jess and Jane, my kiwihosts, which was a good idea since they were able to explain a lot of the stuff that I didn't get.

Today I went out for breakfast at this place called The Governor's for the sole purpose of finding filter coffee. I am sick of paying upwards of $4 for a basic latte or long black, and all of NZ coffee is espresso-based, making it really expensive. Governor's has filter coffee for $1.60 and refills for $1! I was so jazzed. I can get 3 cups of coffee for the price of one ordinary one from another coffee place. I'm definitely going back soon, I've missed good coffee in my life.

Oh, and one morsel of joy: we made pizzas last night, and mine was delicious. Think whole wheat crust, tomato/garlic/basil sauce, mozzarella cheese, roasted pumpkin, pineapple, red pepper, onion, spinach, broccoli, garlic salt, mixed herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil along the crust. SO GOOD. Just let that sit in your mind for a bit.

Don't hold your horses

I have returned from the Milford Track and have survived all 53 kilometers of it. I wish I could properly describe the absolute picturesque nature of the track. It is the quintessential New Zealand tramp, and has earned every ounce of that title. It encompasses so much of New Zealand in one area: it has tons of flowing waterfalls, incredible plants and greenery, rivers to ford, huge looming mountains to climb, peaceful lakes in hidden spaces, grand open plains, giant rocks and boulders, friendly backpackers wherever you look--this has easily made my top three coolest weekends in New Zealand (I refuse to pick favorites, but this is awfully close).

We left Dunedin on Thursday afternoon and spent the night in Te Anau at a quiet backpackers. It was Dan's 21st birthday, so we ate dinner at a sports bar in Te Anau and prepared for the next day. We got up super-early on Friday to park our car at the DOC and took a boat from Te Anau Downs out to the starting point of the track. It was raining on the boatride so I got nervous that it would be raining the whole time, but when we started out it was just drizzling. The whole first day, we hiked along a winding river. We condensed the track and hiked the first two days in one, so we hiked past Clinton Hut and onto the next one. We had gorgeous views the whole time of the looming mountains with fresh snow on top and open plains. The last two hours were uphill, and we finally got to the hut right before nightfall. After some delicious tramping dinner of pre-packaged pumpkin and garlic ravioli, we called it a night at 8. Since there's no electricity, there's really nothing to do and everybody just goes to sleep!

Day 2 was the coolest day by far--we hiked up the McKinnon Pass, up past the treeline and into the snow! We had snowball fights all the way up and stopped a number of times to marvel at the absolutely breathtaking views. The view from the top was just stunning--we were standing knee-deep in snow, staring at the mountain peaks surrounding you at eye level and just breathing in fresh mountain air. There were some frozen ice lakes that were so beautiful and some seriously awesome scenery. We even saw an avalanche happen on a nearby mountain. It was incredibly sobering, and we decided we should probably get down the mountain quickly. It's harder to do when you're sludging through slush and snow, though, and I definitely did the splits a few times slipping down in the snow. After crossing a few streams and rivers, we heard this booming, thunderous sound echoing throughout the canyon and looked over to see this giant rockslide down the face of another nearby mountain. It was so loud and so consuming, it was absolutely crazy. We hiked down the rest of the mountain on onto Sutherland Falls, the tallest waterfall in all of New Zealand. We put down our packs and hiked out about an hour out there to see all its splendor. It created a huge amount of wind, and the spray stung our faces with the cold wind. By the time we got back to our packs, it had started raining and we had to hike the last hour in the rain. Back at Dumpling Hut, we dried off by the fire (there was dry wood there! Yesss!) and ate dinner. Everybody else was in the same predicament--drying off their clothes, trying to get warm by the fire, it was a really cozy environment.

Day 3, we hiked along the side of the mountain to Sandfly Point, where a boat came and picked us up. We saw the usual--luscious greenery, booming waterfalls, crossed avalanche paths, climbed over fallen trees and rockslides, walked through streams and rivers, and breathed in the sight of those giant snow-capped mountains--you know, no big deal. 53 kilometers of awesome sights. It's such an incredible place to be, and I feel small even trying to put into words the sights we took in.

All in all, it was one of the coolest weekends of the entire semester, and definitely worth all the time it's taking to recover! I'm nursing two blisters, some seriously sore muscles, and some really wet clothing and supplies. Now it's back to the usual grind of school, papers, exams, and all that comes with being back in Dunedin. It's Janey's 23rd birthday today, so we're heading out to Moeraki for a birthday dinner (I'm off the hook for cooking tonight!) and celebrations out there. Should be a good time!

Big hugs to everybody at home, lovelovelove!

Pictures:

Patrick, me, and Dan by a waterfall on Day 3, about 29 miles in.

Patrick, me, and Dan at the peak of McKinnon Pass.

Day 1: the plains with the river we followed. Check out those snowy peaks in the background.

The sun cresting over the peak of the mountain we climbed up, day 2.

A frozen pond at the top of the mountain.

Dan, Patrick, and me at a different spot, about to head down the face of the mountain again.

Trees reflecting on Hidden Lake, day 2.

my new favorite fashion statement

I forgot to mention in my last post my latest habit of wearing my Birkenstocks with socks on. Ordinarily, I would be appalled at myself--socks with sandals? What am I, a middle-aged tourist? However, the freezing weather demands socks, and in my excitement in going to Oz before here, I overpacked on the sandals end and underpacked on the sneakers end. Either way, I don't like wearing tie-shoes, and I love slipping on shoes, and I always wear socks around the house, resulting in the disaster that is Birks with socks. I tried to legitimize it by telling myself I really only did it when walking down the corner to the convenience store or to a friend's flat, but I found myself doing homework in the library with them on the other day, and I even went to class like that! I am a walking fashion disaster! Not that New Zealanders are much better--everybody wears these silly boots with kitten heels and these hideous black puffy jackets with really tight jeans. Nobody seems to understand the beauty of just simple hoodies and t-shirts. Oh, and way too many guys rock the mullets and short-shorts, even in the dead of winter! So my socks and sandals are looking better by the minute.

Evan says everybody in Vermont does it, so I'm considering saying that everybody in Washington does it too.

I am conditioning my hair to behave

I have nothing to announce except that I got conditioner for the first time since I was like 10 and I now have no tangles and my hair is smooth and slightly less frizzy.

I'm going on a four-day tramp through Milford Sound (I'm such a tramper) and it's going to be freezing cold. It's supposed to be done in four days but because we're hardcore and because I'm going with two boys, we're going to try to do it in three days. I'm a little nervous for my legs (I'm going to be DEAD by the time we're done), for my fingers (those are the first to freeze if you get frostbite), and for the lack of tea that I'll be experiencing during those four days. I've grown accustomed to drinking four cups of tea or hot water with lemon a day, and I'm sorely going to miss that on the trail. I started packing my stuff and could barely lift my backpack, so I think my tradition of sorely overpacking is going to bite me. I think I just need to get used to the idea that no matter what, I'm going to be cold at night and just suck it up and not pack three thousand sweatshirts.

Last night Evan made pumpkin pie and it was like tasting Thanksgiving in a pie. It was so good. We also heated the lounge (yessssss!!!) and watched Arrested Development for two hours, so it was a good night, AND I figured out that if I stuff my hot water bottle between my sweatshirt and my coat, it really heats me up. I finally finished my term paper too, so after my next class, I'll officially be done with that and just need to present my project and take the final! It's a good day.

I'm off to research the American Jewish community's diasporic relationship with Israel and discuss how that is negotiated by modern forms of American media, mainly online forums. Once I motivate myself to leave and go into the cold to walk to the library, I feel like my research will really catch fire.

Lots of love, and lots of jealousy to those that are finishing up with school for the year!

A recap of the really witty entry I had written but that got erased

I had a big long post all written up, but it got lost in the posting process and now it's gone. It basically gushed about how much I love being here, I discussed how I basically laid around in bed and watched movies all weekend, and I talked a lot about some really good food I've been eating. I complained about how cold it is everywhere here (I can always see my breath in my flat, it's consistently warmer outside than inside, and it's about 2 degrees now) and I discussed ways of staying warm (hot water bottles, about seven hot drinks a day, cuddling with friends under the covers, and wearing about six layers at a time until you're so bundled up, you practically waddle everywhere and your mobility is decreased by about a ten-factor).

I talked about how Alice's parents are here in NZ and how we went out to Oamaru to meet up with them and saw the Elephant Rocks, these really sweet rocks in the middle of nowhere, and how we tried to see the blue-eyed penguins (NZ is really a lot closer to Antarctica than you think it is) but how her parents ditched out because they were too jet-lagged.

I talked about how I got to work with a seven-year -old and made the cutest mural of farm animals, played with bubbles, chalk, and balloons outside, and got class credit and will do my term project on it. I think I spent a lot of time describing my project, but it was probably pretty boring so I'll skip that part.

I'm sure there was more to it, but I forgot what else.

I made stuffed bell peppers for dinner today and they were really good. I went to the gym and worked out where I felt hot for the first time in months and appreciated the cold air coming in through the open windows. Then I got in the shower and saw steam coming off me when I got out in the freezing air. I just can't win.

Lots of love to everybody at home, if you have sun shining appreciate it because some of us are freezing our tucheses off!