Life as a student abroad - 08/24/2013

For the most part I still live the life of a normal student. I have a roommate, I go to class and spend some time in the library (although not that much). I even had a short period of time two weeks ago where I really truly felt like I was a student at school in the U.S. It was a Thursday night and I stayed up pretty late finishing a lab report that was due the next day. I was in a time crunch and I had to sit myself down and get it done. This is the only time so far that I have had this experience in New Zealand. Then, of course, the next morning someone in my apartment building set the fire alarm off at 7a.m. I felt like I was living in a freshman dorm all over again. All those familiar aspects of school and life back in the U.S were completely erased by 11 am that morning, when I left campus in search of my rental wetsuit (aka my official New Zealand uniform) so I could go white water rafting the next day.  Then I spent the afternoon with a friend strolling through a suburb of Auckland, buying honey and going into book stores.  Not a typical day for a US college student, but another typical New Zealand day for me.

I have my struggles though, being in a new city and in a new country. The grocery store is the main one, my nemesis!  I have been here for about 5 weeks now and I still get completely overwhelmed, and never really find what I am looking.  I admit, it’s not even like they speak a different language here, and I never expected what should be a simple task to be so difficult. Another struggle I have has nothing to do with Auckland, but the damn dryer in our apartment just cannot dry clothes. I have been doing laundry all day because it takes about 200 minutes for clothes to dry. 

160 twice for the possibility of dry clothes  

I am also dealing with what I like to call “big school syndrome”. I never realized how good I had it at Wake Forest, until I tried to accomplish the simplest of tasks here at the University of Auckland, like printing. Everything is spread out between fifty million offices and people, that you can never quite seem to find. So if any of my Wake friends are reading this, stop and think about what some people deal with at big schools, because when you think it is taking forever to get something accomplished or it is being done the hard way, I can assure you it’s not! I love the change-up for the semester, and it has allowed me to fully appreciate what I have at a smaller university.

Even though I keep some of the normality of being a student, my life here is so different and I love it! I am taking trips or exploring almost every weekend. I was feeling homesick on Friday, all my friends were headed back to Wake, or to where they will study abroad, and my Facebook page was rolling by with posts. I quickly got over it the next day though,when I went cave tubing to see the glow worms. I also get to participate in an awesome internship as part of my schooling. The people I work with are amazing and brilliant and I am so lucky to work with them. While I had a moment, missing my friends and my "normal" world, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything! 

Black Water Rafting - 08/24/2013

Saturday I went black water rafting. I'm sensing a trend - my semester of wet suits. I think one of these 5 mil numbers has become my official uniform of New Zealand. I seem to go swimming a lot in a country that never has warm water...  Go figure.

This rafting took place on inner tubes in the Wiatomo caves. It was a long day trip with a total of about 6 hours on a bus, but it was completely worth it! To start out the tour we had to do a test jump with our tube to simulate the waterfall we would be jumping off of in the caves. I volunteered to go first because, um,  why not? We all have to jump at some point or another. Then we started the trek downward, to 216 feet beneath the earth’s surface! To say the water in the cave was cold is an understatement, but we kept warm by moving along through caves and trying not to slip or hit our heads on stalactites. Just an average day... Then we reached the waterfall. Jumping off the waterfall, backwards, in a dark cave, definitely gets the heart pumping!

Then we floated down the river with our lights off and got look at the glow worms. It's actually the worms' poop that cause them to glow, so, it's a very good idea to keep your mouth shut while looking up. BUT, poop aside, it is one of the coolest things to observe and words just can’t describe. At the end of the tour we got to play my favorite game, find your way out of the pitch black cave by following the green exit lights (aka glow worm poop).  And that's the straight poop on black water rafting.

There were some moments where the people in front of you would get their tube stuck while floating but we all made it out. The bus back to Auckland did not leave until the evening so we had some time to kill in the very small town of Wiatomo. I looked at some cows and beautiful scenery, had some wine at a café, and played on a swing set. It was an action packed, yet strangely relaxing Saturday.  Just another day in New Zealand.

White Water Rafting, Auckland Fish Market, and Rangitoto - 08/19/2013

On Saturday the 17th I hopped in a van with other University of Auckland Students in the canoe club and made my way to Okere Falls on the Kiatuna River! Along the way we stopped for breakfast in Hobbiton, or its real name Matamata. Despite the information center shaped like a hobbit house I actually thought that real name of the town was Hobbiton and did not think twice about it, which shows how much I know about Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit.

Once we got to the river it was time to start getting the rafts ready and wet suits on. This was no ordinary wetsuit, and it took 10 minutes to put on. It was the thickest thing I have ever had to put on in my entire life. I can imagine that it was amusing to watch. Then it started to rain, and then hail while we were getting our safety briefing, which was brief in true New Zealand style. You would think the hail would make things less fun but it just ramped up the intensity of the class 4 rapid river! Though, once we got on the water the sun was out again. By the time we got to the main event of the river - a 7 meter water fall - our boat guide told us he had the best success rate out of anyone for not flipping the raft, 25%... Gulp!  Well, we did not flip but we still got fully submerged in the freezing cold water, and it was AWESOME! Towards the end of the run our guide had we two girls sit at the front of the raft. We were not really sure what for, until they submerged the front of the boat in a mini water fall. We did not see that coming...

One of the best things about doing this through the University club and not a commercial organization, besides meeting a bunch of new people, was that you got to raft the river twice. On the second run the raft did flip on the waterfall and my paddle nailed me in the forehead, but it was okay because I was too numb to notice! I did have to ice it later that day at the only café for miles, and it left a nice little battle wound. I also had really good hot chocolate so that made everything better. We headed back to Auckland that evening and I was asleep in bed by 9:30. I was exhausted after a fun day! Just another day in New Zealand.

The next day I head to the Auckland Fish Market in the morning on my way to the ferry landing. It smelled really gross in there but it was really cool to go around and look at all the different fish. I was talking to my dad about the market the next day and told him I saw live eel for 20 NZD and his response was "that's expensive". That was one of those moments where I just laughed to myself because that was common knowledge to him. 

After the Market it was time to take the short ferry ride over to Rangitoto. The weather was perfect, it was 65 and sunny. The hike to the top was a lot after a day of rafting but so worth the tired legs. These were the best views of the city I have seen since my time in Auckland and probably the best I will see the whole time I am here! To say the least I had a busy weekend! 

First day on the job! - 08/05/2013

I was a little nervous and not sure how my first day was going to go, especially after I had left my apartment and walked not even a block before I realized that my shoes where making my weekend trophy sand flea bites really itchy, but I did not have time to go back and change. Upon arriving I met most of team and they gave me a little tour, which included the kitchen.  Normally I wouldn't comment on the kitchen tour, but it has the MOST spectacular view of the Auckland harbor! I  thought to myself “I could get used to working here!” In the morning I read a few articles about an ongoing study one of team members is working on. It is about developing an algorithm to predict recovery of motor function in arms after stroke. Is not every day you can just walk into a project like that! I feel very fortunate to be working with a team of people who are working on some amazing projects. 

I was amazed by how after only a few hours I was really starting to feel like one of team members and not just an intern, even though I am still doing intern work, like having the age-old battle with stupid copier machine. At lunch time everyone sat down together which was really nice, and apparently the norm. We talked about places to go in Auckland, our dogs, and about upcoming travels. I also learned that they all run together in the Auckland Domain on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So tomorrow I will be taking a nice run with the people I work with. This is something that would never have crossed my mind to do with the people I have interned/worked for in the United States. Work relationships are just different here, and I LIKE it.  In the afternoon I got down to the business of fact checking.  Part of my responsibilities this semester are to check and note the facts and timing of studies that are being reviewed for a paper.  The study hypothesizes that most rehabilitation trials are not being done at the right time after a stroke has occurred, so fact checking is actually an important task. I have only been here one day, and I already feel so welcome, and so involved with a team doing some very cool research. 

Auckland Domain

My Weekend North - 08/05/2013

My weekend in the Northland, Bay of Islands area, was a weekend full of activities and I have the bruises, cuts and sore muscles to prove it! Friday morning we hopped onto a bus and started north. We did not stop very many places along the way because a rain storm came through. After lunch we stopped in Kawakawa to use the public restrooms because they were designed by the Austrian artist, Hundertwasser. At first I thought this was a weird stop to be making, but it was very cool because the rest of the town has started to mimic the style of the restrooms.

From there we made a pit stop at some natural thermal springs while it was still raining outside so it made the warmth of the pools even better. After giving ourselves a spa treatment and having our bodies, swimsuits and clothes smell of sulfur we headed to Paihia, where we would be staying overnight. 

That evening, as a group, we went to the local pub next door and participated in some good old fashion karaoke, which was highly entertaining.  The next morning we started nice and early and hopped on a ferry over to Russel, which used to be known as the hell-hole of the Pacific, but now it’s a cute little town. While there we got a tour of the Pompallier house, which blew my mind because so many sayings from current times come from printing workshops like this one.  We also tried to learn how to count to 7 in the Maori language. Don’t ask me how because I cannot remember for the life of me. 

In the afternoon a few of us decided to take the free bikes the hostel offered us and ride up to the view point on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. It was a nice little hike on the one gear bike but so worth it. Later it was time to go kayaking around a waterfall where my parnter and I flipped our kayak 5 times into the freezing cold water!  I blame three of those times on the power of the moving and unpredictable water, but for the other two, I place the blame squarely on my partner's warped sense of humor.  It was a nice and chilly afternoon. (In this video you can see us flip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzihTOQWs90&feature=share&list=UUAF06aDOSnrh-no8IdCQaew )  

It took hours for me to get my body temperature back to normal. The next day we headed back to Auckland, with a stop in Opononi to go sand boarding on boogie boards.  It was so much fun; you would run and slide down the dunes into the water.  A few of us even tried standing on our boogie boards on the smaller dunes.  My first attempt? I fell straight on my butt about half way down, but after that I was able to go without falling! We explored around the dunes and then it was time to get back on the bus and head back to Auckland, but not without a stop at the Waipoua Kauri Forest to visit the largest tree in New Zealand. While there we also got to eat a plant which tasted a lot like cucumbers. Once we arrived back in Auckland I had to figure out how to use the washing machine in our apartment which was like reading hieroglyphics! One of the coolest thing about this weekend is that I have now given myself Maori name – Rahaka – which means sundance. Just another day in New Zealand.

The adventure continues - 07/29/2013

So I am now into my second week of classes here at the University of Auckland. I start my internship at the Centre for Brain Research next Monday, so look out for a post after my first day. This week I am still getting myself settled into a new routine of combining classes, sightseeing and travel. This upcoming weekend I will be making a trip Northland with my study abroad program and last weekend we did a day trip through different areas around Auckland. 

On Saturday morning we hopped onto a bus that took us out to the Mission Bay area on the east coast of Auckland where you can see the local beaches, flat water, and Volcanos off in the distance, like Rangitoto. From there we went to Mount Eden, the tallest volcano in Auckland, and took in the incredible panoramic view of the entire city. 

The next stop was a little further out west to the Cascade Kauri regional park. This park gives you an idea of what New Zealand looked like before people arrived… there were lots of trees! The kauri trees are massive and can live to be 25,000 years old (no that is not a typo). After being completely struck by the beauty of the Kauri trees and silver ferns we headed further west to Lake Wainamu. To get to the lake you have to walk a good distance through volcanic ash dunes. It was some of the softest sand I have felt. A few brave others and I decided to throw on our swimming costumes in the middle of winter and test out the water.  It lasted about 30 seconds; This was the coldest water I have ever felt! My body experienced a little bit of shock therapy, and I was breathing heavy for thirty minutes. 

After getting back into some warm clothes it was time to go jumping off the sand dunes. The first time was frightening until you realized that the sand was so loose and soft that landing did not hurt! I am always a little more worried about throwing my body off things in New Zealand, after all, they were the ones who invented jumping off a bridge with just a bungee cord tied to your ankles. Not my idea of safe or fun! 

To get back to the bus we waded through an almost-dry river bed with amazing green scenery all around.  Wading through ice-cold water, backpack on, boots tied to the pack, with wet hair and a wadded up wet bathing suit in my pack, I felt like the intrepid traveler. 

The last stop was all the way west to Bethells beach where the size of the waves and number of breaks made me stop in my tracks. The contrast between the west and east coast was just astonishing. While there we explored a cave where a local acapella group was singing in the caves, complete with a guitar! Only in New Zealand. It was an amazing day and a perfect start to my time here in New Zealand. My legs are still sore though!  

A Whirlwind of Activity - 07/23/2013

I have been in Auckland now for 5 days and I think I have walked anywhere from 20 to 25 miles, and my blisters have blisters. Walking to some of my classes can take me 20 minutes, which is something that I am not used to.  In the US I go to a university where it takes me 10 minutes tops to walk form one end of campus to the other. I love the change though, and my feet will toughen up... I hope!
I arrived a day earlier than most of the people on my study abroad program so the first day I wandered the city trying to get my bearings. It didn't work... I still don't really know where I am going and I walk around with a map since my phone in New Zealand looks like my very first phone - no google maps for me! Its a stupid phone and very very far from a smart phone. That night I had dinner down on the harbor with some other people who also arrived early. It was not a bad place to be!

The second day I moved in to where I will be staying for the semester. There was a short orientation in the morning and a group lunch, then it was time to go buy all the things we could not stuff into our suitcases, and some storage units for the rooms. Everything in Auckland is pretty much on one main road, Queen street. You either walk up it or down it, as in uphill or downhill. I prefer down. A group of us had bought extra Ikea type storage and had to put it on a cart and push it up Queen street to where we live. It was quite a sight, and we had to bring the cart back down Queen street to get our ID's back from the store. If our accents did not already give us away as Americans, these shenanigans sure did.

My third day was a little less walking but I had to put together the storage units and that was a job in and of itself. I now know for sure that I will never be a carpenter! That night we had a group dinner in a restaurant that had lamps and chairs hanging upside down from the ceiling. All the restaurants in Auckland have very unique and cool atmospheres.

Monday was the first day of classes and in the afternoon a bunch of us went to the school club fair where I signed up for the canoeing club, tramping (hiking) club, and photography club. I felt like a freshman again because everything was so new and exciting. Here is the release form I signed for the canoe club (its really rafting).  Read it all the way through, it will make you day.  Just another day in New Zealand...

When it came time to go to my first class I had to give myself an hour because I had no idea where I was going and I got lost and had to ask for directions twice, which for me is not too bad. I think the most interesting thing I learned was that classes are actually called papers here. That one took me a minute to figure out and I was a little confused at first. I still wonder what they call papers for their classes... There a few sayings that have caught me off guard. I think the best one was when some said to me "sweet as", which means cool. However, my response was "sweet as what?" They just stared...

Today I had two more classes and had to figure out buying books, which is infinity more complicated here because they are not all in one place. But I have officially figured out how to get to all my classes and I am starting to get back into the groove of school again, just on the other side of the world. More to come after the weekend!