“I don’t have to go to class until Week 9!?”

“I don’t have to go to class until Week 9!?”  Is what many American or International students were thinking when the final timetables for classes were posted with the information about when each class was to take place.  To our disappointment, we realized that the week that most of our classes were to start in was indeed the first week of the semester, which is the 9^th week of the year that our timetable website was referring to.

Regardless, classes began on Monday.  I had one class (Math) at 10am and then I relaxed at my flat, Skyped, and just hung out until 5:30 when I went to a barbeque.  Here in New Zealand, instead of meeting in a classroom or enticing people with ice cream or pizza, clubs host barbeques! Needless to say, I have had my fair share of sausages on toast this week (the common BBQ food: a “sossie” on toast with butter and sauteed onions- you can add tomato sauce & mustard if you wish).  After the BBQ, I went to a meet and greet for ODA- Otago Dance Association!  I got there a bit late, but just in time to play some goofy get-to-know-you games and hear a bit more about the club!  For a wee $5 membership, they host weekly dance classes FOR FREE!!  So really, it’s a bunch of dancers dancing together and teaching each other!  I am stoked to start dancing again and to get to know some of the crazy as people I met at the meet & greet!

Tuesday, I had 3 classes.  Usually, I’ll have 4, but my math class was cancelled because the professor who is supposed to teach on Tuesday/Thursday was out of the country!  During a break between classes, I explored the giant library a bit.  It’s a sweet as place!  So big and modern and quiet, with heaps of corners where I can see myself studying in the near future!  The library is also where most textbooks for courses are.  It is easy to get by without buying the textbook, because they have so many copies of needed reading available for the students to use in the library!  I only had to buy 1 course reader and 1 math text book!

Classes here are quite large, considering the school has upwards of 22,000 students!  All my classes on Tuesdays are in the same building, either lecture room 1 or 2!  One of my professors looks like Einstein, one of my professors is so excited & motivated about the material that I can’t help but feel invincible in her class, another class gets taught by a different professor each week, and the last class is filled with international students so it is quite different from being one of the few or only International students in the classroom.  Classes here also have tutorials, which are a smaller version of the class where you get more attention or help, or you get more individualized assignments.  So that’s an extra hour to add on to each class time each week!

Today, I had one class again, Math.  Then I went to the supermarket, made lunch, and hung out again until I went to another BBQ!  This BBQ was a welcome night for a Christian group on campus!  It was cool to meet Christians on campus and to talk to people who can relate to me in a different way.  I learned some things about Christianity in New Zealand, and I am looking forward to getting more involved in a Christian community!  It is different coming from a small Christian school filled with Christian community to a huge school where about 4% of the population goes to church. 

Tomorrow, I have 4 classes, a coffee date (like coffee dates at Hope!), and my flat is cooking dinner together!  I’d better get a bit of homework done!

Goodnight!

Kelsey

University of Otago

The Bridging Cultures Program in Auckland and Rotorua are complete.  I have moved into my flat.  I have explored the city, including some surrounding landscapes and the Cadbury chocolate factory!  I have been to all the necessary orientation and welcome events.  Courses have been approved.  I have received my class schedule, bought school supplies, and found all the buildings I have classes in.  It has been two and a half months since I was in school last.  That is two and a half months of relaxation, exploration, and ignoring anything that may cause my brain to think too much.  With nothing more to do, besides continuing my holiday of exploration, I think I am as ready as I will ever be for classes to start… tomorrow!

One of the things I have enjoyed doing various times during the past two weeks of being in Dunedin is going to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens.  It is a beautiful place- and big too!  I have even walked through it a few times to get to one of the supermarkets.  It’s a nice place to go to relax in some nature, or to feed the ducks.  Now, usually when you think of feeding the ducks, you imagine throwing breadcrumbs to them from a distance, trying to entice the ducks to come closer.  Not here!  As you approach the duck pond, the ducks swarm you, expecting to receive food that the information center provides.  It was quite surprising, and a bit unnerving, the first time I visited the duck pond!  The ducks are soo greedy, but some of them a super cute!  It is fun to have the ducks surrounding you, like you’re the coolest thing on the face of the Earth.  If you are brave enough, the ducks will even eat out of your hands!  (I like to let them eat seeds off the tops of my shoes)  One of my favorite ducks likes to hide under the bench and wait for you to give it food.  Maybe it’s his timid personality, or maybe it’s because he is more polite than the other ducks, but he is so cute!

My little duck friend!

Anyway, I am excited to begin classes tomorrow!  I only have one class on Mondays, so maybe I’ll run some errands, or even visit the ducks after class!  Hopefully it’ll be a good way to get back into the swing of things. 

Please pray for a good semester for me, and for time management skills!  Thank you!

Blessings,

Kelsey

Alecia, Siri, and I at Uni!

These feet were made for… hiking!

One big cultural adjustment of going from a small school that occupies a wee couple of blocks to a large university that occupies heaps more blocks!  I think the only time I have worn my jandals (sandals) was the one day I was at the beach during my program’s orientation.  If I wore jandals here, my feet would fall off!

Along with the difference in campus size, not having a car or access to many modes of transportation that can get you very far, walking has become the next best option.  Frequently, I have walked around the city near campus, and this week brought hiking into the picture.  

On Sunday, a few friends and I were headed out to hike Mount Cargill, a volcano in Dunedin.  We walked the whole way there, instead of taking the bus about the distance it would take us to walk to the bus stop.  We walked down the road and past the World’s Steepest Street, Baldwin Street where we naturally had to stop and walk up the street before continuing on to Mt. Cargill.  The trail went up through a gully, through beautiful rainforest-like foliage.  We decided to take the trail to the Organ Pipes, a rock formation that looks like pipes on an organ.  There, we had lunch and climbed up the pipes!  What beautiful views!!  From the top of the pipes, we could see all of Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula.  When it was time, we hiked out by a different path, down a road that led us back the way we needed to get back to campus.  All in all, we walked about 15 miles in 7 hours on Sunday, and it was beautiful!

The Organ Pipes from below!

Hike number two for the week was a day at the beach, literally.  Two friends and I set out and caught the bus to the Otago peninsula at 9am with hopes of seeing penguins.  The bus driver quickly informed us of the cheaper options and he graciously advised us where to find the right map.  The bus dropped us in a town called Portobello on the west coast of the peninsula. We found a map, and set off to adventure across the Otago peninsula (and when I say across, I mean across)!  We hiked up a road, through farmland and hills (lots of hills), and breathtaking scenery.  We walked 8.6 km (about 5 miles) to the center of the peninsula to see Larnach Castle, the only castle in New Zealand!  From there, we walked about 5 km (3 mi) to Sandfly Bay.  Wow, it was gorgeous!!

At Sandfly Bay, we walked down a sand dune (which reminded me of the dunes in Michigan!!) to the beach!  At the bottom of the dune, guess what was dozing in the sand?!  A sea lion!!  A huge, live, wild sea lion.  With turquoise ocean and tall cliffs and the sun shining, it was an amazing sight.

A sea lion on Sandfly Bay!

We walked to the other end of the beach where there were seals beaching and basking in the hot sun.  After watching them, we decided to relax in the sun for a while too before we needed to head back to catch the bus.  Gosh, it was beautiful!

At about 3:30, we had one last look over at the rocks by where the seals were and there it was.  What we had been waiting for all day… a penguin!!  We saw a real live yellow-eyed penguin!  So cool!! And it was so so cute!!!

The penguin!

Back in Portobello after our hike back to town, we had extra time before the bus arrived, which gave us a great opportunity to get fish and chips at the local fish stop!  And yes to all of you who are doubting my fish-eating… I did eat the fish and chips, and I liked it!

This week has been quite an adventure!  In total, I have walked over 30 miles in the past three days, getting myself to places I want to see.  I must say that is not something I expected to be doing, but it has been an amazing experience and I don’t think there is a better way to see the country than to walk through it.  My shoes sure are getting their money’s worth!

**I have added pictures to an online photo sharing site so that you can see MORE of my pictures if you’d like!!
The web address is: http://newzealandthroughmylens.shutterfly.com/

The link is also on the right hand side above the "Follow By Email" section in "My Pages".
On the page, click on the "Pictures & Videos" tab!

Please enjoy!!

Blessings from New Zealand!

Kelsey Baker

I'm living a dream: My first week in New Zealand!

I have been in New Zealand for about a week now!  Due to the fact that NZ’s internet comes from a wire connected in California, WiFi can be hard to come by.  Since I have been staying in a hotel and a hostel, it has been hard to find Internet.  So, here is a summary of my time in New Zealand thus far- sorry it’s such a long post! So much happened this week!

ARRIVAL

I arrived in Auckland, NZ in the north island on Wednesday morning at 7am.  Once getting through Customs and everyone from the program was accounted for, we loaded a bus and went to the hotel for our first night.  After dropping our things at the hotel, we walked through the city of Auckland for a lunch, introduction session, and a trip to Mount Eden, one of many volcanoes in Auckland and the highest point in the city!  It was beautiful to see the whole city from that perspective!  The township of Mount Eden was just “down the road” (a 10 minute walk), so we all went and walked around the town for a while.  I tried some Mars flavored gelato!  Dinner was pizza in a local Italian restaurant (which was next to a Denny’s).  The city of Auckland almost felt like we were still in the US because so many of the brands and stores were the same, but the city incorporated its natural history and the typical Kiwi adventure sites with the tall buildings.  There was even a bungee ride right across the street from the hotel! 

View of Auckland from Mt. Eden

The bungy ride in front of our hotel!

THURSDAY

            Thursday morning, we took the bus to Rotorua where we stayed in a Youth Hostel.  Later that day, we went to a Maori meetinghouse where we learned more about the native Maori culture, learned the Haka and how to use Poi balls.  The Maori people were so welcoming and willing to tell us all about their culture!  This group of Maori had religious history in both Maori spiritual beliefs and Anglican beliefs.  It was really interesting to listen to how the two systems of belief formed in this tribe and how their lives are impacted by it now. 

The Maori meeting house

FRIDAY

            Friday was my big day of adventure.  All I can say is WOW!  Here is a run down of my day:

I started my day by bungee jumping from a 46-meter platform.  Following that was a go at the Free Fall X-treme, a skydive simulator, where I floated in a giant wind tunnel for a few minutes.  We were then driven over to OGO to go Zorbing, which included rolling down a hill in a giant plastic ball with water and friends inside!  It was a whole minute and a half of falling over each other, sloshing around in water, and constant laughter!  Once our two rounds of zorbing were over, we were taken over to the Kaituna River to go whitewater sledging!  If you are unfamiliar with whitewater activities, sledging is river boarding where each person has a personal board and boogie boards down the river and through the rapids.  I survived with only a couple bruises and I managed not to loose my board at all during the trip!  

That's me bungee jumping!!

Zorbing!!

It was a day full of adrenaline and excitement, and I would definitely recommend these activities to anyone who has a heart for adventure and a bit of risk-taking!

SATURDAY

Saturday, we drove out to Waitomo Caves.  I went on a tour called Tumu Tumu Toobing, which included trekking through the caves in wet suits and gum boots, squeezing through tight spaces, and swimming through water.  We even floated on tubes down the river inside the cave for a bit!  What makes these caves extra special is that glow worms inhabit them!  Glow worms can only be found in New Zealand and in a couple places in Australia.  It was a fun experience!  Back at the hostel, a friend and I walked across the street to the park. 

A thermal pool at dusk

This park contains thermal pools, which are ponds that are naturally about 400º C, so they were bubbling and steaming- pretty cool!  Some of the pools release some mineral gas, which makes the town smell like sulfur.

and of course a “sweet as” jungle gym! Alecia and I had a good time playing on the jungle gym too!

Playing on the jungle gym!

SUNDAY

            Sunday was Community Day.  We went to a place called Sanctuary Park where we helped some plants and learned about kiwi fruit!  Then we went to the beach at Mount Maunganui in the Bay of Plenty!!! It was gorgeous!

At the beach on the east coast of northern NZ!

For dinner, we went to a traditional Maori village where they prepared a traditional hangi dinner (steamed food in a hole in the ground).  It was delicious and fun to learn more about the culture in a touristy kind of way.

MONDAY

            On Monday, we left Rotorua and flew to Dunedin!  I moved into my flat (my apartment), met some of my flat mates, and walked around the town a bit.  The weather here in Dunedin is not as warm as it was in the north island.  I hope it warms up a little before fall and winter set in!

Oh, and there's a giant Gollum in the Wellington airport...

TUESDAY

            Today, we went on a tour of the campus, turned in some flat paper work, and took our first trip to the supermarket!  Two of my friends from my program and I walked around town.  We had coffee at a local coffee shop and figured out where the best places to go are.  It is really nice to be on campus now.  The flat I live in is at the top of a hill and the university campus and the rest of town is at the bottom of the hill.  I live with 4 other Americans and 1 kiwi.  Everyone here is so nice and interested in us and we have even had a few people tell us they like our accents! I am excited to get to know more people- especially more Kiwis!  Tonight, I’m staying in and relaxing.   The week of excitement and waking up at the crack of dawn is catching up with me, and it is time to do some laundry! 

Love and blessings to all! Send me emails!

Kelsey

Here I go!!

It is unbelievable.  I have been dreaming of this day for months (maybe even years)!  Since the day I decided I was actually going to make studying abroad a reality, this day has seemed like one of those far away dreams that would never actually arrive; even after getting every piece of paper work I needed, it still felt like something that was just a dream.  But now, the day that I get on a plane and fly to the other side of the world is here.  WOW!  After quite a bit of pushing and shoving, debating and choosing favorites & necessities, and last minute errands, my bags are packed and I'm sitting at the gate waiting for the first leg of my flight! It is bittersweet, leaving home for so long, but I am so excited for this new chapter of my life! 

Here arw a few things I am excited for these next 5 months: 

Traveling! 

Adventuring- I have a few crazy plans for the first week I'm there! (but you'll just have to wait to find out what they are!)

Moving into a house (a flat) with other international students 

Trying new food

Meeting people I will be sharing this experience with and meeting locals to learn more about New Zealand!

Finding a place to dance during my 5 months away from the States

Learning, at a huge university, about the same things I would be learning at my tiny school in Michigan.

Please pray for a safe journey for me and my peers! We depart on our international flight tonight at 10pm West Coast time.

I do not know what the internet situation will be for the first week or so that I am in New Zealand, but I will update you all as soon as I get a chance. 

Thanks for reading! Love to all!

My New Blog!

Well, I officially have a blog!  Something I have been promising many and pushing off for quite some time... it is here.  And that also means that my adventure is approaching much faster than I will admit!  This is my first blog post ever- mostly to become familiar with how this all works!  It is quite exciting- and confusing- but I hope it will become much easier as I get used to writing my thoughts and experiences for all to see!  I hope you all enjoy!