Well, hello there Sunshine!

Wellington winter weather has hit! It's funny because when I think winter, I'm picturing below zero Farenheit, ice, snow, slush. But here, it's wind, rain, and just dark/cloudy. I'm not sure which is better. But I am pretty sure it's been cloudy and/or rainy everyday since I've been back from Australia with an occasional sunshine day. It's also kind of nasty being in the city during the rain because it is an adventure (bad one) just to get to the grocery store, cafe, and uni.

So imagine waking up on a Saturday to BLUE skies and 65 F weather. Yes- EXCITING. Donna and I walked down to a great coffee shop right near Oriental Bay Beach. It was about a 30 minute walk in pure sunlight and beauty! I can't even describe how great it was to be walking in such great weather. I enjoyed a lovely coffee (first one in a few days!!!!) and we headed down to the waterfront. I kind of (really) went on a picture rampage. Here are just a few.


Oriental Beach- right near the cafe.




The waterfront of Wellington reminds me quite a bit of the Burlington wharf. It is definitely larger and more "hoppin" but it just gives me the same vibes. When it's sunny, people flood to the dock and are running, roller blading, etc. I wish I could just capture the waterfront theme of Wellington and bring it back to everyone! It's SOOO great. These pictures aren't of the section where all the people are. I was too busy eating gelato to really think of snapping pictures. :)

Donna and I met up with Dani and continued to enjoy the weather with a bit of shopping and strolling on Cuba Street. With time catching up, it was time to get our drink on! After a night of the usual clubs, we ended at Burger King. the CLASSY Burger King. Is this not the prettiest BK you've ever seen? And yeah, I ate BK at 3am. That's beautiful too.
Sunday- rainy again. I started my essay with a nice hangover but proceeded to watch movies and eat a pie. Not a real American pie.. but a meat pie. A meat pie is a little different. It's about the size of my palm and you can get it filled with steak and cheese, mince (ground beef), egg and bacon.. basically any type of meat. I don't really eat them much but I reckoned this was the day for it.

Classy BK:


Cuba Street (Wellington's Church Street x 10)







I've been contemplating a tattoo also. I went Friday with Jarad and Leah to research and backed out. Jarad got his and it looks amazing! It's hard because I really want one, but can see myself regretting it in 10 years. I want someone simple and small on my foot with the Maori (New Zealand natives) word aroha (love) or Aeotera (New Zealand). I have wanted one since March and have recently been getting into the idea more and more. But I am trying to be logical and think it through. So I guess we'll see. I am an extremely simple person so I can see this idea not happening. I mean, I look a bit nervous in this picture but you never know! TBA!





Wellington is the "creative" city of New Zealand. Literally, that's what it's known for. Massey (my uni) is the best design school in NZ. I think I've mentioned this before- but many of the students are design students and really into photography, drawing, fashion. For some reason, I feel like the artsy feel has warmed up in me. I love taking pictures and could probably spend hours editing them. I mean they don't always turn out well and I don't really know what I'm doing (though I think I do!). I am pretty eager to just go out and explore by taking pictures on the next sunny day. Could be a while.
I don't really have much to work with either. New Zealand is BEAUTIFUL!!!

I was also able to grab heaps of New Zealand music from my Kiwi friend Kelsi this past weekend. It's different than American music in that most of the lyrics are pretty positive and happy.
Some of my favourites:
"Don't forget the roots" by Six60 - suggests that you remember where you came from... family, friends etc (ironic, huh?)
All songs by Midnight Youth (kind of an alternative, folky band)
Gin Wigmore (Amy Winehouse/Kate Nash mix)
The Opposite of Adults by Chiddy Bang (upbeat, hiphop/mix, some MGMT feel)
MORE TO COME.
But the songs usually have a great bit of meaning behind them. American usually does too but these are just peppy, uplifting, and just feel good music. A nice pick me up!

This is the last week of classes. Really, how did this go so fast? My semester in New Zealand is ALMOST over? I have this 3 more days of classes in Kiwiland. Then a week off to study for finals, which commence the week of the 6th.
As expected, I have heaps of work to complete this week. I was at uni from 10:30-6 today. I realized how abnormal that was when I walked outside and it was completely dark and I hadn't had lunch or snacks all day. Craziness.
I don't know how it's going to fly next semester when I'm back in real school. The internationals here actually call studying abroad "fake school" because it certainly lacks the reality of typical uni. We just have bigger things to worry about, ie- traveling :)
Still working on booking my South Island trip. it likely will be from June 17-24th (give or take a few days).

xo

"if you have faith, you will live"

That quote is what Sammi said to me yesterday. Sammi is the owner of the coffee shop I go to regularly, Cafe Doria. It’s funny that he just randomly said it and I’m still not sure what his reasoning was behind it. But I showed up Tuesday morning to grab a mocha and read the paper before class- feeling a little tired, grumpy, and missing home.
It’s amazing how just a coffee and genuine person can change one’s perspective on the day. I can’t get past how ironic it is that he almost knew I wasn’t pumped up for the day. Sammi always takes the time to ask about my day, weekend, or whatever- even when it’s busy. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I go back to Burlington. I HIGHLY doubt that Starbucks and/or Dunkin Donuts has the potential to provide me with such a barista.
My goal this week is to attend all lectures. So far, so good. I am currently sitting in my consumer behaviour class that I haven’t been to since March. I don’t think I will make it to all labs and tutorials though...don’t push it. I have a paper due next Tuesday- no need to overwork me! :)
I was talking to a girl from my Popular Culture and the Media class, which I had a presentation in last week. She mentioned that it was “sweet as” listening to my accent during the presentation. I still can’t get past the idea that I have an accent.
Today I’m going to lunch with Britta. We haven’t caught up in quite a while. She lives in a homestay and doesn’t live right in the Wellington city.
Then for dinner, a few of us are going to The Flying Brothers Burritos on Cuba Street. It is the only Mexican restaurant in Wellington. I’ve been there once and it was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Needless to say, I am a bit excited for that. We’re also going to the Southern Cross, another restaurant where there’s live music. I think we’ll stop there for a coffee or tea. Wednesdays are the student night in Welly.. we’re taking it easy tonight though. I still haven’t been sleeping right. I went to bed at 2, woke up at 5. It might have to be a movie night or something low key after dinner and tea.
anyyyways.. enjoy your day and have a little faith :)

Wellington weather is a lot like Burlington. I have learned to accept that I have not escaped the unpredictable, windy weather. It's currently raining and a bit chilly. As was the plan for the weekend. We lucked out and were able to have some nice mornings of sunshine. Saturday was absolutely beautiful and all of a sudden turned cloudy. Weather moves along quite fast here.

My attempt to attend every class last week did not happen. I skipped more than usual remember I can just "get by" here. Oh well!
We actually only have 2 more weeks of classes before our mega exam break. UVM gives us a day or two of "reading days"...Massey is giving us over a week. I might consider traveling during that.. but I also need to read up on the entire semester's course work. Exams are 60% of my grade. Something tells me it's time to get serious that week. Hm.
I'm still trying to plan out a South Island trip. I am thinking of going with a bus company (Magic) that allows you to hop on and hop off. So if a place doesn't suit me, I could just keep moving and move on to the next. There are few buses that just circle the islands. I was a little nervous to do it on my own but I think it will be okay. Everyone has been to the south island (during break either with family or in the massive group that rented vans). People are also pretty tight on money and as much as they'd like to go with me, it's not realistic. I talked to Jayne (the international student advisor) and she told me everyone on those buses is alone or with one friend. So it could be kind of cool and I doubt I'll get lonely. It's only a week that I'm doing anyways.
I just refuse to leave New Zealand only seeing the wine region of the South Island.

I started missing family and friends a little more this week. Obviously I have missed everyone throughout my journey but it just seemed to be a bit more apparent this past week. I haven't been depressed so to speak, but it's just on my mind. But I also refuse to sit in my room and mope about it so I've been good about keeping up and ignoring the feelings.
I think it's the fact that everyone is now on summer break and I just want to relive summer 2009.
Last week was Matthias' birthday so a few of us went to J.J. Murphys (Irish pub on Cuba Street) for a few beers and played pool. Yeah, I played pool. Leah and I were terrible and ended up being on a team one round and literally just laughed the entire time. It was a good time. And when my Monteith's beer (craft, similar to Magic Hat) is in the picture- I'm a happy camper!
It was nice to be back in the swing of things in Wellington since all my travels.
Saturday Leah, Kelsi, Emily, and I went to his soccer game in Newtown. It is about 30 minutes from Wellington and was a nice walk. That day, it was about 65 pre-rain/clouds. Leah, Kelsi, and Alice also planned a party at their flat for him that night. Parties here start at like 8-8:30 because we're in a dorm and quiet hours starts at 10. A bit ridiculous. So I'll probably come back to the states ready to pregame at 6ish. It was SO nice to be out on the town in Wellington last night. Everyone was out and we all ended up meeting up throughout the night which was awesome. Donna and I stopped at Burger King before heading back. It was my first time stopping at an American fast food place while in NZ. I vouched that I wouldn't end up in one through the 5-months but I failed at that. I ended up seeing so many people in there that I knew which made the experience ten times better. I think it's safe to say that we all had a good night and rough Sunday. I've been incredibly unproductive day. I started out going to the Victoria market to get my fruit and veges. I know I've explained how cheap it is.. but this is crazy. I got 5 bananas, 4 apples, a pepper, carrot, onion, and potato all for $2.20 NZ, which is about $1.50 USD. Out of control. I also think it's best to stay away from that market after a night out. It's pure chaos there. Everyone is digging for their stuff, traffic jams everywhere, people screaming their fish prices. Wow. It was so overwhelming.
I was talking to Donna about her next semester and about my replacement. I can't imagine someone else living in this room. I guess that's good because it is my home and MY room! It's going to be really weird stripping the walls, packing, etc. I have a love/hate relationship for the cube. It's a 9-story building with crammed housing in a cube shape. So there really is no privacy. I look out the window and see someone else in their window. And there are also heaps of freshmen running everywhere. I know it's only a 3 year difference but there is just so much growing from freshmen year to SENIOR (sounds weird!) year. But it's also great having the ability to stay inside and visit someone else's apartment. I say I hate this cube, but I think i genuinely like it.
I haven't been sleeping normal either lately. It's so annoying! I'll try and go to bed at a normal time but end up going to bed around 2, then waking up around 8ish. Even after this weekend when I got about 7 hours total, I can't sleep now. Hence, the blogggging!

xo

AUSTRALIA I: THE GOLD COAST

Next comes stop two in Aussie. The Gold Coast was really fun! I stayed with JP which was just about 5 minutes from the beach and the main streets of Surfer’s Paradise. I was shocked when I walked into his flat because it was 500 times nicer than mine. He had a dishwasher, laundry machines, huge tv, nice couches, closets, 2 bathrooms, etc etc. I could just go on about this.
But anyways, I got to his flat and we immediately went to the beach. It’s such a pretty beach with great sand, waves, everything. I could definitely see why (and how) it’s called Surfer’s Paradise. It was great to just lay on the beach and relax. It was cinco de mayo we had a little Mexican fiesta with tacos and nachos.
In Australia, they all drink “goon” which is extremely cheap boxed wine. I’m not talking franzia. Franzia is the Chandon of boxed wine compared to this stuff. They play goon-pong and all sorts of games with it. Reason being: alcohol is RIDICULOUSLY expensive in Aus. I also brought over Captain Morgan Overproof which was pretty strong. I usually prefer strong drinks over sweet, and I would say this was very strong. But I only found that to be when I mixed it, shots were not terrrrrible.
The next day I woke up with two cravings: Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and a bagel. I am not talking a bagel from DD either, I am saying BURLINGTON BAGEL BAKERY OR GT. For some reason, Kiwis and Aussies have not picked up on the need for good bagels. And the iced coffees are made with espresso, heavy milk, and ice cream. I needed proper filter coffee with ice. But no complaining, I was in Australia. Just saying!
I went to the beach with Rachel that next morning. It was so beautiful but out of control windy. I was eating sand, so we decided to head off and do some shopping. She toured me around the streets a bit and we discovered an amazing store called Ally. We both bought some things (which were very pretty but not too expensive). Then discovered we were starving and headed off to lunch and had some delicious steak sandwiches while people watching. We went back to JP’s complex pool and he met us after classes.
That night, we headed to the “village” where pretty much all students live, located on campus. After a bit, we went to the “Tavern” which is kind of a dodgy fun little bar that all students go to on Thursdays. Buses stopped running so JP and I had to get a cab back to his flat which ended up being an adventure on its own. The cab rider claimed to be Jackie Chan and insisted that we give him our emails so he can send us something inspiring. The email (that he ACTUALLY sent) suggested that we don’t need to go to school to be intelligent. For some reason, I don’t think that’s true but I guess I’ll take his advice for the rest of the semester abroad :) It was a good time!
Friday, we rented a car! I can’t explain how much fun it was just to ride around, windows down, in Australia, with the awesome Aussie music. We almost crashed once into a parked car but regardless of that, it was great!! And we’re all alive (including the rental car) so that’s all that matters! We drove up to Mountain Tambourine with the intentions of visiting a glow worm cave and a canopy walk. By the time we stopped for lunch, picked up JP’s friend, that didn’t happen. We only had time for the canopy walk. It was pretty cool but I’m not sure if it was really worth the $15AUD. It was nice to be up high in the air and breathing such fresh air.
So on this whole Aus trip I have done many things that involve heights! 1) flights 2) Eureka Sky Deck 3) this canopy walk - man, I'm on fire with facing this fear! However, they did think it was "funny" to shake the walkway which terrified me. We stopped at a little bar on the way back that overlooked Surfer’s Paradise and we all watched the sunset. It was so pretty! His friend is Australian and took us to a cool little town for dinner. We ordered pizzas and sat by the water. And there are lots of huge fruit bats in Aussieland. His friend, Josh, was throwing stuff at the trees and one flew right in front of me!!! I was terrified!! We dropped Rachel and her friend Marni off then went back to start our night.
We went to a casino. It was the first time I’d ever been and the guys played a few games as I just kind of watched and absorbed the casino scene. The next day, we didn’t really do much but ended up buying our Pub Crawl tickets. It starts at 6 and it’s an organized pub crawl throughout the city. We visited about 4-5 venues. Some of them weren’t that great but the guys had a whole system down. If it was a dodgy spot, we would get the stamp, free drink, and head back to the flat. It worked out great considering entry fees are around $15 each, beers are $8+, and they live 5 minutes away. PERFECT. We ended up at O’Malley’s which was an awesome little bar that would fit right in Burlington. The scene was so fun. They play a variety of songs that are classics and fun. It was definitely a good way to end the night. We were exhausted so we headed back and Rachel + others ended at Maca’s (McDonalds!).
The next day was Sunday, meaning the last day of my Australian adventure! :(
I packed up, took the bus to the train station and took the train into Brisbane (about an hour away). The airport was really nice and actually bans plastic bags. I bought stuff at the duty free and couldn’t get a bag. So weird. I actually have noticed I am way less environmental since being abroad. There really aren’t opportunities to recycle. I have not recycled one thing since I left in the beginning of February. I bet you thought you would never hear that from me!
Grocery stores charge for each bag (10 cents) so I have my own bags but honestly, that’s just to save money really. I lately have not really cared about being environmental. Shocker, huh?
All in all, a GREAT trip! It definitely was nice to see familiar faces and play with friends!
I had a presentation today which I was extremely nervous about! It was in my Popular Culture and the Media class. I actually don’t mind this class (it’s my favourite one here) but everyone stares at me when I talk. Other classes, they just kind of listen but this one, they literally turn their heads and watch me talk. I feel like I’m a doll or some weird creature. The class is split.. it has a lecture (which 5/30ish are Americans) and then a tutorial, which I am the only American. I obviously don’t mind that and it’s not a big deal. But when I am talking it is fairly odd. The presentation went okay though! It’s done.
It’s funny that everyone is finishing up with school back home and seeing “summer time!” all over facebook walls is weird. Because really- I have another 2 weeks of classes before exams. But I heard it snowed yesterday so have fun with that miss Vermont!
So that’s about all.. nothing too exciting going on these next few weeks but I’ll hopefully have some sort of news or drama to fill in.
xoxo

AUSTRALIA I: YARRA VALLEY & MELBOURNE

I'm back from kangyland! It was an awesome trip with great weather and trips.
The few days before my Australia trip I was getting a little nervous. I started getting pretty sick and completely exhausted. I didn't really have time to worry about it, as I had heaps of work to do, pack, and study/ take an exam in business statistics. The day before was probably the worst I've been since being here. I slept and watched movies all day, then went to the library at 5 to prep for my 6:30 exam. Unfortunately, I fell asleep at the library. I woke up in time for my exam, took it, and actually ended up doing pretty well. Oh the joys of abroad education!
I was able to pick up some medicine, vitamins, immune builder to beat this. My mentality at this point: I don't care if I fail that exam, but there is noooo way I will be sick in Australia.
I boarded my Air New Zealand flight (which if you know me, you understand my obsession with this airline). It was a great flight and I was greeted by Marnie's parents Kev and Marion at the Melbourne Airport. It was so nice to have someone there to pick me up at the airport. All flights I've taken since abroad have required additional transportation (busses, trains, taxis). It was a great feeling! We were all equally excited to see eachother since it had been about 4 years since we first/last met.
The drive to their home was about one hour. They just moved from Croydon to Healesville which is located in the Yarra Valley (wine central). We stopped for dinner at a great pizza joint called the Bodhi Tree. It was so Burlington. The hippie, natural vibes were just SHOOTING at me! So awesome. Just a great atmosphere. We headed home and I unpacked my oversize, overweight (again- typical) suitcase. It was absolutely amazing to have a walk in closet, bureau, bed, proper shades, my own bathroom, tons of pillows, etc - basically, amazing to be in this house.
We enjoyed a cup-a tea and caught up before bed.
The first day we met up with Marnie's sister Sal, her husband Jason, and their two kids April and Riley at Riley's "footie" game. Then visited a few vineyards. The Yerring Station, De Bertoli, and Long Gully. The Yerring Station was old fashioned with a great atmosphere. De Bertoli was my favourite. It was very classy and just gorgeous. It made me think of working for a vineyard as a marketing rep. I just kept thinking about how they made me "feel" the vineyard etc. Yeah, I am a weirdo but whatever! Lastly, Long Gully. Long Gully was a local, small vineyard that was very boutiquey. Beautiful.
For lunch, we stopped at the Wattleseed which is a cute local stop. I enjoyed soup and decided I need to go to bed immediately. My sinuses were not enjoying all this. We relaxed the rest of the night and enjoyed a home cooked meal!
The next few days went quite fast. One night I slept at Sal and Jason's and was awoken by Riley at 6:45 am. He is such a cute little kid, so it was acceptable. Sal and I took them to school and she dropped me off at the train station in Croydon. I took the 45 minute train into Melbourne and spent the day by myself adventuring around. I started off visiting the Information site. Which was helpful as they gave me maps and routes to take. I visited the Old Melbourne Jail which was very cool. I showed up and jumped into line thinking I would pay when I got in. Little did I know, the customers had already paid! The tour guide was an actress and simulated a true life jail scene. AKA, she was loud, mean, and obnoxious to us. I was so terrified that she would find out. But by the end, I had realized I saved $20. AWESOME. I wandered around and visited Melbourne Central, hit up a few shops, grabbed lunch, then headed to the Eureka Sky Tower. It is the highest lookout in the Southern Hemisphere!!! I road the elevator to floor 88 (which took literally 35 sec) and looked over Melbourne. So pretty and clear. Yet I stepped out onto the balcony and it was like Wellington wind! It was amazing!




I took the train back, relaxed the next day and visited the Chandon vineyard. YUM! We went out for a great meal at the RACV member country club and just wrapped up our time together.
AND LASTLY- I drove! It was an awesome experience driving on the left side of the road, with the wheel on the right. I started out in the neighbourhoods then went out into the main roads/mini highway, into town, and parked! WAHOO!
Here are a few of my MILLIONS of pictures I took. I'll write about my Aussie Adventure Part II. It's bedtime for this kiwi! :)
Cheers mates! xoxo


LINKS: http://www.eurekaskydeck.com.au/ *The Eureka Sky Deck*