Only one week to go! I can't believe it. I have reached the point where inside my head is screaming, "What were you thinking?!?!?" I mean, I am going to the other side of the world where I will know nobody and if I don't like it, I'm stuck there for five months, sooo....yeah.
However, a few more things have fallen into place in the past week. My passport arrived (when I was trying on my bathing suit for Anna...luckily, she answered the door). And my visa is in there as well, so that is all set! I received my international student ID card (fancy), in case I need any medical or dental care. I also have coverage for accidental disembowelment. Unfortunately, you only get the full benefit if you die, lose both legs, both hands, both eyes, or a combination of two. Only 50% of the benefit if you lose a singular leg, hand and eye. Darn.
Yesterday, Dad and I took the bus up to NYC to go see Tosca at the Met (yay!). Although I enjoyed the opera and the food, I still have no love for the city in general...good thing I'm moving to one next week. Hopefully it will be a little less crowded and dirty...for sure I will not have to worry about dirty snow all over the place.
This week will mostly be spent saying all my goodbyes and fitting in the last week of work at the coffee shop and at UMBC. Anna has made a bucket list for us to complete this week, including Grilled Cheese & Co., Tutti Fruitti, baking, and oreo milkshakes (Anna: "It's all food, but I'm never hungry." Well, that could pose a slight problem.) Dad and I are flying to LA on Mon. the 7th and then my flight leaves for Auckland on Wed. 2/9 at 10pm. So my next update may be a bit delayed seeing as Sunday will be my last day on the East Coast.
And now what you've all been waiting for...a famous sheep joke that has been a big hit in my family ever since we lived in England:
What do you get when you mix a sheep with a kangaroo? A WOOLLY JUMPER!
...I think it was the only worthwhile joke in a very large book that David got one year for some occasion and regularly regaled us with its contents. If anyone else has any good ones, feel free to pass them along :)
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Two Weeks to Lift-Off
This will be a shorter post today, as I am in sunny (but kind of chilly) Florida visiting my grandparents before I jet off. The weather is a little reminiscent of what I have heard of Wellington--in the 60's with a healthy amount of wind. If so, this is definitely do-able! Of course, I'm also coming from the subartic temperatures of Baltimore with its high of about 20 degrees yesterday...so sorry I missed out on that.
As for travel updates, not too much has been accomplished...I received my iPod shuffle in the mail (woohoo! it is so tiny though!), but still no passport. Apparently we shouldn't attempt to contact anyone worrying about it until we're a week away from leaving...well, we're getting close! Still no word on a room offer....I'm sure it's coming, right?? And I also received my international buddy information! So now I have a friend in Wellington, hooray! Except she's actually traveling in Europe and will be coming to Baltimore to visit her friend at Johns Hopkins literally the day after I leave for LA. Weird coincidences!
That's all for now, as I'm being anti-social on the computer. But next week, I promise to find some good sheep jokes :P
As for travel updates, not too much has been accomplished...I received my iPod shuffle in the mail (woohoo! it is so tiny though!), but still no passport. Apparently we shouldn't attempt to contact anyone worrying about it until we're a week away from leaving...well, we're getting close! Still no word on a room offer....I'm sure it's coming, right?? And I also received my international buddy information! So now I have a friend in Wellington, hooray! Except she's actually traveling in Europe and will be coming to Baltimore to visit her friend at Johns Hopkins literally the day after I leave for LA. Weird coincidences!
That's all for now, as I'm being anti-social on the computer. But next week, I promise to find some good sheep jokes :P
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Three Weeks to Go!
As February 7th approaches, I am beginning to realize that yes, I am in fact leaving to go halfway across the world for a significant amount of time. This has me bouncing between hysteria and excitement...who will win out?! Stay tuned to find out.
This week I have been investigating exciting things going on in and around Wellington. So where do I start? With Wikipedia, of course!! Where else to get information about any topic you could dream of?? So, a summary of the interesting points:
1) In Maori, Wellington is referred to as Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, otherwise known as "The Great Harbor of Tara." Tara was a chief in Maori history who came to the area in the 12th century AD and stayed...although there were apparently Maori who were said to have been in the area since the 10th century, Tara is more important for some reason I have yet to find.
2) Wellington became the capital city in 1865, moving from Auckland which is farther north on the North Island. Apparently the government decided they needed to keep a closer eye on the South Island so that they didn't decide to go off and be their own country.
3) Weather-wise, Wellington is very windy being located right on the water ("Windy Wellington") and has a temperate climate with temperatures staying between 30-70 degrees Farenheit. June and July are very rainy (better bring my wellies!! har har har), but snow was last reported in 1995.
4) Wellington City has a population of 195,500...in comparison, Baltimore City's population is 636,919 and Ellicott City comes in at 56,397. So it's somewhere in the middle...probably better for me, as I tend to dislike cities. Hopefully that won't hold true in this case.
5) Due to its recent acclaim with The Lord of the Rings, as well as King Kong and Avatar, Wellington is also sometimes referred to as "Wellywood." Filmmaker Peter Jackson reports on Wellington, "Well, it's windy. But it's actually a lovely place..." I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Wellington starts using that wonderful quote in all of its tourism literature.
A view of downtown Wellington taken from Victoria University of Wellington's Kelburn Campus, where all of my classes are as of now. I have to say it will be an improvement over the construction and huge crane that are always in sight at UMBC.
In advances towards actually going to NZ, I have (finally) received a housing offer from University Hall, which offers housing in several houses and flats near the Kelburn Campus and about 10-20 minute walk from the downtown area. Some of its flats are located right near the Botanic Gardens, which would be awesome...but I have yet to receive a room offer, so just keeping the fingers crossed for now.
For next week, I will continue to try to entertain with interesting facts and figures about Wellington while I'm still in Ellicott City, which I'm sure is fascinating as well, but do you really care? Doubtful.
This week I have been investigating exciting things going on in and around Wellington. So where do I start? With Wikipedia, of course!! Where else to get information about any topic you could dream of?? So, a summary of the interesting points:
1) In Maori, Wellington is referred to as Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara, otherwise known as "The Great Harbor of Tara." Tara was a chief in Maori history who came to the area in the 12th century AD and stayed...although there were apparently Maori who were said to have been in the area since the 10th century, Tara is more important for some reason I have yet to find.
2) Wellington became the capital city in 1865, moving from Auckland which is farther north on the North Island. Apparently the government decided they needed to keep a closer eye on the South Island so that they didn't decide to go off and be their own country.
3) Weather-wise, Wellington is very windy being located right on the water ("Windy Wellington") and has a temperate climate with temperatures staying between 30-70 degrees Farenheit. June and July are very rainy (better bring my wellies!! har har har), but snow was last reported in 1995.
4) Wellington City has a population of 195,500...in comparison, Baltimore City's population is 636,919 and Ellicott City comes in at 56,397. So it's somewhere in the middle...probably better for me, as I tend to dislike cities. Hopefully that won't hold true in this case.
5) Due to its recent acclaim with The Lord of the Rings, as well as King Kong and Avatar, Wellington is also sometimes referred to as "Wellywood." Filmmaker Peter Jackson reports on Wellington, "Well, it's windy. But it's actually a lovely place..." I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Wellington starts using that wonderful quote in all of its tourism literature.
A view of downtown Wellington taken from Victoria University of Wellington's Kelburn Campus, where all of my classes are as of now. I have to say it will be an improvement over the construction and huge crane that are always in sight at UMBC.
In advances towards actually going to NZ, I have (finally) received a housing offer from University Hall, which offers housing in several houses and flats near the Kelburn Campus and about 10-20 minute walk from the downtown area. Some of its flats are located right near the Botanic Gardens, which would be awesome...but I have yet to receive a room offer, so just keeping the fingers crossed for now.
For next week, I will continue to try to entertain with interesting facts and figures about Wellington while I'm still in Ellicott City, which I'm sure is fascinating as well, but do you really care? Doubtful.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
One Month to Departure
First and foremost, thanks to all who chimed in on which blog server thing to use...blogger won by a landslide, and so, here I am. The premise of this blog is to document my trials and tribulations while abroad in Wellington, NZ for a semester. Perhaps I'll also pick up a few good sheep jokes while I'm there (hopefully the sheep are cool with that...not looking to get on their bad side seeing as they outnumber the people).
Now to inform you all (and myself) about the country to which I will be traveling, let's take a look at some interesting facts:
1) Less than 5% of the total population of New Zealand is human (Way outnumbered...maybe I should keep the sheep jokes to myself...)
2) The first group of all female pallbearers at a funeral was in NZ (That guy had bad luck with all daughters)
3) The first commercial bungee jump took place in Queenstown in 1988 (It now is called the Adventure Capital of the World)
4) The most popular sports are rugby, golf, netball, soccer, and cricket (So...I've got 1 out of 5. Unless you count playing cricket in the front yard in MD when people walking or driving by would give us strange looks)
5) Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world
6) NZ granted universal suffrage to all in 1893, way before most countries
and of course...
7) The popular movie sequence The Lord of the Rings was filmed in NZ. Yes, I know. Yes, I know you think it's awesome. No, I'm not planning on taking the tour, I have not read the books, and I watched the second movie before the first, leading to extreme confusion. But, for all you fans out there, I have purchased the trilogy for my Kindle and I plan on viewing the movies (in order this time) before departing in February. Please understand that I do not yet share your extreme enthusiasm for the subject...I'm working on it!
While I'm there, I'll be studying at Victoria University of Wellington, and will hopefully be taking this class among the other (less interesting) ones:
RELI 106 - Prayer, Meditation, Trance and Ectasy: A Study of the Techniques of Spiritual Transformation
This course explores the ways in which spiritual practices alter consciousness. We study contemporary world cultures and see the influence of rituals, bodily postures, drugs and music. Our focus is on the spiritual understandings that come not through doctrines, but rather through ways of living.
Hopefully it's as cool as it sounds and not taught by some lame professor who just made up a cool name in order to get people like me to sign up for the class...I guess we'll find out.
I leave for NZ exactly one month from today, and I will fly out to Los Angeles with my dad on Mon. 2/7. As he puts it, "It's kind of like walking your kid to the bus stop...except a little farther." Just a little bit.
Things to do before leaving:
1) Unpack and then repack...the unpacking process after returning home from UMBC has been a bit slow. Perhaps I can return Alex's box that he let me borrow after I said "Oh yeah, I'll definitely get it back to you tomorrow."
2) Get my passport back? I had to mail it to the program I'm traveling with so they could get my visa taken care of....please, can I have it back now??
3)Make a blog Continue to write on the blog so it's not like those lame ones that have three entries the first three days and then nothing until about three months later.
4) Find out where I'll be living...come on, Victoria University of Wellington Accommodation Service...you know you want to tell me!!
5) Work like a crazy person in preparation for not being able to work for five months (slight panic attack...spending money while not replenishing it is a major problem for me, which is usually a good thing. However, NZ does not allow students to work on their visas).
I had also planned on recording some pieces for the National Flute Convention in August, writing a proposal to get my health policy research funded for next year, and taking the GRE. So far all I've done to advance these goals is signing up for the GRE. The practice book is buried somewhere in my room....therefore, the necessity of step 1 in order to continue with that endeavor.
So, I feel that this first post has been scatterbrained and random enough to show you all what you'll be dealing with if you attempt to follow it for the next six months...good luck!
Now to inform you all (and myself) about the country to which I will be traveling, let's take a look at some interesting facts:
1) Less than 5% of the total population of New Zealand is human (Way outnumbered...maybe I should keep the sheep jokes to myself...)
2) The first group of all female pallbearers at a funeral was in NZ (That guy had bad luck with all daughters)
3) The first commercial bungee jump took place in Queenstown in 1988 (It now is called the Adventure Capital of the World)
4) The most popular sports are rugby, golf, netball, soccer, and cricket (So...I've got 1 out of 5. Unless you count playing cricket in the front yard in MD when people walking or driving by would give us strange looks)
5) Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world
6) NZ granted universal suffrage to all in 1893, way before most countries
and of course...
7) The popular movie sequence The Lord of the Rings was filmed in NZ. Yes, I know. Yes, I know you think it's awesome. No, I'm not planning on taking the tour, I have not read the books, and I watched the second movie before the first, leading to extreme confusion. But, for all you fans out there, I have purchased the trilogy for my Kindle and I plan on viewing the movies (in order this time) before departing in February. Please understand that I do not yet share your extreme enthusiasm for the subject...I'm working on it!
While I'm there, I'll be studying at Victoria University of Wellington, and will hopefully be taking this class among the other (less interesting) ones:
RELI 106 - Prayer, Meditation, Trance and Ectasy: A Study of the Techniques of Spiritual Transformation
This course explores the ways in which spiritual practices alter consciousness. We study contemporary world cultures and see the influence of rituals, bodily postures, drugs and music. Our focus is on the spiritual understandings that come not through doctrines, but rather through ways of living.
Hopefully it's as cool as it sounds and not taught by some lame professor who just made up a cool name in order to get people like me to sign up for the class...I guess we'll find out.
I leave for NZ exactly one month from today, and I will fly out to Los Angeles with my dad on Mon. 2/7. As he puts it, "It's kind of like walking your kid to the bus stop...except a little farther." Just a little bit.
Things to do before leaving:
1) Unpack and then repack...the unpacking process after returning home from UMBC has been a bit slow. Perhaps I can return Alex's box that he let me borrow after I said "Oh yeah, I'll definitely get it back to you tomorrow."
2) Get my passport back? I had to mail it to the program I'm traveling with so they could get my visa taken care of....please, can I have it back now??
3)
4) Find out where I'll be living...come on, Victoria University of Wellington Accommodation Service...you know you want to tell me!!
5) Work like a crazy person in preparation for not being able to work for five months (slight panic attack...spending money while not replenishing it is a major problem for me, which is usually a good thing. However, NZ does not allow students to work on their visas).
I had also planned on recording some pieces for the National Flute Convention in August, writing a proposal to get my health policy research funded for next year, and taking the GRE. So far all I've done to advance these goals is signing up for the GRE. The practice book is buried somewhere in my room....therefore, the necessity of step 1 in order to continue with that endeavor.
So, I feel that this first post has been scatterbrained and random enough to show you all what you'll be dealing with if you attempt to follow it for the next six months...good luck!
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