In Which I Settle In

Kia ora!

It’s the end of the week and I’m officially enrolled in the University of Canterbury! While I’m still waiting on confirmation for one class that I added today, my schedule is as follows:

ENGL 209: Australian Writing and Culture; MTR 1pm - 2pm
ENGL 315: The Twentieth Century Novel; MR 10am - 12am
HIST 339: War and Society in Europe, 1900-1945; TF 10am - 12am

I really wanted to enroll in the Antarctic Studies class that met on Wednesday and Friday, however I am at 78 points, and the maximum workload for an exchange student is 80, so alas I can’t. Perhaps I’ll sneak into a class or two anyway!

This week was mostly filled with enrollment. It seems technology hasn’t quite caught on as the popular means to enroll as the university enrollment process was all in-person. This made for a long day, getting up by 9am and standing in queues all day until 1pm! And when what technology is used fails, such as happened while standing in line to confirm health insurance, the wait can drag on for much longer. I had to get permission from the English department to take both classes, as I originally had signed up for two third year classes. I decided to drop the drama class though, as you really can’t beat the outback, swagman, and travelers of the Australian continent in interest level. That, and the work load lightened up considerably, or so I think…

However, books have been bought, the classes are lined up, and I think I may even know someone in one of my classes, so let the good times roll!

I met several people while standing in line for enrollment, including a kid from Taiwan and another from Thailand! While having a conversation with the kid from Thailand, I was surprised when he asked me what “cliché” was, as I had just used the word to describe why I didn’t want to be a waitress in L.A. after moving there for film school. It was a moment to pause and realize that I was actually in another country, and that I was a minority. It was quite a thought! For once, I’m the one that has an accent! When signing up for a bank account, the person helping me further drove in the point that I was a foreigner by stating how much she loved to hear American accents.

For those who don’t know, Kiwi accents sound like a mix of an English accent and an Australian accent (though they hate to be called either!). Some Kiwi’s have a softer accent, and sound more British, some sound more Australian, but the thickest Kiwi accents are often the ones that come with the native who talks a million miles an hour. It’s hard to understand the accent at times, more so when you can’t follow the person’s train of thought! And some words sound completely different from their meaning.

An example: on a trip to cathedral square at the center of town, my friend dropped her camera and we had to find a camera shop to see if the camera could be repaired (sadly, it couldn’t). The shop keeper looked at the camera for a long while, then shook his head and said: “It’s completely knackered.” Now “knackered” MEANS broken, but when a full Kiwi says it, it sounds like “naked”. You can already imagine my face in the store!

Since registration however, I’ve been through the town square several time, and I keep falling more in love with this city. The square has the Christchurch Cathedral, and it’s obvious in the building architecture that this city has English heritage. In front of the cathedral is an artisan’s fair, held every Wednesday through Saturday, and it’s the perfect place to pick up cheap jewelry and tourist souvenirs! There is also a gorgeous WWI memorial next to the cathedral, as well as some beautiful stained glass in the old Canterbury University building. A group of us went walking through the city to find the old college, and had a good time looking around in the old, small hallways. Our favorite was the ballroom, with two pianos, stained glass window, and lights that were motion activated. We also managed to earn several strange looks as we did yoga on the grass in the courtyard. I’m sure people think Americans are nuts thanks to us! After that, we took a nice walk through the botanical gardens, and I hope to get back to the rose garden there. Can you say gorgeous?

After meeting a group of people at a Speed Meeting (like speed dating, without the dating) event, we decided to go bowling. It was a good time, and I managed to win both games after going four rounds with a single digit score! We had a great time though, and I can tell you that I’m going to definitely be in better shape when I get home with all this walking! Christchurch may be flat, but there are so many interesting places to go and things to see that you can’t help but want to soak everything in!

Also, New Zealand is green. And I mean that in both landscape AND in their use of resources! I have the ability to turn off the electricity to my outlets in my room via a flick of a switch. Of course, since the current here in the electrical sockets is more deadly than at home, I suppose that is also a safety precaution, however it also makes saving electricity even easier. Also, there are fewer trucks and SUVs on the roads here, and most serious backpackers carry a reusable water bottle. It’s been interesting to live in an environmentally conscious place such as this, and I feel guilty even now at the water bottle on my desk! People use reusable bags at the store - even backpacks are used to carry groceries home in - and the university even has a co-op garden run by students. I’m looking forward to a chance to check out the garden, especially as working in it for a few hours means free vegetables, as well as saving a trip to the super market!

The last few nights have been longer ones, and I see many long nights ahead of me as I continue to meet more people. I’m determined to get better at pool, so that I can at least keep up with a friend I’ve met here, as he continues to beat me in the game as well as beat me in poker. I don’t give up so easily though! I’m also hoping to head up to Hammer Springs eventually, famous for thermal pools, as well as out to Akaroa to swim with dolphins, and to Lyttleton to gaze over a hill-ridden country side. The bus system is excellent within the city of Christchurch, however the further away from the city you go, the sparser the bus service is! This doesn’t bode well for tramping, as I’m almost afraid I’m going to have to go on charter busses to get anywhere, and that gets expensive fast. Winter is the off season, however, and if I can find rides with locals for the summer months that I’m here, all the better! I’m involved with a program called Operation Friendship, that puts international students with other students in local’s homes to meet other students as well as Kiwi families. The program’s first dinner was tonight, and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening I spent getting to know locals as well as students!

As it has been gloomy weather with lots of rain and a cold spike, I’m not going to make that beach trip I had hoped this weekend. But fear not! Tomorrow I’ll be heading out to the International Antarctic Center with friends, and friends and I will spend tomorrow night watching a free movie provided by the university, and bake cookies to end the evening. So once again, a busy weekend, with plenty to look forward to next week!

Sorry again for no pictures, but I haven’t figured out my video camera completely. They will be here eventually! For now, trust me, it’s beautiful here. I hope you are all in good health, and check back next week for an update!


Cheers,
Nicole

Haggai 2:7