Traveling

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Craziness in Christchurch

Greetings everyone! Haha. First off lets talk about the happy things in life. I AM OFFICIALLY DONE WITH ESSAYS! Yaaaaaaaay. Now all I have to do is re-read everything for the semester and I’ll be good for finals… and traveling in the meantime. Stay tuned.

I decided to start off my newfound freedom by going on a road-trip with some friends up to Christchurch for the South Island Salsa Competition. My friends Katerina and Andy are competing in the under 1 year and Intermediate brackets (respectively) so the three of us, plus our friend Keith, decided to come up early and dance away the weekend. We had a blasty blast. The dancing in Christchurch is pretty good. It’s not Steven’s Steakhouse, but I mean, lets be honest, who can top Steven’s Steakhouse, much less Break on 2’s USC Salsa Nights? That bar really is too high hahahaha. Sooooo let me break it down for ya, starting with Thursday.

Thursday

• Start road-trip at around 2.30. Kate and I are in and out of consciousness in the back seat because we are so tired from life in general. We get to Christchurch around 7, and get to our “apartment” which is in between a hostel and a really nice hotel. Check in, then go find a kebab place to eat at because I am on the verge of killing something I am so hungry. Then we get ready for Salsa dancing at Base, which, if you are ever in Christchurch, you HAVE to go to on Thursday nights. It was so so so much fun. They have salsa in the main room and zouk in the smaller room. It started off kind of slow but then really picked up. I danced with Reuben, an instructor who owns a studio out here, and he was a great lead. If I weren’t so tired (because I’m out of shape) it would’ve been better. But we danced Pantera mambo and another really good song together. He is shorter than you are in flat anya haha but the man can dance! And I also met Andrew from Czech Republic who was a very good dancer, Maya you would LOVE his style of dancing. I kept thinking of how well you would dance with him if you were here. And there was also Gael from France, who is actually one of the best bachateros out here, and KeAndra your style of dancing would go well with his, he just loves to have fun with the beat in salsa, and he is easily 6’2” or taller, which is really nice. And I danced the coolest/ most amazing/ phenomenally styled cha-cha of my life (if I do say so myself) with the “Leading Bachata Dancer in New Zealand” aka the guy who represents Bachata dancing abroad for NZ, Malrico. Because my cha-cha was so amazing with him, and everyone kept talking about his bachata skills, I thought the bachata would be good, but I was pretty disappointed. Gael was a much better bachata lead. But I was invited to Malrico’s potential Bachata Festival at the beginning of November, so we shall see. I might go if I can teach so I can cover the cost of a trip back up here. But anyways, there were a few other dancers that were good but I don’t remember their names/ they weren’t amazing enough to be blogged haha. Just kidding! Everyone was really nice and I had a blast.

Friday

• We wake up at a decent hour and head out to Cathedral Square where Kate (a.k.a. Loca) and I connected to the Internet and took care of some business. Then Kate had to go meet a friend of hers for lunch and the guys and I headed to Andy’s aunt’s farm, which was really nice, and his aunt and her two little boys were hilarious. Before we headed up though the guys discovered that if I don’t eat within a certain period of time I get snappy and irritating/ed hahaha so they rushed to a grocery store where there were delicious samples to eat and I bought an orzo/chorizo/spinach salad, which was delicious… I really want some right now actually. Oh, and chocolate was on sale so I bought three 85% bars. But anyways! At Andy’s aunt’s farm we talked about the earthquakes and how everyone was getting old. Except me of course, because I am always the baby in the salsa scene hahaha, and Iam very happy to be young and 21. We start to head back because we plan to go see Reuben’s Salsa Latina Dance Studio, but on the way back he texts us and tells us to stop by later. I think it’s because he was getting some of the flooring or mirrors or something delivered. So anyways we head back to the hotel, and I figure I’ll take a nap before we head out because we have like 2 hours. I ended up passing out for a good four hours!! Haha. I woke up just in time to get ready for salsa. Kate had come back to the room sometime during my slumber and we woke up around the same time and started to get ready. I didn’t put much effort in because I was still waking up and let’s be honest, no one to really impress over hurr. Loca took a good 30-40 minutes though. So we finally get to Hotel Ibis, which is about 3 blocks from our hotel, and it’s a $5 entry fee (LAME!) but whatever we get in there and start to dance. Its ok, but for the most part the music selection is not great. HOWEVER, about ¾ of the way through the night there is a Jack and Jill contest to win tickets to the South Island competition the next day, and you have to dance it with someone you have never danced with before.I don’t want to spend money, so I get in the middle of the dance floor and another guy walks out and asks to dance with me, and 5 other couples slowly make their way out to the floor. So the music starts and I am a totally show pony, dancing the flashiest LA style salsa that I can. Then the music stops and my partner and I make it to the next round. So I figure I have to kick it up a notch if I really want this ticket, and pull out basically all of the styling I have ever learned. I was EXHAUSTED after this dance. And we won! J See mom, salsa comes in handy… it saves me money hahaha. So I was very happy and I go to put my ticket in my purse and girls form the kids team that is scheduled to compete the next day, all crowd me and start freaking out about my dancing, which was very humbling ironically, and I literally almost cried because they were so cute and excited about my dancing and I seriously don’t think I’m that great of a dancer (it’s kind of hard when you are best friends with one of the cockiest Italians in LA that also happens to be one of the best lead and follows in the salsa/ bachata scene haha) so it was very very sweet of them. ANYWAYS! The night continues to be kind of uneventful, but I was so happy that I had won the ticket that I had such a good time.

• Then Loca wants to head back to Club Base, because they are playing some version of techno/ drum&bass/ electronic music (I can’t distinguish the difference, sorry kids), and because she is competing the next day we all decide to go along with it so that she can release her nerves. Gael and Pipita join us, and we all just kind of hang out as we are not electronic enthusiasts, but Loca has a GREAT time on the dance floor, which is what mattered. Then we headed to BK, I think, to get food because we were starving, where I met Gael’s friend from Mexico. So I was eating a post Salsa snack with a Russian, Frenchman, Kiwi, and a Mexican. Can you say…. Diversitaaaaay? Haha then we went back to the hotel and crashed.

Saturday

• We get up later, have a mini breakfast (If you can even call it that, it really was more of a snack) and head out to Cathedral Square to meet Jethro (Kate’s dance partner) and Josie.. It is here that I introduced the group to “flash salsa,” aka turning on your own salsa music and dancing wherever you are, usually in a very public place. So I start to lead Kate and I have Jethro take over. And we all just have a blast. Tom and Sarah got into town around this time and so we all head back to the hotel and get everyone situated. Then we start to go shopping for outfits, because Jethro needed clothes for the competition, Josie wanted shoes and I needed something to wear, and I also had to get to a salon. While we are out I find an awesome dress for $15, which is unheard of for NZ. A decent and cheap dress here is like $30 if you’re lucky. So I was super happy, and I found a good salon/ spa close to the hotel. The group dropped me off and I had a nice stroll back to the hotel when I was done. Photo evidence below.
• Then we all crash and Kate, Jethro, Andy, and Sarah all get ready and leave around 6. And the rest of the group leaves around 7.30. When we get to the competition, the ushers sent us to the wrong auditorium so we completely missed Kate and Jethro’s competition!! I was pretty bummed. And then Andy and Sarah’s heat of competitors came on and they did great. But aside from seeing my friends compete, the competition in general was torture, especially the “pro” round. However the man that I won the J&J competition with the night before, won the pro-section of the competition for the whole South Island. So that was cool to know. But they just had amazing songs and horrible routines. It was pretty sad. But Kate and Jethro came in 3^rdand Andy and Sarah should have placed, but because of salsa politics (yay our favorite! Haha) they did not. So Lame. But whatever! I had to go back and put on shorts because my dress was ok… until I started dancing in it. Shocker! Then we all head to the after-party and dance the rest of our energy out. It was fun, but I think Base on Thursday nights was by far the best night. So then we head back to the hotel, keep dancing, because we are hyper zombies, and then Loca wants to head out to the club again. Do you understand why she has her nickname at this point? So Jethro and I head out with her to the club at like 3.30/ almost 4 AM and there is a cover charge. Really? So they walked me back to the hotel (after we seriously tried talking our way out of the cover) and then head back out until 7AM.

Sunday

• So we “wake up” really exhausted because we have to check out by 10, and are throwing all of our things into our bags. Then we have a nice “farewell brunch” for Tom and Sarah because they were headed off to live in South Carolina. (Best of luck guys!). And then Andy, Loca Kate and I walked around Christchurch which was very nice and sunny and got to see some of the art and a nice market and then Keith finally came to pick us up and we headed on back to Dunedin. We all stopped at Andy’s parent’s house and his mom made us the most amazing fresh scones I have ever eaten in my life. And pasta, and chicken, and salad. Basically it was phenomenal. And then we really got back to Dunedin where it was all rainy, compared to sunny sunny Chch.

Ultimately, it was a great and hilarious weekend that I am so glad I got to share with new and crazy friends haha. Sorry it took so long for me to post this! Hopefully I’ll be more up to date in the near future. Love you all! Happy Birthday week to my beautiful mother, mi primo Ramiro, Alberto, Carina, Catherine, Ismael, Kelsey and everyone else I am too tired to remember. Have a great weekend! Please pray for fair elections in Sudan in the near future, the miners in Chile, the Troops, and many other things going on in the world right now.

♥ 2 Corinthians 5:7

I need...

[Photo Courtesy of pordescubrir.com]

A massive pabellon with mango sticky rice for dessert. Maybe a marroncito and bar of 85% dark chocolate to top it all off.

...Oh and some sleep would be nice

Racist much?

Sooooo I'm just going to jump right into it! haha This last week I have seen/ heard some blatant racism by pakehas. I was really shocked, not because I haven't experienced racism before (its plentiful in Los Angeles and comes in all shapes and sizes), but because of their understanding or explanations for it I guess. Monday night Arely and I had dinner with the university youth pastor and his wife at their house. usually we are accompanied by our 3 Maori friends and a Korean couple, but everyone else was busy this week so they were stuck with the two crazy Latinas haha. Just kidding, they really are a great and hospitable couple, and we are not always crazy. After dinner we were discussing a lot of topics and crime came up, because I feel insanely safe here in Dunedin. I feel safe in Los Angeles, but in New Zealand I don't have to be nearly as vigilant about my surroundings. The pastor (who was shocked that there was a lot of crime in LA... seriously?) claimed that Dunedin was so safe because there aren't many Maoris here, and informed us that the atmosphere is much different on the North Island, where the majority of Maori reside. This claim did not shock/ irk me so much as what came out of his mouth next. He started the phrase off with "I don't want to seem racist but..." which is usually a nice warning for you to brace yourself for a racist comment, and finished it with "it's just in their blood or something." I tried with all of my might to not have my jaw drop and go into a complete sociological rant on minorities and crime rates, so I did what I usually do when I am restraining myself from going completely mental: I clenched my jaw, went dead silent and listened. At the very least, a personal lesson in Kiwi culture and mindset could take place and I should pay attention to his explanation. He spoke about how Maoris (and Polynesians) were the majority of prison occupants in New Zealand, more specifically North Island, which I believe; and how even though he grew up in a region of the North Island, becoming acclimated to Dunedin has made him feel uncomfortable in his home town because of the Maori presence. As I have not studied sociology in New Zealand I felt that it would be inappropriate for me to speak on the matter because I was not equipped with the proper intellectual weaponry and so I made a few polite remarks and moved on in the conversation.

Then Tuesday night came around and the news was showing a story of a fight that happened between two young girls in a large shopping center somewhere in North Island. Kelsey and I were surprised that it was even televised, but apparently these two girls were older than most of the girls that have been terrorizing the local shop-owners and because the tape was caught on tape and the police were there it was a story. These two girls happened to be Maori, and apparently so were all of the other little girls that have been beating up shop owners in whatever shopping center it was. I personally was shocked that police or security personnel presence in the center hadn't increased since these tenders have apparently had an issue with teen violence for a while (according to the news report). But what Kelsey and I found almost comical about this news report was the implication that all young female Maoris in the region were participating in this violence, which the news linked to gang affiliations, all from a fight that was most likely provoked by the presence of the news cameras in the first place (which the news station quickly/quietly admitted, itself). We laughed off just how politically incorrect the whole thing was, and I just threw out the common sense suggestion of greater security presence and maybe providing these girls with a productive activity/ organization to release their wiggles through. But then our Kiwi host (who claims to have some Maori heritage, which I believe for the most part) said something along the lines of "well if all they see is their parents doing the same thing in the bars and at home, its not really a surprise that these girls are fighting in malls." REALLY?! Even a person who claims to be Maori and participates in certain cultural practices doesn't defend her own? I would think that she would have greater insight into the community and see that this was probably an exaggeration of something that was happening in a certain region. But I guess not.

Being the person that I am, I decided to look into the matter and see why these people (of mostly European descent) had the views that they did of the country's largest minority group, or 14% of the population. With some surface research, it seems : over 50% of Maori are currently living in the poorest regions of the country; they compose almost half of the prison population in the country; less than half of them meet the minimal qualifications to pass high school; they have higher unemployment rates and levels of disease (which includes alcoholism and drug abuse); and they have lower life expectancy rates.

Hmmmmm for some reason this sounds familiar. Oh, yes! Why of course... The United States has the highest fraction of it's population in prison, in the world, most of which is composed of minority groups. As of 2007, on average: Black Americans were 12% of the general population and almost 45% of the prison population; Latinos/ Hispanics were 13% of the general population and almost 20% of the prison population (I'm sure the numbers of Latinos has risen significantly in the past few years thanks to tighter immigration laws and the rapidly increasing/ undocumented numbers); and White Americans were a little less than 70% of the general population, but only about 35% of the prison population. Now do these numbers suggest that crime is in our blood as minorities? I guess you could try and make this argument if you really wanted. I would be the first to donate my blood to this research project, and I'm sure some of my friends and fellow minorities would do the same in the name of "social science."

I will not deny that the majority of crimes are committed by minority groups. However I will say that what you really have to look at is the distribution of and access to resources of these minority groups. Most minorities live in poor regions usually because they have either moved into a foreign territory with very few of their possessions or their specific group was disenfranchised by a government or external group. Those who have few resources tend to go into survival mode and do all that they can to get by. Sometimes this means forfeiting educational opportunities in order to provide for the family. When the next generation comes along, even if they excel in school or at a specific skill/art, sometimes their parents are unable to help them in their school work or afford their talent and so the child falls behind. If no one from the community steps in to support and/or help the child (and their parents) to move forward, then the chances of the children getting stuck in the same cycle as the previous generation are very high. This model applies to communities of poor whites as well. Granted this is a very overgeneralized explanation of a social cycle, and there are the cinderella stories of those individuals that are extremely motivated to excel (such as that of my father) and pockets of different minority communities that raise children as a community and work to lift each other up or families that work together to gradually move up the social ladder; however there is truth behind the outlined cycle and many children are caught. Crime is most likely prevalent in these communities because some people are looking to make money quickly or make it to the next meal, or there is a lack of hope and so the consequences of crime are reduced relatively, drugs and alcohol allow one to escape their reality and simultaneously lead to higher rates of violence, etc. I am not a sociologist and so I cannot comment in greater depth on the causes and consequences of poverty on a community. However, seeing as to how most people living in impoverished conditions are statistically more likely to experience and participate in crime, regardless of color (for reasons described above and more) I would say that the claim that crime "is in their blood" can be laid to rest. Declared false, if you will. And the parental example, while important and influential, is not the sole cause of peer violence.

Now that my full opinion and explanation (which really comes off as a rant, I apologize) have been voiced , I wish I could tell, or better yet show, these white Kiwis how much of a socio-economic impact something like a community center or even something as simple as a boxing gym would make for those Maori girls on the news or on North Island in general; and what would happen if they were given equal access to educational resources/ tools, sports and art programs and some financial resources. I feel like I would just be laughed off as someone who doesn't understand the situation, and I will admit that I am not a scholar of sociology or history of NZ. And maybe I don't see the whole picture, but that doesn't mean that I can't see that certain issues shouldn't be treated with racism. People need to seek out and understand the real roots and causes of the problems within their communities and those that they come into contact with. It's basic respect.

I am very very sorry that this is structured as a rant, but it is something that I really had to get off of my chest. It is very important to me that everyone is treated with basic respect, and racism is highly disrespectful in my book (and in general I hope haha) so it struck a nerve. I hope that this does not skew your view of Kiwis in general either, as the majority of them are extremely friendly and open minded/ liberal (another reason that this mini surge of racism was pretty shocking). I also apologize for my grammar. I know it's horrendous, maybe even heinous, in this post. Bear with me.

OK! hahaha Other than that(!) I love you all, am praying for you, and will probably start counting down the days until I get back to the Golden State soon haha. I ask that you pray for the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, Pakistan, the Gulf Coast, the Troops annnnnd my friends' employment in the fields that they want :) Thanks people

♥

Insanity and Fun

The two can easily be mixed as I'm sure many of you know haha. The combination is much easier when you are in a car for long periods of time, not really having a set agenda, weird sleep schedules, and spending A TON of time with the same people. For example, a road trip down the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand with your flat-mates, another international student from France, and a crazy Kiwi. But before I discuss our trip briefly (because I really am too lazy to type 5 semi-witty pages worth of adventures) I would just like to apologize in advance for any massive grammatical errors ... it happens.

OK! So back to insane fun, or insanity funny, or was it insanity and fun... whatever, you get the idea. So on Saturday of last week (a.k.a the 28th of August) the parties named above, and I, embarked on a long long car ride up the 1 Highway. And from now on everything will be super duper short.

Day 1

• Stopped at the Moeraki Boudlers and took way too many pictures
• Drove over 9 hours up the east coast, through Arthur's pass (aka a massive movie setting for LOTR) and into Greymouth
• Had (a delirious) dinner at a nice pizzeria, played card games, passed out

Day 2

• Had breakfast, drove up the West Coast to Punakaiki to look at the pancake rocks and go on a hike. Again, took too many pictures.
• Went to Monteith's Brewery, after changing at the hostel, and took a tour/beer tasting. I have never liked beer until I tried Monteith's... just sayin'
• Dinner at an Indian restaurant. It may sound boring but it really was hilarious. Then we went back and played card games and a knockoff version of Jenga again before passing out.

Day 3

• Packed up after breakfast and headed down the west coast. We stopped in Hokitika for a few hours and enjoyed the beach and local artists' shops.
• Stopped at the Bushman Centre in Pukekura (population: 2). Stopped at the Waitaha River and searched for hot pools to dig. Then we stopped at a small ton with amazing jade and whalebone carvings
• Went on a Kiwi stalk in Okarito!! We got to see a female kiwi in the wild and we heard 4of a specific subspecies of Kiwi of which only 250 still exist (the female we saw was of the same group). It was crazy awesome. And we saw a ton of baby possums. The tour guide was pretty pissed we were kind of late, but he got over it. I think he is just overly passionate about this kind of Kiwi. He used to work for the national conservation group so I guess I can understand.
• Then we finally got to our hostel in Franz Joseph and went out to eat. That was a super long day, but was so worth it.

Day 4

• We drove over to the Glacier tracks and then went on a nice hike up to a view point. Then we took another trek as close to the glacier as possible while still being free (you can hike the glacier... but it's way too expensive and we'd rather save our money for other ventures)
• Then Dan, Marion, and I went back to Okarito (which isn't far) and Dan and I ran the trails (at completely different paces because he is in the middle of training for a marathon) while Marion took photos and went to a nice lookout point. The scenery was breathtaking and the run was a great personal challenge but at the end of the trail I twisted my ankle pretty badly.
• Went back to the hostel, cooked a massive plate of tortellini and a head of broccoli, rested my foot. Arely, Kelsey and I went to a local bar after their failed glow-worm-spelunking and played pool. Tanya, I need another lesson because my skills are severely lacking.

Day 5

• Packed up and headed out to see Fox Glacier. The water was blue! Literally. It was very very ...cool (ahahaha! I am so very clever. Ok not, I wish)
• Stopped at a nice beach, a salmon farm and a pebble beach that was supposed to have penguins on it, but they were not there when we arrived. (I'm assuming it's because we got to the beach around high-tide time) Regardless, the scenery and ocean were beautiful.
• Then we finally made it to Queenstown! Where we got delicious Fergburgers (Velvet burger is better) and some amazing hot chocolate with fresh CookieTime cookies. We met up with some of Marion's friends who are living in town until the snowboard season is over and then going back to Europe. They let us stay at their (super nice and huge) flat for the night, so we dropped off our stuff and then headed out to a bar. We almost got into a bar fight, but decided that dancing was better.
• After the long and hilarious night was finally over we went back to the flat, hung out, laughed, and ate more delicious cookies. then we passed out.

Day 6

• We got up, and got prepared for the bungy day!! Arely, Dan and Marion all went bungy jumping at the Nevis center, and I went on the Nevis Arc, which is a massive swing (twice!). We all had so so so much fun. In the mean time Kelsey explored the beauty of Queenstown.
• Headed back to the flat, packed up our stuff, went to get some lunch, bought our hosts a present, and then we began the long drive back to Dunedin.

The rest of the weekend I was pretty much a bum. I caught up on some sleep, some TV shows, and some schoolwork in between posting and commenting on the hundreds of photos that we all have from the trip. And of course I watched the USC TROJANS BEAT THE WARRIORS!! I found a way to watch it live, albeit of poor quality. Sorry I'm so late in updating you all on the trip. But anyways, it's back to work this week because all of my term papers are due within the next 3 weeks. YAY! But I am trying to figure out if I can go skydiving this month so I will keep you all posted on that.

Since I am 19 hours ahead of the Golden Coast and only 16 hours ahead of the Big East Coast, you guys should skype me, because then we are talking in real time... which would make you a time traveler. And who doesn't want to time travel? You can tell all your friends and be cool.

Love and praying for you all.

♥Joshua 1:9

Je suis un grosse vache

It's true. And the weather was crappy today. womp womp

Crossroads

I had an interesting week. Not in a bad way, just because there is no other way to really describe it. I have been working out a bit more because I feel like a fat lard not dancing every other second of my life and laughing my head off with my friends at Casa de M. And I have finally started my paper outlines/ midterm essays, but it's hard because I can't stress myself into doing it. I also got chilblains in two fingers on my right hand, which is painful and an interesting experience. My pinky and ring finger look like they put on fat suits or decided to become sumo wrestlers... But moving on!

Thursday night The girls and I were going to go out... but then decided that baking cookies and watching movies was a superior plan. We watched It's Complicated and The Rebound. Both very much chick flicks for the Middle Aged woman and hopeless romantics, and both very very good. We turned in around 1 or 2AM. It was a nice

Then Friday night I went out to town with a Mexican, a Pole, and an Englishman around 10.30 because we were bored and decided that being out would be better than sitting at home doing nothing. That was an excellent decision; not only because we had a very relaxed enjoyable night, but because there were some hilarious moments along the way. So we head to South Bar along the way and get an amazing little drink that tastes just like a banana dessert that only one bartender can make, and we hang out and talk to the guy afterwards and get a deal because we are awesome. Then we head to The Bog which is super popular with international students apparently, but there were very few people out so it was mainly us and a bunch of Kiwis. There was a cover band playing that was pretty bad, but lucky for us there was a bar regular who was very drunk and dancing while trying to stare into the few stage lights that they had assembled in this pub. I was pretty bored and watched regional rugby for the most part, but then things started getting interesting. As the night progressed, the covers improved exponentially, both in selection and performance; which, as some of you may have guessed, led to lip synching by our little group.

Then, Arely and I being Latinas with a supernatural sense to locate fights, began to watch an intense scrap between two groups of boys outside and across the street from the pub. Our faces were glued to the window panes, and we did some fight analysis/ narration. It was a cheap fight and was ultimately broken up by a bar security guard, but it was exciting nonetheless. Then another group of boys passed by and were acting pretty unintelligently, causing Arely to laugh so hard that she coughed. As she coughed a projectile flew in (seemingly) slow motion a good 5 to 6 feet away from her. She thought no one noticed but all four of us start cracking up after a good 5 seconds of complete silence. Apparently it was the thing in the back of her throat that had been bugging her for a week. After laughing ourselves near to tears, we decided to play a game. My Break on 2 fam and I have played this game many times at the Chinese restaurant in LA named Last Call (just kidding Tanya!!! hahaha I mean Full House) where you place one hand over and the other hand under your neighbors' hands in a circle around the table and you have to tap once to continue the direction of the game or tap twice to reverse it. If it sounds confusing, try playing it. We mess up at Full House in a large group, so imagine how we did in a small group with two tipsy players in the mix haha. We played for a bit and then the girls were laughing too much and we stopped. While they left the table for a restroom break my English friend and I watched rugby. Our sports viewing was interrupted when another Bog customer who was well inebriated came up behind Steven and asked "Hey sweetie, keen to dance?" To which Steve did not flinch until I started cracking up, and then he realized the question was directed towards him. The drunk man quickly realized his mistake and booked it back to the bar, and the girls returned to the table at that point so we cracked up about the whole thing and decided to leave because the band had finished and there wasn't much else to do at the Bog or anywhere else in town really.

Arely gets a call as we are walking out and takes it. She is on the phone for a good 10 minutes and never realized that she was near run over by cars three times because her eyes were glued to the floor while she walked and talked. Three times!!! She is lucky there was enough room on the streets for them to avoid her. Loquita! But you gotta love her haha. We finally get to our flat, have a snack and pass out.

And then it was Saturday! We went to the lovely Dunedin Farmers' market in the morning and had the most mind blowing freshly made crepes, and I got a lamb kebab as well, which was perfectly seasoned. And we got some groceries as well. And then Dan gave us girls from Castle 569 a lift to the Orokonui Ecosancutary, which was beyond words.

So gorgeous and peaceful. And we hiked all over the place so it was a workout and a timeout from life. I have pictures up on facebook if you wish to get a glimpse of it. So we get back and I plan to go out with Arely, later on at night. I make a snack, upload the photos, and decide to take a nap. Well when I woke up it was past 10pm and it was just me in the flat, so I decided to spend some "me time" and eat chocolate and a nice warm yam with a lot of butter while watching Vicky Christina Barcelona. I don't understand why so many people hate that movie. I think its an interesting take on romanticism, and pretty hilarious, and its about the not-so-tortured artist. Stamp of approval. It was my second time watching the film so maybe I am biased, but so many people have knocked it recently that I had to state my approval of the film.

After such a relaxing night I slept in and woke up to do some homework before... *drumroll* Guests from Christchurch came down!!! And they have been great. We watched the B. Spears movie Crossroads, which is horrendous... honestly. I almost want to claim that time back from the producers/ directors. (But we kind of went into it knowing it would be terrible, corny and overwhelmingly predictable.) Unfortunately all 3 are sick, poor things. But they have done pretty much everything that needs to get done in Dunedin (aka the Cadbury Chocolate Factory and Velvet Burger) and realized the rough lives that we lead with no central heating. Gosh, sometimes I wonder how we live! hahahaha OK Just kidding! Its actually been GORGEOUS weather this week. It's only Tuesday though, I hope I don't jinx it.

Well this is the last entry for a while unless I blog something before our ROADTRIP! Because I have a test tomorrow and a paper due Friday before mid-semester break. Pray for me! Love you all. I'm glad I got to skype with most of you this weekend. Stay smart, safe, and sassy ♥

Also please help me win a voucher to travel around the world. You can win one too :) Thanks and good luck!

Superpowers

*Sigh* Hello friends and family that follow this blog. I'm sorry I haven't updated in the blog in a while, I've just had a kind of blah week. Not in a bad way, it was just a bit gloomy weather-wise and I have had some pretty intense headaches. But on a positive note I have begun to plan my career, at least in the broad general sense and with much prayer, and have peeked into what I will need financially to move forward. So if y'all could please pray for that it would be much appreciated. :) Also I feel like a lot of my friends are getting/ have been married this summer along with my beautiful cousin so congrats to everyone! Sorry I haven't/ won't be able to make it to your special days. Still love you all very much.

My beloved 'cuñada' is heading off to college this week too! I just skyped her and had a very long convo about dark chocolate haha. So I'm excited for her as she moves into this next stage of life, and hoping my littlest brother Monkey takes it well. Gabriel is also heading back to college this next week for his Sophomore year! It's crazy how fast that went. But I pray that they both have safe trips and a great time.

I just finished watching the Princess Bride, which is such a great movie. I forget every time. So this post is made even more random through media distractions. I apologize in advance.

Gloominess and seriousness of life aside, this week was pretty hilarious. Arely really does keep life interesting. Daily life is a comedy show haha. I posted a video of some of her shenanigans on the vlog if you wish to witness a glimpse. Hopefully she can change her flight and come visit us all in LA for her 21st birthday week! We shall see. And we attended an "Everything But a Cup" party which was extremely amusing. The girls and I brought spray bottles filled with our beverages of choice (water for yours truly... shocker! haha) while others brought sand castle buckets, hard hats, hollow baseball bats, piggy banks, ketchup bottles, Pimp cups, jam jars, baby baths with laddles, etc., you get the idea. It was a really great idea for a party, but drinking parties aren't my scene so it started to get boring after about an hour or so. I also have spent a good amount of time discussing superpowers, deep-sea chickens, cryogenic freezers/ defrosters, levels of awkward turtles and other (equally important) random topics with my friend Dan, aka Ming Tien from Xena Warrior Princess hahaha.

Needless to say Dan is pretty awesome. Today he imparted me with the spankin' new proverb of superheroes: "Your superpowers are but a dim reflection of your true potential."Deep... Arely actually just got back from watching movies at his place and has wrapped herself in her sleeping bag on our couch and would like to let the world know that, "Sleeping bags are so amazing!! You don't even know!" True story.

OK this is really just an update to let you all know that I am alive. I really am sorry for the convoluted sequencing of topics and events. Love you all, hope to skype with you soon. Stay safe, I'm praying for you guys!

♥ Isaiah 1: 11-18

IT HAS BEGUN!

So as I sit here with cold feet (hahahaha literally! I am so funny! ...not) listening to excessive amounts of Aventura I am realizing a minor twinge of sadness that I am indeed missing the commencement of a phenomenal little sports season in the United States known as Football. Now I know this post is following my rave about how much I love Rugby and so I may be coming off as greedy. But, thankfully, in the world of sports it is completely possible to be in love with more than one sport. So as much as I truly do love Rugby and think that it is the quintessential sport, I miss my love Football. Reminiscing today, I realized that in missing this sport, I also severely miss my friend Shanelle whom I can sit with over coffee (which realistically is a diet coke for her and a soy green tea latte for me) and talk about the pre-season, how we expect new draft picks to perform, who we think is insane, which uniforms are the worst, and pray that the Pats can just make us proud this season (because as much as we would like them to win the Super Bowl, we are rational... at times). We have done some serious bonding over Patriot and College Football during my college career, usually through IM or facebook chats over ESPNs website or whatever game is on TV at the moment; throwing in the occasional bits of advice, new recipes, talks of how awesome we are, Talks of how awesome God is, and the glory days when we were super fit and took kickboxing together coincidentally after life-shattering break ups, etc. You get the idea... I miss you Shanaynay!

Ok but back to Football! Whoopee congrats Cowboys on your win... Sarcastic tones really don't work on the internet but thats the tone it was meant to be read in haha. I supported the Bengals today, mainly because I just don't like the Cowboys but I could provide you with countless justifications if you really wanted. I tried to keep up with the game today and remembered that play-by-play game cast really is not ok; it really is a last resort. You can't feel the rise and fall of the game, there are just lines moving back and forth about a minute after the actual plays have happened in real-time, and I don't get to see the drama! The times of pre-season (or all games for that matter) are inconvenient for me because most of the games are happening during class periods, so I can really just find out the results. But enough whining, seriously, I'm annoying myself! I just need someone to send me all of the USC football footage and I'll be set. I'm praying my big brother Mr. Harris will be starting D-Tackle this year and want to see how well he does. If one of you guys could keep me updated that would be awesome :) Ok. YAY FOOTBALL!!!

Baseball on the other hand... Angels, my love, why do you always do this to me? You go from a 10-1 victory to losing 9-4?? Seriously. It hurts. And we are 9 games behind the Rangers, and 1.5 games behind the A's... that's kind of pathetic. This is such a bipolar season. But as always, I will support you. Just don't make me look like a crazy hopeless romantic like the Dodger fans, I beg you. Loooove, Nicole. Thanks

On a more feminine note, I guess, while listening to country songs last night with the flat mate, I compiled a list of "Songs Every Man Should Play for His Special Woman at Some Point in Time". So here it goes:

The World & Little Moments & Then & She's Everything – Brad Paisley

Just Dance & Would You Come With Me – Josh Turner

Woman – Raheem DeVaughn

Imaginame Sin Ti – Luis Fonsi (only if you’ve messed up of course)

You and I – Michael Bublé

Mi Corazoncito – Aventura (Probably also after you’ve messed up, or just want to dance some bachata)

Lost Without U – Robin Thicke

So Beautiful & Dontchange & Teachme & Love – Musiq Soulchild

Melt - Rascal Flats

Haven't You Ever Really Loved a Woman - Brian Adams

Until the End of Time - Justin Timberlake

Ladies, (and gentlemen... maybe) if you have any additions to the list, just add them in the comment section. But you are pretty safe with these artists in general. (And this isn't including the whole list in Spanish that I have haha)

Houston... Tenemos Un Problema

Sooooo, this weekend was the Tri-Nation match between the All Blacks and the Wallabies as all of you that read this blog should know (because I mentioned it earlier), but probably don't remember. Regardless! The girls and I set out in our new Toyota Friday after classes very excitedly for Christchurch to view said rugby match. About 30 minutes into our gorgeous, scenic, and fun ride, the new car (who was not named yet, thank goodness) died.

Thankfully we were able to make it to a safe shoulder on the road, where, after about a half hour and 20 cars passed us, a very helpful road worker asked if we needed help and came over to check out the car. He helped us find a tow service and everything and then went about his day. He was hilarious too. Thank you Mr. Roadworker for making our crappy moment funny! And for being so nice. Anyways, so we get towed to the automotive shop closest to the university and they offer to do a quick check on the car to see if we can get back out on the road. But it turns out the car needs a completely new engine... So needless to say that was a downer on the day! But we came back and ate a lot of chocolate, and cheese, and watched movies, and figured out a plan of attack because Arely and I had already purchased our tickets.

Atomic Bus services came to the rescue! We found round trip tickets for $55! Which is ridiculously cheap. Sadly, we lost travelers Louise and Beata in the crossfire of the car breakdown and so they stayed in Dunedin to watch the game. But Arely and I woke up at 7am day of the game and headed out to Christchurch on a 5 hour bus ride. Grueling? Yes. But it was so worth it. Christchurch is gorgeous! And they have a phenomenal public transportation system, and I wish we could have spent more than 18 hours in the city. Digression, sorry. So we get off the bus in Cathedral Square, and hang out for a while to wait for Anna and Kasey, her friends from the Arcadia Study Abroad Program. They helped us find our ticket vendors, which were on opposite sides of town,so we could pick them up. We walked with our sleeping and overnight bagsALL OVER CHRISTCHURCH! I am not exaggerating. Our arms are swollen thanks to the iso-bicep curls we did with our seelping bags and our legs are super sore thanks to excessive walking. We were exhausted by the end but just really excited to have our tickets and be going to the game. So fast forward a few hours to the game, because I could go on for hours, IT WAS PHENOMENAL!

Rugby is possibly one of the greatest sports known to man (and woman) kind. It is guerilla warfare on a field, fought in short shorts by extremely fit gentlemen, with a medium sized white ball during an 80 minute time period... what more could you ask for? It is the ultimate display of teamwork and brute force all at once. There are skirmishes every now and then, but they are men, therefor... they are (as a friend of mine would say :P). And the crowd is not completely and totally insane. Imagine the force of football, with the speed of soccer, a dash of the fights in hockey, and the crowd of a baseball game, topped with class and a dark chocolate covered strawberry. (OK sadly chocolate covered strawberries are not inclusive with the rugby package, but thats ok because then I would probably never watch another sport.... thats a lie, but you get the idea) I was almost in sports heaven! My seat was really really close to the field too, which was surprising, but the view was a bit awkward. Regardless, I was very happy to be there, just a bit too tired from walking all over the city to show it. The game was really good! Our offense was a bit off, but the guys have been ploughing through every team this season so you gotta give 'em a break. Defense was phenomenal! And I was a few (50+) feet away from Daniel Carter... I probably would've melted had I been any closer to the man whose ad campaign for some cologne or underwear line caused a lot of accidents in Auckland recently. I could have only asked for the USC student cheering section to be there to make the game anymore perfect. Anyways, it was an All Blacks victory 20-10 and then I almost fell asleep standing up. But the girls and I headed to a nice little snack and billiards bar in town where we had snacks (shocker!) and talked a bit and then I headed home early because I was about to enter REM in the bar/ pool-hall.

In the morning Arely and I caught the 8am bus back to Dunedin and went on a cleaning spree for some reason, so our rooms look very nice and the kitchen is almost completely clean. In the mean time we have been watching Country music videos by Brad Paisley and Josh Turner and almost crying at just about every one of them hahaha. Why do they always have to be so sentimental and amazing?!?! I don't get it. Well I am hungry and tired and this took me forever to write thanks to Señores Paisley and Turner. So ciao for now. Sorry for the long posts. Please pray for my hermana, "La Reina" Tanya, that she gets the job that she interviewed for because she is amazing and really thinks this job would be awesome and she deserves it because of all of her hard work. Thanks! (Oh, and pray that justice is served to Charles Taylor on behalf of all of the child soldiers and families that fought and have been damaged by the civil war in Sierra Leone.)

♥ Philipians 4:13

Otago (Lack of) Fashion

Ok people. I feel that the need for this is so great that I might explode. Melodramatic? Possibly… discuss. But I have never felt such a strong urge to perform a What Not to Wear massive makeover on the University of Otago (or anyone/ where for that matter) as I did this morning when I saw a girl wearing black, saggy, velvet-ish leggings under her black skirt... Seriously! Sadly those that need to read this will never see it. First off, everyone has the identical Indie rock look, very popular 2 years ago in the States. Which is fine! I love that look. HOWEVER! Not everyone can wear the same thing. It’s painful. People do not understand the concept of dressing to flatter your body type here. Its called style Otago!!! And I would love to help you out with it. I would like to begin with the “don’ts" of the fashion here in general...

DON’T!:

• Wear velvet or velveteen that covers a large part of your body! That includes leggings, dresses, shirts etc. There are a few exceptions, such as nice velvet jackets for men and certain dresses for certain women. But even then! Just steer clear for now Otago.
• Wear acid-washed… anything! There is a reason that the trend died in the 80s
• Wear all black! If you are not out on the town in a classy black dress, in mourning or in a stage-crew for a show, there is no reason for you to do this to yourself. Please slap some color on yourself, a pattern or textures. It’s really not that hard. If you don’t do this, people begin to realize that you are indeed wearing 3 or more different shades of black and what exactly you are trying to hide under all of that black. For goodness sake, just head over to my flat and I’ll hand you a pair of happy jewelry or a bright scarf or a cute cardigan to bring attention to your beautiful glowing face. My roomies and I feel like aliens with all of the color we wear; which really isn’t THAT much. Click HERE to read about my flatmate's sadness with the monochromatic lives of Kiwi university students
• Wear the same clothes as everyone else! Now this may sound like common sense, but here in Otago apparently it is not. Your clothes, to some degree, are an expression of yourself, an extension of your personality and self-value, if you will. So when you dress the same as everyone else it really doesn’t look good. Also ladies that are 100 pounds and ladies that are over 160 cannot wear the same thing. Even ladies that are the same weight with different body types cannot wear the same thing. Its common sense people
• Wear a rat-tail or mullet! Gentlemen, you are not Anakin Skywalker or Obiwan Kenobi, and as stated earlier, the majority of trends in the 80s ended for a reason. This is one of those trends.
• Wear gross clothes! Ok that was a joke (kind of). But while we’re at it, it doesn’t hurt to wear something presentable every now and then young men. Good jeans and a nice sweater, or a nice clean t-shirt, or even rugby polo is probably easier to put together than stubbies and a zip up topped off with a puff jacket. Just a suggestion. I will gladly go shopping with you if you need help. Men’s styling is my favorite thing to do. If you need a suit/ dress clothes take me with!! Haha. The styling assistance is extended to all of my male friends as well; I will gladly help you shop for clothes when I get back to the States. I love it. Seriously.
• Wear ripped tights/ leggings/ stockings/ nylons!! That’s pretty self-explanatory. It just looks tacky ladies.
• Be sad! There is fashion hope for you yet! You are only in college after all, and will realize after some traveling that your country is about 3-4 years behind Europe in fashion and 2 years behind the States. I cannot blame you though; you get all of the pop culture shows and visual representations of culture about a year after they happen. But then I hope you realize you should dress for yourself, in a matter that flatters your body.

On a positive note, I would like to end with the fact that I have hope fashion (and just personal style in general) will improve. And as a disclaimer I have seen a few women on campus and in town with impeccable style, but those are rare beacons of light. Anyways! I feel like this was a long rant on fashion that really doesn’t apply to many of those that read this blog. But in the mean time, check out GFY for fashion mishaps/ flawless victories on red carpets and social events around the world.

Ciao!

Tears

I discovered today in class, that it is physically impossible for me to NOT cry when I watch The Last Samurai. Something about that movie always yanks the tear flood-gate chain and off they go! I didn't bawl my eyes out thankfully, because the professor had to skip parts of the film in order for it to fit into the allocated 2 hour class period that we have open on Wednesdays. But I still cried!!! I try really hard not too, but it happens without fail...

Especially at this scene!!

And this one.

Floodgates people...

Houston, Tenemos Exito!!!

So today, the girls and I finally purchased our lovely, trusty, white Toyota '88 Corona! We love it! And have yet to name it. But Arely and I are going to the All Blacks vs. Wallabies match this weekend, and will christen the little coche and discover it's true name! With the consent of Kelsey and Beata of course. Photos to come soon.

I think my excitement about the rugby match has topped my excitement about the car, which is a bit intense. But you can interpret that as you wish hahaha. I LOVE RUGBY! AND THE ALL BLACKS! AND I AM SO HAPPY THAT WE ARE GOING TO THE GAME!!

The girls and I have also officially begun to plan our winter break! North Island, prepare yourself... That's all I have to say.

We had a pleasant weekend. I need to start planning my essays for classes and studying for midterms in 2 weeks. Crazy that we're almost in midterm season, and that I have to begin the beloved and much hated process of writing 4 papers. Papers are soul vampires, but I have a deep love for the majority of the papers that I write. They are almost like my paintings/ art. I spend a ton of time on them, lose sleep, pour my heart and soul into them, love them and then I don't see them for months or they are placed in a closet corner or end up in a random pile or get mysteriously lost. It is an interesting process, to say the least. But I digress.

I would just like to give a shout out to Break On 2!! Y'all represented to the max at the SalsaMambo Festival/ Bachata Madness! I am so proud of all of you, and really wish I could have been there. Keep having fun for me out there! And start the semester strong :)

Much love and happiness

♥ Proverbs 3:3

Car! Coche! !سيارة Auto! Carro! автомобиль!

My flat mates and I are trying to find a good car. The one that we were going to buy epically failed the pre-purchase inspection we (thankfully) scheduled. Ergo the search continues. Please pray for us, we need one before the end of this week. Thanks :)

Sorry

It has been a whole week since I've last updated! I didn't even realize. Apologies. But since I last updated I have:

1. Taught the flat mates Salsa (a bit of bachata) and gone out dancing 2 nights in a row
2. Made another phenomenal batch of Oatmeal Chocolate Delights (aka Cookies) with Kelsey
3. Finished the first 2 seasons of True Blood
4. Test driven 2 cars and figured out how to drive on the left side of the road. No crashes thankfully haha
5. Caught up on most all of my readings for my classes because tutorials (or class discussion sessions) have begun. Thankfully they are in place of a class, for my courses at least, and not a separate period.
6. Mastered the art of cooking a lamb dish that I made up on the fly. Complete with yummy butter, olive oil, red wine, and some other stuff. I'll cook it for you if you want, but I am not buying lamb meat in the states haha
7. Started writing post cards!!! Expect yours in the mail soon :)
8. Began my boxing and jujitsu classes this week. I am really nice and sore, I love it. In boxing, I am a bit ahead of the group (not to be arrogant, it's just frustrating and I am nervous that I could injure myself because of someone's mistake during mitt work). The jujitsu instructor is a female!! I am so happy. And the class is comprehensive, not all ground grappling, as I'm sure most of the boys enrolled expected it would be. Overall, I'm just really happy to be back in fighting, and learning something new. Such a good release.
9. I finally got out of the college town! Arely's family friends from Auckland (They met at her family's church in Austin) were down in Dunedin to meet with the pastors of the college group on campus here and they wanted to take a trip to the peninsula that Dunedin is so famous for. They asked Arely and I if we wanted to come with, and it was the best decision of our lives! haha All of the really nice landscape photographs that I have on my facebook are from our hour and a half trip to the peninsula and back to campus. Really a beautiful day, and so nice of them! They were a wonderful couple.
10. Sleeping!! I sleep on average about 7 hours or more here. I think its because of the cold. But it's great.

I think that's about it. The full update. I am currently sitting in the kitchen, freezing, listening to country music, drinking tea and I have a tutorial tomorrow morning that I need to prep for now. If any of you are planning on sending a care package at any time during my trip, please send me no salt added, roasted Almond Butter!!! and 85% chocolate bars, or anything from Trader Joe's really. I miss that store so much! haha. Love you guys! Skype me soon if you haven't already :)

P.S. Tanya and Maya I'm glad we had our skype session this week, it was good seeing y'all. I haven't laughed that hard for that long in a while :P You mujeres are cray cray! Maya I'm glad you figured stuff out too. Praying for you both as you enter this exciting time of life!! :) Keep me updated

Theism. Atheism.

My philosophy of religion course is very interesting. However this morning, sitting in class, I realized that I am not a fan of the philosophy aspect of religion. It is wholly and 100% necessary to have this field of study (and for apologetics I presume), and it is a very interesting course, but I just don't see the appeal in sitting and reasoning out religious ideas. If I had the brilliant mind of my younger brother Gabriel, maybe philosophy would be more interesting. Or maybe I'm just not used to thinking of things in the particular way that philosophers do. I guess it just dawned on me in class that, while all these people are asking for proof in order to move from the default (which in the philosophy of religion would be agnosticism) to either positive atheism or theism and where the burden of proof falls; all I need to do is look as a gorgeous sky, or see children learning/ playing, or study a flower to know that God is real. It is the beauty and complexities in the world that make me realize nothing is an accident,and there is no way that a creator could not exist. (Sorry for the double negative) People tend to focus on personal experiences in and our of the church, or the evil that humans exact on one another, or the fact that the bible and the theory of evolution do not support one another as their reasons for not believing in God. But that, to me, seems very selfish and tunnel-visioned, and just as irrational as the fundamentalist theists whom these people hate so much. And then how can you describe all of the beauty in this world?? And the intricacies of organisms? And concepts like love and charity? I think I will stick to the textual analysis of religion, and work very hard in this class to try and think like a philosopher. But I don't know if I could ever think God to death, I much prefer to experience Him.

Photo Credit: Daniel Gebhart de Koekkoek©

Illumination Partay!

OK soooooo

I figured I would explain the illumination party. I have it on the vlog, but I can barely hear myself on that one soo I prrovide descrription here, ok? ok! wooooo!

Illumination party= (wait for it! DRUMROLL!) A MASSIVE HIGHLIGHTER PARTY! hahahaha

You wear all white and they have the blacklight and lasers on, and there was 'dancing' (which here is really more uncontrolled convulsing to what the people think is the beat), and jumping up and down because its all "drum & bass" and other genres of electronic music that I cannot distinguish from one another. Then at midnight they gave us all highlighter paint and started shooting paint into the crowd and there was insanity for a good 30-40 minutes. Annnnnd then you get tired and bored of the same beat, and your paint starts to dry, and the romance is gone. haha. So Some friends and I headed to Velvet Burger(!!) and had a late dinner, and then came back to the flat in an attempt to get off all the paint in one shower session. It took me about 15 minutes for my hair alone. Note the word attempt, because we are still finding paint on our elbows or shoulders or the back of our calves etc.

But I'm sure you can understand, because we were COVERED.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Sooo YEAH! haha More pictures are up and/or will be going up on facebook soon.

My makeup was phenomenal?! (sorry to brag) First time using blues and greens together, so I was nervous. But I like it! And it held pretty well through and after the party! Go me! :P

It is freezing this morning! We got pretty spoiled with good weather in the low 50s this past week, and I woke up this morning and our flat-o-meter, which gives us the temperature both in and outside of the flat, read 2 (outside temp.) and 7 (inside). This translates to 35 and 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Sometimes I wish we used our heat pump... But we all need to save money, so sweats and hot water bottles is the way to do it.

I think I'm gonna crawl into bed with my hot water bottles Cito and Blue, watch a Francis Chan sermon, do some reading for class, And then get ready for the day. Its too cold in the kitchen.

♥

I love it

The Jam

Halocha

I'm sick :( So I am currently laying in bed typing haha. And I'm still a tad chilly. But I bought the zinc, Vit C and echinacea equivalent of an alka seltzer and have been downing tea. So hopefully that helps. I was going to vlog today but I'll spare you all the horror of my sick face right now. I'll probably update you after I go out dancing again tomorrow and have at least some eyeliner on and my eyelashes curled hahaha.

OK! moving on. Classes are going well. The professor I had the first day is much more passionate about South India so that class on Tuesday was really interesting, and then today he quickly went over confucianism and the west. Its not really a religion and Confucius didn't start the tradition, I didn't know that. And the Buddhist thought class I have on Tues and Wed. is being TAed and taken by buddhist monks and the professor and TA are both Buddhists with doctoral degrees in the subject. Its a really good experience, very different perspective. Its at 14.00 though which I always get drowsy during, no matter how interesting the subject matter it. But I am working hard to stay awake haha. I have my Philosophy of Religion course tomorrow morning, I am excited! I feel like such a nerd. But I've never studied Asian religious traditions in depth, so this is all very cool. For once I don't know much about the material being taught in my religion courses. w00t! haha.

FLORECITA AND REINA! It was so good skyping with you this morning (well afternoon for you! :P), you made my week. Love you mujeres. Keep up the good work on your new grownup lives :) And rep the divas to the fullest.

Kiki! I am so happy you like your internship/ job with the kiddies. Please keep me updated with funy stories and whatnot. And on your life in general :). I hope your mom got in ok the other night, too.

KeOndra! hehe. I miss you mujer! I hope your job is not too insane and that you are doing well over thurr. When do you get back to LA? Holla at a playa

Tiff and Z! Can we skype soon? puhlease?! I miss you chicas. I'm 19 hours ahead of PST.

Familia Pontón. Love and miss you. Hopefully we can skype again soon

Boys, you probably don't read this but Hi!! haha. Hope you are all enjoying the rest of your summer and/or doing well at work.

If I missed you in the 'shoutouts', I'm sorry.

Alright people well I slept a full 15 hours because I was that sick so this is actually being posted a day late haha. I'm feeling better just sore, but that's probably due to dehydration. Much love

Sup?

Mi Gente!

So today was my first day of class. And I must say that I’m actually pretty happy about it. My professor is a bit insecure, but most white male Asian-religion professors are. Or at least the ones that I know or have met come off that way, always slightly apologetic. But he seems very smart and the class should be interesting according to the syllabus. Not nearly as much reading as USC, which is nice because I think there is a conspiracy to drive people out of humanities studies with the amount of reading we do. Or are assigned to do, rather. The professor is not too sore on the eyes either, which is good because apparently he is my professor for all 3 of my religious studies papers.

They don’t really takes notes in class here so I probably look like a crazy woman typing away throughout the class, in which there are less than 10 students, buuuuuut I could care less. I need A’s! hahaha

I also went in to talk to someone about getting connected to the greater New Zealand salsa scene, and all I can say is that I am so insanely excited!! :D I will be meeting with the teacher of the Dunedin salsa scene in the next few weeks and might even be able to go up to Christchurch to teach a bit of styling or shines. I am nervous about that because I will seriously have to prepare. I have never taught anything without the amazing Tanya “Reina” Fragnito, so this will be an interesting experience. Apparently there is a major showcase or competition the first week of October too, so depending on how soon I get to Christchurch and connected to that scene… I might be able to make something happen. This is all actually very surreal and I wish my divas were here to conquer the island with me, but I will make y’all proud, I promise. J

Other than that… there really isn’t much to report on yet. I finally finished reading fight club!!! YAY! Hahaha. It is probably one of the easiest reads because you are sucked right in and dragged through it very very quickly. I love his writing style too, and the book makes you think a lot about your personal paradigm. So now I am working on finishing Dead Aid and then moving on to Atlas Shrugged (and class readings of course). And then I am bookless! Tear. Open for suggestions that are not the usual books that I read about Africa, finance and development in the third world, and other books about human rights and oppression. I love those books (which is why I read them, and buy them all the time) but I need to read more classic fiction. I also am thinking about taking boxing and jujitsu courses while here, but if I end up teaching salsa I might not have time for the classes. But I hope I do!! I miss fighting and training.

O and besides reading some interesting observations that I have made recently are:

1. Fashion – its very indie punk here, which I love, but I don’t get how they do it here in the cold. It’s not hard to be fashionable in terms of dressing, but more so in terms of coping with the weather haha. Some of their clothing options are just plain… eccentric. Also clothing in general is pretty expensive. Think Urban Outfitters pricing for the equivalent of Forever21 stuff. So I am doing my best to not shop! I am guilty of buying a cute pair of punky boots for $20. But that’s a good price anywhere, and converted that’s about US$15. Go me!

2. Religion – people seem to be very apathetic or atheistic when it comes to religion here. It could just be that I haven’t had enough interaction with a large number of Kiwis yet, but that’s the vibe I am getting so far. There are a ton of churches around the campus and most are pretty empty. Maybe they are just so chill and laid back, and I don’t grasp the island culture, or maybe its just Dunedin. It isn’t bad and doesn’t bother me, just different.

3. Music – Maori people are the NZ equivalent of blacks and Latinos in the US. And the Chris Brown/ Bruno Mars of NZ is a beautiful Maori man named J. Williams. I have a crush. (KeAndra and Kiki google him and lemme know what you think hahahaha) Thankfully he is all over the music video TV stations. But all (or large large majority) ‘hip hop,’ R&B, and rap artists are Maori. Interesting.

Alright, that’s much more than I planned on writing. Sorry kids. Love you all! I’m planning a lot of out of town activities with my flatmates and will do my best to keep you updated on my adventures. Vlogging might be easier as the semester gets into full swing and I don’t have time to sit down in the nice warm library and write out everything. Stay awesome. Y

p.s. the entire time I was typing this, an American girl and Kiwi boy have been flirting next to me, but their conversation has included vampires, a phobia of zombies, her rules about hugging people, and now death. Needless to say, I am very weirded out.

5 Small Things I Love About NZ

1. Rugby pride.
2. The greenery - it is GORGEOUS! here, God is the most amazing artist
3. The advertising! - because I'm a marketing nerd. I find it hilarious.
4. Bar/club scene - everyone is there to have a great time and... its free!! :)
5. Short shorts - the majority of grown males wear short shorts. Its like their level of manliness is determined by the shortness of their shorts. thankfully they all have insanely toned thighs and calves.

♥

Stream of Consciousness during long travels

Most of this is very random.... but enjoy. Sorry for the length

I am on the plane (obviously while writing, not posting this) and I am slightly claustrophobic because, due to my temporary hunger-induced insanity, I did not ask the lady at the check in counter for an aisle seat for the 12+ hour flight to Auckland from Los Angeles. I am sitting next to a window with a kid who thinks that just because the middle seat isn’t occupied, he can put his feet there. This wouldn’t be so bad if the overweight people in front of me had their seats at even the slightest upright position, but I guess reclined is in style these days. Can’t people mind some personal space? Just a little? No? ok….

SO ANYWAYS! I would just like to say hi from over the Pacific! I am so blessed to have such amazing and caring friends, thank you all so much for taking the time and making the effort to say goodbye, it really really means a lot to me. Seriously. All love. FLORECITA! Thanks a ton for making me look like an insane person on the plane. I was both cracking up and bawling my eyes out while I read your amazing and heartfelt letter, which was really more like a mini novel hahahaha. ALSO I loved the part about my girls 'the few, the proud,' haha that was very cute. I love you! (p.s. major kudos on the creative use of writing direction and marker colors, I loved it) To all my divas, I will miss you but best believe I will represent and conquer the NZ salsa/ bachata scene, and life in general. My Latina mujeres, I can’t believe we are all traveling at the same time! Look at us conquering the world… shoooooot hahaha. Stay safe and keep in touch! To all of the guys, if any of you read this, which is doubtful haha, thank you all so much for making time to meet up with me or hang out before I left. You’ll be missed. To all of mi famiglia and mentors, thank you for all of your well wishing and support J. And everyone, if you don’t have skype, GET IT! puh-lease! Pa’ que we can communicate mas better. :P

Ew the kid just used my pillow as the barrier between the seat and his feet…. FLIGHT ATTENDANT! Hahahaha. P.s. the flight attendants on Air New Zealand are phenomenal. If you ever get the chance, fly Air NZ, seriously. Just don’t get the window seat. Unless you are into self imposed mild claustrophobia. He is also currently watching Full Metal Jacket, which I love but its creepy to stare at other peoples screens, especially after you have given them the ever infamous and rare Venezuelan look of death for invading your space with their feet (KeAndra he has socks on, so don’t have a complete heart attack hahaha)

Sooo I’m not done, keep reading! As much as the seating situation is bugging me I have to say that I am so happy to just be on a plane. I hate the actual flying but I love being in airports and new places and meeting new people, even though I’m shy (at first… obviously), hearing different languages and accents and seeing cute little kids wreak havoc all around the terminals. (Who needs TV when there are random crazy kids running around?) Traveling makes me happy, whether it’s in and around LA or the world.

Errrrrrm, what else to say? Not much really. I am currently attempting to finish Dead Aid, which is an excellent argument packed into a tiny book, but international economics mixed with sleep deprivation and low lighting isn’t really making that happen. How am I ever going to get through grad school? Please start praying for me now. Thanks. I also hope to finally finish Fight Club (the book, Tanya you should try and read it sometime!) because I keep starting, and stopping, then re-reading the whole book again because I never reach the ending. I want to read a classic or two though while I’m away. I figured Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged would be a good start right? Much more of a modern classic, but I didn’t have anything else purchased before I left and I couldn’t find fountainhead. I may need to make a library run when I get in. Leave suggestions in the comments por fa’ J.

O Also! A camera was not picked up by any of my family members before we left the house haha, SHOCKER! So I have to go buy one. If you have any suggestions for that too, please comment. OK, I am falling asleep on y’all, sorry. Hahahahahahaha. Love, ciao ciao

So I am about half way through Fight Club and I started on the plane, ¾ of the way through Dead Aid, and dreading this next flight. I ended up getting out of the corner seat because I was going to go insane, so I ended up with an aisle and tried to take a few laps around the plane.

I am running on green tea and a bit of airline food (which was also amazing, just fly Air NZ people!) with the help of a little chocolate. Auckland isn’t that cold, but everyone looks bundled up for the flight to queenstown. My phone works here! Which, is shocking, hawnestlee. I just want to be at the flat already but I really love traveling sola and am enjoying my mini sociological study of Kiwis. The accent is very cool, I’ll have it down by the time I get back. I was going to make a mini vlog for yall when I got to this airport but there is no internet access soooo I’ll wait.

My computer is about to die so I’ll update in a bit.

During the bus ride I almost finished Fight Club, and dozed in and out of consciousness while we drove through the very cold and very gorgeous route from Queenstown to Dunedin. I met another international student from England. He had just gotten back from snowboarding around South Island and ended up helping me with my bags because they were huge and I knew where we had to go to pick up our keys. Then I got to my flat. Made the vlog. And finally met my flat-mates who are super sweet! So far we've had a great time, went grocery shopping, and gotten our agendas together for this next week. Our Kiwi host is great. She shows us the ropes but is no where near as hands on or strict as an RA. We all love dark chocolate so that is a good thing. And I am trying to figure out what to eat at the moment, I just ate kumara (or a red yam) with some butter, but I think I need protein. Also the sleep deprivation is kicking in but I'm not tired :( and orientation is at 9am. I'ma need a nap tomorrow. haha.

No cute Maori (pronounced like 'moldy' but with an 'r' instead of an 'l") men for you yet ladies. Don't worry, once I get the camera I will be doing some serious recon for you mk? And then you can just make your decision and I'll bring him back for you haha.

Been a While

Halocha blog world,

Once again, it has been a long long time since I last blogged. (Shocker!) And I seemed pretty peeved about the feminist movement. If you still want to have a conversation about that, just call or message me haha. I'm always up for a good talk, and still have very strong opinions about feminism... and male chauvinism for that matter. But I digress. I am returning to my blog of the awkward years in hopes of keeping those who are interested up to date on my time in New Zealand. I will be vlogging on my other site still, but this is for those of you who probably don't want to watch (or shouldn't watch hahaha) the vlog, but still want some pictures and stories. I really hope I can keep up with the blog because I usually get too detailed and then the ADD kicks in and I run off to go read or do something somewhere else, ergo NOTHING gets posted. Especially in a timely fashion. But I hope that I have enough salsa dancing, freezing cold, adventure filled, rugby game, fun, sad, happy, mad, stories to tell you all about! The challenge is to keep them short...

So to start you off! I am about 2 weeks away from getting on my New Zealand Air flight. I just picked up my student visa yesterday. I still have to go shopping for winter clothes. I still have to do research on what to do where in NZ. Annnnnd I already miss my friends!! haha. And my dog is currently rolling around on the floor making awkward grunting noises... So yeah! The challenge this week is to figure out how to look divalicious in the freezing cold. (I think challenge is the new word, I like it. I may need to have a challenge of the week or something. And it should be italicized from now on) Wish me luck! Much love