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.