Rockin the boat

Hello silly Americans,

I'm scraping along quite nicely. Classes started a few days ago. Here is what I'm taking:

ECOL 306: Wildlife Biology
ENTO 304: Insect Ecology and Diversity
SOCI 217: History of New Zealand Since 1945
BIOS 304: Toxicology

It's not too bad. My largest class has about 30 people in it, my smallest class about 6. I have field trips in 3 of my classes, the most exciting one in my Wildlife Ecology course. We are going to Kaikoura to observe different species going about their business.

Classes make me very happy. I decided to go to the library to get some early review and reading done and it made me feel wonderful. There are so many great opportunities. New Zealand is a country that is very interested in the conservation of its natural beauty and its rare species.

Settling in is a gradual process. My room isn't much of a sanctuary; American girls may have earned a reputation of sorts on this campus, and the kiwis like to get drunk and attempt to enter my room late at night. Yesterday there were 7 drunk kiwis in my room. They are completely harmless, but I'm afraid I'm a bit disappointing.

The constant socializing has me worn slightly thin. I've found a few people that are becoming good friends, and I prefer to spend time with them right now, rather than attempting to throw myself into the mass horde of first year kiwis. Classes have started, and I'm taking mostly upper level classes, so that means I'll get to interact with older, hopefully more mature, New Zealanders.

I haven't gotten a car, and I'm not sure if I will or not. For now, people are offering rides. This weekend I'm going to Mt. Cook National Park. I'm making most of the arrangements while some Germans are providing the means of transportation. The international students are all fun and friendly. We are becoming a bit of a family. We see each other all over campus, and the Europeans usually do the "kiss hello." I feel very loved, but at the same time I miss my friends from home. It would be nice to see a familiar face.

I have a few things to say about Kiwi fashion, but that will come later.

--Lizzie