The Mismeasure of Woman

2010-01-22T21:46:00.000-08:00

Movin out

2006-08-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and potential stalkers!

If you want to keep following my effed up thought patterns, or taunting me with viscous anonymous comments, follow me to my new blog: Get on with it.

I think that's the end of this one. I might be sneaky and update both, even though that makes no sense at all.

Letting go,
Lizzie

Aotearoa Top 9

2006-07-31T20:10:00.000-07:00

This is the one you've been waiting for. My top 9 reasons why New Zealand is awesome. They may be a bit jumbled, but here goes.

9. The Metric System.
It just rocks. I have successfully lost my grip on the American standard system (or whatever it's called). The bad news is I still don't really have a good feeling for the metric system, so I'm kind of in limbo. Go ahead, ask me what temperature it is outside right now. I have no idea.

8. New words
"Mate" is a very useful and versatile word. "Sorry bout that, mate." "Good on ya, mate." Also try "bugger," or "Gutted." The accent is sexy and the words are fun.

7. Weather
It's just so damn unpredictable. They say to be prepared for 4 seasons in one day, and it's likely to happen. Take my friend Trine, for example. She learned the hard way that New Zealand weather is refuckindiculous when she hiked up a mountain and almost couldn't get down after a half meter of snow fell overnight.

6. Climate
Welcome to TEMPERATE RAINFOREST. The rarest climate in the world. Temperate=seasons, rainforest=green. One of the only places you can walk out of a podicarp rainforest onto a glacier.

5. Location, location, etc.
We are at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, next stop Antartica. As New Zealanders learn to love themselves more and more they have realized how special that is. The Northern hemisphere can stop lovin itself because this is where it's really at. It turns out Southern hemisphere species have a one up on interesting evolution, and many lines originate down here. Also, penguins are the shit! Isolation makes people go crazy. Kiwis are quite quirky.

4. The Treaty
I think maybe this is really #1. I'm not sure though. The Treaty of Waitangi is a deceivingly simple piece of the past that continues to impact the lives of all New Zealanders, both Maori and Pakeha. Pakeha Kiwis have sometimes expressed their frustration at the Treaty to me, but I tell them to look at what happened to our natives: something just short of genocide. As a result of the Treaty of Waitangi New Zealand is close (and getting closer) to a fully functional bicultural society. Hooray for colonisation in a post-America/Australia/more-humanitarian age.

3. Landscapes
We got fiords, pancake rocks, volcanoes, boiling mudpools, earthquakes, plains, mountains, every kind of beach imaginable...such a huge diversity in landscapes in such a small country. Only in New Zealand.

2. Bush
No, not W. It blew me away that I could travel half an hour away from Auckland city centre, the biggest city in New Zealand, and be in the middle of a rainforest. New Zealanders love being outdoors. Their bush is their heritage, and the Department of Conservation is working overtime all the time to save it. It is lush, beautiful and incredibly fragile.

1. Fauna
New Zealand's current ecosystems are more of the ruins of once great ecosystems than fully functional ones, but the surviving species are some of the most rare and unique in the world. From flightless ratites to an incredible array of seabirds to orcas to tuataras to the rarest penguin in the world, New Zealand fauna kept me in a constant state of awe. Learning about the plight of New Zealand's species (both extant and extinct) has been absolutely inspiring.

I don't really know why I did 9. I wasn't shooting for 10...I just thought of 9. In any case, my love for New Zealand extends beyond any list of reasons, no matter how long. I've been back for a week, and things still feel quite surreal. Did I really go there? And if so, why the fuck didn't I stay?

I can't wait to go back.

--Lizzie

2006-07-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

Rollin in Birkenhead with the coolest family in New Zealand.

2006-07-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

My doing the "Nathan" dance. Chrissie lookin HAWT.

2006-07-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

Yvan hitting on Chrissie and her brother simultaneously.

My only friend

2006-07-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

It's the last day, and soon it will be the last minute, hour, second, I am in New Zealand. Not forever, though. I am coming back some day. I still have things to do here. Like, discover Northland, and hear kokakos calling in the Waitakere Ranges. But for now, I guess I'm off.

I don't have a choice about that, so I've decided to look forward to going home. But I can't escape the pain of separation. I'm sorry world, but I've been cheating on you. I'm in love with New Zealand.

Reflection on experience to come later.

So long Aotearoa.

--Lizzie

New Zealand, new knowledge

2006-06-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

You didn't even know this many books on New Zealand existed. Well, they do. And they're all on my bed.

I am not a hippie.

2006-06-01T03:58:00.000-07:00

The Environmental Patriot

He serves his country best

Who loves the land itself.

Not just the people sitting fat

And bland, sinking beers midst natural resources

They have messed.

Not just the shrunken babies dying

In the tired exploited dust

Derived down–degraded soil–eroded empires.

Not just the business men, developers

Of housing projects, purveyors of plastic cups, the just

Lawyers who emphasize

The equity of private enterprise.

Not the philosophers who insist

That human values far exceed non–human things

(Especially when pissed),

And scoff at those who see beyond

The work of men to Thoreau’s bond.

They coarsely jest

At him who loves the land itself

And serves his country best.

--Charles Flemming (1916-1987)

No sir, ain't no hippies here. We be patriots.

Up and atom

2006-05-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

History of New Zealand Since 1945 (SOCI 217): Some general trends in New Zealand politics and population.

-- Maoris are getting louder
-- Politics are getting greener
-- The welfare state is getting weaker (well, nonexistant(chance for resurrection?))
-- New Zealanders are getting prouder
-- Auckland is getting browner
-- Nuclear is getting...banned-er
-- Kiwis are getting deader
-- People are getting older
-- Population is getting bigger

I might fail my exam tomorrow.

It's

2006-05-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

2 posts in under 1 week? Oh la vache!

Ok folks, it's time to set things straight. I'm going to tell you what exactly a kiwi is.

This is a kiwi. It is a small ratite endemic to New Zealand. There are 5 species of kiwi, one of which is extinct. All are highly threatened or endangered. This bird was the first thing to be named "kiwi."

These are native New Zealanders, also known as "kiwis." They are named after their beloved national bird (see above).

This is a chinese gooseberry. New Zealand took up the rights to rename it "kiwi" fruit and now it is grown in many areas of the North and South Islands.

I hope that cleared up any confusion.

I'm writing an essay on the history of New Zealand conservation. Or rather, I'm putting off finishing the essay.

PEACE,

Lizzie

Mulch is love.

2006-05-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

I've spent the afternoon spreading mulch around some tree saplings with other members of Lincoln Environmental organization. Mulch smells like yum!

Epiphanies are coming to me in droves these days. Recent drama with the p-units has incited a streak of personal growth and realizations, and yesterday I realized that I love my degree with a fierce passion. There is nothing I would rather be doing with my life than devoting it to biology. I want to mulch trees, pin insects, zap DNA, dig up fossils, place birds in cladograms, eat beetles, measure water quality, translocate lizards...I guess knowing that I love biology is comforting, but my options only seem to have increased. And that is beautiful.

One more week of lectures, then a week of reading, then 2 weeks of exams.

And now...some words that generate confusion between me and the locals.

Pen: I say pen, they say "pin."

Peg: I say peg, they say "pig."

Fence: I say fence, they say "fince."

Tired: I say tired, they say knackered, pronounced "naked."

I mean, there are more than that, but you get the general idea. They talk funny. Or I listen funny.

One last bit of news: it appears that I will be traveling with 4 French girls and 1 German in a camper van after exams end, and before I began my pseudointership in the Waitakere Ranges. Am I a French magnet or what? WHAT?

I'm naked.

--Lizzie

For shit's sake

2006-05-11T01:17:00.000-07:00

Oops. I didn't actually intend to publish the last post. I thought I saved it as a draft. Well, there it is. In it's mind blowing length.

Don't read it.

On other fronts...it looks as though I'm extending my stay by one month. I'm job hunting at the moment. Things are...changing...always?

Boom chica boom boom,
Lizzie

Gangsta Trippin

2006-05-10T00:44:00.000-07:00

The entry in which I retell my fall break experience in meticulous detail, and which you should only read if you are extremely bored.

Thursday night was a late night for many of us on campus. It was the last night in which many of us would see each other for 2 weeks, as the next day we would be taking our holidays in separate locations throughout New Zealand and (gasp!) Australia. We all stayed up late, and I had an early start the next day. I served as a wake up call for 3 people, and even with the wake up call we had a late start. In addition, our group was split in 2 after much confusion. Off to a rough start. Céline, Yvan and I took the Pulsar (possibly the protagonist of this story) and landed in Dunedin approximately 5 hours later. Somewhere along the way we found alien type round boulders on a beach, and looked for penguins and pillow lava in Oumaru. Instead of unique birds and strange geographic formations (New Zealand in a nutshell folks) we stumbled upon a cranky sea lion that had decided to haul out on the foot path. It growled at us, and unwilling to contract TB from a curmudgeony marine mammal we headed back to the Pulsar and continued south. Upon finding the city center at Dunedin I was dragged into a movie theatre to see Ice Age 2. A quality film, I must admit.

So, that was it for Dunedin. We slept on a beach in Brighton that night, just outside the city. We resumed our drive south to Stewart Island, the true asshole of the world. I say that in a purely geographical sense. The island is, in fact, nothing like an asshole. We ferried across, meeting up with Nick and Dirk in the process. Upon arrival we immediately decided to stay an extra night and postponed our ferry back. Them 4 did the 3 day, 2 night Rakiura Track around a small part of Stewart Island. I did the first night, then walked back for Easter mass on Sunday. Twas bitchin, and I lazied about, walked around and kayaked a bit for the rest of my stay. At one point a kaka, the rarest parrot in the world, landed itself on my knee and attempted to steal my food. One of the most ridiculous moments in my life. There was a joyful reunion of the parties on Monday morning, and we ferried back across to Bluff.

I took it from Bluff. My first time driving on the left side of the road, which is, in fact, the right side of the road in New Zealand. The 200km from Bluff to Te Anau were piloted by me and were completely devoid of incident. In Te Anau we checked into our hostel and promptly ran into 10 people from Lincoln University. My grandparents (aka the most generous people in the world) had given quite a heap of cash with which to buy a nice meal for my friends for Easter. The crew and I managed to find a Chinese restaurant and gorged ourselves silly. The next day we walked a bit of the Kepler Track, which starts just outside Te Anau. At dusk we entered the glow worm caves and my mind exploded.

Next day we set sail for Milford Sound. The road to Milford is a tourist attraction in itself. Mountains rose up into the clouds all around us, and thousands of waterfalls fell down their rocky slopes. We arrived safely in Milford and took in the splendor of the fiord…for about 5 minutes before the sandflies drove us to near insanity. We took refuge in our hostel, and Till cooked a lovely dinner. The next morning Céline, Yvan and I hopped on a fiord cruise. The mountains of the fiord were amazing to say the least, and I saw the Tasman Sea for the first time in my life.

From there we headed to Queenstown. After eating some gourmet ice cream, the 3 of us bedded down for the night on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. We awoke to a lovely sunrise, then packed it up and headed back into town. Céline and I did a bit of white water rafting on the Shotover River, followed by a brief jump off a 47m ledge. Thank you AJ Hackett for throwing a harness and bungy chord on me before I made the leap.

We hauled off to the Routeburn Track the next day. We left the Pulsar at the Queenstown end of the track, and switched keys with Dirk, Nick and Till, who were traveling from Milford to Queenstown on the same track. Smart move on our part. The first day was short, although there was one nice climb in there. Yvan, being the insane Frenchmen that he is, decided that he wanted to be a real lumber jack and hike to the second hutt instead of staying in the one we reserved for the night. Céline and I packed his lunch, gave him a flashlight, tied his shoes, zipped up his jacket and sent him on his way. Like any mothers, we were a little worried about how he would be all alone in the wilderness, but he assured us that he grew up in the mountains. Or some such bullshit. We spent the night playing cards with 2 Americans at Routeburn Falls hutt. The next day we began our ascent up and over Harris Saddle, and ran into Yvan and Dirk on the way. He had made it to the second hutt and had hiked back with an empty bag to carry some of our stuff in. What a guy.

It rained all that day, and even with Yvan acting as our sherpa I still felt a nice challenge getting to Mackenzie Hutt. We arrived midafternoon and made a late lunch. There was some good laughter about the massive amount of food we brought on the track. No sir, this crew would not be starving anytime soon. We rolled out the next morning, and this time the rain clouds kept their ugly faces hidden. The track was easier and the weather was nice and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely.

We emerged at the Divide near Milford Sound in the early afternoon. After some lunch we jumped into Dirk’s car and I took the wheel. Now Dirk’s car has a bit more of a kick than the Pulsar (no offense to our white angel), and about halfway between Te Anau and Queenstown I landed a nice speeding ticket. I won’t go into details, but I will of course say that it was undeserved. The first ticket I’ve ever gotten in my life. Obviously a bummer. Spent the night in Queenstown and reunited with Dirk, Nick and Till. I was tired and depressed about my traffic ticket, so I hit the hay whilst the rest of the crew celebrated Till’s birthday.

Next morning was the start of the great journey up the West Coast to Abel Tasman National Park. Céline cracked her knuckles and manhandled the wheel. The West Coast is known for copious amounts of rainfall, and we were not let down. Céline tagged Yvan in and he continued driving well into the dark, wet night. West Coast driving is pretty wretched. To say the roads are poorly lit is a euphemism—they are not lit at all. It is all upwards or downwards, never level, and always winding. As the rain beat our windshield Céline announced that we would not be setting up the tent, because we would get wet in the process. Instead we pulled over near Punakaiki and scraped together some cold dinner inside the Pulsar, turned off the flashlight and pretended it really wasn’t so bad with 3 of us in a two door car along with all of our bags. I was in the back. Actually, it wasn’t so bad, but we agreed the next morning that we would never sleep in the Pulsar again.

Yvan hit the gas and we stopped in Punakaiki to eat pancakes next to the pancake rocks. Classic! Then we scratched our heads at yet another geographical oddity—the stacks of flat pancakey bluffs that move Punakaiki from a 1 horse town to a guaranteed gas stop with some cool rocks to boot. We moved on quickly, reaching Motueka in the early afternoon. Our hostel wasn’t ready for us yet, so we walked along the beach at Kaiteriteri, a nearby town. Yvan exercised his creative side while Céline and I laughed at his wacky antics. Oh la vache.

Vive le France and I concocted a perfect dinner that night at the hostel, and we enjoyed the privacy of a family sized room for the price of a dorm room. Céline and I shared a double bed and Yvan chose to pass up joining us and hit up a single sized bed. We awoke groaning early the next morning and headed back to Kaiteriteri to meet our kayaking company, the lovely Kaiteriteri Kayaks. They hooked us up with 2 kayaks, a double and a single. I rocked the single on the first day and Team Toulouse paddled in the double. After packing the kayaks and doing a bit of training we were pointed in the direction of Abel Tasman National Park and we began some leisurely paddling sans guide.

Around 2 in the afternoon we found ourselves near our campsite for the night. With nothing to do we decided to paddle to Tonga Island, at the edge of the paddling territory. As is often the case with our knuckleheaded posse, we neglected to plan ahead and found ourselves struggling to make it back to our campsite before sunset. We made it in the end, but not without a few worries and some hard paddling. We heated our dinner over a fire and zonked out before 9pm in our tent. The next day was less than lovely. While we had great weather the first day, the second day was rainy with winds that threatened to push our kayaks out to the Cook Straight. Yvan, being the romantic Frenchmen that he is, landed us in a bit of trouble when he insisted upon calling his girlfriend from the only phone in the park. He fell out of his kayak while landing on the beach, so Céline and I came in to try to help him out. The phone was for emergency use only, so we threw Yvan back into his kayak and pushed him back out. Céline and I got soaking wet while trying to get our double back out. After some bitter remarks about a certain overzealous boyfriend we continued our paddling through the rain.

After exploring a lagoon we began heading back to our launch site. Céline and I lagged behind Yvan. We caught up with him at a beach and while we were snacking and shivering in the rain a water taxi pulled up to tell us that Kaiteriteri Kayaks would be sending another water taxi to pick us up due to the inclement weather. We jumped and did a mid-air, three-way high 5, followed by some frantic unpacking of the kayaks. The water taxi that came to pick us up shortly thereafter was helpful and friendly. We had a nice ride back to Kaiteriteri and we quickly threw our wet gear and wetselves into the car, thanked the staff of Kaiteriteri Kayaks and stumbled into a coffee shop in Motueka. We had some FUNKY coffee and delicious food, as recommended by the Lonely Planet. After warming up we got back in the car and pushed it to Nelson.

In Nelson we dried our things in the hostel and walked around. The trip was winding down and I felt our time together was quickly running out. We watched The Piano (a Kiwi film) that night in the hostel’s sound proof TV room. Very classy. The next day we walked to the large market next door to the hostel and did some nice exploring. I was happy with my purchases. We walked to the port to see a pretty mural and discovered a few art galleries. Then, most importantly, we hiked up a hill to the official geographical centre of New Zealand. The real, unofficial, geographical centre of New Zealand is, in fact, in the ocean. But, no matter. We were more impressed with the nice view than the point marking the centre of the country. Having accomplished this objective we said goodbye to Nelson and I piloted the Pulsar to Picton.

At Picton we stayed at a delightful hostel called The Villa. For NZ$23 you get a dorm room, access to a hot tub, free ice cream and apple crumble, free breakfast, lovely grounds and all the other usual amenities that hostels have to offer. I highly recommend this hostel to those of your planning on passing through Picton. We cooked a delicious dinner and I forced the frogs to watch Moulin Rouge. We lounged by the fire that the hostel has going outside at night. I tried to work out a way to make the night last forever, but I fell asleep before I could work out all the details. It was a bittersweet last night.

The last day, Sunday, we drove the last stretch home to Lincoln. We stopped in Kaikoura so Yvan could finish collecting some data for a statistics project on fur seals. Céline and I nabbed his credit card and bought ourselves some bling. We ate our last meal together at the Why Not Café. I prayed for the car to break down, or for us to get lost, or for anything to stop us from getting home and ending the holidays. Unfortunately we made it without incident. We had a cheesey group hug and then I went sulking back to my room.

Here are my conclusions (the important part for those skimming this mental vomit). First, I will thank the Pulsar. I admit I had my doubts (as I’m sure we all did), but that little baby proved us all wrong. While she made some strange noises and gave us a couple of scares, the Pulsar “I think I can”-ed her way over hill and dale, across fiord and plain, under mountain and over ridiculous West Coast roads. We couldn’t have done it without her.

Next, I will thank The Lonely Planet. No tourist should be without one. It is the answer to all questions you have, and some you didn’t know to ask. Where should we eat today? Where should we sleep tonight? How much does sky diving cost? Where was that river crossing scene in Lord of the Rings taped? How do I get ride of these damn sandflies? (The Lonely Planet says there is no solution to this last predicament). Thank you Lonely Planet for making my travels that much smoother.

I must also thank Aotearoa—New Zealand. I’ve said it before, and yes, I will say it again: Kiwis know they are lucky people, and it’s true. The country is young (in more ways than one), and it’s teenage rebellion is reflected in its stunning landscapes and geology. I am head over heels in love with New Zealand.

Most importantly, all of my gratefulness goes out to Céline and Yvan. My fear of not making any genuine connections during my stay here has been alleviated, as I can now say I’ve found amazing friendships in the two of them. Céline and Yvan were superb travel partners. Two beautiful people. I couldn’t have asked for better, even if they are French. Above all else I have them to thank for making my holidays the best two weeks of my life.

Hooray! You’ve made it to the end. Want to come to New Zealand yet? I’ll only have a room for you for the next month and a half. To describe how depressed that makes me would merit another entry, and I think both of us (if you did indeed read this entire entry) are tired of blogging for the moment.

2006-04-10T01:28:00.000-07:00

Gathered around Doris (Trina and Kirsti's pimp ride).

2006-04-10T01:23:00.000-07:00

Those boulders are utterly ridiculous.

2006-04-10T01:22:00.000-07:00

Mike squashing Trina. Me frolicking in the background.

4 da shorteez

2006-04-10T00:41:00.000-07:00

Yeah...School is crazy right now. I have 3 assignments and an exam this week. On top of that I have a ton of stuff to do for my environmental club. But I'm proud to say I feel like I'm handling all this like a pro. I'm not stressing (too much) and I'm being super productive. I made some pretty awesome decisions this weekend. I stayed in both nights to study. I went to ChCh during the day on Saturday and ran errands like a housewife on steroids (is that offensive??).

On Sunday I took the afternoon off and drove to Castle Hill with Trina, Kirsti and Mike. We put on our bathing suits and fleeces and jumped into a freezing river. We walked upstream through the river into a cave. It was a walked called the "Cave Stream Walk." They don't lie--it was a walk through an ice cold cave stream. At one point we were trying to get over a waterfall and I slipped and went underwater. Kirsti didn't want to complete it so I went back with her. Ain't no thang, it was a great time even though I didn't finish it. Afterwards we walked around Castle Hill, where they filmed the battle scenes in Narnia.

Overall it was a great weekend. I got a lot of time to myself and it was exactly what I needed. ChCh (Christchurch for you newbies) and Lincoln are really feeling more like home. This week is going to be hectic, but I'm not too worried about it. I'll go on a 2 week long holiday break after that. Here is a rough layout of my plans:

1. Drive south to Dunedin
2. Drive further south to Stewart Island. See a wild kiwi.
3. Drive north to Fiordland National Park. Kayak in Milford Sound and hike the Routeburn Trek.
4. Jump off a cliff or bridge at Queenstown.
5. Drive north to Abel Tasman National Park.

There are 6 of us going (2 Americans: 2 Germans: 2 French). We will have 2 cars and 3 tents. This might very well be the best 2 weeks of my life coming up.

I hope everyone is just as busy living as I am!

--Lizzie

2006-04-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

The Cats vs. The Crusaders. GO CANTERBURY!

2006-04-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

Paquito! A French game. The translation to English can only mean "chaos."

2006-04-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

A what? A whale!

Don't have a cow, man.

2006-04-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Dude.

I haven't updated in a while. I don't have too much time, as school is tightening its death grip and commitments are looming. My current life rating is much higher than my last entry. That was a bad week, no doubt. Since then my family has come and gone. It was great to see them, but the visit was too short and they are sorely missed.

I went to Kaikoura again with my family. We played with marine mammals--swimming with dolphins, harassing fur seals and watching whales. It was really fun. Then, I came back to school and cranked out some work while my bro and pops skipped around Arthur's Pass.

This last weekend was also eventful. I went surfing Saturday morning. It was my first time, and I had massive amounts of fun looking like a damn fool. Immediately following the surfari I jumped in a diesel guzzling van with 3 boys to Waiupa, a former gold mining village turned ghost town. After a 4.5 hour drive we chilled with a friend of a friend and her friends. I crashed early (surfing had me pooped). The next day we drove back and stopped by a friend's mom's farm. Home cooking and pear picking ensued. Bruce tried to catch a rooster to put in his empty backyard pool, but it hopped over a fence and off to freedom.

Now I'm back and my body is being rapidly compressed by school work. So why am I updating this stupid thing?!?!!! So that Amy and Michael can leave me comments.

Pictures to come soon.

--Lizzie

Death spiraling.

2006-03-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

The stress hit me this week. It side blinded me. Like, whoa, where did that come from?

I had a wonderful weekend, then it all went to shit. People, homework, activities, my state of mind...I won't delve too far into detail. Some of it is petty, some of it is real, all of it is giving me grief.

I miss feeling like I'm home. I thought I was getting there, but now that I'm feeling stressed I realize that there's no where for me to find comfort. Friends feel like strangers. My mood is tipsy like a drunken sailor.

My family gets here tomorrow morning and that ought to do wonders. I can't wait to see them.

I should write here more often, but whenever I get the chance I think I should wait, because I usually have something blog-worthy planned for the next day or something. But the fact is I'm always doing blog-worthy activities. I'm in freaking New Zealand.

Aight. I'm going to bounce back this weekend.

--Lizzie

2006-03-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

Aoraki/Mt.Cook

2006-03-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

Breakdown at sunset.

2006-03-08T20:43:00.001-08:00

Grasshoppers!

Lincoln is for Lovers

2006-03-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

Kia ora all!

It's been a week or so since my last post, and things are forever changing around here. A few highlights will do.

Classes are picking up. Papers don't write themselves, even in New Zealand.

I still haven't spent a weekend on campus. This weekend I have another field trip (to Kaikoura). I'm in a group with Gregoire and Yvan, two Frenchmen (oh la la!). We'll be observing fur seal behaviour. Last weekend I went to Castle Hill with my entomology class to collect insects. It was beautiful and I really enjoyed pretending to be an entomologist.

Friendships are solidifying. I'm getting closer with people and starting to find my footing. My closest friends are Celine, a French girl, and Steve and Nick (both Americans). The international students have formed a bit of a family unit. It's good to know that I can find friends from totally different backgrounds and still be my geeky-self.

I'm the new secretary for Lincoln Environmental Club (LEO). Exciting stuff!

And now, a few words on Kiwi fashion, as previously promised.

Rule #1 (and these rules are in no particular order): Beer.
You must promote the consumption of alcohol in your attire. The best thing to do is wear a beer themed shirt. If that is unavailable, spill beer on yourself! Whatever works.

Rule #2: Popped collar.
POP IT. Nuff said.

Rule #3: Shoes are out.
Show me them lovely toes! Shoes are optional. Feel free to walk barefoot to class, to the pub, even to the public toilet. If you must wear shoes, make them jandles (flip flops for you Americans).

Rule #4: The guy thigh.
Women don't have any particular rules, short or long, but less is more for male Kiwis. Tan up those thighs and put on some short shorts. You don't have pockets, so go ahead and stick your hands down your pants when you feel so inclined.

That's all I can say for now. Kiwi fashion is quite shocking at times.

I miss home, but I'm definitely settling down a little more.

--Lizzie

Rockin the boat

2006-02-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

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

The pet child of calamity!

2006-02-13T02:09:00.000-08:00

Yes yes, I'm here. The plane ride was virtually painless. I was making my transpacific journey with Buddy and Aurora, my best friends in the way that only people making a 13.5 hour flight together can be best friends. We've lost touch but I still think of them with fond memories.

Now, for those hardcore lost fans, you won't believe who I saw at the LA airport. It was Jorge Garcia. For you less insane fans, it was Hurley. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, it was the fat dude. It was a good moment. I was in the middle of starting to really cry, for the first time, and then I saw him in his chubby, side burned, long haired, grubby clothed beauty, and my world changed. I realized that I am probably the luckiest person on earth. Because I got to see Jorge Garcia and take stalker pictures of him. But moreso because I get to go to New Zealand for 4 months. Rightio (as the Kiwis say).

So I've been here for a few days, and I've been doing everything but settling in. I keep moving and meeting new people and it's exciting and exhausting all at once. I'm a freshmen all over again, and this time it's in another country. I found out that this university is 40% international students, which I figure means that more than half the people living on campus are not from New Zealand. It's very interesting. We have a lot of French students, some Germans, some Norwegian and a Brit so far. Every night so far we gather together and drink a little and talk. The Germans are probably my favorite, although there is a great French girl that I've been hanging out with a lot. I teach her English (today I taught her 2 new words: "wallet" and "poo"), and she tries to teach me French but I'm pretty much useless at it.

I went into Christchurch today with some hip kids and we putzed aroudn the city. The botanical garden is huge and breathtaking. Everyone is so friendly. New Zealand is mostly sheep and overly helpful, kind hearted people. It's kind of shocking. I think after tomorrow I might take off to Milford Sound for a bit of tramping with a few Americans and a Frenchie. Maybe I'll throw in a German for good measure.

I'm already growing tired of the craziness. Whenever I decide I need to take some time alone I feel like I'm missing out on something, and I usually am. When will I get to settle in? Not soon enough. The kiwis get here tomorrow and all hell will break loose. I've been warned that Americans are always shocked at the behavior of a drunk kiwi farm boy, and we will have no short supply of them here.

The motto around here is "Anything more than a C is wasted drinking time." Oh goodness.

Getting pictures up will be hard for a while. My access to internet is pretty limited, and it's much slower than I'm used to. The pictures don't do this place justice anyways.

I'm a day ahead of you. In your face!

I mean, lots of love.

--New Lizzielander

On the eve of my election

2006-02-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

I'm starting over with the blog, because I'm sick of the old one, and because I'm starting over in many ways. The most obvious being that tomorrow I jet off to the other side of the world. I will spend 4 months in New Zealand--learning, growing, shrinking, roundhouse kicking and expanding. You can't believe it? Imagine how I feel. I've spent the last few weeks trying to find ways to pass the time, but really just freaking out.

Whether I believe it or not, it is happening. It is almost here and I can't wait any longer. I need this. Last semester was beautiful, but everything was too easy. I'm tired of stagnation. Nothing like a change of hemispheres to jump start some personal growth, right?

Well, this is hopefully where I'll post some random updates. What I'm doing, how I'm feeling, who I'm meeting. Basically, this is where you get a glimpse of the adventure I'll be on. I plan on posting a blurb once a week, and I apologize if it's lacking in meaty substance. I imagine I'll be pretty busy once I get there. If you can't get enough Lizzie, from facebook or from emails that I'll be sending, supplement it with some delicious blog.

I love, miss, can't live without...you. I'll be back too soon.

--Lizzie