Sunday, February 19, 2012

schooool days

This past Saturday, I went with a coupe other IES students to check out New Brighton. It's a beach town East of CHCH. We got there around 11 to find a swim/ "kayak"/rowing competition going on. With the tide out, the contestants ran on the packed sand, swam out to the buoys, along the beach, back in and ran for the finish. From what I gather, the competition is between different 'beach clubs' in the area. Waimari Beach, Taylors Mistake Beach, New Brighton, etc. Once we got settled, it was cool to watch the competitions. They went on all day. There was a really nice pier and tons of little shops and restaurants just across the street. We had lunch at an Indian place. I spoke with the owner on the way out about the earthquakes. Just the day before, several more stores and restaurants were shut down because the Christchurch City Council building inspectors deemed the building unsafe. People literally have to drop there forks and go when this has been determined. He said they feel aftershocks every week, and he is always concerned he'll be shut down without any hope of reopening in the near future in sight.  It felt good to soak up the sun, but after a couple hours, I hid under my umbrella. I'm doing my best to leave the country without melanoma. It was a beautiful beach, and while the water was quite chilly it was great to relax and listen to the waves and precious children playing nearby. 
Upon returning home, Tess made a delicious meal as always and we watched X-Factor Australia and American Idol. I must say that our X-Factor was leaps and bounds above the competition for Australia's version. Maybe it was because I don't know the contestants very well, but I thought they were mediocre at best… I'll keep my mouth shut about that one though. 
Sunday, Tess and I ran some errands and then went to "have a spa" with her sweet friend Linda. Its really cool. Tess has known all her friends for a lifetime. They're just like sisters, and it reminded me of hanging out in Happy Valley :) If you're still wondering what "have a spa" is, the translation is sit in the hot tub… sometimes i'm sure we're speaking a different language. Also, you'd be glad to know I have a full report on another Tim Tam flavor. I tried white chocolate this time. I knew I wouldn't like them as much as the original, but I found that they're great to be eaten while enjoying afternoon tea. :) 
TODAY was the first day of school. Since I don't have class until 2, I met up with my German friend that I met in Sydney this morning. We walked around the Botanic Gardens and back to the RE: start area. It was great to see her again! After a delicious yerro for lunch… yes that is how they spelled it… I headed back to uni for class. It didn't go so well. I was rudely reminded that I am severely out of school shape. I kid you not, 20 minutes into the class they started talking about defining childhood and my eyelids became as heavy as bricks and I had an hour and 40 to go…. In my defense, the course is simply not my cup of tea. The class is called Childhood in Children's Literature, and today we discussed…. well what I remember is spotty, but it was something about the beginning of written literature and publishing specifically for children. All I can remember is something about a horn book. I guess it was a school book for kids that doubled as a playground toy used like a bat. I'll be prepared next time with snacks, a full bottle of water, and potentially a cup of coffee before class. Thank goodness my friend Erin is in the class with me. We're both science kids, and agree this is all a tad bit too metaphorical for our taste. 
After class I went to cross the street to catch my bus and nearly got flattened. 17 days here, and I still look the wrong way. ALSO… I realized that my family arrives in a little less than 4 weeks!!!! I CAN'T wait to see them :) 

Kiwi funnys
biscuits= cookies
stationary= school supplies

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