Arohanui NZ

I just got back from NZ about a week ago and it's still hard to believe that I just traveled to eleven different locations on the S. Island in four weeks. Traveling about the S. Island is a bit like walking through a giant greenhouse with sheep, kiwis, tourists, farms and some towns/cities thrown in the mix. In terms of the U.S, it was as if we drove from Colorado alpine country to Seattle's rainforests, Florida's Everglades, Hawaii's beaches, and the West coast all within about a few hours distance from one another. That is, of course, a simplistic description but the landscape is probably what I will remember the most. I couldn't help but be amazed at how almost every bend in the road would reveal another beatiful scene. Granted, NZ faces its own set of environmental challenges/issues (water scarcity, introduced pests, land management, etc.) but it's easy to see why the landscape is probably its greatest asset. If I had to pick out two highlights from the trip, I'd definitely start with Abel Tasman National Park (at the north tip of the S. Island). We spent the morning kayaking along the coast and then took a 3-hr. hike back through temperate rainforest (picture jurassic park minus the t-rex) with views of the beaches and aquamarine sea. That was arguably one of the most beautiful national parks I've seen. The other highlight would probably be the two days we spent in Kaikoura. In the morning, we walked along the coast when the tide was out, walked through a colony of fur seals, learned about the life hidden between the rocks and at one point almost witnessed our instructor try to wrangle an octopus out of the water. The next morning, we set out on a boat into the Pacific and dropped into the sea with snorkeling gear, wetsuits and about 3000 meters of water beneath us. Within minutes, we were surrounded by a pod of dusky dolphins zipping by us in almost every direction. In some cases, they would circle you and swim close enough to stare in the eye. It was pretty surreal but also somewhat overwhelming. Though our guides and boat were nearby, it was a bit cloudy/rainy that day and we couldn't see very far down into the water. Slightly unnerving was the thought that we were at the mercy of whatever lied beneath us (killer whales, great whites, and giant squids included)..but maybe I've been watching a little too much shark week. Anyways, if you ever find yourself in the S. hemisphere (or want to find a great winter study abroad program), AUIP's program is absolutely fantastic. After about 26 hours in airplanes and airports (a record?), I'm now back at home in Indiana adjusting the the snowy weather and anxiously awaiting the superbowl (go bears!). Also, if you want to see pictures, I just put some up on facebook. I'll be back with more soon (only two months until Tokyo!). Cheers~

First post

Manassee and I actually were on the same flight from O'Hare to Heathrow! What a coincidence. Her program is in London, however, so I won't see her much now.

The first day that I was in London, I nearly got run over by traffic because I kept on looking on the wrong side of the road before crossing (British drive on the left side). Now, I've also noticed that people often pass each other on the street by stepping on the left side of the sidewalk, and the escalators are often on situated so that you go up and down the left one. Today in lecture, I got a stack of papers stapled in the upper right-hand corner, which is wild. So I asked my British friend about his country's weirdness. For those of you interested:

Sibo: Hey Lewis, I always wondered, is there some reason why British drive on the left side of the road?
Lewis: Hm...I think there once was a famous person or royalty who was one of the first to drive a car. And he was left-handed. So then people just started following him.
Sibo: Oh! What about when you had horse carriages and whatnot?
Lewis: I don't think they had enough people on the road before cars to have to make rules about driving.
Sibo: Ak, I buy that. So what about people walking on the left side of the sidewalk or escalator?
Lewis: I suppose it's just a subconcious thing now--adults walk on the left side because they drive on the left side. And children walk with their parents, so they get used to the left side. Funny how that can work.
Sibo: Oh wow! Do you think this also applies to this staple?
Lewis: What do you mean?
Sibo: This staple is on the wrong side--I mean, it's stapled here [points] in the US.
Lewis: Oh, that's just because the printer is messed up in the Physical Chemistry building. Yeah we usually staple there, too.

Florence

Thanks for the introduction, Joe. I have to admit to being behind schedule in my communications from Italy, but I have provided some brief descriptions of my first days in Firenze here. For the moment, I'll be focusing on that blog, and I'll post some of the more interesting entries here at Study Abroad Stories.

New term, new bloggers

Spring terms around the world are getting underway, and besides Brett, we have three new members: Michael, Sibo, and Brad are joining us from Florence, Oxford, and Hong Kong respectively.

New Zealand

I'm in New Zealand!!!! I've only been here for four days but it is absolutely amazing. I am participating in a study abroad program through AUIP and the University of Montana in a four week course called "Sustaining Human Societies" which will cover a range of topics and issues concerning the interactions between humans and the environment in New Zealand. From Chicago Midway to Christchurch NZ, I was in the air for a total of about 17 hours and went through three different airports on the way. Each one had different rules about what was allowed in the carry-on, etc and that was a little disorienting. Auckland airport, however, was definitely a nice change of pace. When you arrive, you can see the bluish-green water of the Pacific, palm trees, and breathe in some nice fresh air (it's summer here in NZ)! On the descent, I could see little white dots all over the green landscape below...and those turned out to be sheep (NZ is populated by 4 million humans and 39 million sheep). When we arrived in Christchurch, we met Professor Borrie and took a shuttle to Living Space (our apartments). I'm sharing a flat in Christchurch over the next few days before we head off to Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park and about ten other locations around the South Island. On the first day here, we went on a crazy scavenger hunt to find different things associated with NZ. Apparently, there are three different kiwis in NZ..the fruit..the bird..and the people (New Zealanders call themselved 'kiwis'). One other surprising thing about NZ is the number of Asian restaurants..there's about one on every street corner!
Christchurch is an absolutely gorgeous city. It is probably one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. There is a beautiful cathedral in the center of town and the streets are lined with trees and all kinds of cafes, shops, and restaurants. There is an enormous park on the west side with a beautiful river running through the city. We visited the Canterbury Museum a few days ago and it sits right next to the Botanic Gardens...which were so gorgeous! It's nice to see so much green in an urban area..this is definitely my kind of city. We also visited the International Antarctic Centre which is basically a museum/information center about Antarctica. We attended a lecture on climate change and it turns out that parts of Antarctica are actually cooling (global warming is uneven in its effects across the globe). It was kind of touristy, but there was a room where you can experience an 'Antarctic Storm' (and take pictures of yourself around artificial snow/ice). In any case, skin cancer here is a pretty big issue (the ozone isn't so strong here in the southern hemisphere) and I've been playing it safe with the sunscreen, etc. One other thing I should mention about New Zealand is that the weather changes a lot! In one day, the temp. can change from 50s to 70s and you have to dress in layers. It also rains quite a bit in the summer depending on where you are (the west side of the South Island gets about 300mm of rain a year). In any case, I absolutely love it here and I'm definitely looking forward to the next couple of weeks. Anyways, that's about it for now, but I will be sure to update later!
Cheerio!