Christchurch Central City

The very middle of the city is called Central City, it's more or less the downtown area. This is the middle of Central City, Cathedral Square. Corinne, the Starbucks in the background makes me think of you every time I walk by :)

This scultpure, "The Chalice," was put in Cathedral Square to celebrate the new millenium.

Also in Cathedral Square, this is a statue of Robert Godley, the guy who founded Christchurch (complete with a pigeon on his head...)

NZ flags in Cathedral Square.

The cathedral at Cathedral Square. Who would've guessed that you'd find one of those there?

Inside the cathedral.

More inside the cathedral. A little blurred, but you get the idea, it's really pretty inside.

Some Random Pictures

A stunning view of Australia.

Another incredible view of the beauty of the Sydney airport.

A little red telephone booth. I had thought these were an endangered species found only in London...

NZ money. The currency here is New Zealand dollars, which are worth about $0.80 USD, give or take. They really do have holes in the sides with something clear to fill them in. The bills are also tear-proof and water-proof, so you can leave them in your pocket and run them through the wash and they'll be okay :)

New Zealand coins. They are $2, $1, $0.50, $0.20, and $0.10. They don't have $1 bills, only coins, and the ten cents pieces are the smallest denomination (no nickels or pennies). The $1 coins have kiwi birds on the backs :)

For the Midd Kids

There's no honor code here. So weird to turn in assignments without signing the honor code at the bottom... It'll be even weirder having proctored exams.

University of Canterbury

My excuse for being in New Zealand is that this is my study abroad semester, so I'm enrolled in the University of Canterbury. It's a lot bigger than Midd (about 16,000 students, apparently), and the buildings feel a lot older. Also, the classes tend to be a lot bigger, and at orientation they told us not to worry about what time we enrolled in classes because they wouldn't fill up. A nice change from fighting with Banner Web first thing in the morning!

The work load is also a little different. I usually have readings assigned every for week or for every class at Midd, and graded assignments several times a semester. However, here there are occasionally some recommended readings to do at some point, maybe one essay in the middle of the semester, and then a final exam that's worth anywhere from 50-70% of your final grade. It'll take some getting used to, but I think it will be nice to be able to do work at my own pace. My classes are Microbiology, Antartic Studies: Life in the Cold (New Zealand is one of the centers for Antarctic Studies in the world, and particular Christchurch), Spanish Conversation and Pronunciation, and a class called Science, Maori, and Indigenous Knowledge which is currently a Maori culture class but will become more of a comparison of Maori knowledge and current scientific thought in the second half of the semester.

This is the library. It's absolutely huge, something like 11 stories high, with a big open space underneath it for student events and things. My favorite part, though, is that there's a fountain next to the stairs, which empties into a pool underneath the stairs, and then goes to a waterfall on the other side of the stairs, which empties into another pool that's surrounded by the huge ferns that you see all over here. It's very pretty- I wish the picture did it justice!

This is the campus bookstore. Just like Midd, it's rather expensive, but it's actually a bookstore in that it sells regular books (not just textbooks and books written by the faculty). Unfortunately, it doesn't sell U. Canterbury sweatshirts... Also, you can see one of the many restaurants/cafes on campus right next to it. The one in the picture is a pretty decent Indian restaurant.

Finally, this is the logo for the University of

Canterbury Student Association. They run all sorts of stuff and have a big center with cafes and restaurants and bars in it. It's obviously abbreviated UCSA, so I keep thinking University of California... San Antonio? And then I remember that neither I nor San Antonio is in California...

A Short and Incomplete Kiwi Dictionary

Kiwis speak British English, although the accent is a little different. I've had some fun picking out things that they say differently here, although I've no idea which ones are British and which ones are entirely Kiwi.

"Chilly bin" = cooler (like for picnics)

"Flat white" = their idea of a regular coffee = actually a latte

"Flick" = send (like an email or a text message)

"Hash mark" = pound button on your cell phone

"Holidays" = vacations

"Lift" = elevator

"Lollies" = candy

"Muesli" = granola (and granola bars are muesli bars, don't ask me to pronounce it)

"Papers" = exams, or occasionally people also seem to mean courses?

"Rubbish bin" = trash can

"Ta" = thank you (also you'll hear "Cheers" a lot)

"Tea" = dinner

"Togs" = bathing suit

"Toilets" = restrooms, bathrooms

"Top up" = add money (to your bus card, or minutes to your cell phone, etc)

"Tosser" = litter bug

"Vivid" = Sharpie, permenant marker

People are generally very easy to understand here, although I have had a few interesting experiences with a "language barrier." My lab partner did get a bit of a laugh out of it when she asked me for the "Vivid" and I got all confused, and the first time I went to buy more cell phone minutes, I nearly lost them all because I didn't know which button was the hash key! It all worked out, though, and it's been good fun. Hope you're all doing well!!!

Pictures to come...

Sorry about both the lack of pictures and the lack of posts. I figured everything would be really boring without pictures, so I've been waiting to post everything until I have fast enough internet access to upload pictures. I'll be moving out of my hostel and into a flat this Friday, and I'll have high-speed internet access there, so hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures then. Hope everyone is doing well!

I'm in New Zealand!

I arrived yesterday afternoon after nearly 24 hours of airtime, from Boston to Sydney to Christchurch. I was a little upset when I set out, because flying to Sydney added several hours to my trip, but it turned out to be well worth it, because I got to fly in from the west, which meant flying over the Southern Alps. Talk about gorgeous! I will try to post pictures sometime soon, but the internet is a bit too slow and expensive at my hostel to try and upload anything.

I had orientation today for international students, and then got a chance to explore the city with some of the other exchange students. Christchurch is a beautiful city- it's clean and open, with a lot less air pollution than most of the cities I've visited in the US, and a lot of plants and not very many high rise buildings. If you drive through the city, it looks like most people have their own houses, each with a small yard, and you see hardly any apartment buildings. I was also very happy to see lots of rugby fields in the city, especially near the University of Canterbury. :)

I'm Going to New Zealand!

Just thought I'd let you all know that I'm leaving for New Zealand this Sunday. I can't believe it's so soon!!! I'll be in Christchurch, which is a city about halfway down the east coast of the southern island, and I'll be at the University of Canterbury there.

That's really all there is for news right now, seeing as I'm still in Vermont. Keep in touch!