Papers (Courses)

So far, my papers (classes) are not bad (good). Besides the differences in language and the anti-Americanism, I've actually enjoyed them. I'm still waiting to find out if I have to take a 4th class. For the three classes I have now (Latin, English, Religion), I have 68 points according to Canterbury, 18 credit hours according to Butler, and 9 credit hours according to Wake Forest. The normal load at Canterbury is 60 points, but to be considered full time at Wake, I have to take 12 credit hours. So, it's quite the dilemma.

Anyhow, Latin class seems doable so far. The lecturer has two small children, and she brings the attitude she uses with them to the classroom. She tries to remember everyone's name - a big task for a class of 40 or so - by commenting on it in some way. She told one girl, Sharon, that she didn't look like a Sharon! And she also commented that Nancy was a 60's name! Unfortunately, Butler registered me with my full name, so in every class I am the only student who is called by all three names! In Latin, the lecturer called me "Anne who is not Newberry" on Monday after I told her that my last name was not, in fact, hyphenated. Yesterday, she called me "Anne who is a North American." She knows I'm from America because she asked if there were any Americans in the class on Monday after she made a comment about Bush. While telling us how to get the textbook cheaply, she commented that the NZ dollar was strong now, "because George Bush is an idiot!" When she said she could say that here freely, I got the impression that she thinks all Americans idolize Mr. Bush.

In my religion class, Pakeha Prophets and NZ Christianity, the lecturer began by accusing the NZ students of not knowing their own history! He's probably correct though, because the NZ identity here is largely a result of other cultures. Just about everything is imported, and hardly any products are kiwi-centred. For example, the Latin textbook's use of the word "gooey," explained the lecturer, showed that the book was written in America. While New Zealanders have their own national identity, they often feel in the minority in relation to the rest of the world because their country has so little standing globally. The Religion lecturer continued, noting that New Zealanders don't regard religion with much respect, and their attitude that religious people are wacky results in religion's exclusion from much of New Zealand's written history. The lecturer showed us some political cartoons from the 1860's here to explain where the prejudice against religion came from. As it turns out, the missionaries' decision to side with the Maori against English settlers created an English scorn for religion that continues today.

In the 18th Century Novel, the lecturer focused on the book - not politics! I got to class a bit late though - AWKWARD! - because I got lost, and because she began class early. (The classes before 1pm start on the hour and go for 50 minutes; the classes from 1pm on start at 10 after and go until the next hour.) I talked to her after class, and she realized that she had started early. I'm a bit afraid of being labelled the "Late American" though.

I've been told Americans stand out here because they were certain brands - and tennis shoes! The NZ style is a bit different, and the kiwis are keen (another popular word, meaning "fond of") to wear skinny jeans, flat shoes, and long shorts. I know I give myself away as an American the moment I open my mouth, so I'm trying to pick up kiwi words and gestures and anything else I can think of to make myself a less obvious intruder. Despite the fact that the kiwis rely so heavily on America for products, entertainment, and culture, they still seem to hold a sense of resentment to US economic domination in the world. For that reason, I'm going to keep on trying to blend!

Penguins, text messaging, holidays, rain, and Celsius.

**a quick note: thanks to Dad, I now know the postal code for my flat (they weren't "mandatory" in NZ until last year!) So here’s my real address:

Annie Murphy
Flat 42 Room 4
Ilam Village
PO Box 6362
Christchurch 8442
New Zealand

- really, this is just a shameless reminder about just how much I enjoy mail ;)

Before I came to NZ, Kate put me in touch with her aunt/godmother's friend who lives here in Christchurch. Kate's Aunt Patsy stayed here for a year with Brigid Simmons as an exchange student when she was younger, and the two have stayed in touch. Brigid invited me over to her house for dinner on Thursday, and I met her, her husband Murray, her daughter Hannah (who is also 21), a German student (who was an exchange student with them several years ago), and their terrier, Toddie. Brigid informed me that Toddie was of the same breed as Mr. Bush's dog (called Barney?)

I spent several hours over at their house, and I chatted with Hannah and Christoff (the German student) about cultural differences such as cell phones, alcohol, and holidays. The kiwis text each other rather than talk on their phones because it's cheaper (and quieter!). It's common to see young kids' fingers typing furiously on their cell phones to their friends. As for alcohol, we came to the consensus that the concept of binge drinking in college is universal - at least among New Zealanders, Germans, and Americans. About holidays, well, the kiwis take quite a few. As do the Germans. Christoff told us there were about 17 German public holidays in a year, and they're all on Thursday - so people take off work on Thursday and Friday. Clever, those Germans! In New Zealand, everything (except restaurants and pubs, and the occasional grocery store) closes at 5pm. The general attitude toward work is far more relaxed than in the States: working people want to be home with their families, so they leave their jobs at five to do so. People here aren't constantly trying to outdo their counterparts in work or school, so the environment is far more relaxed. College admission, Hannah explained, is a simple process. If you pass the state test, the university admits you. There are only eight or so universities, and while they specialize in different areas, they are not selective about admissions. Basically, life in Wonderland progresses at a slower pace than life in America.

Yesterday, it rained. Quite a lot. Several of my friends with the Butler program decided to go to the Antarctic Centre in Christchurch for the afternoon. I'm sorry to say it was a bit of a disappointment - but we did get to see penguins. In fact, several different kinds of penguins live around New Zealand, and Christchurch is one of the key places en route to Antarctic. If you go to Canterbury, you can even major in Antarctic Studies. We saw the Little Blue Penguins - although they are the smallest type of penguin, they are not blue. I'll post some pictures of them soon.

Back in flat 42, there has been quite a bit of drama and controversy. Suffice it to say that Mia, the RA, has been acting rather un-RA-like in a variety of ways that I will refrain from mentioning.

Last night (Friday) I was hanging out in my friend Michele’s flat, and we decided to bake some cookies. I suppose it was more Michele wanting to make cookies, and the rest of us were happy to help. Anyway, after several of us made the batter – a challenge in a new kitchen with foreign ingredients – we were ready to put the dough in the oven. But, we’d forgotten to preheat the oven, so Michele turned it on to 300 according to the recipe. So we waited. And waited. We wondered why the oven was taking so long to heat up. Finally, after some more waiting, the group pressured Michele to put the cookies in. She did, and when she came back a few minutes later to check on them, they were burned! We couldn’t figure it out! Then, one of Michele’s kiwi flatmates reminded her that the degrees on the oven were in Celsius – not Fahrenheit! (If you’re not familiar with the conversion, double the Celsius and add 30 to get an approximate number for Fahrenheit.) So it made sense that the cookies were burned – the oven was almost at 650 degrees Fahrenheit! After one batch of burned cookies, she turned down the oven and the rest of the batches came out well.

This afternoon I took a bus to a place called the Warehouse (similar to Wal-Mart) and Countdown (a supermarket) to buy some things for my room. While you (and I) might think shopping wouldn’t be that different here – it is. And it involves a lot of conversions: kilojoules to calories, NZ dollars to American dollars, etc. The cashiers at the supermarket sometimes make conversation, and they bag the groceries – carefully! They’ll arrange the food in the bags to save the most space, and they are careful to put light items on top of heavy items instead of the other way around! Buggies, or carts, are called trolleys, and there are trolley bays in the parking lot where people return their trolleys after loading their cars. I made a new discovery tonight at the Countdown that I feel is worth mentioning. I was a bit disappointed when I’d gone shopping earlier because I hadn’t found hot chocolate – a big bummer in a place that’s going to get very cold! But, I found some today – with the lovely brand name of Cadbury. So, no worries about hot chocolate anymore.

By no worries, I mean “it’s all good.” Instead of saying words such as “great” or “cool” or “thank you,” they say “no problem,” “not bad,” and “cheers.” At first I was a bit offended when I thanked people and they said, “it’s not a problem” because in the States people usually say that to mean that whatever they did for you was of some trouble to them but not too big of a deal. Over here, though, they are more subtle about compliments, so if something is “not bad,” it means it is actually quite good. One of their most popular phrases, “sweet as,” means “cool.” As an English major, I can’t stop wondering what the object of “as” is! Alas, it does not make sense – and in New Zealand a lot of things don’t make sense!

From Orientation, ...

Rachel and I at the top of One Tree Hill during orientation in Auckland.

Click here to see more pictures!

Baby Carrots!

Woolworths has baby carrots! And the celery made it safely back to the flat.

Buses are still confusing though, and so is getting across the street. I always look the wrong way when when I try to cross roads here, and I keep trying to be polite and walk on the right instead of walking on the left. Only I end up almost running into people - which is not so polite I suppose. Then there's the sun - for some reason, there's a hole in the ozone layer (or some other scientific reason) that causes the sun here to be extremely powerful. It's strange putting on sunscreen every morning. I'm trying my best not to get burned - but the other day I wore SPF 55 and still got a little pink!

Today I endured enrolment. Basically, enrolment for international students consists of waiting in lines, getting everything checked and rechecked (passport, address, visas, insurance, payment, etc.). Thankfully, IFSA-Butler handled all of that, so it didn't take me as long as it took some other people - only about three hours. At the end, I recieved a precious reward: my Canterbury card (ID). However, it takes 24 hours to process, and I'm losing patience. I'd hoped the University would be more helpful - it's difficult enough not knowing where anything is, and not having a card (which allows entry to things and access to internet, buildings, etc.) only makes it harder.

Enrolment also involved registering for classes. Unfortunately, Wake requires that I take four classes even though the classes here are weighted according to level and most students only take two or three papers (courses). At the moment, I'm way overloaded here - but I'll just barely be a full time student according to Wake. When I checked my email (internet cafe, again) I discovered that the political science department already decided not to approve one of the classes I just picked! So I've got to go back and look up some more classes. Other than that, I'm signed up for 18th Century Novels, Pakeha (white europeans) Prophets & New Zealand Christianity and beginning Latin.

That's it for today. I can't take any more of this internet cafe - today there was a screaming baby (instead of cursing schoolboys playing computer games). At the moment, I'm thinking that I might be able to put up pictures on Friday. So, cheers, or see ya (that's what all the people say here - even if there's no chance at all that you'll see them again - though I hope that is not the case here!).

I'm orientated (that's how they say it here)

It's Tuesday afternoon, and I'm back in an internet cafe - I'm still waiting on internet in my flat. I thought I'd get it when I enrol (tomorrow) but it turns out that we have to wait a day after we enrol and then load money on our Canterbury cards (student ID card). So I'm doing my best to keep in touch, and I'll post pictures when I have a good connection in my room.

Last night, the RA's in Ilam Village, where I live, hosted an event called "Speed Meeting." I hesitated about going, but then decided to - and most of the village went, too. We sat at tables and talked to someone for three minutes. Then an RA would hit this loud instrument (I forget what it's called) and half the people would rotate. After an hour and a half they thankfully ended the excercise, even though we were just halfway through. I met lots of people - but I don't remember many of them. It was like sorority rush - only worse! Most of the students are from the states, and there are a significant amount of Germans and Malaysians.

This link has pictures of Ilam Village:
http://www.canterburyuv.co.nz/canterburyuv/sites/ilam/site/html/the_pics.htm

I'm getting used to riding the bus - and being clueless about riding the bus. I realized that I'm going to make tons of mistakes over the next four months, so I'm not going to worry about how many I make or how often I make them. The bus drivers tend to be friendly, and they're not in a hurry like in the States, so it's not a huge deal to mess up getting on. The grocery store still confuses me, and their use here of kilojoules instead of calories requires constant math. Some of the items are similar to those in the US, but they have a lot of different products here. Today I bought some kind of green speckly fruit that is some combination of an apple and a pear. I think it's called a "Noshi." Of course, the kiwifruits here are very cheap! I can't find baby carrots, and the celery is huge! Right now, I'm carrying almost a two-foot stalk of celery around town. I'm sure I don't stand out as a newcomer. ;)

Yesterday and today I ventured to the City Centre to check out the Cathedral and the Botanical Gardens. Today, the Cathedral was putting on a pancake race for Shrove Tuesday. Different Christian groups around the city ran relays while flipping pancakes in a skillet. The winning group won a skillet! I'll post some pictures of this fun event soon.

I also discovered lots of used book stores - which happen to be some of my favorite places to go. Unfortunately, everything I buy here has to fly back, so I'm a bit limited. But I might go explore them sometime. There's one called "Pre-Loved Books," which just might be my favourite name for a bookstore EVER.

I think that's it for now. I'm going to head back to my room and brave the flatmates. And figure out my class schedule. It's tough because the classes don't meet at set times - they just meet whenever the lecturers feel like it, or so it seems. Lots of the classes I want to take overlap, so this should be a challenge.

N-ZED: Jet-Lag, Orientation, Etc.

I wrote N-ZED instead of NZ because here they say “z” as “zed.” It’s hard to get used to that little change – and many others. I thought life here might not be that different from life in America because we speak the same language – but I was wrong. Besides the obvious differences like driving on the other side of the road and the accent, I learned that the kiwis in general have a different attitude to life in comparison to most Americans. Instead of trying to “get ahead” of others, they are usually content with their lives. They look down on people who try to elevate themselves above others; in fact, the “tall poppy syndrome” dictates that they will try to chop off the heads of those who poke their heads up too high!

** I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to post. I didn’t get to Christchurch until yesterday (your Friday), and they told us we wouldn’t have internet until we enrolled (Wednesday for me). Somehow, I’m getting intermittent internet access – frustrating, but better than nothing. So, if I don’t respond quickly, it’s not because I don’t love you – it’s because I can’t get internet.

Ok, back to the beginning. After a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles last Monday and some time in LAX, I boarded the Air New Zealand plane with some other Butler students. The flight lasted a long twelve and a half hours over the pacific, which has A LOT of turbulence. I ended up only sleeping about four of those hours, so I was a bit tired when we landed at 7:00am Wednesday morning. After going through customs, I met up with the rest of the Butler students who were studying at Auckland or Christchurch. We left the airport for the YMCA Shakespear Lodge north of Auckland. The staff there greeted us, and we had the afternoon to enjoy the ocean and learn how to play cricket and rugby. The next day, I choose to go sea kayaking. I ended up being the odd one out, so I went with the SLO (Student Liason Officer – person who lives in Christchurch and organizes events and supports us throughout the semester) Janyne. As we were getting ready to set off, I guess I must have looked confused because one of the YMCA staff pointed to the paddle and told me, “It’s waterproof, so you can put it in the water.” Well, I picked it up quickly enough, and I actually enjoyed learning how to kayak.

We spent the rest of the time at the lodge getting to know each other, participating in various other outdoor activities, and having Kai time (tea time – there is morning tea, second morning tea, and afternoon tea). Unlike other YMCA’s I’ve been to, the Kai (food) was delicious, and there were plenty of veggie options. Garth couldn’t resist poking fun of the vegetarians, referring to us as weaklings! He also explained that Kiwis like to tease each other, and they have a rather dark sense of humour. According to him, you’re supposed to let them make fun of you because it means they like you.

The next day, the Butler staff briefed us on various aspects of NZ life and student life. Then, we left the YMCA for a marae – a Maori meeting house. They’d told us what to expect, but I was still a bit scared entering the marae. The YMCA leader, Garth, had told us to expect several exchanges of songs and speeches, and we’d even learned a song in Maori to sing in response to their greeting. The entire entrance ritual, called the powhiri (?), consisted of the songs, speeches, and the hongi. The hongi ritual comes from their creation theology. It entails leaning in close to the other person and touching noses. I’ll try to find a picture to illustrate the intimacy of the gesture. I felt a little strange standing outside the marae, trying to listen to the greetings, as cars drove by outside the fence and a plane flew overhead. I guess that’s just a good example of the way the Maori have adapted to modern life. In fact, the marae we visited is not a traditional marae – it’s an urban marae, which means that the people who go there have another marae in their old homes, but they go to this one while they live in the city.

After the powhiri, the Maori loosened up, and I relaxed. They performed for us, joking around and explaining the origins of their instruments and rituals. We ate dinner with them (the orientation website told us we’d eat their ritual food – which they cook in the ground – but, thankfully, they decided to cook it in the kitchen!).

All forty of us spent the night inside the marae, sharing mattress – because, as Garth informed us, only white people have their own mattress. Surprisingly, I slept well apart from a few loud snorers. Anyway, I really enjoyed staying there and learning about the Maori history and culture from their perspective rather than from a textbook. In my mind, they were transformed from just a group of marginalized people to individuals with fun and different personalities. Although they desperately try to maintain their cultural traditions, they don’t take themselves seriously and like to have fun. They are still upset and angry about they way they’ve been treated in the past, but they’ve adapted to life in the 21^st century and have somewhat assimilated into life with the majority Europeans.

On Saturday, we left the marae for One Tree Hill, a place with a lot of history – and controversy – for New Zealanders. I won’t go into that here though because I don’t remember it all, and what I do remember probably wouldn’t make much sense. (If you look at my pictures, this is the place with the huge obelisk on top of a dormant volcano). After hiking around there, we headed to the airport.

Once we landed in Christchurch, we headed over to our rooms at the University. I’m living in a place called Ilam Village. I’m in a flat (apartment) with 4 other people. Usually, there are 6 people, but one of the residents is an RA and gets two rooms. The RA, Mia, is from New Zealand – and is a rather colourful character. (The RA who moved me in told me she was a party girl . . .). Yesterday I met Mike, another flatmate, who is from Wisconsin. We met in the bathroom – AWKWARD! He seems cool though, but I haven’t seen him since. I’m also living with Maria, a girl from Germany who came with her boyfriend and friend. (She told me that school might be a bit different than what she’s used to because in Germany you don’t have to go to class and there are no assignments. Hmmm . . . I should have gone to Germany!). Today I met John/Juan (not sure) who’s from Boston and goes to college in Vermont. Then, tonight I met Neal, Mia’s boyfriend, who she informed me did not live here but would be over a lot. Well, at least she introduced us.

It’s somewhat (ok, a lot) of a shock to be here in Christchurch and so clueless about everything. This morning, the Butler group got together to take a shuttle to Riccarton Market (an outdoor market for everything from veggies to used personal items). We couldn’t get in touch with the shuttle company to get a ride back, so we walked back – quite a long way! Later on, I went to the supermarket (not “grocery”) with a couple friends from Butler. (Three of them go to Vanderbilt, and one goes to Scripps College in California.) We spent quite a while there trying to figure out not just where everything was (like the UGA students mom complains about in Athens) but WHAT everything was. The brands and labels are different, and they have lots of food that we don’t have in the States. Weet-bix, for example (it’s a kind of cereal).

Later on, I was going to go back to the shopping area near campus (about a 10 minute walk) to get a pillow (which was supposed to be included) and some other items. The people I was going to go with left without me, so I ventured out on my own. By the time I got to the store, it was closed, so I kept walking down the main street toward the City Centre. After about forty minutes, I found a shopping mall; inside was a K-Mart. I’ve never been so excited to see that sign! I found a pillow and other items before the store closed at 6:00pm (they don’t have many 24-hour stores) and decided to take the bus back. But, I had a problem: I didn’t have the correct change for the bus. So, I walked into a connecting supermarket and bought a few items I needed to get some change. Who knows if the bus takes change?! – I was not about to find out the hard way! Then, I walked out to the bus, waited, boarded, and looked extremely touristy when I asked the bus driver where to put the change. Anyhow, that was my first adventure out on my own. Tonight I’m resting, writing, attempting to adjust to the shock of being here, and trying to get over Jet-Lag.

That’s about it for my first week in NZ. I’m hoping my posts will be more frequent (and shorter) in the future. I’ll try to get some pictures up soon.

P.S. Thanks for emailing and posting comments! Unfortunantly, Amanda and Kate, the crossword ploy failed. But I am not giving up. Auntemni, yes, this is actually public. I'm not purposely trying to confuse you. But if you don't want to be "exposed" you can send me an email. As far as I know, you can "blog" but not "comment blog" in private. HAHA. Jack, I'll be posting pictures very soon I hope. Maybe you can convince your mom to let you visit Wonderland! Joy, I'm sorry to distract you from studying. :) Larissa, I did manage to stay on the plane all the way to the ground - but it was a struggle!

Also, the spelling is NZ spelling because I’m composing these posts in Word – and I have changed the setting to NZ spelling so I don’t misspell words in papers and such. Plus I hope it makes these posts more authentic!

**My address is:

(for normal mail)
Annie Murphy
Flat 42 Room 4
Ilam Village
PO Box 6362
Christchurch
New Zealand

(for courier mail)
Annie Murphy
Flat 42 Room 4
Ilam Village
Homestead Lane
Ilam
Christchurch
New Zealand

17 Hours to Takeoff

So, it's my last night on the farm. I've finally crossed almost everything off of my perpetually expanding packing list, and I think my bags might just be under the pound limit (50lbs. each for checked bags, 15lbs. for my carry-on). I'm prepared for 18 hours on the plane and 7 hours in airports - I've packed books, music, magazines, childish coloring books, and several crossword puzzle books (after my friend Mallory told me that her parents met over a crossword, I've decided to carry a book of them with me at all times). It should be fun. I like to think it will.

And then I wonder what I've signed myself up for.

That's all for now. If you've commented or emailed, thanks! I'll post more when I get to Christchurch - my Saturday, your Friday. I'll also put up my mailing address then. I still don't know where I'm living.

**A good way to think about the time difference: from EST, subtract 6 hours, then add a day.

Here is the address for the New Orleans blog: http://bigeasy5.blogspot.com/

P.S. My international phone number is: (011) +64 212213293.

Thanks for reading!

If you're reading this, thanks! Please feel free to post comments or email me to stay in touch. It would make me happy to hear from you!

I'm leaving for New Zealand on February 12th from Atlanta. I'll fly to Los Angeles, where I'll meet up with the group. Our program director told me there are only 15 people going to Christchurch (through IFSA-Butler). I'll have plenty of time to get to know them on our 13 hour flight to Auckland. When we land in Auckland, it'll be February 14th. So, no February 13th for me this year. I was hoping to miss the 14th . . . oh well! We'll be north of Auckland for several days for orientation, and then we'll fly to Christchurch for more orientation at the University of Canterbury. (I'll most likely be out of touch during this time)

I'll try to keep this blog more story-oriented than anything else so it's not boring to read. I am looking forward to hearing from you!

If you'd like to see more pictures, look here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/anniemurphy85

P.S. I've already set the time for NZ - 18 hours ahead of EST.

T minus 10 days

I'm in Florida now, visiting my grandparents, and my grandmother gave me a copy of National Geographic Adventure because of an article in it about NZ. I'm getting excited to go, but I'm beginning to realize that NZ is (and I should have realized this long ago) the destination for crazy people. One of the girls I chatted with online said that as soon as she got off the plane in Auckland, she wanted to get on another one so she could jump out of it. That's just one example of the kind of adventure that awaits. I'm not sure what kind of extreme sports I'll be into. But, my sister informed me:

"Did you know Daddy used to hang-glide? Yep."

So maybe extreme sports run in the family . . .

This excerpt explains why New Zealanders are called Kiwis:

“But it wasn’t Kiwis . . . who bestowed an avian identity upon themselves. During World War I, soldiers from other countries referred to New Zealand’s fierce fighters as Kiwis. It’s a fitting name, I think now. A full-grown kiwi, which is about the size of a chicken, can face down a small dog or a stoat. They move fast and will rise up on one leg then strike with the other. All this happens very quickly. The birds are accomplished boxers. And they are fearless. As Kiwis are.”
- from National Geographic Adventure, “State of Adrenaline” by Tim Cahill