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