Pavlova and Jabs

Sadly to report, the past week hasn't been too terribly exciting. With the exception of tea with the Simmons-Weakleys and a visit to the doctor, I've been mostly studying and writing. By "mostly," I mean more than usual, which is still not a significant amount. In fact, my friend Audrey today told me she thought I was a bit hard-out (intense) about school here; then I had to inform her of my plans to skip three days of lectures next week for a road trip.

As for the doctor visit, well, it was a bit of a culture shock. I thought I was used to this place, but, no I am not. I went to the Student Health Centre last Friday to ask about getting shots for traveling, and the receptionist asked me to come back in an hour to talk to a nurse. When I did, she informed me that I actually had to talk to a doctor. She was nice enough to print out some information about Malaria and some other horrible disease, and she pointed me to the CDC website. (A bit ironic, I thought, considering that I grew up in the city where the CDC is located.) Anyway, I returned on Monday for an appointment with the actual doctor, and he started my asking about my itinerary. I told him where Dad and I are going, and for how long, and then he proceeded to talk to me about every possible disease I could possibly contract while in those countries.

I learned some fascinating statistics about rabid dogs in Bangkok and the percentages of people who encounter them. He also made me aware about the very high probability of drinking bad water and the subsequent very unpleasant consequences. As for the more deadly diseases, he told me about the vaccinations at the same time as he judged their relative costs. He specifically told me which medicines were less expensive than others, and he seemed excessively concerned that I pick the least costly ones. After we'd discussed all the possibilities and decided on the shots I'd need, he told me that it was time to get jabbed. "Just go back to the waiting room and the nurse will call you for jabs," he told me. Somehow getting "jabbed" seemed worse than getting a shot. I survived the multiple jabs surprisingly well, but one arm is quite swollen still from what I think was a tetanus shot.

On Sunday night, the Simmons-Weakleys invited me over for tea with their family and Lindsay, the other American who spent the first week of holiday with the family. Brigid cooked spanikopita and baked bread; we also had a salad with mayonnaise-which is considered dressing here. After dinner, we had Pavlova for dessert. It's a fluffy cake-looking sweet thing with cream on top. Brigid even made fresh cream-which prompted a discussion about making things by hand and the fact that we do not do that in America. Apparently, New Zealanders and Australians fight over who created Pavlova. No matter where it originated, it was delightful. Then, we had tea. Of course.

In other news, my friend Genevieve is leaving for Canada tomorrow to take a break from her PhD and to visit her family. I went over to her flat tonight to say goodbye because she is going away for two months, and I'll be back in the states before she returns to Kiwiland. Today, I succeeded in making bread from scratch in my questionably sanitary kitchen. I didn't even need to take a picture of it - cooking something that's actually edible isn't a novelty anymore.

Well, it's time for bed. I have my bike route in the morning, so tomorrow will be a long day. But, in only a week's time, I'll be in Tauranga at my friend Moana's house. Then, I'll be in Christchurch for just under a week. Then, I leave to travel with Dad. Then we come back to Christchurch so I can take a final exam. And, finally, I come home - July 1!