Pizza and wine.

July 17

Thursday was a fairly lazy day – and fairly crappy weather-wise, too. I met Andrea on campus at 3, and then we ran into Una and decided to go grab something to eat at Tussocks (the bar/café on campus). We waited until the rain let up around 5, then all made our way back to our respective flats.

Una texted me around 5:30 to say Josh and Jen (more Americans) were making pizza at Josh’s flat, and that I should come over. So I did. On the walk over, I ran into Una, Melinda (a German exchange student) and Ben (another American). I went with them on a wine run, and then we went to Josh’s.

The pizza was pretty amazing, and we just sat around eating, drinking and talking for a few hours. I met one of Josh’s kiwi flatmates who had a name that sounded like he could be a long-lost Marx brother. Ben spent a portion of the evening with a paper bag on his head, and Jesse created a bag puppet that was later christened “Sinbag.”

After we had finished the pizza, the three bottles of wine, and the three liters of hokey pokey ice cream, everyone wanted to go on a walk. So Josh, Jen, Una, Melinda, Ben, Denise and myself took a walk down to Oriental Bay around 10 p.m.

It was interesting because a few of them were tipsy, and I was acutely aware of how loud and obnoxious we were being. But oh well. Not much I could do about it.

Once we got down to the bay, Josh and Una decided they really wanted to go skinny dipping. Except that the water is freezing (it is mid-winter, and we aren’t THAT far away from Antarctica), and so it didn’t quite happen. They did the dipping, followed by the skinny, but not quite at the same time.

While all this was transpiring, Denise and I built a little sandcastle. The sand was quite cold, but was perfect for packing. We also walked to the end of a pier and attempted to take photos of the bay at night. It was really pretty – all the lights twinkling off the water and all – but my pictures definitely don’t do it justice.

After Josh and Una were satisfied (and after they both made vows to come back and do the real thing sometime before they leave), we headed back up town.

I have a feeling many similar random evenings are in store in the future with this bunch.

Things are looking up.

July 11

I moved into a new flat with considerably cleaner (and seemingly friendlier) flatmates this afternoon. My room has the same view, just one floor up, which is awesome. I can see a good portion of the city, all the way down to Lambton Harbour. Andrea, another USAC girl from Ohio, and I took a walk down there the day before yesterday, and walked the length of the harbor and Oriental Bay. It was sunny and around 50 degrees, and was absolutely beautiful. For winter, I’ll take it.

I’ve been getting acclimated to Massey, my fellow international students, and New Zealand in general over the past few days. Everyone and everything is very nice, and I think I’m growing to like the city life. As part of our orientation, we all went on a city tour. The best bit was probably going up to Mount Victoria, where you can see the whole of Wellington sprawled out below you. It's really quite a sight!

The hardest adjustment (other than the jet lag) has been not having regular phone service or internet. It’s killing me to come home at 5 or 6 and have absolutely nothing to do. Even though I’m in a city of roughly 600,000, I feel very disconnected. I’m sure that as I meet more people it will pass, but I feel very out of the loop at present. It’s currently 4:39 p.m. and I have no foreseeable plans for the evening. Haha, I guess it’s early to bed once again! Andrea and I may go check out the shopping at Lambton Quay tomorrow, though, so at least there’s that.

Wellington itself, for being a large city, isn’t bad. It’s clean – the air is so clear and fresh! – and feels very safe. Even though we’ve been warned not to venture down to Courtenay Place after midnight alone, I find it hard to be afraid here. It’s not like in the States where you look at everyone coming at you on the sidewalk as a possible threat. Which is a very nice and comforting thing.

The scenery, too, is gorgeous. The little houses set into the hillsides are adorable, and when the sun is out, everything looks fresh and new. The harbor at sunset is really a sight, as well. The water is nearly perfectly clear, and reflects everything like you wouldn’t believe.

Kiwis are as nice as I remember, too. Everyone at Massey has been more than helpful and accommodating. I really owe Jayne a lot; she’s been so good with answering our every question. I really must buy her something before we leave.

I hope to start picking up on some of the slang here soon. It’s quite different from what I’m used to, but fascinating at the same time. My flatmates are all Kiwi, and I have to make a conscious effort not to stare at them with my mouth agape when they talk amongst each other. It’s still English, yes, but it’s so very different! I’ll probably start saying “eh?” a lot more thanks to them. Haha.

I’ve also discovered a new delicious candy – better even than chocolate fish! They’re called Jaffas, and they’re basically just balls of chocolate coated in a hard orange-flavored shell. They are amazing, and I’ll have to remember to bring some back home with me in November.