Week 8 Over!

   I feel like I’m finally getting into a routine here, which makes it feel much homier. My week was pretty mundane, but it feels good to relax after being on the move all of Easter Break. I’m getting used to all my classes, and I really enjoyed them this week. I actually feel like I’m learning a lot here. Not to say I’m not learning at Wells, but this is just different. When class sizes are as big as they are here, lecturers don’t have time for one-on-one with students, so they have to explain things thoroughly. I guess that’s the big difference.

   Anyways, you may have seen on facebook about my free haircut. I am so lucky! I was just walking through town Tuesday on my way to class, when a girl stopped me on the street, and asked me if I wanted to be a hair model, because she needed to practice cutting long layers. I’m always willing to help people, especially if I get a free hair cut out of it, so I stopped by after class. She did a really good job! Her instructor was there to make sure nothing went wrong, which made me feel really comfortable. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

   Wednesday night, I went to a movie night on campus, sponsored by the International office at Victoria. We watched some short films on culture, and had some really interesting discussions. It made me think about being abroad in a whole different light, and it made me realize that all my hardships (although few!) are really normal. It was a really cool event.

   Thursday night, Flatmate Paul and I went to a trivia night hosted by my apartment building. Although I live in an apartment, the building is sponsored by Victoria, so it’s a lot like a dorm. We have RAs and we have floor activities. Trivia was fun, but since Paul and I are both foreign, we had some trouble with the NZ questions that seemed so simple to the natives! We had no idea when the treaty that founded the country was signed! It was a lot of fun though, and we learned some interesting stuff! Did you know the difference between vegemite and marmite is the added sugar? I still think they’re both gross.

   Friday after class, I headed down to the waterfront to go to the Museum of Wellington City and Sea. It was really impressive! There was a lot of history about Wellington specifically, and I really like it. Dad, you would have liked the floor about Wellington’s maritime history. And Adam, they had a section about old-timey crime and jailing you would have liked to read about. There was a lot of cool info there!

The Board Room of the Wellington Harbour Board from 1925.
The picture does not do it justice! 

The first car imported to NZ!

   After I left the museum, I went home to skype with all my Wells friends. It was chaotic since there were so many people in one room, but it was sooo good to see everyone. I miss you all!!

   Hallie and I walked over to Cuba Street Friday evening to check out the night market. Cuba Street is a really long street for pedestrians only, that has a lot of shops and pubs. It’s a really neat place. It’s somewhat like the Commons in Ithaca. The night market was a lot of fun to wander around, but it was mostly just food stalls. The diversity in food here amazes me! There was Turkish food, African food, Maori food, American food, and so many more! There were also some shops open at the market and along Cuba Street.

A really cool music group at the night market!

   I feel like I’ve said “I’m so lucky” a thousand times in all my blog posts. But I really am! I’ve had such good fortune since I’ve been here, whether it’s been seeing an Ed Sheeran concert for free, getting to travel all around the country, or getting a free haircut. I can’t even believe some aspects of my trip so far, but I guess it goes to show the power of positive thinking and being adventurous!