It was a little weird getting off our bus and all heading in different directions to our respective dorms and flats, but at the same time it was nice to have some alone time to pack and get settled in. I'm not on a meal plan, so me and a few others in the same boat headed off to the "pak n save" (i'm guessing a rip off of sak n save? hah). that was an overwhelming experience. it is extremely huge, and the only thing i could recognize were some of the fruits and vegetables. It seemed to be poorly organized, but maybe it's just because i didn't know any of the labels. they didn't have turkey sandwich meat, which i suppose makes sense, but it still surprised me a little. they're all about chicken flavored chips (or crisps or crispies or chippies - i've heard all three). I have yet to try those, though i am curious. They didn't have grape jam either much to my chagrin. I managed to get a few things to last me through the week so i left relatively satisfied, albeit concerned about making the trip to this store once a week or so. Apparently NZ is ahead in the "green" trend, because they charge you for plastic bags, and it seems as though locals rarely use them. It only took us one trip to figure out to bring our own bag or backpack for our shopping excursions. did i mention that it's a 45 min walk to town? a little farther than i originally thought, but it's a nice walk. fortunately there's also a free bus to take.
I'm going to eventually take some pictures of my dorm for y'all, because it is very reminiscent of a jail. I'm not too picky, but the resemblance is amusing. there's four of us to a "pod" and while we have our own rooms, we share a toilet, kitchen and shower. the good thing is, we have a cleaner come once a week and all the toilet paper we can use! However, I almost had a meltdown when i saw clotheslines in our courtyard and found only one washer. The next day i found our washing room complete with several washers and dryers, so i was quite relieved, but just thinking about being forced to hang dry my clothes every week was nauseating. Yeah, maybe i'm a little spoiled. Oh, on that note, i haven't seen any dryer sheets anywhere... odd
Despite it's outward appearance, i quite like our "court." it's a lot of americans, but everyone i've met has been pretty cool, and one of the first nights we were here we went out and played soccer on one of the fields right behind our court. literally right behind it. i'm terrible at soccer, but it's been so long since i've just gone out and randomly done something like that. At least for now, it seems like people are much more willing to do things spontaneously rather than planning forever. maybe it's because no one has a car... time shall tell i suppose.
I went to a couple of orientation things, but honestly it was mostly stuff i've been hearing since my freshman year, so I've been choosing my sessions wisely :). There was a big presentation the other night with a guy who talked to about the dangers of alcohol and the "roller coaster ride of" something. hadn't heard that before... ironically, as with every place you'll visit in NZ, they were serving alcohol at the place. everything in moderation i suppose
I was very proud of my packing job, but i didn't do such a great job. it gets a lot colder here than i thought, and it's still summer. i was prepared for texas weather. and a pair of my "good" shorts mysteriously got a hole in the back... should've brought that needle and thread like mom suggested!
On another note, I have a really good internal clock. I've set my alarms about five separate times since i've been here, and every time i've woken up 5-30 mins before it's supposed to go off. cool. They also have excellent tap water here.
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