Bridge Swinging Video

Hey, Guess what, I finally figured out how to downsize my video! Here's my "big jump"

sorry bout the camera shake- home video- no tripod

I made sure the camera man is ready with a big thumbs up... the view of the sky is Ryan giving me a thumbs up back.

I only wish I would have done flips, I chickened out. Next time! Apparently the record number of flips is over thirty for this jump. I'd love to see that.

You know you really can't see how high that bridge is! It's around 60 feet up. I love how I am ready to jump and grab on last minute... HAHAHA...

Double 21st Birthday Extravaganza!

Look Mommy I did it all by myself!! Yay! Actually I really am proud of the invitation I made. Now that I officially have a place to have the party, they are going to the printers today! I am SOOO excited! Well I'd tell you all about my plans, but I might incriminate myself. : )

Its going to be SO MUCH FUN!! Yeah! We've got a DJ, and maybe even a live band. You know what I love about NZ? It is standard for everyone to BYO (bring your own). So I'm throwing a party, and everyone is bringing food and drinks them!! Yes!! Score!! I guess that means I better put on one heck of a party!

Feijowa Nut! (Actually they don't have nuts, but tasty seeds)

Atawhai Villagers

Not everyone showed up for the village photo, actually I think around 75 people live here! Regardless- group photo! This is my international family, coming from: Pakistan, Germany, Canada, USA, Brazil and New Zealand. (If you didn't catch on- this is the little community I live with).

Did I mention we like to Party? Julia (the girl one in from the left) and I are going to have a HUGE birthday party May 9th. We've hired a DJ, and might even have a live band! Some of the German girls are making homemade cakes! YAY!!

This last weekend I went on the Tongariro Crossing, it is a beautiful hike, one of the best in New Zealand, that goes up and between volcanos, passes by Emerald Lakes, and offers the chance to climb to the top of "Mount Doom" (Lord of the Rings). We actaually did climb to the rim of the volcano, where we had a great picnic of power bars, sandwiches, and a special New Zealand fruit, Feijowas! 

I absolutely love this fruit! You can never have just one. The Feijowa season is just ending now, they growing like crazy for two weeks. Though they were very expensive in the stores (about $8 per pound) both my flatmate and a friend in town have trees and a seamlessly unlimited supply. Over the last week we've been consuming a garbage bag full, and I'm sad that they are almost gone. This fruit you can' t compare to any other, Rheyda says they are similar to a guava, but you eat it like a kiwi. They are unique and unlike anything I've ever had! Love EM!!!

The hike was stunning. We left Palmerston North at 3:50 AM SHARP (GERMANS are on time- and if you aren't they'll leave!!). When we arrived at the Taupo area, the sunrise lit up the sky in a rainbow of color, highlighting the peaks we were about to climb. It was exciting to see frost, it was O Degrees Celcius when we started, a perfect starting temperature for our long hike! 

A New Zealand Traffic Jam. Though you'd never see much of a Traffic Jam on the Roads here, the trailways can be packed on a holiday. There were likely over two hundred people who did the crossing. Did I mention the Weather was Perfect! Often the area gets so cloudy you can't see 5ft in front of you. It was so clear Friday that you could actually see Mt. Ruapehu which is over 150K away. It was incredible!

As all you outdoor pros know, you gotta wear good shoes for a 10 hour hike. Oops. I forgot mine in Montana... No need to show a pic of my feet, but I'll just say that I found it hard to walk straight/normal for about two days. Totally worth it though (the crossing, not the shoe mistake)!

The Lady and the Cigarette Butts

Hey everyone, just wanted to type a quick message and say All is Well! I've been extraordinarily busy with assignments lately, so I've tried to not have too much fun. It's been difficult. A little bit of dancing and playing pool this last Saturday, and I'm not sure if I mentioned the old army bunker I got to explore. Pretty sweet! Also I got a "NEW2ME" Bike. It's this great rusty old pink thing that belongs to the 60's. I'll have to post a photo! With the opportunities I now have because of this bike, I couldn't help but bond to it!

I Really Need your help. You probably already know this about me, but I can be a space case, and have a tendency to loose or forget things. With that said, since I have been in New Zealand, I have lost everything of value by now. Luckily most things have returned, but on the other hand, I am apparently beginning round #2. So far so good, I just need to find my house key. Please if you have any ideas on how to fix this I would REALLY APPRECIATE IT!

Well I keep it short and sweet- Midterms. Here is a story I wanted to share with you:

________________________________

The Lady and The Cigarette Butts

I was at the bus stop today and I watched a woman as she dawdled around picking up smoshed cigarettes off the ground. I was really curious, and thinking she might have been cleaning them up. Nonchalantly, she filled her pockets, and sat down on bench beside me. She pulled out a small piece of paper, and one by one carefully poured their contents onto this paper. After about six, she licked the end, rolled it up, and stuck it in her mouth.

Take it for what it's worth. She was not poorly dressed, did not look unusual in any way, just an average woman addicted to nicotine. I suppose that I just wanted to show you someone else's perspective.

___________________________________________


Ps. I'm starting to get a little homesick.

Gettin in the Groove

Hello Everyone! 

Sorry about the delay in blogs. Been keeping busy with school lately and dealing with the credit card issues, but that should all be over soon. 

I've been catching up with a few people personally, so for ease I stole some of this from those e-mails... Sorry for the repeats Trev!

I spent the last two days out playing in the ocean- I'm starting to get the hang of surfing, I can just barely stand up, and can certainly ride a wave in kneeling- so I am really excited about that!

    Oh man I love to surf. I'm definitely learning, but I've had to start with a short board rather than a long board (which is much easier). By the time I finally take a break after catching waves for 4 hours, I walk on the shore panting out of breath, and drop like I'm dead. All I can think about though is catching another wave. And let me tell you, I sure got my share of salt the past couple of days, I can still taste it!  I probably won't have many pictures to share since a beach has death writtin all over it for my camera.

So I've borrowed some images from google... so you could have a look.

The town that slightly shows to the right is Castle Point, the the further of the two bays you see in the back ground is where I go surfing- it all sand and is perfect for anyone from beginners to semi-experts. 

Here is the cove from the ridge that leads to castle rock. You can see a good sized wave in this photo, but they can actually break around 35 ft high between the two furthest rocks. A little much for my level of expertice, but closer to the left I can catch waves closer to 4ft.

Did I mention the fish they catch there are GIGANTIC! There are charter boats that come and go all day long, and they are consistently catching some monsters.

Hehe, oh and actaually while I was surfing I somehow managed to step on one. It Freaked me out!

I've been playing cards a lot lately- Tons of rummy, some Texas Hold-em, Hearts, etc. I've also taught a lot of card games too including Egyptian Rat Screw, and spoons. You wouldn't believe how much these guys ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO PLAY SPOONS! Wow! And surprisingly no one else had ever played?

    I've also been learning to play cricket with the Pakistanis. It's a lot like baseball, but so far I couldn't really tell you the differences because everything is spoken in another language. It's very possible that they are just making it all up...

I love how easy it is to meet people from all over the world- Zambia, Pakistan, Canada, Philippines, Germany, Malasia, Figi, Jamaca, I could go on for awhile!  I can't believe how much I am learning about the world! Speaking of which have you ever heard of a movie called Zeitgeist? Though it talks a lot about the philosophy behind religion and control in part one, it has so much to do with the power and influence of the American people. It's really an eye-opener! The one I watched was german made, but was spoken in english. It's probably only available online.

     I am in absolute heaven here! And you know the area I live is a whole community of international travelers, most of which will be going in June when new students will come move in. It's overwhelming, and Exciting! I really hope I can stay and finish school here, it's a much better learning enviornment : ) ... and the classes are alright too.

     I can't wait to go to the SOUTH ISLAND! I plan on going in Nov. When school is out. Otherwise I might not come back and finish. I've had to add some great toys to my camping collection including a sweet stove I got on sale that folds up to the size of a pocket knife! I'd really like to get my hands on a traveling hammock.

    You know there are three things that I REALLY MISS! My tripod, the grocery stores back home, and MY CAR! I'm buying a new tripod online, and coping with groceries, but this car thing I have to figure out. I might buy one with a friend who'll be staying longer than me. We will see.

 My next mission is puttin' on a party. I once thought I might be alone for my 21st, so instead I'm decided to have an enormous party! Actually it's a double birthday, and we've already got a DJ lined up! I'm just settling the details about where we are going to have it, and getting ready to print out flyers! Wish me Luck!

Cheers

LESSONS ABOUT LOOSING CREDIT CARDS

Layin' low is a good way to go.

 So I vaguely mentioned that I lost my purse, I didn't say that I spent four days turning up all my furniture (and the neighbors) looking for the stupid thing. I pouted, threw a fit, and finally gave in to cancel the credit cards and renew everything... 

Well after much of it is said and done, my purse has finally turned up! It was left at a friends (who swears it wasn't there...). Well I don't have to go through the hassle of getting my driver's license again, but the reason I post this is that I want you to all know how important it is to have all your credit card numbers and the phones #'s to call (to cancel them) written down. I know the internet is a great resource, but when it comes down to it, Have them written and somewhere safe! Its worth it! It may save you 7 hours of overseas phone calls! Oh and some of the companies DO have international lines that you can call free- if you know how to correctly dial them- so have those numbers at hand.

I also you to know that many local banks and credit card companies cannot ship the cards overseas. So also keep a separate card for emergency since it may be awhile before you can replace a lost one. 

 I thought I mind as well share my lesson. I really hope this doesn't happen to any of you! 

Taking it Easy...

Nothing too interesting going on lately. Been busy working on assignments and hassling with a lost purse. I want to recommend to you all, keep a copy of your credit card numbers and the overseas contacts to cancel and renew them. If you don't it will be a much bigger hassle! Other than that I am settling in well, finally getting into a routine. 

I Really Miss the grocery stores back home! It's hard to say exactly what the differences are, the food is much better here, but they really lack in variety. Ben and Jerry's just cant be matched by the favorite vanilla with sugar clumps here. I don't understand it. Oh and Ketchup! Man, I was never had ketchup often back home, but they eat "tomato sause" with everything! EWW it's really sugary! But I did happen to find Heinz, and life has been good ever since! Weather is beautiful and the Sun is shining! Just takin' it easy!