Taking care of business

With my little trip to Samoa and being away at the Whenua Conference, a few other things didn't quite make it into the blog. Additionally, I've now been here six months - I know! Can you believe it? Craziness. I've been busily working away these last few weeks in preparation for a special visit, so this post will also be short because in case it wasn't clear - I'm busy, or as my Mom says Bizzie (that's short for Bizzie Lizzie). So here's a very quick update on a few things going on and a few things I left out of the last few posts..

First, I finally feel like things are coming together with my research. I know you're thinking - about time. My Maori advisor the other day said, "I think this research is very timely" - I also think it was timely six months ago, but glad we're on the same page now. I also was talking to another Master's student the other day and he asked who my advisor was, and then said "How did you get Mr. X to be our advisor, he's world famous for SSM (the theory I'm using)? And why do you have an office, aren't you just a Masters student?" Errr, umm, I'm not sure, I tricked some people? And without going into all the details, I'm finally starting to actually collect my "data". Most of the time, I sort of have to laugh at this whole process since academia is not a comfy fit for me. I tend to find theory a waste of time when there are a whole lot of practical issues to think about - BUT I think I've devised a plan to make the theory practical and my apparently world famous advisor has said he would be interested in writing a journal article together, which I'm really excited about. I'll might feel differently tomorrow, because in general this whole "research" process is a bit like being bipolar (having never been bipolar).

Volunteering - first a quick background: For some reason growing up my family never had me do the hard labor/chores. For instance it would be, "Hey Allison why don't you move this 250lb dresser and Elizabeth, you feather dust that surface, or Allison, can you move those ten mulch bags, and Elizabeth why don't you just move out of the way". Now I'm not sure if they thought my bones were fragile, or I was weak, or just generally useless - but it still somewhat persists in our family dynamics today. Don't worry Allison got me back by making me do ALL her chores at my Dad's house, calling me Chiquita (her maid), and pushing me off the bed during our Cradle of Love video reenactments - but I digress. The point of this story, is that I was never given full responsibility for the hard stuff around the house. I also emphatically professed that I would never mow the lawn again or do any yard work and that I would forever live in a city - so yes I was also a brat. This is all to provide a bit of background for why its hilarious, and even shocking to me, that I'm running a school gardening program. This past week, I decided we should build a worm farm at the school. Now having never built a worm farm, I quickly did some reading, and took myself to the landfill to hunt for some materials. The landfill in Wellington is so nicely organized it was frankly quite easy, but I think all the men there were a bit worried about me as I hunted around for tyres, corrugated metal, carpet, bricks, and plastic crates - because they kept adopting my families motto and trying to lift things and move things for me. I did set up a relationship between the elementary school and the University so that University students could get scholarship credit and I now have five very useful helpers. Thats another thing I'm good at - finding people to boss around.
Worm farm building at Te Aro School
The Big Shwop - Having already fully explained my packing issues in coming here and some of the hilarious items I ended up here with and without, the Big Shwop was the answer to a lot of my issues. Basically, you bring clothes that are in excellent condition and in fashion, and for each item you bring you get a voucher to pick out another item. They sweeten the deal by providing wine and beauty products. And guess what, the whole thing is just $20, and all proceeds go to charity. I'd been wanting a pair of brown boots, but as I've also detailed I'm poor, so as the countdown at the Big Shwop started (you can picture it, a bunch of ladies all ready to elbow each other out of the way), I lined up with all the other ladies and then hightailed it to the shoe section - where I found a perfectly suitable pair of brown boots - basically for free. This is also a great idea since I tire of clothes quickly, and it also prevents waste both on the supply and demand side. I exchanged two shirts that I hadn't worn since I arrived for the above boyfriend blazer and blue silk top. Now if only they held this event monthly....

So after a bit of hustle and bustle, I feel slightly ahead of the game and ready for my next visitor - Stephanie. Some of you long time readers may remember that this blog was begun thanks to her. I originally wanted to just have a journal about what I loved about DC, and since she hates paper, she suggested the blog. Stephanie is on her way to the future as we speak to enjoy a bit of Middle Earth and Me. Here's a little more about my traveling partner for the next two weeks:
Stephanie and I first decided to travel together on a romantic trip to Italy in 2009 to visit our good friend and the reason for us knowing each other, LJ. Stephanie then got pissed cause I invited a few more young ladies to join us and it turned out to be the best trip of her life - you're welcome. This year, I thought all these ladies were going to come to NZed, but it turned out that Stephanie was the only one dedicated to the dream - and we will (finally!) have our romantic trip for two.
Over the next two weeks, I'm planning to share a little bit of New Zealand culture with Stephanie (more Fulbright extra credit) and have Stephanie fill me on the goings on back in America. And we're both going to introduce New Zealand to a proper dance party.

Now while we may not see eye to eye on everything - for instance, Stephanie hates reading (which is why I've really had to get ahead on my work, although I have snuck a few books into my suitcase for when she's not looking) - we do share similar zeal for travel, and nightwear.

And with that - let the adventure begin

MeMooning and living a bit of Fa'a Samoa

First skill to learn on a MeMoon - self photography.

I'm winking here, not having a seizure as it may appear. Don't

worry I got better as the week went on....
These pics are out of order, deal with it, and no thats not me. This guy is from the Ministry of Health and Development and decided to change

into his lavalava (sarong) and get into the fiafia as well, including

taking on the traditional role of the woman. Love the Samoans humor
Just Me and the Moon, how romantic
Lounging in my fale looking at the sea
Enjoying some sun and final peace, after I gave in

to checking my email and lounging at the 5 star resort.

Sad tsunami destruction
The beach and fales at Taufua Beach Fales in

Lalomanu, Upolu, Samoa.
Fiafia at Taufua. A fiafia is a traditional Samoan

dance/musical performance. Basically a group of Samoan

men dancing in scantily clad outfits to traditional Samoan

music. Think Chippendales (although I've never actually been -

you're welcome Mom) but less cheesy. You know I love me a

choreographed dance number so I loved this, but also it was

great to see how happy they were and proud, especially after

the sadness they've been through.

Count me lucky, two fiafias in a row! The fiafia also includes

a fire dance element. This guy was ridiculously good, but after

all his fire eating and flips, I just became worried about how much

he was burning himself. I was also was chosen at this fiafia to

drink the kava - a real honor, don't worry I only had a sip. This fiafia

also began with someone (they were too fast for me to see who)

slipping me a note telling me how much they liked me and their

contact info. Basically if you're needing attention, head to Samoa
Watching the sunrise from my fale deck in Lano, Savaii. No, not after being up all night, from waking up early in the morning. Did it most days on my MeMoon - just so I could spend more time with

myself

Arriving at Laiula Beach Fales in Lano, Savaii, I was surprised

when they showed me to this little fale, since it was the only one

that was enclosed, with a deck, and if you can believe it, a full

refrigerator inside. I told them right away that it was too flash, I

mean it was just ME. But they insisted that it was the only one

that locked and that I should stay in it, and then lowered the

price - reverse bargaining once again. I'm not sure what I was

going to refrigerate since breakfast and dinner were included in

my stay. I also got a lot of jibes from the other guests (all couples)

that I was staying in the penthouse, so I offered up my full size

refrigerator to all of them= MeMoon Sharing
Oh that looks nice, a little ocean cave pool all for me
And there I am enjoying it. And now while I wouldn't ordinarily post pictures of myself in a bathing suit on the internet, I wanted to illustrate me enjoying one of my favorite activities - floating. Haven't I gotten really good at taking pictures of myself? Just kidding, this is courtesy of my MeMoon buddy, Janice.

A lot of people asked me before I came to Samoa, so what are you going to do by yourself the WHOLE time? First, I'd like to mention that spending time by myself is not a new idea, since that's mostly what I do here in New Zealand. But to answer your question - build sand castles. This may not look

impressive, but after battling the tide - I even built a moat and wall to

protect my castle, and rebuilding many times, this is the only picture I

caught semi-done. Some things never change - I've been making the

same model of sand castle my whole life, in the classic style of the

Matterhorn. This tunnel goes all the way through and there are

abominable snowmen inside - no joke.
Just another waterfall and swimming hole to enjoy all for ME

Now I know you might be thinking, isn't a MeMoon a bit self indulgent, Elizabeth? And lets get this out of the way right from the start, yes, yes it is. But before you really start to think I've become totally narcissistic over here - I decided if I was going to go totally indulging myself, then I'd like to do it where I could hopefully spread of bit of my self indulgence to those who may need/benefit from it. So I decided the location of my MeMoon would be in the tsunami affected area of SAmoa (remember the long A, it is not said like the Girl Scout cookie, and yes quite a few of you made that joke).

Now that we have that out of the way.....I decided to take a MeMoon to a Pacific Island because when else will I be so close (in) the Pacific, and frankly I needed a bit of a break from winter after finding all of my clothes moldy and having wet cold towels constantly. Don't worry you tax payers are not paying for this little MeMoon, its courtesy of the IDB. But you could also think of it as a bit of cultural exchange extra credit. After all I only signed up to exchange my culture with one country under the Fulbright, so all you taxpayers and the US government are getting a little freebie out of this....and don't worry I also brought my research and books. I should also say that while I've traveled alone before and lived in another country, I've never taken a vacation or tropical island holiday just for myself - let the MeMoon begin

The flight from NZ to Samoa is only 3.5 hours, but you gain a full day going there and lose a full day coming back as it is right over the date line. I've never been so happy upon landing to hear the pilot say "And the current temperature is 34 degrees". But mind you I was still dressed in my winter apparel from Wellington, including boots, leggings, and about five layers. Customs and baggage was a breeze, and I had done some reading beforehand and grabbed the cheap airport shuttle into Apia, where I planned to catch the local bus out to the East Coast where I would be staying the first couple days. I should first say that I'm pretty sure whoever is writing Lonely Planet for Samoa these days, may have been a wee bit generous with the kava, if you know what I mean. According to Lonely Planet, the local bus is a "must do" cultural experience, AND the local roads are a "dream" to drive on. After arriving at the local bus terminal and being told that it would be two hours till the bus was even leaving - I decided the local bus would not be a must do for me, and instead I'd try out driving on these roads that are a dream, because frankly sweating in a packed local bus just wasn't how I pictured starting my MeMoon. Lonely Planet had also warned that SAmoans don't do bargaining (hmmm, sounds a little like how Kiwis don't do celebrity). When I arrived at the car rental agency, we had a nice little convo in broken English and Samoan (of which I can understand/speak very little thanks to Maori - see it does come in handy), where I asked for a rental car and she showed me a huge SUV, then I asked for something smaller, she told me thats the smallest they had and it was 140 tala per day. Resigned, due to being tired (flight left at 6am) and sweaty, I said fine. Imagine my surprise when she rang me up and it all of a sudden was 90 tala a day. Now this is the kind of reverse bargaining I can get down with....

So I was ready to begin my MeMoon, peel off my winter clothes, and hit the tropical dream roads out to my fale (beach hut). Just to test my alacrity with left hand road driving, my huge SUV was also a left hand drive with mph instead of kms. Samoa switched to the left hand side of the road (right hand drive) about two years ago so that they could import used cars from New Zealand. Apparently my old hunker, was hanging around from the ol left hand drive import from America days. Well at least now I know what a mailman feels like - check that off my before 30 to do list.

Let's just say the MeMoon hasn't quite taken off in Samoa yet. Everywhere I went, from the rental car agency (maybe this is why I got a discount) to the gas station I stopped at, to arriving at my beach fale - everyone kept asking me where my husband was. "Nope its just ME (smile)", followed by looks of surprise and a wee bit of sadness for me, "Maybe we find you Samoan boyfriend? (wink)", "Umm, no, its just a trip for ME, isn't that great?", followed by looks of confusion. No bother, I was off on the open road - which I quickly realized was not a dream as y jaw rattled, and was now understanding why the SUV.

Anyway I eventually arrived, safe and sound at my first place - Taufua Beach Fales. They lost the most people in the tsunami, but have rebuilt about 25 fales right back on the beach. The devastation is still obvious all around them, where the trees have been swept away and buildings are just concrete slabs. Also sad, was the total destruction of the reef just off the beach, including childrens clothes still littered about. All of the staff are very open to talking about their experience, and very happy about rebuilding and tourists coming back. I was very glad that I was staying there even though it was very sad.

Met a nice staff member of the Fales, named Otele (tattooed on his arm just in case I forgot), who was very friendly about relaying to me his stories and telling me about the area, including offering to take me to see the local village rugby match and to go running on the beach. This quickly turned again to questions about where my husband was and if I was going to find a Samoan boyfriend and not leaving me alone for the rest of the evening - and I was wondering a bit when my peaceful book reading MeMoon was going to start. At dinner the first night (everyone eats together at a big table), I met Janice - another MeMooner! Finally someone who got it, although she wasn't aware she was on a MeMoon until I informed her. Janice, is from Ireland, but living in Australia and we shared some nice stories of living away from home in the Southern Hemisphere. She's also 29, and frankly I love Irish accents so much that even if she wasn't awesome, I would have probably hung out with her anyway just to listen to her talk. Janice was leaving the next day to go to another lodge, so I offered to drive her since I had my huge SUV so she didn't have to take a taxi and you know us MeMooners need to stick together. Ended my first day with a moonlight float in the ocean...There were three security guards for the fales, that all happened to sit in a little circle directly under/outside my fale - appreciate the thought, but not sure I need that much guarding. (Although I know my Mom is smiling right now)

Over the next couple days, I enjoyed a lot of sun and sand, floating, snorkeling, learning to play the conch shell, reading and you know general MeMooning, and got to know people staying at/around the fales. Although I was having trouble finding time for myself on this MeMoon since people (mostly local males) kept talking to me, from 7am to 10pm. While all the attention was nice for the ego, it started to get a bit much, so I decided one day that I would drive a bit down away from my fales so I could lay on the beach alone without being constantly chatted to. Found a nice little deserted stretch of sand, and not five minutes had gone by before 2 men were waving and coming out of the trees to talk to me. I was starting to think - what does it take for a girl to MeMoon in peace? So I did the next best thing, started hanging out with couples and old people, two things I have quite a bit of experience with.

I spent the second half of my MeMoon on another island in Samoa, Savai'i. Its about an hour ferry ride, but seems quite a bit different in that it seems to have even more happy villagers/children running around and an even slower pace of life. The place I stayed (see above) had just three couples staying there, besides me, all Kiwis. I packed them all in my SUV the next day to drive to another nearby beach, and one couple and I continued on to the most Western spot on earth (camera died so Kiwi couple has those pics). Spent my last night in Samoa huddled with the rest of the guests and all the villagers, around a small tv to watch the All Blacks take down the Wallabies (AUS). The Samoans were all rooting for the All Blacks, since half the team are Samoans anyway. Had a bit of a rough trip back starting with my flight leaving at 2am in the morning, then being squeezed next to two large Samoans, including one kid who was double my size and raised the arm rest between us and kept putting his leg in my area. His Mom had what looked like a very comfy upper arm, so I thought about offering to trade spots with him, but wasn't sure she would let me snuggle up. Landed in Wellington at 8am and had to jump right back into reality and head to class.....

A few general impressions of Samoa:

-So glad that it hasn't been ruined by massive tourism. There are very few big resorts ( I did go to one that was US$500 a night, to check my email and enjoy some unapproached beach time), most places are small locally owned beach fales. This makes it much nicer. I mean who doesn't want to stay in an open hut directly on the beach for less than $50 US a night. Also it brings you into contact with "real" Samoa (no I'm not an expert, I was only there 6 days, but more real than a Marriott would). Each beach fale, at least that I stayed at, employed all people from the local village. The other thing I love about the tourism "infrastructure" in Samoa is that lets say you read about a picturesque waterfall or cave pool or sliding rock area that you wanted to go see - instead of there being a big Western cheesy set-up, there's just an old Samoan dude sitting there who will ask you for 5/10/20 tala. Frankly I'd much rather give 20 tala to an old Samoan dude to see the Western most spot on Earth and swim in the little ocean cave pool, than have a resort pop up there. Also said old dude, decided after us that he was all set for the day and asked me for a ride back to his village, on the ride (all open windows) he reached in his briefcase and got out his fan :)

-Driving around Samoa in one way is a dream (not the road condition necessarily a la Lonely Planet, although Savai'i roads are much better than Upolu) because as you drive along there are always people walking along/in the road and EVERYONE smiles and waves. It makes you feel like you're in a parade where everyone is so glad to see you and you're so glad to wave at everyone. Although I'm not sure when the kids are actually in school since they're constantly meandering about. The biggest road hazard in Samoa that I encountered were pigs, just snorting around, crossing the road whenever they wanted = Awesome

-Working - Its not evident that anyone actually works in Samoa, other than at the fales, although people seem to be working really hard on manicuring/landscaping their property. People are just meandering about at all hours. I quickly started to understand why, by the end of the week I was like - turn the next page in my novel, nah can't be bothered, I think I'll just float some more or stare into the horizon. Although I was throwing around business cards left and right, and then after a few strange looks, stopped and thought, ok this is weird, I'm on a beach - but hey its handy and I was making friends/connections (wink).

-Katy Perry is alive and well in Samoa, thanks to American Samoa. Its weird to be driving around a tropical island and hearing U.S. accents (hot) on the radio and U.S. news (all caught up now). I did not go to American Samoa, but via rental radio, I got a little taste

-So to recap - my MeMoon amounted to 0 sunburns (I've learned so well from the ozone hole in NZ to apply sunscreen constantly), 1 incidence of sea something embedded in my ear (rectified, don't worry), only 4 mosquito bites, 12 new friends, 6 marriage proposals, 3 offers of land to buy in Samoa, 4 places to stay in New Zealand, a job offer for my old roommate Reba, 6 sunrises, 1 sunset in the Western most part of the world, 4 servings of oka (awesome samoan ceviche), a few Vailima (local beer), 4 books read, and the ultimate score - a free copy of The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest, which I've been waiting for from the library for 3 months and I happened to find in a little trade in coffee shop in Savai'i. In sum - PARADISE. I would highly/strongly recommend, and on flights to NZ you can do a stopover in Samoa for only $100 extra - get on it, before Marriott does.

Surprise surprise

Yes thats a sun and a tree and rainbow colors

on my poster.
And yeah that's second place...this story is ridiculous

So just as a bit of background, the whole reason I designed a poster was because I wanted a way to get a free conference fee and save myself some $. I realized when I did it, that I not only am semi-slow in visual design, but also that the ideas I was presenting seemed so obvious. So I basically designed this poster just to get the job done and hope that I got a free conference fee. I never thought beyond that....I also didn't put my advisors names on the poster because I didn't want to embarrass them by naming them in this design. I was really hoping that I could just keep a low profile and hide my poster in a corner somewhere.

Turns out there were only three of us with posters, so there would be no hiding. The other two of course were presenting PhD work, one on bee migration, and another on sheep and arsenic pollution. Although I was a bit surprised that there were so few of us, I got through the first day of the conference feeling pretty good, staying under the radar, meeting some of the people that I really wanted to talk to, and feeling really glad that I came. Well, at the end of the first day of the conference, the chair of the conference came up to me and said, "So you're Elizabeth, you designed a poster." Okay, so I guess I won't be avoiding this. After chastising me for not naming my advisors, he paid the poster some nice compliments, and then waved over four more of the conference chairs. One of them said, "Where did you get that diagram from with the tree?" ha ha ha, Umm from my third grade toolbox.

Tanira (conf director) also decided that he wanted to squeeze in a time for us each to present our poster in the style of Thesis in a Minute (a competition that they have here I guess). So much for staying under the radar. In one minute I decided the best approach was to go with the ol "I am but a dwarf standing on the shoulders of giants" proverb. I also spoke in a bit of Maori, which really had me nervous, but I got it done.

After the second day, I realized, "Hey wait, if there are only three of us, we are all going to win a prize in the competition" which had me in stitches. So I won 2nd place, and $500 for this poster (bee lady got first which is cool, cause who doesn't love bees). As you can imagine, I'm very excited that I attended this conference, and not just for the hilarity of this poster situation, but the conference content was all basically an affirmation of my research and I got to meet a lot of people that I've been trying to track down for months.

And now with that, I'm off to Samoa on Tuesday.

Skanky but respectable

Haka face
The butts of the All Blacks doing the haka in front of the

South African rubgy team.
The haka on the big screen, SA would soon

find out they should be scared.
At my new fav bar called the Library, first

off you know how I love libraries, second the bar is filled

with books, and handy enough, a bathtub.

Perfect place to finish off my skanky but respectable evening. In order to achieve this difficult combo, I matched Forever 21 sequin dress (skanky) with a jacket from au Paris (respectable), and

leggings given the frigid temps of sitting outside for 3hrs

In the name of cultural exchange, and to honor the mission of Senator Fulbright, I decided I had to get tickets to see the All Blacks play South Africa in the only game in Wellington all season, even though they are priiicey and as I've established in earlier posts there's a bit of a Deepwater Horizon shooting cash out of my bank account. Also you may have heard of a small film called Invictus. Although it is mostly about race relations in South Africa, it also features the Rugby World Cup where New Zealand (All Blacks) lost to SA by one point. Now this is not in the movie, but it is a fact (by NZeders at least) that the team was poisoned by a woman named Sally who had been paid off by some British betting agency. So this is not only a rugby game, this is part of a historical grievance. Last weekend the All Blacks beat SA fiercely, and at the Wellington game, they did it again, including a bit of a fight in the first two min. We bought the cheapest tickets, and somehow that translates to front row in the end zone (try line in rugby speak), so front row for the haka - or so I thought....it was really front row to their butts doing the haka, still not that bad. Additionally, Alice (my roomate in case you're new to this blog) suggested that dating/pashing an All Black would be pretty high up there in terms of cultural exchange for me while I'm here. Not one to balk at my cultural Fulbright exchange duty, I consulted Alice on how this could best be accomplished. She suggested going out after the game to one of the bars that the All Blacks frequent and dressing "skanky but respectable" so that I have an edge over the other ladies in want of their attention, who would be more of the skanky variety. Hmmm, I feel like this is sort of like when you receive an invite for an event that says "Smart casual". I also had to somehow fit "skanky and respectable" into an outfit that I could sit outside in in the freezing rain and wind....Never one to step down from a wardrobe challenge I managed to put something together, although Alice and Aaron were encouraging me to be skankier. In the end, we never tracked them (the All Blacks) down....but it did provide me with some insight on NZeders and celebrity....

So in previous posts, I've mentioned that NZeders don't "Do" celebrity. Well I now reckon they actually DO. Example one, people lining up for autographs at the All Blacks game. Example two, the radio is constantly full of gossip/updates about American celebrities. I think that NZeders in their ultimate hipsterness (aka too cool for celebrities) and their Tall Poppy Syndrome (something very foreign for us that claw and scratch at each other to get ahead, here if anyone excels too high, they cut them down, hence egalitarian/don't do celebrity culture) that they think they don't do celebrity, when they actually do when it comes down to it.

On the note of cultural exchange, I've mentioned previously that I'm pretty removed from the international news here. I've decided that this will probably make my eventual return to somewhere back in reality more difficult, so I've started reading the Economist at my office and occasionally the NY Times when I can't sleep. Each time that I take this foray, I'm reminded how depressing the news outside of New Zealand is. Just to give you a comparison - the big news in New Zealand in the past two weeks:

-Moko the dolphin passed away from natural causes. Moko was a somewhat socially retarded dolphin who swam up a river in the East Cape and played with and befriended all the locals. Sad news, but a totally different kind of sad.

-The National gov't has decided not to explore mining in national parks because (get this), the New Zealand public doesn't want them to, AND THEY LISTENED.

- If you call in sick to work now, you'll have to show a doctor's note if your employer asks for it (I know, crazy)

-Napier is making a bid to get pandas here to attract more tourists who may be bored by just the art deco and wine tasting that they have to offer (umm, that sounds good enough to me, but throw in some pandas, sure I'll take it)

-A Kiwi invented a device for quadriplegics that enables them to stand and walk around

-Being gay/lesbian is in, and now teens are just saying they're gay/lesbian to fit in and clubs are popping up at high schools and they have to turn people away

-Oh and yeah, the All Blacks are trouncing South Africa

So hopefully that gives you a bit of what I'm living in and the vast difference in news and reality. Now I know that the reverse culture shock is going to be fierce, but I don't think I can even begin to prepare for it.

This week I'm at a conference on sustainable futures with Maori lands - yes perfect for my research. I was originally supposed to present at it, but given some iwi drama, I'm not. The conference is pretty pricey, so I applied for a scholarship to attend the conference by designing a poster - AND I got it, even though I'm graphically a bit slow and this poster is a bit second graderish. And they're paying for me to stay in a proper hotel. Funny the juxtaposition of my situation now with a year ago. A year ago I was traveling around the world on the Bank's dime and presenting under the Bank's name, staying at swanky hotels often in my own suite with way more than I would ever need. Now I stay at backpackers in a bunkbed with 10 other ppl in the same room, and pack my own food to cook in the communal kitchen - oh how far I've come. So you can imagine my excitement being in a real hotel room, to myself, with cable tv (6 Channels!) and free internet! Its like a whole new world.

Because TI said I could

In honor of America's Birthday, I made my first flag cake

ever - to the grand confusion of Alice and Aaron. They were

like, "So is this really what you guys do in America, make things with flags all over it?" Me - "Umm yes, what's weird about that?" (While wearing my vertical blue and white striped jacket, and my horizontal blue and white stripe vest, with red boots. I meant to get a picture of me with the cake, but I was too busy eating it). One of my goals (see below) was to get over my

fear and general terribleness at baking. I never liked baking

because of the requirement for attention to detail, and I'm

not sure why I decided to overcome this while cooking in celsius

and grams, but I have finally realized you can improvise while

baking and it will still be edible, and mostly enjoyable. This

realisation was my own mini liberty - Happy July 4th

I stumbled upon this sign in Wellington the other day.

It says, "It's true you can't live here by chance, you have

to do and be, not simply watch or even describe. This

is the city of action. The World Headquarters of the Verb"

Its true it'd be hard to just bump into Wellington....but the

World Headquarters of Action?? I guess I need to get even

busier...

Wellington did not disappoint on race day and

provided a balmy 6 degrees with strong winds

and freezing rain.

Just so you know I am actually doing work here, here's

a picture of the mess I'm trying to make some sense of
Ahh the mecca of fashion, Paris, Texas, luckily they're having a sale
There's been a lot of talk about these bagels

but I finally made a batch myself
One of my goals - starting a

kids gardening club. Planting peas with the pre-schoolers
Another goal - exploring ins and outs of Wellington. This

is on a coastal walk that was in an article in the newspaper

called "Secret Wellington". I'm not sure how secret it is

anymore....
The snowy peaks of the South Island, on a clear

sunny day in Wellington
Hard at work, taking a sunset bike ride along the coast in Raglan

while on the road for meetings for my research. And the

helmet is right where it was growing up, hanging on my

handlebars....

Now while it took till I got to NZ to take this advice to heart...when I arrived I said, "You know TI, I CAN have whatever I like" (Mom - TI is a rapper and no I don't know him personally and he doesn't live in NZ). As I mark my halfway point here with the advent of July 3rd (or at least the halfway point of being paid by the Fulbright, who knows when I'm actually coming back), I decided it was a good time to reflect on what I've made out of the decision to live according to TI's wisdom while I'm here. In thinking about having whatever I like, I made a list of goals when I first arrived of both monthly goals, and full year goals. I've continued to update both lists on a monthly basis, and on the monthly goals I'm still at around an 80% success rate - well in New Zealand, an 80% is an A. While these lists will not appear on this blog, I will say that they all center around 'whatever I like' which also translates into working towards being whoever I would like. On July's list - learning the haka (finally! and just in time for seeing the All Blacks in a few weeks), and finally making bagels myself - check.

General updates -

Bad news - I think Katy Perry might be reading this blog, and just to spite me for thanking NZ for not having her around, she's all of a sudden all over the radio.

I've decided that I probably shouldn't be a car owner, except for my love of roadtrips and singing. First of all, my life is pretty cheap here (even with having whatever I like), and by far my biggest expenditure is petrol. Second, since owning my car I've gotten two speeding tickets, one by a real live cop(tried charming my way out of it, but he was having none of my feigned American ignorance), and one by a hidden camera (which I object to). Also just in the last three days (on my second big road trip), a huge rock flew up and majorly cracked my windshield, my gas tank door got stuck shut (trying to save me money on petrol maybe?), and I drove into a garage and flattened my antennae. Moral of the story - I'm going to have to find a really desperate tourist to sell this car to to make my money back on this. Or I'm really going to have to start sleeping in the back of it to save money on lodging....

Just returned from a quick trip to Auckland, Hamilton, and Rotorua for meetings on my research this week. I had high hopes for these meetings and finally really ramping things up (remember, the World Headquarters of Action), but unfortunately they were mostly frustrating (where were you on that one TI, hmmm?). In one of my meetings, a guy spent most of the hour and a half talking to me about the Hongi and other Maori customs - basically it made me feel like I was back to day one. The highlight of my trip - a deep soak in the sulphuric Polynesian Spa. I also managed to somehow meet a lot of people who were also 29. So apparently I have to go on roadtrips to meet people my age...talked about 30th birthday celebrations - one is planning to go tow-surfing, one a party with a band at a vineyard, jeez I need to come up with something good .....(starting to understand the world headquarters of action bit...)

I never tire of hearing - "Oh I love your accent", each time I look around figuring they CAN'T be referring to me, and then when I realize they are I can't stop grinning and chuckling. Only in New Zealand....

My grades from Semester One are in, drumroll please.....that's right, all As, see and you thought I wasn't working hard! I even got an A+ in Maori language, thanks to excelling at singing waiata

Top Chef DC just started in NZ!

I'll wrap up this post by just clarifying that there are some things I would like, for instance, dry towels to use after the shower when its freezing, after they've been hanging up for three days or a Wegmans sub; but I've realized there are some things out of TIs, and my own control.....

You can't go home again

Getting iced on the good ol porch at Munro. A true

welcome back to America.

Reuniting with my ladies and perfecting

our photo opps.
Wellington Fulbrighters Unite!
More reunions, with my host family

at the Fulbright ceremony at Parliament
The beautiful couple - Eve and Joey

Patrick, graduating from high school!

Bonding time with my sister

As you all know, I recently took a trip back in time for a whirlwind visit of my homes in the U.S. and to celebrate some special people's big days. A brief synopsis of my trip and my arrival back to NZed follows, just a warning, although it may start off a bit "deep", don't worry there's a burrito counter at the end.

Maybe a good starting point to the story of my time at home is this quote from Garden State:

"see one day when you move out it just sort of happens one day and it's gone. You feel like you can never get it back. It's like you feel homesick for a place that doesn't even exist. Maybe it's like this rite of passage, you know. You won't ever have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, it's like a cycle or something."

At first I thought I was just struggling due to the jet lag, short timeframe, drinking alcohol again (getting iced), and emotion of being back. Then I thought maybe I was just losing my mind or NZ had made me soft and I couldn't handle America anymore. And I still sort of thought all of those things maybe combined, until I talked to a fellow Fulbrighter here about her trip home in April, where she said she was a total basket case (she's old like me too) and had a major freak out. On a friend's blog who also lives oversees, I read the perfect description "it felt weird to be homesick when you're actually home". It was so good to see everyone and be HOME, even for a second, but it also was pretty difficult. That said, I did have fun and remembered a few more things I miss and don't about the U.S. -

Don't Miss:

-Katy Perry - thank you NZ for not adopting her yet, being home especially in CA was like being in Italy again with her playing non-stop

-Traffic and lines, forgot what crowds and waiting was like

-the news, nice to not hear about BP and Van der Sloot, even if it is avoiding reality

-drama - hanging out with yourself, and actually just life in NZ, is pretty drama free

-airport security and airlines - in NZ you can bring all the liquids you want and don't have to show id, no taking your shoes off, and you get a choice of three snacks on a 30 min flight, puts the enjoyment back into flying (yes I understand why NZ can do this and the U.S. can't, so hold your comments)

Miss:

-African Americans - its pretty bizarre living without you and I miss you

-Rental radio - sans Katy Perry

-Sunlight till 9:30pm

-Target - there's a show here called Target that I really like, but its not the same

-Hablaing espanol

-Cheap food/drinks/clothes

-Close friends and family, and just being with people who know me

Synopsis of my goals laid out in the previous post:

-Total burritos eaten = 5

-Tono sushi - check, although should have eaten more of it than I did

-Wegmans sub - check and check, three days in a row.

-Sun - fail on two occasions, success on two

-FAIL on Potbelly (had an impersonator though in SD so ok), Letters to Juliet (sure it will get here soon, although would have liked to see it with my Italian cowhorts), and of all things DANCING. When I did finally dance at the wedding, I was told my lean back looked rusty - well obviously!

When I arrived back in NZed, I'm not sure if it was the 16 hours I slept on the way over, or approaching Wellington and seeing the windmills pop up on the horizon on a bright warm winter day, or arriving home to homemade bagels - but I knew I was where I'm supposed to be right now.

Even with the sleep, its a 20+ hour flight from the East Coast and a 16 hour time difference...there's no rest for the weary and I had to head out to the mid-year Fulbright event upon arrival where we hobknob with Fulbright alumni and meet the NZ Fulbright grantees before they head to the U.S. in August. Luckily this event was from 4-7, because by 6:05 people were poking my shoulder thinking I might fall over from exhaustion. Next morning, early wake up to go deliver the status of my research to the rest of the Fulbrighters and the Fulbright board....intimidation station.

The morning started out with a video of Senator Fulbright's life and work. Its sort of funny that the first time we're seeing this is in NZed, but it really renewed my excitement for my research and why I'm here - including a short segment how the Fulbright will change your life. Anyway, my presentation was scheduled for late in the day which I was initially happy about, but after watching 10 of the 12 of us present their work/progress so far, I was really wondering how the Fulbright let me slip through the door. I should say that the majority of the Fulbrighters are conducting science based research here including genetics of the Tuatara, microbiology of sponges, nutrient loading on rocky coasts, methamphetamine use in pregnant mothers, geology of Antarctic ice cores, the history of cattle breeds migration, etc.....Needless to say, my research is not only extremely controversial, but I also don't have any "lab" results to report or fancy scientific terms to employ. BUT I do have Maori language and systems theory. Except that there were a couple of Maori NZ Fulbrighters in attendance, and I began to feel nervous because speaking Maori is one thing to Americans, speaking Maori to Maori and telling them about their Treaty and the intricacies in relation to land use management is another. But I did it, and I think it went okaaay, although as expected a few of them made some comments later on about the sensitivity of the topic

Anyway, we had a big reception at Parliament last night and I got to see my ol buddy the Ambassador again (where he told us we were all Ambassadors, oh you...) and discuss mexican food and margaritas AND we revisited another topic - "Are you related to Robert Beall? He's my law partner". No, no I'm not, but Uncle Bobby, I miss you. Being a Fulbrighter is a funny experience. Example A, there were some poses for pictures with West Side gang signs thrown out to symbolize Wellington - yeah, hard to explain...I had to head home early for my Maori Final the next day and I missed a Fulbright dance party that later ensued, from the pictures it looked epic

Took my Maori final today, so I'm officially done with Semester One. And in honor of that, one of my favorite Maori proverbs - "He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka" which means "A choppy sea can be navigated"

Congrats ALL WHITES (NZ Soccer Team), best performance in NZ's history, and.....Congrats America, I'm proud of you for earlier as well!!!!

***I'd like to thank all of you who put up with my mental incoherence while I was home and let you know how awesome it was to see you and spend time with you. Especially to Patter - I'm so proud of you lil bro, and excited for you at the same time; and to Eve and Joey - I'm so glad that I could come back for your special day and to celebrate both of you and your amazing adventure together! I love you guys! To all the rest of you - you know who you are - thank you for hosting me, hugging me, welcoming me back, and making my visit as easy as it could be - you all mean the world to me, especially from a world away.

Traveling Back in Time....

Leaving my suitcase half empty for all the

wonders I'm going to bring back with me

I've decided to take some time out of living in the future and one step ahead all of you, to journey back "Home" this week. Remember when I said this joke about the future would never get old - well just confirming that it hasn't. On the subject of home, people here often ask me where home is, and just so you're all happy I've decided the easiest thing to do is to just alternate my answer between San Diego, Rochester, and sometimes just for kicks, DC. The truth is I no longer have a home :( Just kidding, but not really - this week I'll be visiting all of my former homes (well not all, but the three listed above) in a quick 3 city tour.

I'm journeying into the past to celebrate the future for three very special people to me. One - my brother Patrick's graduation from high school, embarking on his future at college; and my friends Eve and Joey who are tying the knot, and embarking on married bliss together. In addition to these happy occasions, and the joy of seeing all of you, there are a few things I'm very excited about leaving the future for and returning to the good ol' USA:

-Sun/summer/bbqs/pools - generally all things to do with summer (I know another boring

post about the weather, today we had rain laced with hail and the helpful weather service

advised six layers of clothing, I'm not sure how you walk once you've put all those on, but

in two days that won't be a problem!)

-Mexican food - guacamole, hot sauce, BEANS! Can't wait

-Tono sushi - AND I can order all the TUNA I want cause I haven't had any mercury in four

months

-Wegmans sub and Potbelly sub

-Reunion with my things, I can't wait to just dive into the pile of them spread across two

cities, well and also remember what exactly I still own, somewhere....

-Letters to Juliet, this has been on my calendar for six months now. Lot of build-up, you

better deliver this time Juliet....

-But most of all - DANCING. As I may have mentioned previously, Wellington is full of scenesters. Imagine your hippest hipster and magnify times the 10,000 miles it takes to get here. Scenesters has not equalled dancing to date. I know in the name of cultural

exchange that I should have shared the lean back by this point, but I haven't, and if you can

believe it I haven't danced since January 31st, other than in my head, or ok, a few times in

front of my mirror. So I've been doing some stretches this week and trying to stay limber to get ready for my triumphant return to the dance floor!

So get ready America - here I come. And if I don't see you on my visit, please don't be offended like those transvestites or dyslexic two year olds that read my blog. I want to see you but I may be too busy shoving burritos in my mouth, while hip-shaking in the sun....

New Zealand - don't worry I'll be back in just ten days, with lots of cheap American goodies in tow to share with you.

Alright, I'll also fill you in on what I did this week, real quick, then back to stretching and packing (which I never thought I'd enjoy again after moving here, but I am relishing shoving all those silly sundresses into a suitcase and knowing this time, they'll be worn):

So this past week a few things haven't really gone my way, but I also figured out the meaning of life, well maybe two meanings of life....

-I was all excited cause I booked a ski trip to the South Island for really cheap, and it included roundtrip flights, hotel, and lift ticket. I was set to take advantage of the winter weather and check one more thing off my NZ to-do list - well, two days after I booked it, I received a notice that the company had been liquidated and in order to have any hope of a refund, I will have to go to a hearing and such, which happens to be while I'm in the U.S.....ugh, there goes sweet ski trip. Going to sick my American credit card company after them and see if that works any better...

-This was the last week of Semester 1, and I've had four essays to write in the last week. After spending most of the weekend on them, I had finally just about finished my second to last essay, and without going through all the details, I lost the document and couldn't recover it. Luckily I had sent it to the printer right before it disappeared EXCEPT, the printer was broken. Long story short and 48 hours of anxiety dreams about rewriting it and emails to my former IT guy in the states, it came through the printer today! So all I had to do was retype it, thank you Mrs. High School typing teacher whose name I can't remember

-Found out in order to reschedule my Maori final (its while I'll be in the U.S swinging my hips), I have to pay $120 and provide documentation of why I'll miss it, including presenting a copy of the wedding invitation, ridiculous. Oh and I have to take the Final 4 hours after I land back in NZ. Hopefully I'll sit next to someone who's Maori on my flight back so I can impress them with all the colors and counting I know.

-I went to my 22 year old German's friends birthday party and gig (she sings). First of all, she was born in 1988. I'm not sure its even legal for me to be friends with her. Second of all, I wish people liked listening to me sing

-At trivia I won a free dessert for hablaing en espanol, where I translated "Put the chocolate slowly in my mouth", I didn't realize this also entailed the trivia host feeding me the chocolate. Trivia is so scandalous

-Went to see a play about if the South Island had been colonized by the French and the North Island by the English. This play came with a warning that it makes fun of everything Kiwis hold near and dear. It also came with some awesome fake French accents and making fun of the French, always a good time. The best part, a joke about my favorite hotspot Twizel, where Bob and I met a dude with a shaved head and fringe (bangs). And thats no joke

-Decided Alice and I should be those girls and dress up and go see Sex in the City. In the end, it was just ME being that girl, while Alice was still keeping it cool. The theatre was running a special "New York combo" for all the young ladies viewing Sex and the Sizzle, which we obviously couldn't pass up. It included champers, popcorn, an ice cream, AND a copy of the latest Fitness magazine. Hmmm, brilliance, because who doesn't want to read up on fitness after gorging themselves, and definitely soo New York. What?

-Oh and I finished off the week by booking myself a little trip to a place called SAAmoa. Island vacay for one, coming up

Okay more soon from the past!