Let the Amazing Race Try Out begin

I'm sure there will be a lot more cheersing on

NZed soil
No snow! Cause it's summer here!!!
We will be getting up to some activities as

us Bealls like to do. On the list - kayaking, tramping,

whitewater rafting, wine tasting, and lots of eating
I really wanted to include some pics of this

duo from throughout our days teaming up, but

life on the road doesn't quite give me access to

our awesome baby pics and I decided to spare you

uploading the awesome movie I made for Allison's 30th

that I've probably already made you all watch anyway

Another Beall is about to invade New Zealand and we'll have to see if there's room for the both of us. I know that some of her assets may be a tight squeeze (let's just get that in there right off the bat). Allison and I have never really traveled together although we've had a longtime goal of trying out for the Amazing Race. Our application ideas focus solely on our differences cause we know Amazing Race loves them some drama. We were supposed to go to Croatia together a few years ago but my work traveling schedule thwarted that and instead I was in Costa Rica. Our one small experience traveling together was last Christmas when we were meeting the rest of our family for a ski trip in Colorado. We had one day at the beginning and two at the end where it was just the two of us. And if that experience is any indication, we may have some rocky but fun roads in NZed ahead -

At the beginning of our trip to Colorado, we spent most of our first day watching football where Allison quickly befriended some dudes in the bar and I quietly ate the fried pickles that we mutually agreed were a must. The final two days of our trip we spent one whole day in bed watching terrible vampire movies, eating more fried food, and facebooking each other while laying next each other. This kept us so distracted that we forgot to book our transport back to Denver until the last minute so we had to scramble to figure out how to get back and ended up taking a bus for 40 min to find a rental car, then drove through a snowstorm sliding around, where they eventually shut down the highway. Got to the airport and while Allison sprinted for our flight, I sauntered to the gate (and of course still made it) - slightly different traveling styles. We shall see how that plays out in NZed. We already had our first fight pre-arrival because she didn't want to run a half-marathon while on vacation - jeez. Also, those of you that know me (I'm pretty sure no one that doesn't know me is reading this blog) may think I'm bossy, but our whole lives as a pair, I tend to defer to Allison. Maybe cause she's older, maybe cause she has bigger assets, or maybe just cause I'm scared of her...but now she's coming to my turf. Should be interesting....

A few things I do know about Allison's visit - she'll laugh at all my jokes, ensure that we eat good food and drink excellent wine, definitely make us some new friends, and that I will probably get us in trouble as I tend to do. Dating back to when I got us kicked out of the county fair because I was spitting off the gondola while Allison, upright citizen that she is, warned me against it. And in Denver, I made off color jokes to dudes hitting on us to get them to leave us alone, which just resulted in us not getting free drinks.

In NZed news this week - Our esteemed Secretary of State was visiting NZed this week, for apparently the longest visit in 25 years. I didn't know it, but apparently NZed and the US have had a bit of a rift ever since 1985 when NZ banned nuclear weapons and ships landing here. I mean you'd think we could have gotten over that since they're one of the few nations still holding strong with us in Afghanistan. While Hilary was here, the NZ prime minister accidentally referred to her as Pres Clinton, oops! And she called Wellington the "coolest little capital in the world" - that's right, Wellington! She also said, "NZ punches way above it's weight in every challenging sector in the world today". Oh NZed, I'm glad others can see how awesome you are.

I have also been up in the Far North (Maori stronghold) attending a Federation of Maori Authorities conference prior to Allison's arrival. I love how conferences are basically a navel staring competition as people try to figure out your name/organization. People would say, "So who are you with?". Me "I'm with myself, I'm a student". Them, "Ohhh, you're American. What are you doing HERE?". I've been here almost ten months now and it never ceases to amaze people that I came all the way from America to study something to do with Maori. But while people may not understand (and I'm so over explaining it), Maori are so welcoming and the warmest of all Kiwis, plus they serve some awesome kai (food) and lots of wine, and the hakas and waiatas are just an added bonus. In this venture into Maoridom (I was definitely the only foreigner at this conference), I met Taine Randall, ex All Black Captain who now has a carbon trading company (how convenient). Since NZeders claim they don't do celebrity, I decided to march right up and start discussing the criteria that he is using for his carbon trading investments. I don't think I scored points with this since he probably wanted me to fawn over him a bit, but I did give him my card. First pro Athlete I've ever given my card to, we'll see if he calls. John Key, the Prime Minister, also spoke at the conference and was hilarious. Maybe Obama could take a page from his book and tell some more jokes to increase his popularity.

In 100 Days of Beall NZed edition -

-Flying - I've always liked flying, since I find it a nice excuse to read/relax, have a glass of wine and tune into movies I would never watch otherwise. But NZed has made it even better by taking all of the stress/hassle out of it. Being able to show up at the airport 30 min before your flight, wait in no lines, pay no fees, bring all the liquids and small knives you want on the plane, and keep your shoes and dignity on - really make it so much easier. It does slightly bother me that no one ever asks me for an ID, just my first name, but again - so easy. AND once you've had the easiest boarding experience ever, they provide free snacks and drinks AND trivia AND jokes on a 30 min flight.

-Driving - There's never traffic (except in Auckland) and people are so nice, they let you go, and when I don't obey their weird rules no one gets that mad. At most times its just you and the open road, so singing really loud is totally cool while you enjoy the picturesque mind-blowing landscapes and tons of livestock

-The half flush - I really don't understand why they don't offer it in the States, but here every toilet and I mean every toilet, has a half flush and a full flush option (for you know). Not only does this save water, but toilets never clog here, and I mean never.

-And while we're on the potty, I love NZed's public restrooms. They're everywhere for one - very convenient never having to pretend you're buying a coffee at a restaurant, because you'll always find a public restroom. And they're always clean, I mean really clean. Maybe this has to do with the half flush.

-Egalitarianism - John Key the Prime Minister spoke at a conference I was at today, and they introduced him as John. He then proceeded to crack a lot of jokes, quite a few of which were about the US. But he also had no handlers and very little security (unless they were really hidden). He's a very popular PM and since I haven't lived here for any others I have no real comparison, but maybe part of it is his relateabilty even though he's a millionaire. He comes off as just an average dude, who is also really knowledgeable about detailed subjects.

-Maoris - They don't exist anywhere else and seriously they are the warmest, most fun-loving culture I've ever lived amongst. Their inclusion of lots of food, wine, singing, and dancing, and lots of jokes probably has something to do with the fact that they're the only indigenous population that is actually reviving itself. Tihe Mauri Ora!

That's five more, so we're at ten! I will get to a 100, I will

30 days of YOU paying ME left

Me as an All Black for Halloween
Tattoos
Yes, this was a late night photo shoot that

I had with myself. And by late night I mean

midnight
Springtime
Still time for firsts - CRAYFISH (I know what

you're thinking, I will explain below)
Another first, WHITEBAIT, those are tiny

fish, not worms. And they are delicious, and pricey

I'm now within 30 days of the end of my Fulbright time, and although I've known this time was coming and tried to prepare for it, I've been having a lot of Jesse Spano moments lately. Not tied to an oil drum Jesse Spano, but Hot Sunday Jesse Spano. Because no matter what - THERE'S NEVER ENOUGH TIME. I should probably also mention that I've sort of done this to myself a la Jesse. Instead of deciding to coast along for my last month here, I myself did choose to start an internship, travel to one of the remotest parts of NZed to interview some more peeps, and have three visitors arriving shortly - oh then I also decided I should apply for another fellowship due Dec 1st, including coming up with some new ingenious idea for studying for a year. Sometimes I feel like I run around trying to do so much, and then I just end up sucking at everything, just like Jesse when she let Kelly and Lisa down and failed her test. Saved By the Bell had so many life lessons. Instead of learning this lesson at 3:30 in the afternoon in front of the tube in 1994 drinking Quick chocolate milk, I'm playing it out in real life in NZed. Saved by the Bell, you're even true internationally. Don't worry I'm not taking speed or wearing denim shirts, I did learn those lessons through the show.

So the sad day is fast approaching where you cut me off from the sweet sweet deal of the last nine months. And how will I spend the last thirty days of your money? Mostly with a certain other Beall, but before we get there here's a recap of what I've been up to this week, other than stressing out....

Even though I've now been here a little over 9 months, I still have not done everything (hence my stressing) and there's still a lot of opportunity for firsts. Ever since I've arrived I've heard about the 'crayfish' that are so delish. I should clarify that 'crayfish' are not what we call crayfish, they are more like lobster, and no I (nor any Kiwis I've asked) can quite explain to you how they are different from a lobster. And like everything here, although they are plentiful just off the coast, they are super expensive. At the supermarket, one crayfish would probably be $50, so Alice and Aaron recommended I wait for someone to dive for one for me. Aaron's brother finally came through when he strolled in the house this weekend with a nice big crayfish. It was delicious and no I still can't tell you what the difference is with lobster, except maybe that the claws are a bit furry and thornier? Tastes the same though, although I may need to try a few more just to be sure :)

I also hadn't tried whitebait yet, and it's whitebait season. Again, (is this a broken record) whitebait, although they're just swimming by in the river here, they've gotten really expensive because everybody loves them and they're only available at certain times of the year. The advice I received on how to get my hands on some was to find someone with one of the permits to fish them out of the river - NO TIME FOR THAT. I was in the supermarket on the weekend and saw a big sign for whitebait and decided while you're still paying me I should splurge - a tiny deli tupperware (the smallest one, 150 grams) cost me $20. Alice whipped them into a little whitebait fritter appetizer to go with our crayfish pie, and they were awesome. The one weird thing is you can see the eyes in the tiny fish, a bit disconcerting as you chomp down

A lot of you asked me if NZed celebrates Halloween, and in true NZed fashion, the answer is that they do, but just the parts they want to celebrate. For instance, getting dressed up and going to a party-yes, trick or treating for candy-not so much. I feel like this has got to be a huge let down for the kids, I mean you only get candy at 1 in 10 houses? Anyway, I'm not a kid, so no problem for me. Some of the other Fulbrighters decided to have a party and I decided what other opportunity am I going to have to dress up as something Kiwiesque for Halloween. I toyed around with the idea of Sir Edmond Hilary, then decided I would probably just look like a cross dresser, like the year I tried to dress up as a DC tourist, and ended up just looking like a 12 year old boy. Anyway, I decided to be an All Black, also because I figured my costume expenditure would double as a souvenir (you see that strategery coming through?, I'm finally learning something).

November 5th is Guy Fawkes Day, which I'm guessing is news to most of you. I had never heard of it, but had heard it was coming up, so I decided to do a bit of research (since you know, that's what I do these days). Basically, it's a British holiday where they light fireworks and burn things in effigy, in commemoration of Mr. Falke, who tried to blow up Parliament because he was mad that England had become Anglican and renounced the Catholic church. And of course NZed celebrates because well, no one could give me an answer on this, but because they used to be British? (this argument doesn't fly with me, but anyway). What I'm not clear on is whether they're celebrating this day because he failed? So why are they blowing things up? One of the Kiwi Fulbrighters who's over in a America was shocked that we had never heard of Guy Falkes Day. Umm, blowing things up in the name of religion and burning things in effigy wouldn't really go down well in America in terms of a celebration, probably why we left that one over in England. Side note, no one I've asked actually knows why they celebrate, they just like having fireworks and burning things in effigy as a yearly tradition. Apparently the term 'guy' also comes from this dude, just a little extra trivia for you.

In my research news, I found out about a big Maori conference up in Bay of Islands where a lot of the people I have interviewed and people I want to interview will be. On the agenda - climate change and agribusiness. Oh and the Prime Minister is speaking at it. The bad news is I found out about this conference on Tuesday and it is on Friday (tomorrow). I called and tried to see if there was anyway I could get a ticket, and after telling me no, the guy asked me where I was from and I said San Diego (before you get mad, listen to why, more strategery). And he said, "Oh my cousin lives in San Diego, I've been meaning to get over there". And I said, "Who's your cousin?" And he said, "well I know its a big city". And I said, "Arama? Him, "How'd you know?" See, I've learned that not only is everyone related in NZ, but chances are if you know an NZeder in the US, I could find someone pretty quickly that knows them. And then you add in the Maori factor, I'm pretty sure there aren't many Maori dudes in San Diego. In the last month, three people (Maori) have told me they know someone in San Diego, and then they're always floored when I know the same guy. And Arama, is frankly the reason I'm here and why a lot of the people I've met have probably been nice to me (so thank you). Unfortunately this story does not end with my new friend doing me a favor. However, he did tell me if I could find a way to get into (meaning pay for) the conference, he'd have a cold beer waiting for me. Well ol Cuzzy better pay up, cause I'm on my way tomorrow

And in 100 days of Beall, NZed addition:

-Small world: since everybody is everybody's Cuz, it means somebody will always know your name, and its real easy to network

-The accent: I know I've talked more about Irish accents on this blog, but the Kiwi one I reckon is one of the best. Especially on the radio or TV where I feel like it's especially pronounced (not sure why this is, unless they're playing it up cause they've figured it out)

-The views: They're everywhere. I would venture to guess that at least 60% of homes in Wellington have some sort of view of the harbor/ocean, which is ridiculous when you think about it. And then the rest of the NZed, put your camera away cause you can't capture it, its just ridiculous

-How every city/town is the World Headquarters of something. I love how Kiwis embrace the randomness and then just go big with it, like being the Kumara Capital of the World (have you heard of kumara?, its like a sweet potato)

Okay that's a tally of 5 so far, I'm going to need to do better than that....BUT THERE's NEVER ENOUGH TIME

Oh the voices in my head

(Says, New Zealand IS Middle Earth) And don't you forget it.

A little Labor Day fireworks, view from

my deck. Thank you Wellington

So while you all are rallying to restore

sanity over there, we're rallying to restore

hobbits here in NZed. I can't make this stuff

up. It even made it onto Best Week Ever,

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2010-10-25/the-10-nerdiest-signs-at-the-new-zealand-hobbit-rally/ Headline of local newspaper "Thousands gather

over NZ's Hobbit Crisis". Yes, its a crisis

And this little sign went even one step further

you know so the elves wouldn't feel left out

after all this hobbit attention.

WARNING - Before you proceed, I've had very little human interaction this week, so this post could get weird.

Tonight is the last night of my ten days without my flatmates. I've spent this week+ mainly focusing on my research, trying out a lot of new recipes, and watching a few movies - I know boring, but it's been good and actually gone by really fast, as my life seems to do these days. Below is a recounting of the voices in my head and the few human interactions that I've have had:

-I was worried I was going to have no photos to share with you since I've literally been holed up with my research this week and I was doubtful that you'd want to see a photo of my transcribing and wanting to stick a pen in my eye. I've finally finished transcribing six 1.5 hour long interviews, which took me approximately 4-6 hours each - totally painful. On Saturday I was so fed up with it that I contemplated sending them to a transcription service in China for 5 cents an hour, and just as I was about to speed dial China, I remembered that my interviews are in Maori and English and I doubt there's many people outside NZed and even fewer in China who can/will transcribe Maori. When I checked how much it would cost in NZ - $45 an hour. So I finally finished (those six, I still have more interviews and thus transcribing to do). As terrible as transcribing is, when I read some of the quotes that make me laugh out loud, it was worth it. I've included a few here to share with you because I've decided as my Fulbright winds down that I owe it to all of you to tell you more about my research (hold that yawn), okay actually I just want to tell someone about it, and figure you're a captive audience -

-“I think for many of our people in X town, that they would pay more attention to a Martian landing in the middle of town [than climate change]. Climate change is abstract and well out of their head space. You talk to them about climate change and the emissions trading scheme, and NZUs, and they’ll say, “What’s that got to do with the environment?”

-“You’ve got people that want to say NZ is a leader overseas, and honestly we overrate ourselves. People don’t give a s@#$. So instead of getting caught up in that we need to figure this stuff out on the ground. It’s critical to our economy”

-“I was saying to the Prime Minister the other week, “You know mate, this country is bugger without the Maoris.” And an interesting proposition because most New Zealanders wouldn’t see it that way. But mate, look at your OECD ranking dropping, and look at your debt ratio in this country, and who are the ones doing anything about it. Whether you like it or not, Maori have a significant advantage. And I’m not going to waste time trying to get all these guys in the rest of NZ society on board, we don’t need them, we’re just going to get on with it at the enterprise level, cause our view is quite different than the mainstream of NZ”

In one of my few forays outside of the house or my office, I stopped by the corner store (Four Square), and the owner, Neil Patel, asked me what I was doing in NZ. I informed him I was studying, he asked if I work also, and I said, no I can't. And he said, how bout for free, can you do an internship? Umm....before I knew it he had scribbled down his information and was offering me a "learning opportunity" in management at Four Square. Dreams do come true

So this past weekend was also a long weekend in celebration of Labor Day. Now considering I don't really have a 9-5 job, it's nothing to get too riled up over. When I told my Mom this, she said, how nice. No Mom, I meant my working doesn't stop on the weekends, cultural exchange is a seven day a week job. And to reward myself for all my laboring of transcribing, I decided to check out what was going on in Wellington for Labor Day and low and behold, an Italian Film Festival in Wellington this week. So I decided to scurry to wrap up my research stuff so I could catch one of the shows that night, but before I logged off, I caught sight of another notice - A Rally to Restore the Filming of the Hobbit in NZed. I decided I had to go just for the sole purpose of the photo opportunity of thousands of hobbit lovers in one place. And it did not disappoint, see above

-You've heard me rant before about how expensive things are here and how little money I make and I'm sure you're all sick of that sob story. So I've tried to learn and think strategically about my meal planning, but after 9 months here, I apparently still haven't caught on. Recently, I suggested to Alice and Aaron that we should have lamb kebabs with some mint yogurt sauce (part of one of my goals to dedicate myself to eating more lamb while I'm here), and some hummus, thinking lamb - yep know they have a lot of those here, yogurt - check, tons of dairy. To which I got - "Hmm that will be really expensive". Oh right, NZed sells everything at export prices. I've also previously had to learn that limes cost up to $44 dollars a kilo, and yet lemons grow abundantly. This week, thought I'd pick up some snow peas for a recipe, I mean thinking in my mind - snow peas are pretty standard. But just in case, I went to the highest end grocery store here. When I asked if the sales guy could direct me to them, he said, "They're not here yet". Me - "Oh, when will you be getting some in?", thinking oh maybe Tuesday. He said,"Should be December". I swallowed my shock by remembering my Americanness as I got frustrated by the lack of snow peas in a whole country. We're so used to having whatever we want whenever we want, seasons? Who cares about seasons? One of the Kiwi Fulbrighters who recently arrived in the US posted on her wall "Free internet at Starbucks!!! Wow!" and another day, "Pizza, and crab cakes, and shwarma available all night, everywhere". I restrained the urge to write - Welcome to America

In general life news-

-I've lived in a wedding era for the last 5 years, as I'm sure many of you (you know the sea of readers out there) can also relate to. It's now beginning (and rapidly so) to shift to a baby era. Five friends/family have had babies this year, and three friends have called in the last month to tell me they're pregnant. These calls fill me with excitement and joy for my friends, and a bit of sadness that I don't live closer to share in this latest adventure. Then followed by a "What am I doing with my life? Am I totally selfish in my around the world galivanting?" While all my friends (ok not all, some want to shred their fallopian tubes with a lawn mower) are settling down and bringing new life into the world, I'm soon running off to Italy where I will instead have an immaculate conception of a giant food baby.

Then I usually think about how pregnant people can't eat prosciutto or ride roller coasters.

-There have been a few things that have needed to shift since I'm not coming home now. One is what to do about my American cell phone, it was one thing to suspend it for a year...so I decided to give Verizon a little call to see what my options were. Not only did Verizon go through the various options with me, but interjected it with, "But you have to think about what's right for your expenses and what makes sense for you". Then the grand finale, "We just want what's best for you". Aww, Verizon, I didn't realize you offered counseling services too!! I might call once a week now. However I think what's best for me is to let this number/contract go, even though I've had the same number since I turned 16 :( RIP 585

In care package news this week, my first job out of college sent me a book. I'm not sure how they found me all the way in New Zealand, but they even included a card. So no pressure friends and family, but just saying....

In the news -

Dan Carter, the generally agreed hottest All Black proposed to his long time, women's hockey player girlfriend. Yeah, women's hockey player, you heard that right. Only in NZed

And, I realized today that I have exactly (well I haven't quite booked my plane ticket, but just about exactly) 100 days left in NZed! Remember why this blog was started in the first place? I've decided to try again and from here on out hopefully tell you 100 things I love about NZ. And this time hopefully I'll be more successful since I do have so much thinking time -

So #1 (in no particular order of importance) - The Fact that Restoring the Filming of the Hobbit is the Biggest Problem (at least newswise, and you know other than that whole racism thing) that NZ has right now. And honestly, problems are few in NZ because life is simpler, people are happier, and the scenery gives everyone a bit more perspective on what really matters and to always keep a sense of humour. So with that, let the 100 days of Beall begin anew

Happening Right Now (Well in the future, right now)

No, that's not New Zealand, but another

capital city....

A little care package of excellence

a la Bob. Made a pizza tonight just so I

could dip it in blue cheese and franks.

Thanks Bob! And the artichokes - from Wegmans!

Q: Wegmans, do you miss me as much as I miss you?
The Wellington Fulbright girls uniting

together to take down Wellington's Mountains to Sea.

In true Wellington fashion it was pouring with gale

force winds, but in good news, we outran the oarks

Out for a little Sunday jog, taking in a

view of the South Island from the South

Coast of Wellington

Mt Taranaki, on the way to visit with

Taranaki iwi incorporations
Apparently life is sort of stacked against those

that want to go it alone. You might not be able to read

but this sign says, "Do not proceed alone". This might

be the sign that appears when you come out of the womb

as well. To which I said, I'll take that into consideration

and marched on
A little Taranaki tramping. And while I didn't get to wear

this ski jacket to actually go skiing again, it

came in handy for the cold temp of mountain

tramping
On Mt Taranaki, hiking up

to the ski field, which of course, was not open

Nary a day has gone by since I've been in New Zealand that I haven't thought - "Wait, is this really happening? Do I really live in New Zealand?" And so on from there, I could elaborate on all the ridiculous things that make me feel this way, but I'll spare you (for now).

So while I was rolling along in blissful surreal life in NZed, I received a knock on my door (in the way of an email) from Italy. Me: Oh hey Italy how are you, I've missed you, thanks for checking in. Italy: Would you mind moving to Rome for a job?, Me: Ummm.....

So when Italy calls and asks you to move there, in my humble opinion you don't say no. So I said yes. I'm moving to Rome in February. And while I've oversimplified the decision here, I did think long and hard about it while trying to see through the prosciutto induced stupor that had come over me just thinking about moving there. And while I miss you all enormously, I love cured meats more. Plain and simple. I also figured when else in my life am I going to be this unattached (I hope) where it's so easy to move to another country. I have no kids, no boyfriend, no job to quit, nothing tying me down - just a suitcase (ok four) and my dreams to pack up. It's been even more surreal since deciding....But now that I have - and one of the other reasons I accepted is because I want to be able to focus on being here rather than applying for jobs, so on the being here front, please don't talk to me about Italy, I'm in New Zealand and Italy's time will come shortly, but lets put it on a shelf out of my reach (with heaps of prosciutto) for a few more months....Although I did have a little mini celebration for myself tonight by making a pizza - dough and sauce from scratch included, and watching When in Rome. Too bad none of the movie is actually in Rome - like I will be :)

So life in New Zealand.....

I've been traveling off and on over the last month to finally conduct interviews with Maori for my research, and while it may sound hoki, as challenging as it's been, I really feel privileged after each conversation. There's also just no way I could script this stuff. For instance, one of the parts of Maori culture that I love is that you don't start talking bizness until you've established where you're from, like mountain, river, ancestors, the whole bit - it's called whakapapa (fakapapa).

The Mountain to Sea Relay, (photo above) was something I thought was a brilliant idea a few months ago and convinced the other Fulbrighters to do it with me. It's probably unbelievable for you to imagine, but I actually am the most, or maybe second most athletic of the four of us. So needless to say we did not come in first. But the run was on trails through the hills/parks of Wellington and although the weather was ridiculous, it was really fun to see parts of the city that we hadn't seen before/didn't know were there. Also something about running through the woods immediately makes me feel like I'm 7 and in a hide and seek/tag game, or maybe as most things do here, filming a scene in LOTR.

In New Zealand news this week:

-The Commonwealth Games - have you heard of them? Didn't think so. Well, they're basically like the British colonization Olympics, except that the U.S. doesn't participate because of that whole Revolution thing or maybe we just think we're too cool for it. It has been in Dehli this year for the last two weeks, and let me tell you NZeders have been in their heydey. If it hasn't been clear on this blog, NZed has a bit of a complex with Australia. The Gold Medal for Netball (see previous post re Bob's visit) came down to AUS vs NZed, and resulted in a tie that went into overtime, then extra overtime. My flatmate, Aaron said, "Well Elizabeth you can basically bet the house that the Ozzies will win because NZed can't hang when it comes to the big pressure against Australia". But in the end, after a lot of screaming at the television, the Kiwis (the Silver Ferns to be exact) pulled it out and won gold. Big time

-Racism - have you heard of it? Well I didn't realize in coming to NZed that I was not only taking on the politics of climate change, but also a whole lot of racism. It continues to astound me. This week the host of TV1 morning show stepped down after making a comment to the Prime Minister on air about one of his Minister's looking like a "real NZeder", cause the dude is Fijian Indian, born in NZed as if that matters. The dude in his apology/resignation then proceeded to call himself a gypo, (never heard this term before, but I guess its used in England to describe Eastern Europeans?) There's also been a show on TV here, airing over the last few weeks called "Are you My Tribe?", which is basically a white Kiwi going around to different iwi, making pretty offensive/ignorant comments, and then exploring the specifics of that Maori tribe. In the end it is a feel good show, because you see that he does learn a bit and he actually says, "I'm jealous that I can't be Maori". Can't we all just get a long?

And in case I needed more alone time, Alice and Aaron are off in Tasmania this week for a family wedding, so I have the house to myself for ten days. This will be the longest that I've ever stayed on my own (other than in a hotel for work). When my sister and I left for college, I remember coming home and discovering some weird habits that my Mom had developed - like eating Fruit Loops for dinner, after she never let us even eat junk food. I now finally understand this, cause when you're by yourself, there's no one to say - Hmm, that's strange, and no one to keep you in check - you can do whatever you like. I'm looking forward to a week doing whatever I like - first night alone last night and made a bacon pizza.

Two add'l hours of sunshine + five degrees warmer = NZed is about to get awesomer

Some evidence of the storm the size of AUSTRALIA
Te Mata Peak, took me fifteen min to get to the top
Just enjoying some Te Mata cheese mid-work day
Taking a break from interviews for some cheese and wine

I tried really hard but couldn't finish all the cheese, probably

another reason why this is not really an alone activity. I spent

three hours here (Te Mata Cheese factory) reading for my research

eating cheese and nursing this glass of wine
Full moon little stroll in Napier on the Spring Equinox
Beaches of the East Cape, first place to see the sunrise

in the world
Finally made it to the East Cape, which I definitely

want to go back to, especially this place which has my name written

all over it - Champers Hotel

WOW - the World of WearableArts show,

and boy was it wow, sorry this picture is so bad. Its basically a fashion, art, music, cirque

du soleil show wrapped into one extravanganza. The finale of

fashion week here in NZed. No pics allowed inside so you'll

have to use your imagination.

After experiencing the wow of WOW,

forcing Alice to have a tourist moment with me.

So I should start off by saying that my harassment and impersonation skills really did me well in the last week. I spent the last week traveling around the North Island interviewing Maori representatives of business/trusts/incorporations on their business strategy in the context of climate change. Here's a few themes of what characterized the week:

-Before I even left Wellington, all over the news they were reporting a storm the SIZE OF AUSTRALIA, that was headed for NZed and was going to brutalize the country. Only NZed would characterize a storm that was really nasty and menacing in relation to Australia. What it meant was huge winds and rain for most of the country - so basically the rest of NZed got to experience what it's like to live in Wellington. And like the South Island needed more problems, they got pummeled with huge snow and winds which took down the rubgy stadium in Invercargill.

-So huge snow, super! An opportunity to ski one last time before spring really takes hold, or so I thought, so I packed my snow gear with my interview gear and figured given how business time works in NZed that I could fit in some skiing among interviews. Well I can't say I wasn't warned about this, but apparently when it snows really hard here, instead of clearing way for skiiers, they actually just shut down the mountain. And no, not for a day, but for the last ten days. But didn't you just get 15 inches of fresh powder? Oh yes, but we have to avalanche bomb, and apparently that takes over a week. So I carried my ski gear around for a week, no use. I'm still crossing my fingers that they will finally be open next week and that there will actually be snow left. Otherwise, snow jacket bought on TradeMe = $70, used once, not ideal.

-I hadn't traveled alone since Stephanie's visit :(, and I happened to go to a lot of the same places we visited, and let me tell you it's not nearly as fun to go places alone for "work" than it is for tourism - I know, groundbreaking stuff here. But I was also reconfronted with the traveling alone scenario. For some reason, traveling alone makes other people REAL uncomfortable. I would like to offer a few bits of advice here on this blog (more to come, it's gonna get real preachy so stay tuned) - when you see someone traveling alone, know that they are okay. They are not a leper or a prostitute, nor do they require your company. They are probably just fine sitting there internally chuckling about their future blog post, and no it's not weird that they're studying and highlighting in a bar/restaurant. And note, staring doesn't make them feel more comfortable, so cutting that out would be great.

-While traveling for my interviews, aka integral to my research that I came all the way from the US to do, I received an email from the Fulbright office here about our final presentations (I'm in denial and really CAN NOT believe that its only two months away). Said email stated, "For your presentations please focus on your life experiences here, we've already heard a lot about your projects, so no need to go into those". WHAT???? Now I should say that before coming here people used to say to me, "Isn't the Fulbright just like an extended vacation for smart people?" And I would scoff and say, "No, its serious, you have to produce a very reputable, peer-reviewed documentation of your research". Well fine, its an extended vacation apparently (depending what you make of it;). And more alarming/devastating to me in this email is that I lost the final person/group that I thought cared about my research/had to listen to the details of it, now who will I talk to about it?? Oh, Allison you're going to get an earful....But on that note, I better get busy living if they want to hear about the rest we've been up to, at least if all else fails I have a lot of pictures of me posing like statues to fill my final presentation with.

-In my continuing effort to bring you more Kiwiisms, I met a nice Irish bloke at one of the backpackers I was staying at who lives in Gisborne and we got to cackle together about Kiwisms, and share our Irish and American perspectives on them. For instance, why are maths and laws (the study of, meaning I have a degree in laws) plural and sport is singular. Do Kiwis have more math and law than we do? Cause I know we have more sports, so our s to their singular does make sense I suppose....My Irish friend enlightened me as well on how Ireland follows Americanisms more than Britishisms because of you know that wee bit of history between them. Have I also mentioned how much I love listening to Irish people talk?

-In a random fact that I keep forgetting to mention on this blog, there's a news program here called Capital Insights, makes me smile everytime I hear it and compare what they share/comment on and what I do

-And this week marked daylight savings. So while I had to watch you all gallivant around in your sundresses and talk about swimming and bbqs for the last four months, its finally our time in the sun. And I plan to do my best to make you real jealous as it starts to get warm here.

-And in breaking news this week - the actors in the Hobbit are protesting the labor contract for the film. Imagine hundreds of tiny actors huddled together in labor talks at a news conference here in Wellington. Peter Jackson is pissed, since now the production company is threatening to move the filming to Eastern Europe. Umm, I'm pretty sure they don't have hobbits in Eastern Europe, they're only here in Middle Earth - non-negotiable

-

Honing my Harassment and Impersonation Skills

Bake sale day 2, some Fulbright alum enjoying apple pie.

Yes, I made us wear red, white, and blue and our little flag pins.

Stripes - optional, but encouraged.
Baking away, brownies from scratch are actually really easy
Bake sale, day 1, before the action started

You can't tell, but my jacket is striped.

Well I really could have used a few of you around this week as I took on a few tasks that you all excel in and I was definitely challenged by. But I'll start at the beginning -

So you know how I mentioned a while ago that I'm not good at baking? Why on earth in my brilliant idea of putting a fundraiser together for Christchurch did I think a bake sale was a good plan? And since it was American themed baked goods, we obviously had to make pies so over 3 days I made 8 pie crusts - including 5 apple pies, and 3 kentucky derby pies, and four batches of brownies from scratch. Next time someone please remind me that we should just organize a happy hour. In the end all the sugar I ingested and the five burns on my hands, were all worth it - we raised $1200, yeah, at a bake sale! The Fulbright asked for a quote of what motivated us to want to do this - umm, are you joking? An excuse to wear stripes AND red, white, and blue, two days in a row? Fulbright, don't you even know me?

I mentioned last week that the time had come to start thinking about applying for jobs. I didn't realize that in applying, the Wellington one would want me to start right away. My friend Bob once warned me about becoming a consultant - that it's actually a lot of work. And let me tell you after "working" for the first time in 7 months for 1.5 days this week - I experienced stress for the first time in New Zealand and realized just how comfy I've gotten not working. And although I wake up at 7am 90% of my time here, and often am doing research/reading till 7pm at night, it's totally different when you don't actually answer to anyone but yourself. On the phone with my brother the other day he said, "So what are you doing in New Zealand again, are you there for DreamJobs.com or something?" While I first felt like fuming about how my family apparently has no idea what I'm doing over here, I then realized - well, I guess that's pretty spot on. So after all that complaining I've done about being poor, I really really want to thank the Fulbright for forcing me to not work for 7 months, and now I will spend the next 3 figuring out how to draw this deal out a bit longer and live a bit more of dreamjobs.com (whatever that is).

Additionally the work that I was doing for this "internship" is economics and finance consulting related. As part of the internship, I had two interviews - one with the Welly office and one with the DC office. I naively thought (I mean I live in la la land so I'm a bit out of practice) that we were just going to chat and it would be great. Instead, it was basically 2 separate 1.5 hour quizzes of my knowledge of economics and finance. Let's just say that basic is being generous. Why do I always feel like an impostor no matter what I'm working on?

In addition to raising money for Christchurch, wearing stripes, and interning, I also needed to finally strong arm people into meeting with me so I could finally conduct my actual fieldwork research. I've spent six months being patient and building relationships and learning, and I now don't have any time left for people to be convinced of the value of my research and I can't learn any more Maori language or share breath with more folks before I need to finally collect some data. So this week I resorted to just full on harassment and casting my net real wide in terms of who could hook me up with whom. One response I got - "You know Elizabeth that this type of research is really only conducted by large research teams with substantial budgets, so I really think you should adjust your scope". Again, no time for readjustment, hopefully dreamjobs.com will pay for it

In gardening news this week, I have a totally new appreciation for teachers. At the end of every gardening session, I'm like, "Wait was that really only an hour?". Then I usually go home and have to stare at a wall for an hour before I can do anything again. I can not imagine having 20 kids for a full day, so hats off to you teachers. I also try and plan something new and exciting each week, and each week it generally turns to chaos with whatever I carefully planned, being very quickly adapted to lots of screaming and chasing and lots of grabbing. This past week, I brilliantly came up with planting cress (it's a British thing, eggs and cress on toast) in egg shells and the kids could design faces on the shells so that the cress is like hair. Well apparently that's one thing they didn't get from the British and have no idea what cress is. But they are also adorable, this week in addition to being exhausted, they also really turned around my whole day - so maybe that's why you do this teachers?

I also discovered a few new points of evidence of the confusion that is Kiwi culture - they measure weight in kgs here, but baby's weight is in pounds. When asked why? "Because baby weight is more often noted in pounds". What?? They also make a big deal out of 21st birthdays here, but the drinking age is 18 and there's no actual milestone at 21. When asked why? "Well isn't that how you do it in America?" Umm yes, but with some logic behind it. "Well it's probably just because of the U.S." So do you have a big Sweet 16? "No, why would we do that?" I give up

So in the end, I did some event planning (Eroc when are you visiting again?), some finance/econ consulting (Bob, when is our tutorial?), and some hard core harassing (Steez, why'd you go home?), and learning to teach while gardening, both things I know nothing about (Eve, Mom - could use some tips). So the lesson again is I miss you all, and I continue to be shocked by how I spend my days here

Its Business Time

I knew with being gone for two weeks that I would need to seriously throw myself back into things, not only because of time slipping away (I've now been here 7 months! just FYI, apparently time goes by faster in the future); but also because after the visit I knew I'd be a bit homesick. Some may argue its never actually business time in New Zealand, and an element of that is true....

When I tell people here about my research, they either laugh or grimace. When I tell people I'm here on a Fulbright fellowship, they look incredulous. I decided maybe a new pair of glasses would help make myself more business believable and get people to take me and my research a bit more serious. And lets be honest, academia is not an easy fit for me. I don't have the ego or the patience for it, and it generally feels a bit indulgent. The more convincing my disguise, the better. I also have the bad habit of sleeping in my glasses, so my previous pair basically has chips missing out of them, is bent in odd angles, has too weak of a prescription, and generally make me look mentally challenged.

So armed with my new specs, I was prepared to tackle a range of meetings I had set up prior to Stephanie coming, not only regarding my research, but alas also regarding JOBS. Yes, crazy that the time has come so soon. I've gotten REAL used to not working. And although I'm here Fulbrighting around, New Zealand tends to make you want to throw it all in and start a winery or a B and B, or just become a fisherman. But I did apply for two jobs post Fulbright, one here in Wellington and one in Rome. I guess this is the part where I should tell you that I've also decided to stay a bit longer in NZed. The Fulbright gives us up to 5 years to use our return ticket, tempting, but don't worry I'm just staying till February (so far).

Its officially spring!!!! I almost forgot what its like for it not to be dark when I wake up and have my towels dry again (well almost).

In honor of spring cleaning, I decided to head to the dentist and discovered some things are universal across cultures. Why is it that the minute the dentist has filled your mouth with suctioning tubes, and squirty water, and has an electric brush and a pick stuck in your gums that they decide to "have a conversation". I think they secretly derive private joy out of knowing that they can say whatever they want because although it may seem like a "conversation" you actually can't say anything back. Case in point, "Oh you're from the U.S. originally? What part? I love Florida. Isn't it gorgeous there? Don't you just love the people in West Palm Beach?" And the whole time, I have to make odd grunting noises like I am participating in this "conversation". And by the time all the apparatuses are out of your mouth, its gone on so long that you can't then go back and correct/disagree with everything, so you're just left seething with the fact that this guy thinks you're from Florida. Like going to the dentist isn't bad enough already. Plus side - no cavities for me
Its also business time for running. Here are my new jet propulsion kicks imported from Zappos. I'm finally ready for serious yogging. In breaking this new pair in I got stuck in a hailstorm in 50mph winds on the South Coast - so maybe spring has a bit more sprunging to do

After pictures were posted of Stephanie's recent visit, most of the comments that I have received have been regarding my hair. Yes I'm 29 and have finally started drying my hair on a daily basis. Now I can't quite realize why it took me this long, maybe it was the last vestiges of my hippie days, or a silent rebellion against my Mom chasing me with a comb, or just laziness....They say the Fulbright will change your life, I didn't realize this is what they meant.
In NZed, business time always includes time for fun. The average work week here is 35 hours and mandatory 4 weeks vacation per year. So there's naturally time for taking advantage of the start of scallop season. I've always really liked scallops, but diving for them (not me this time, but a friend - I know surprise I'm making some), plucking them out of the ocean and right into my mouth, then cooking them in butter and garlic ON A BOAT, indescribably awesome. Also sporting swangees (this flannel shirt, another NZed term that can't quite be explained) and seeing about four rainbows, just your average business day

On a sad note, Christchurch has been struck by a major earthquake and has had over 300 afterschocks, some of 5.0 and 6.0 in magnitude since then. I'm sure you all already know this considering that you had emailed me about it before I even knew that it had hit Christchurch and not here. It had woken me up in the middle of the night but I thought it was just a small one. Amazing that no one died, and that through all the damage and loss of jobs and homes, that Kiwis have really maintained their sense of humor. A website for a C Church restaurant, advertises "al fresco" seating where their building used to be. In the spirit of the people of C Church, we'll be hosting a fundraiser next week by baking American treats to sell to hungry Uni kids. Hoping to raise some cash for those in need by sharing some of America's finest desserts of rice krispie treats, brownies, and apple pie. In the meantime, please do keep the people and historic places of Christchurch (flower clock!) in your thoughts as they try to clean up and rebuild