Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Fri Jan 13

It was not a bad day at all for being Friday the 13^th. It was actually a rather good day! After skyping my family last night and getting a response from my mom asking, “if I was turning granola yet”, Kaity asking, “what was going on with my hair”, followed by Kendall asking, “if I had taken the smoothing balm with me?” When I responded “No” she has the nerve to say, “well you should have!” Can you believe that! Just in spite of them I wore eye shadow today! Dang I was looking good! I learned this new trick that I have fallen in love with! My hair is just the perfect length and it works every time. When I get out of the shower at night I twist my wet hair as if I was going to put in a low ballet bun. As I twist it around I end up tying a knot, pulling the ends through the center of the hole I created. I then wrap those ends around the bun I one more time, just tucking them in. It is perfect to hold my hair back and the best part is it leaves no mark for the hair tie. If I leave it like that the next day by the time it is all the way dried (almost 24 hours later hahah) I can take it out and it looks like I curled it! It worked out fabulous today! I have been looking all over for the sock for my sock bun but cannot find it anywhere. I may need to get another pair of tall socks to make one, but for now I will continue this strategy.

The sun was very bright if you could not tell!

So today started off good. We got on the bus with Tua (who was excited as ever to see us!) and because of a comment I made about his bus not having music, to our surprise he is blasting some good music this morning. Let’s Dance the Last Dance was playing and it has been stuck in my head all day. We got off the bus just behind Brooke and Kirsten and made our way to the coffee shop. We ended up ditching our upscale “expensive” coffee shop for the morning and making our way to the hole in the wall Hollywood Bakery. This has been a regular stop during our lunch breaks! It is delicious, but the workers do not speak English, so you take a risk when ordersing something unfamiliar. We got lemmintons and neenish tarts for breakfast! Both so delicious! The sun was out and it was Friday so I did not think it could get much better. School went by quicker than usual today. It was the last classes for both assessment and literacy! I cannot believe how quick this week passed by. On our lunch break I tried to venture to find the closest McDonald’s because I heard that is one of the only places for free internet here. They pay for there data package for internet here in NZ so even Starbucks charges for internet. Skyping takes so much, but we just found out McDonald’s is free, so looks like I will be spending a lot of my free time there! We did not make it all the way before we turned back, but it was a nice walk. Today’s weather was on and off with heavy rain for a couple minutes then hot sun and some wind.

Haddad Burgers!

School got out and I was very excited for Friday night because this is the first time since I got here I had made plans! If you know me at all I love plans! I met a boy Reece at the YSA activity last week and we planned to get a group together and go out to Mission Bay! Brooke, Kirsten, Natalie, Stacey, and Mallory came home with Emily and I! We all got to take good old Bus 130 and make out way to our home. Reece and his two friends Jershon and Ephraim came to pick us up! The sister I live with Elyse came too! Going through the city and over to Mission Bay was absolutely beautiful. I cannot even describe it and pictures do not do it justice! When we arrived we got to this huge park by a large beach area. There was a huge fountain smack dab in the center of the park and people were running through it and climbing up it! I wished I were in my togs (swimsuit) so I could have climbed on in. We hung out on the grass area and I was taught how to throw the rugby ball! As you could have guessed, I was pretty much a natural! We played a few pass games, bull , and touch rugby. Rugby was quite challenging because of having to throw the ball backwards, never forwards. That got me a few times! We went to walk he streets in search for some dinner, but got distracted by the ice cream. I tried chocolate chip and mango passion fruit! The mango passion fruit definitely won, but both were delicious! We were planning to play cricket, but we decided to head back toward our house to stop for burgers from Haddad! The burgers were huge! Something strange here is they put a fried egg on their burgers. I tried it at my host families and it wasn’t bad, but I decided to pass at Haddad’s. I tried some ginger beer, which I thought tasted a bit like medicine. Maybe its an acquired taste? I had so much fun hanging out with our new friends! We had so many good laughs and I learned some great slang terms! Being in New Zealand is hilarious because they speak English, but we still have to ask how do you say this or have you heard of that.

Beautiful day!

Mission Bay!

Saturday Jan 14

I slept in until 9 today, which was very nice in comparison to my usual 5:30am! It was nice to take some time relaxing this morning after being up late last night (11:30pm). Haha my sleep schedule has been early to bed and early to rise since I have arrived here. Hopefully I will keep it this way! Fredda, Elyse, Michael, Emily, and I went to the supermarket and did some grocery shopping. I did not think we bought that much until check out was about $400 dollars! Wow groceries can be so expensive but hopefully these will last a little while.

Auckland Zoo

Not having a phone here sure makes things hard to meet up with people! Some of the girls were headed into Auckland City today while others were going to the beach or the zoo. It was now too late to meet up with any of them because we would have had to plan a time! It is hard to be on other’s schedules. After the supermarket Emily and I got ready and we began researching bus routes. My friend Reece was quick to rescue and just in time! He emailed me back and planned to come with us to the zoo. This means he drove, which I feel terrible about because gas here is over 2 dollars a liter. Yes a liter, not a gallon! Imagine those two liter soda bottles…. now stop complaining about gas prices in America!

Reece came to get us and Michael and his friend Breckyn came with us! What could be more exciting then taking kids to the zoo! My idea of fun may not be the same as everyone else’s, but taking kids to the zoo with my friends is just about one of my favorite activities! We got to see just about every animal! The zoo was very big! We watched the tiger show that Michael said should probably be called the tiger information show (he had a very good point). The giraffes were my favorite as usual! I could not find the otters! We got to the zoo and the sun was out, then it started raining, then the sun came back out, then it rained again, then the sun came out. It started raining just before we left and when we got to the car the sun was out! Whoever says Utah’s weather is unpredictable has obviously never been to New Zealand! The orangutans were adorable because they grabbed sacks and would hold them over their head to block out the rain! I got to try some feijoa hard candy Reece bought at the gift shop. I guess it is feijoa is a fruit here! I will have to try it! I bought a bracelet and the proceeds go to help the golden lions tamarin monkeys! I got home exhausted and finished up some schoolwork!

Zoo Fun!!!

Sunday Jan 15

I swear time goes by quicker in New Zealand than in Utah! I cannot believe it is already Sunday afternoon! Church was great this morning! Brooke and Kirsten come to our ward and we get to teach the 12 and 13 year olds! The class was so unbelievably quiet today, but the lesson went well with 4 teachers to 8 students! The sun is out and the day has been beautiful! Let's hope the rain is gone away with now! I am going to lay outside and read my book or maybe take a walk! This whole New Zealand thing still feels a bit unreal to me. It’s weird I have thought about what it would be like for so long and to be here over a week and half already is crazy. I love it here though and it feels like it could be home. I will go out for a jog and feel like I am just in the states until I realize I looked the wrong way crossing the street and almost got taken out by a car without a driver and only a person in the passenger seat! Day by day things are seeming as if they are more normal here. The differences I am falling in love with and they are actually becoming normal. There was a picture book read in literacy about someone being born in China and then living in San Francisco and moving back to China because he missed it, but then he realized he missed San Francisco. Ha I guess that is basically how I feel, I wish I could have everything! No matter where I am, Utah, California, or New Zealand, I will miss the others because they all have become a part of who I am. Bring on more stories and memories!!