Today was the first day on campus! We were picked up at the airport at 5 am, and drove an hour and a half to the little town of Pokeno. The weather here is gorgeous! It must have been around 75 degrees today, and much cooler in the shade. We were all advised to wear sunscreen because the UV index is extremely high here. Even with sunscreen, I tanned! I feel like I'm going to school in paradise. The air smells delicious and sweet. The flora almost reminds me of the Philippines with its banana trees and palm trees. A few of us were even chased by oyster catchers (a black bird with long orange beaks) who were upset that we walked by its egg. The wildlife here is amazing, and I look forward to learning more about it.
Although New Zealanders speak English, we were given a few Maori terms to know. One of them "Wharekai" means "food house." On the topic of food, it's been so delicious! We have two main cooks, and the food has been fresh, tasty, and fully satisfying. All the food is from farms close by, or some that we grow in gardens on campus. We drove to a nearby park full of trails that lead up to the "Hunan Range." We also drove down the road to a small grocery store that sold ice cream. I tried the famous New Zealand ice cream flavor "Hokey Pokey", which was a vanilla based ice cream with honey in it. MMM!
It's hard to describe our campus without photos, and I will try to add those here as soon as I can. All I can say is that it's more beautiful that I expected. I'm sitting on a wooden porch attached to the Wharekai and I'm looking at the mountains in the distance, and the green-blue water (which is as warm as bath water!)... I can't believe this is my home for the next 15 weeks!!
I wish you all could experience this with me!
I think I'm off to bed now, for we have much more orientation to do tomorrow.
Lynch - can I stay at the "Wharekai"???? Yum! Sounds like you're settling in well in your new home - with a a view of the mountains and the green-blue water... hmmm... if that doesn't like heaven I don't know what is - love you honey! ~ Ma-Ma
ReplyDeletei want to be there! =[ hah, well maine has been getting slightly warmer, but i'd much rather be experiencing your weather of course! Keep updating your blogs because i check them multiple times a day to see if you have updated them! miss you, an bella, if she even remembers who you are =P
ReplyDeleteErikka, it sounds so wonderful there! Again, excellent job in your description. I can absolutely picture everything you wrote, with vivid detail as well. However, I can't wait to see pics!
ReplyDeleteAva says hi! :-)