Everyday life

Hi everyone,

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted anything, so I thought it a good time to update you on how things are going. As you know, I’m taking classes to help get me back in the swing of things and also to help fill those pesky knowledge gaps so I have a better understanding of Development Theory and how it relates to my research.  So,the first class I’m taking is class I’m taking is in the Development school and focuses on contemporary theories of development  . The second qualitative business methods and I’m finding it quite helpful because I’m learning more about the different ways to conduct my research. It’s all very interesting and has already helped me in PhD research.

On the personal front, I’m living in Auckland again near the town hall. In fact, I just moved in a couple of days ago. The apartment is very convenient, but there are some issues with the furnishings and the apartment itself. For example, there are a couple of minor holes in the wall that are very annoying and the whole apartment needs to be repainted. However, after moving in I found out they are not going to fix these things and I am not allowed to fix them either. How crazy is that??

Before moving in there, I was housesitting for some friends while they were on vacation. The house is a ways from the city and very secluded, being on the top of a mountain. It’s very serene and peaceful being there, which was quite nice, but also boring at times. However, my time there was useful because it gave me time to read and reflect, and that is sometimes a difficult thing to do when you are bombarded with the noises and distractions of city living. Still, I’m glad to be back in the city and closer to my office as the hour and half commute can sometimes be annoying because of bad weather and train/bus delays. 

Overall, things are going great and I’m making lots of great connections with people from New Zealand and abroad. The weekly Rotary luncheons have been fantastic and I’m enjoying meeting and talking to the wide variety of members. Indeed, there really is a wide range: from real estate agents to neurosurgeons, brought together through RotaryJ It really is a wonderful thing. Stay tuned because my next posting will include more photos!

Adventure, Kiwi Style!

Kia Ora (hello in Maori)

Dear reader, I hope that your week has been good. I know that mine certainly has and will go down as ones I’ve ever had. At the moment, I’m sitting on the interisland ferry from Picton to Wellington and have a bit of time to update everyone on the last few days.

Day 1

As you know, on Thursday I arrived into Christchurch to begin a small tour of the south Island.  Before you ask, no, I didn’t go into the city to observe the devastating damage caused by the series of earthquakes that began last year.  It just didn’t feel right to visit so I could gawk at all the destruction, rather like people who slow down to look at car accidents. Instead, I picked up my Jucy campervan and headed on to Nelson.  Speaking of the campervan, I immediately nicknamed it the 'Incredible Hulk' because of its shockingly green appearance.

Along the way, I stopped at the Maripui hot springs for a wonderful soak in pools heated by volcanic activity deep below. Absolutely heavenly and much needed after such a hectic time in my first 10 days. The only unsettling thing was the water which was jet-black. I soon learned that it was a form of algae present in the hot spring waters that gave it this color. The algae is black in appearance and rather slimy, but I was assured that it completely harmless and actually quite good for your skin. Still, be aware of this if you head to the springs so it doesn’t come as a shock.

Afterward, I made my way along the Lewis pass between the East and West coast toward Nelson. I can’t adequately describe to you with words the rugged beauty of the landscape in the South Island, so I’ll let the photos do the talking for me. 

Needless to say, it was a very pleasant drive and driving on the left side of the ride was only slightly unsettlingJ I made it into Nelson just before nightfall and made my way to Kevin’s hostel, Accents on the river. It was a fantastic reunion and soon it was like no time at all had passed since we last saw each other, as it should be with good friends. He also introduced me to a German girl, Stiba, staying at the hostel and we all headed out for a night on Nelson!

Which it turns out, is not exactly a rocking city on a Thursday evening in the off season. We first stopped in a pub that was a converted church to enjoy a pint. Yes, whilst sitting there I felt like I would be soon going down below for such a sacrilegious act, but the pint of boysenberry cider was heavenly. So conflicted! We soon headed off to another pub and chatted the night away listening to a Pink Floyd cover band. In truth, it was loads of fun, but a bit surreal and over too quickly. In the end, I bid them both good night and they headed off to their hostel and I went to my campervan. As it turns out, the Jucy campervan is quite comfy and I slept very well after my first day of adventure on the South Island.

Day 2

Upon waking up, I met up with Kevin at his hostel and he said his goodbyes to everyone. Then we were off to the Nelson airport, to pick up our mate Sunil. In case you didn’t know, the Nelson airport is absolutely tiny. It is so small that they have no security screening or baggage claim. In fact, we walked around to the front of the airport and the flight’s luggage was brought in via a trailer towed by a golf cart. After getting Sunil's luggage, we left the airport and made our way to Richmond for a lovely lunch at Espresso Café followed a quick shopping trip at Countdown, one the country’s leading grocery stores.  Afterward we drove on to the Te Nikau Retreat, located in the Punakaiki rainforest near Pancake Rocks. It is an amazing and absolutely gorgeous place to say the least. Situated just a few minutes walk to the beautiful beaches of the west, it offers the comforts of home, but maintains a rustic feel. 

I really can’t say enough good things about this place, from the fresh bread made daily on the premises to the glow-worm tours at night, it is well worth the trip. So, if you’re looking to get away in the next month and want to relax in absolutely beautiful place, ring Paul up at 03 731 1111 and ask for the Johnnie specialJ Paul happens to be the day manager and is just an all around great guy from Queensland Australia.

After settling in and having our dinner, Paul brought us out to visit the local pub for couple of pints. The pub was quieter than any pub I’ve ever been in. In fact, we happened to be the only patrons the entire night and that was actually quite nice. We felt like VIPs that had rented out the entire pub for a private party! We finished up the night by returning to our rainforest home and playing card games into the wee hours of morning. All in all, a great day!

Day 3

Because Kevin is working on finishing his book, Sunil and took this day to head out and do some exploring on our own. The first place we stopped was Pancake Rocks and as odd as the name sounds, it is quite appropriate. You see, it is basically a bunch of monumental rock outcroppings on the beach, but the rocks are composed of multiple layers like a stack of pancakes! It’s hard to visualize so have a look at the photos below for yourself and see what you think. 

After viewing this magnificent creation, we made our way to Greymouth. In case you didn’t know, Greymouth is a small town on the west coast of the South Island that happens to sit on the foot of a river. Now I could be wrong, but I believe it is called that because of the color of the stone at the mouth of the river. To be honest, it was a rather quiet city and there wasn’t much to see or do. We looked around briefly and then made our way back to our accommodations for dinner.  

After whipping up one of my famous stews, we dined like kings and then made our way again to the local pub to watch the Reds, from Queensland Australia, play the Crusaders, from Christchurch New Zealand. On this night, it was a lot more crowded as the locals piled in to watch the match. Soon after placing our order, the bargirl came around asking if we’d like to place $2 on the outcome of the game. Having learned a bit about the Crusaders difficult struggle to succeed after the quake in Christchurch, I was impressed at their quality of play. To be honest though, Rugby is a complicated game and I’m still learning all the ins and outs. As such, it was difficult understanding some of the things that happened during the game. Still, I greatly enjoyed watching it and see why it’s so popular.  Sadly, the Crusaders did not win and their fairy tale story came to an end that night. However, being from Queensland, Paul had bet on the Reds and managed to win the betting pool. Amazingly enough, his prediction was off by only one point!!! It goes without saying that after such a display of his amazing clairvoyance, we were all badgering him for the winning lottery numbersJ After that, the night ended and we all made our way to our beds after the ride home.

Day 4

Waking up was a languid affair and took some doing. The bed was comfy and toasty warm, but I had to get up because Sunil and I were leaving for Wellington. After a quick breakfast and a long shower, we said our goodbyes to Kevin and our new friend Paul and we were on the road again!!! We quickly made our way to the seal sanctuary just below Westport. There weren’t many seals present, but their pups were so cute with those big eyes that make your heart melt. All sappy stuff aside, the seal sanctuary is a must see if you are in the area.

After enjoying nature’s wildlife in its raw form, Sunil and I continued our journey to Picton to catch the ferry. On the way, we stopped at a stunning lake nestled in the foothills of the mountains. Set off by the snowcapped peaks, the purity and beauty was even more arresting.

We made it Picton by 5pm which gave us a little time to explore the city. Unfortunately, being Sunday, most of the shops were closed and there really wasn’t much to see. We got onto the ferry in a timely manner. It was quite dark by then and we weren’t able to see anything, so the majority of the journey was spent writing this posting. When we arrived in Wellington, I dropped Sunil off at his hostel as he wanted to explore the city a bit and had booked a return flight for the following evening. As for me, I drove on to Palmerston North and found a quiet area to freedom camp. In case you didn’t know, freedom camping is when you go camping without the benefit of a campground. It’s very popular in New Zealand and a popular way to explore that saves on accommodation costs.

Day 5

I woke up quite early to rainfall pattering down on the campervan roof. After answering nature’s call, I soon hopped back into the driver’s seat and began the drive to Auckland. Other than the rain and lots of sheep, it was an uneventful ride. As beautiful as the countryside is, I was quite happy to be back in civilization and that dear reader, is where my first Kiwi adventure endsJ Best wishes and good luck on your own adventure! 

My first adventure!

Salud,

It’s 7am and I’m sitting on a bus to go to the airport for an adventure on the South island with my mates Kevin and Sunil;) I’m flying into Christchurch and picking up a campervan and then I’ll be off to Nelson to pick up Kevin and Sunil. I don’t really know what to expect other than that it should be fun. In case you didn’t know, Kevin is an old friend that is traveling the world and writing a book about his adventures. The book is titled ‘Blindly Going Who Knows Where’ and as you might have surmised it’s called that because he’s blind. Not completely blind mind you, but legally blind and as you can imagine it is no easy feat to jaunt around the world when you can’t see.  Have a look at his site, I think you’ll be impressed.

http://www.blindlygoing.com

I’ll be traveling for the next week or so and have a few things I’d like to do, but if anyone has any ideas on fun things I should do or places to go, please leave a comment with your idea;)

As for the last couple of days, it has been super busy. On Tuesday I attended my first official luncheon with my club, the Rotary club of Newmarket. I wasn’t sure at first how I was going to get there, but my host ‘mum’ Trish organized a ride for me with Martin, another club member. The luncheon was a very fun event and I got to see just how active and dynamic the club is. During it, I sat and spoke with quite a few members that were all very pleasant as we listened to the guest speaker talk about the medical equipment that his company researches, designs, and sells on a global scale.  

At the last bit, my counselor Bill also let me know about a dinner he organized for me with his family and Jeff’s family on Wednesday night. In case you didn’t know, Bill and Jeff are my co-hosts. Yes, I’m so popular that I have two host families!  In attendance were Bill, Trish, their daughter Bridgette and Jeff, Val, and their daughter Phoebe. The dinner was absolutely fabulous. I think my favorite part was getting to spend time with everyone in a more relaxed and casual environment. The wine was great, the food was spectacular, but most important, the conversations and warmth from everyone was very comforting as I’m adjusting to my new home. Especially my host mum Trish, who is always giving me bits of motherly advice which I joke about, but that I still deeply appreciate.

So it was a very pleasant evening and got better as the night progressed. Indeed, I got some good news after the meal from the airline. My bags have been located!!! I had almost given up hope. They’ll be delivered next week after I return from my southern adventureJ I’m quite excited because I’ll finally be able to settle in with some of the creature comforts that I had packed for myself.

Anyway, the bus is at the airport now. So I better get inside and catch my flight. Please don’t forget to leave your ideas for what I should do on my first Kiwi adventure!

Gearing down and gearing up!

Hola todos,

It has been a  few days since I updated this and that’s because I’ve been so dang busy!  Last week was spent mainly getting into the swing of things and adjusting to being a student again. It’s a strange thing to be on the other side of the fence again. Now, I’m the one with all the questionsJ I also had my first Spanish lesson and that was a resounding success. My partner, Cindy, is from Colombia and she is training to be a Spanish teacher, so I’m in good hands. She sized me up fairly quickly and summed it up succinctly, I have a good vocabulary, but can’t conjugate verbs to save my life;)

Friday and Saturday evening, I went out to experience the nightlife here in Auckland. I made some friends and enjoyed myself immensely! On Sunday, I spent most of the day on a goat farmJ Yes, I did say a goat farm. Actually, the farm belongs to my supervisor, Darl Kolb, and I’m convinced his ‘ranch home’ is one of the most beautiful in the entire country. Indeed, his home perches atop a small mountain outside of Auckland and the setting is rustically beautiful. In fact, if you walk just above his home you can see both the East and West coast of the Northern Island while being assaulted by the cow packJ Good times! I’m including a few photos and videos for your viewing pleasure!

As for today, it was spent in doctoral seminars geared toward new PhD students. We learned a bit about everything and who to contact if we had more questions. One interesting things I learned today is called dissertation by publication. Basically, if you can get a fair amount of your research published in peer reviewed journals before graduation, you don’t have to submit a traditional 100,000 word dissertation.  Instead, you submit a framework of your research and include the publications as part of your dissertation. So you get the PhD and also have something to put on your resume/CV.

Right, well I’m off now to go to a July 4^th Celebration. I'm glad I'll be meeting new people because they won't know that I've been wearing the same 3 outfits for the last week because my luggage still hasn't shown up. Anyway, I’ll update you later this week on how the celebration goes. Cheers!

Changeover Party!!!

Wowza Yowza!!! On Tuesday nite I was invited to the changeover party for the outgoing club president, Brian McMath, and the incoming president, Roger Gower. It was a whirlwind event with lots of good people and lots of good times. It was great to see the club members dressed up in all their finest! Unfortunately, I was a little under dressed because my luggage still has not shown up. Still, as you'll read, I was made to feel very welcome and I feel lucky to have been assigned to such a pro-active club.

That evening Bill and Trish picked me up at my flat and then we went to pick up Nicolas Spillmann, the current district governor. I learned quite a bit on the drive because Nicolas spoke with me about the range and history of district 9920. In case you didn't know, the district encompasses 8 countries and includes: New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands, Tonga, American Samoa, Western Samoa, Kiribati, and French Polynesia! During our conversation, I realized just how rusty my French is because much of the conversation was in French, Nicolas's first language. Don't worry though, I've already scheduled some language lessons to help me get my French back up to par.

Anyway, upon arriving to the venue, we checked in and Bill introduced me to what seemed like a hundred people, but was much less I'm sure. Everyone was very pleasant and I enjoyed myself immensely. This club takes service above self very seriously and I was gobsmacked to see and hear about their past endeavors. All of which have been very successful. Hopefully, I'll be able to make a meaningful contribution to their future initiatives. BTW, here is a link to a newsletter that was just sent me that includes some photos of the festivities that night for your viewing pleasure:)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/59029876

Over the course of the night, there were lots of laughs and a good time was had by all, especially me. It seemed like every time I turned around, there was someone else shaking my hand and telling me how excited they were that I was there. It was all very flattering, to say the least. This is a collection of exceptional people and I feel lucky to be part of this group for the next year. So all in all, the evening was a great introduction to the club!

Finally, yes...my luggage is still missing, but I'm optimistic that my bags will show up soon. On a more positive note, I've gotten most of my school stuff sorted and am very happy about it all. I've got a swish new office that I share with the other PhD students in the Management School and I'll try to upload photos soon. Thanks!!

Going down under!

Aloha everyone!

Sorry for not getting this out sooner, but the last week has been a mad rush as I tried to get everything ready for my move to New Zealand. FYI, I left Florida on June 17th and drove up to my sister's place in DC so I could spend time with family before leaving the country. On June 19th, my friends and family threw me a going away party and a good time was had by all:) The next few days were spent sorting and packing.

 In the end, with the help of space bags (which are vacuum bags that compress) I was able to fit everything into my 2 suitcases. Then on June 23rd, I began my journey. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Because of the volcanic ash from Chile, all flights with my airline, Qantas, were cancelled. As such, my layover in LA became much longer than anticipated:( Instead of flying on to Auckland that night, I ended up spending the evening of June 23rd and the day of June 24th in LA.

However, it was actually quite pleasant because they put me up in a nice hotel, I met a Kiwi bloke, Kevin that I hung out with and he gave me lots of good advice about living in NZ. On the 24th I managed to get onto an Air New Zealand flight to Auckland and I felt quite lucky about that because they were the only airline flying to NZ. The flight was good and the airline food wasn't half bad. However, things took a turn for the worse upon my arrival into Auckland.

Now throughout this entire process, I had been updating my Rotary host counsellor, Bill, on my status because he was picking me up from the airport. I felt quite bad because instead of arriving at a decent hour as I was supposed to, I arrived at 6am on Sunday the 26th because of the flight change. So poor Bill got there at 6am to meet me, but I was nowhere to be seen. Sadly, the airline had mislaid my luggage so I had to go fill out a report with lost baggage and that delayed me. In the end, I made it through and there was Bill carrying a sign with my name on it. You have no idea how good it was to see him. On the drive from the airport I got to chat with him a bit and he's great. Of course, with Rotary I would expect no less, but I feel lucky to have been assigned such a great host counselor:) After driving me around and showing me a fair bit of the city, he dropped me off at my flat and I got to my meet my new flatmate Sunil.

Sunil, is a friend of a friend that was looking for a flatmate and it worked out very well for me. He works for one of the phone companies has been very helpful in getting things sorted and in helping me buy essential items. Because you see, since I still don't have my luggage, I don't have any essential items like clothes or toiletries. Luckily, my insurance is covering it, so I went out buying all those essential items I had packed so carefully in my luggage. And I'll tell you a secret about NZ...it is expensive!!!

Afterward, I took a bus to Newmarket to meet up with Casey, a lovely American lass also doing a PhD at the University of Auckland. She  had organized a meetup at one of the local bars that plays live music on Sunday evenings and invited me to attend. I was quite keen to go and meet her because she has already gone through all the things I'm encountering now. It was heaps of fun and very informative, but I pooped out after only a couple of hours and caught the bus home. And all of that was only Sunday!!


The next day, the 27th, I went to the University and met with my main supervisor Darl Kolb to go over a few things and to have lunch. In truth, he's a very busy guy, but he took time out to introduce me to people in the department and then showed me around the campus. He also shared some exciting news with me, which is that he's been awarded a fellowship at Clare Hall, one of the Colleges at the University of Cambridge. So in a few months, he'll be off to those hallowed halls in England and I'll be left to fend for myself for a few months. Luckily, I'm quite good at fending for myself and my other supervisor, Carla, should still be around;)

Today, I've been getting my fees sorted and starting on a bit of research. I also managed to get my courses sorted and will be taking classes in the Development and Business Schools this semester. And tonight, I'll be heading off to my host club, the Rotary Club of Newmarket, for a changeover party for the new president. It sounds like a lot of fun and I'll keep updated you as things progress, so check back often!