Uni Week One: Check!

Finished the first week of Uni in Auckland a few days ago! Switched my Egyptian History class to the History of Medicine (mainly in Britain), which is pretty sweet! Loving the classes, especially Pacific Music and Dance! Wow!! It's going to be an amazing class and we learn three big dances that we then have to perform for credit! Yikes! (Cook Islands Dance, Tongan Dance, and Somoan Dance) Had a lovely time and even met up with another friend from Illinois (that I met here).

Absolutely loved the week of courses, which is exciting! Spanish is going to be very difficult, but meeting with the professor tomorrow to work through things. :-/ We shall see! Otherwise, Biopsychology is sweet (crazy-fun prof!!) and beginning the lab this week, Friday. We are learning about the anatomy of the brain, so totally loving the class. :-) As for the medicine course, we are currently learning about the debates between medicine as a detriment to health versus medicine as an opportunity for improving health. This mainly occurred in the 1970s, but much of it continues today around the world. Quite interesting, really. Pacific Music and Dance... Working on the Cook Islands Dance at the moment, sarong and all! It's lovely and even enjoyed the Queen St. Sing Sing this weekend (which included dances and singing from the Pacific Islands. Super fun! On Friday, I went to a "Tertiary Student Christian Fellowship" gathering, which was quite interesting. The diversity on campus is stunning to me, but I adore that aspect of Auckland! They say that would be different if I were actually a Kiwi, but for now, it's lovely. :-)

Indeed, this weekend was full of beaches, rugby, and touring Waiheke Island! Began by studying for a while, reviewing Spanish, and then looking over my weekend options. Ended up going to meet some new friends for Friday evening and then planned to attend the International Orientation event for Saturday. We took 5 buses to Long Bay, a beautiful stretch of beach FULL of flies and mosquitoes! Annoying, eh?! Then we rushed back and headed to the Globe to meet friends for my first-ever rugby game! It was amazing!! Eden Park, home to many sporting events, is quite awesome and we had a great group of people cheering for both teams. Regardless, South Africa (the Sharks) won the game! People singing, cheering, flags waving, and all! Reminded me of the World Cup game in Berlin... Then around town to enjoy the Auckland Festival and the Queen Street celebrations. Amazing music and dancing in celebration of New Zealand and other Pacific Islands. Home after a bit, then to awake early for a venture to Waiheke Island.

Woke a bit later than expected, the bus was late, so we decided to take the Link Bus (leaves every 10-15 minutes) to the ferry wharf. Arrived at the University (about a 15-20 minute walk from the wharf) at 8:05 AM with the ferry to leave at 8:15 and no ticket in hand... needless to say, we ran the whole way to the ferry, stopping along the way at an ATM, and got on just after they had pulled the walkway to board! Sooo close! Definitely an adventure. Met up with some friends, worked on plans for the day, and arrived on the island around 9 AM. We decided to split into two groups, with the group I was a part of deciding to rent a van for 8 of us. We basically drove from beach to beach and vineyard to beautiful lookout spot all day long! It was a glorious, sun- and rain-filled day of relaxation. I especially liked Oneroa Beach and Palm Beach. Beautiful and calm. Enjoyed some of the best grapes that I've ever tasted at a little vineyard along the way. Mmm... Headed back on the 6 PM ferry after enjoying the beautiful day. Dinner back in Newmarket, nearby my home, at a place on Nuffield Street. Home to get some sleep early!

Today, Monday, I have no classes. I'm planning on studying for a while at Albert Park and then have a few brief meetings to attend mid-day. It's a bit overcast and such, but just wait for a few hours and that will change. Similar to Missouri, eh?!

That's all for now. Peace. Enjoy your day!