Postcards From Home & Counting Down

Loving all the postcards that my mum and sister have sent me - counting down now, just over 5 weeks to go!

My mum and sister sent me lots of pretty postcards! :)

The Wellington Sunday Market

Market on Willis Street

I really used to hate going to markets to buy groceries - now I love it! Primarily because it is so cheap - you can get your whole week's worth of stuff for $15! Its nice to have a stroll down to the market every Sunday morning and get amongst the hustle and bustle of all the people from loads of different places. It really cheap too - far cheaper than the supermarket - bonus!

Lots of fruit and veg!

Also there is a stand run by this husband and wife who make the BEST jam in the world - I've now labelled the man "Jam Man" - they're so lovely - but its crushingly disappointing whenever they aren't there and I have no jam! Homemade  too!

Goodies back from market

Jam Man's jam - BEST JAM EVER!

Watching Eurovision In New Zealand

So this is the first time that I have watched Eurovision outside Europe! It was so strange watching it a 7:30am on a Sunday rather than late on a Saturday evening! Managed to watch it online - with Graham Norton's commentary - it was amazing!  I was kind of disappointed in the lack of fun acts - people were taking it very seriously this year! So here's some of my favourites:


GREECE: Alcohol Is Free - Was clearly the best song and should've won!

IRELAND: Only Love Survives - I really don't get how this song came last!? It was really good and deserved to do a lot better! 

ROMANIA: It's My Life - I really liked this song - even if it was a bit strange - it was really good!

And well done Sweden for an amazing show! It was really funny with out being really cringy -Petra the presenter was amazing and I really loved the interval act! Dancing Swedish Meatballs and Ikea jokes!

All in all a good show - I didn't think much of the winning song and the voting was really strange this year. Not forgetting Bonnie Tyler was really bad - it was embarrassing! There were so many other weird and wonderful things here's just a few more of the stand out bits.

This was kind of weird Azerbaijan. A man being all tense with his shadow? What?

Best dance moves of the night have to go to Belgium!

Happiest man ever from Malta - so cute!

The funniest moment when Graham Norton  shouted "ITS SIDESHOW BOB!"

Went To See Jurassic Park In 3D!

What's with the 3D glasses!?!?!

It seems so real!

One of the perks of having no classes on Mondays is being able to go to the cinema at 11:30am! It was a great time to go - there were a few people there, staff are friendly, no queues and there wasn't popcorn everywhere! It was also the first time I have seen a film in 3D I was pretty impressed!

This is still one of my favourite films ever and it was supper cool in 3D! It was like the dinosaurs were coming out of the screen. I also got to see bits that I had forgotten about like, "Clever girl.", Samuel Jackson and "Hold on to your butts.", "Ah-ahah! didn't say the magic word!" and just the general amazement that is Jeff Goldblum. Ian Malcolm is still my favourite character!

Dr Alan Grant is still one of my heroes

 I'm all hyped up for my palaeontology class tomorrow! Although it won't be anywhere near as exiting - all we do is look at boring sealife. Too much to ask to learn about dinosaurs for even one class!?

Still, Jurassic Park is one of my favourite films ever!... even though most of the animals are from the Cretaceous....

John Hammond should've had minigolf at Jurassic Park

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

One of the best things about living with other international students is getting to celebrate different festivals this time it was Cinco de Mayo! We had the most amazing flat dinner ever with lots of yummy Mexican food and margaritas! Not forgetting the sombreros!

Yummy food!

Geology Fieldtrip: Wanganui

Just got back from my geology (Sedimentology and Paleontology class) field trip. A whole weekend - I was a bit nervous because I didn't really know many people in the class - definitely not good when you have to share bunks with some randomer over the weekend!

Stop in Fielding

We took the never ending bus up north. I felt so queasy on the bus I was so glad when we stopped and got off the bus in Fielding. It was such a cool place - it was kind off like stepping back in time back to the 1920s or something - it was cute!

Look at all the sheep!

Escaped Sheep!

We spent most of the day beside the road looking at this really big outcrop - I was so done with rocks and sediment and stuff by the end of it!

Sedimentary Structures at Rewa Hill

 We passed through some "towns" which were just little shacks with people sitting in the back of their pick up trucks staring at the coaches! Creepy as! We stopped to look over the river terraces and you could see Mt Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe volcanoes! There were so many midges and sheep - sheep EVERYWHERE! At Rewa Hill there was even an escaped sheep right beside us running along the road - it escaped!

Cliff lecturing to the class

Weird Plant

It was actually kind of ridiculous the lack of "health and safety". We were taking samples from the bottom of this sediment cliff and then the next thing I know we're expected to climb all the way to the top of it with out ropes, helmets or anything - it was ridiculously steep and it had rained and the whole thing was just really muddy and falling away. I remember sitting on a bit of harder sediment three quarters of the way up and feeling it starting to give way and move as the people beside me were digging. On the way down part of it did give way and a girl in my group was left holding on to a flax plant a few meters above the ground and then just had to let go and slide down. I fell so many times and slide for meters down it on my front , back, every which way... crazy

Climbing up the side of the cliff

Covered in mud

My Geology group

Dinosaurs and Flintstones inWanganui

Funny Pak N Save Man

Where we stayed

Early Morning In Wellington

So I woke up at 6am for no reason today... but was really lucky to see this sunrise over Wellington!

Today I Fell UP the steps To Campus...

Was walking up the steps to campus and feel up them. I got up casually trying to look cool while my hand is pouring with blood and there's people walking up behind me. #AwkwardExchangeStudent

My Birthday In New Zealand!

Yummy homemade buns!

Had my 20th Birthday here in NZ! I'm getting old - no more teenager :(. I had a good day no classes, and got lots of cards and pressies from home! :D My flatmates were acting suspicious all day and surprised me with lovely chocolate buns! They were so yummy! We ordered the greatest pizza ever and watched My Kitchen Rules (you CANNOT miss MKR!) Had a great day - so lucky to have the BEST flatmates!

Suprise!

Tayto crisps from home! :D

#

Me and my amazing flatmates! :)

Petone Beach Field Trip

Petone Beach

So my sedimentology class had a field trip to the other side of Wellington harbour to look at tidal and wave processes of the beach and determine past climates. ON A SUNDAY! I wouldn't have minded much but I had to get up at 6:30am on a Sunday and get a $9 bus out to Petone!

Wellington City from across the Harbout

My group taking notes - Super cold!

The weather was pretty bad - blowing a gale, raining and it was freezing cold! I really don't know how people wore shorts... seriously. At one point my group had to take some cars to the far end of the beach it was kind of weird getting in to cars with the lectures and then back with three New Zealanders I didn't know. But they were all really nice! Some cool people on that trip. Thankfully we got to go home early - and getting the train back to Wellington was only $5.50! Bargain! : P

Stormy View of the Harbour from the train back