Catch UP Part 3: EAP dinner, 10k, and other fun things!

After arriving home from Sydney, I had one day (Sunday) to get myself in order before the second part of the semester kicked off...lots of organizing to do and very little time to do it!

Monday was quite the whirlwind. I had an exam in my Education class first thing in the morning...I ended up getting an A on it, so I guess all of my studying over break paid off! Later that day I had two assignments dues as well, one for my Psychology class and another for my Politics class. Many thanks to the University of Auckland for their inspiration to make deadlines for the day everyone returns from break! That doesn't make life stressful at all..ha ya right!

Erin and I continue to make our Tuesday Fred's coffee/study/best friend time/plan the week date a ritual. Our Sencha Moonlight tea is absolutely delicious and going to be greatly missed when we head back to the states! Tuesday night was our EAP group dinner, and we all went out to a delicious Thai restaurant on Ponsonby Road. Perks to being a vegetarian...I was able to order ANYTHING I wanted instead of having to choose from the set menu designed for all of those crazy meat eaters! I had a delicious coconut milk and banana curry that seemed more like a dessert than a dinner, but delicious all the same! It was great to see and catch up with all of the people from my program. Some I had not seen since our orientation in the beginning of February, making this a great opportunity to hear how everyones time in NZ has been thus far.

The rest of the week carried on like any other week. Lots of class, working out, and soaking in everything about this country! I discovered the beauty of being able to make phone calls through Skype! $5.95 per month and I can call anyone in the US. Needless to say I took advantage of that right away. I started calling heaps of people, surprising many as they had not heard from me on an actual phone in months! I was able to call some amazing friends back in the states, my family, as well as my amazing friends and coworkers at Zin! It was incredible to talk to so many of them for the first time since I left...Rouz, Monica, Martin, Nick, Justin, Angelica, William...they all made my day as the phone was passed around the restaurant :) I can't wait to see them all so soon!

On Saturday, Erin and I headed to Farmers Market to get some basics that we needed for the coming week. That night we headed down to the Sky City Mall and studied for a while in Starbucks, had boba, and ate falafel for dinner. On Sunday we decided to put to use the pumpkin bread ingredients that Erin's mom had sent over in her care package. The bread was amazing!

As each week passes, the next seems to fly even faster. After Erin and I made pumpkin bread I decided to keep up with the spirit of baking and make banana bread. Another great recipe! Much of this week (April 26-30) was devoted to finishing up the journal I had to keep for my Women's Studies class. This journal was great because we were given prompts to respond to about the novels we read, but we were given personal response prompts as well. It was a great opportunity to read some fascinating novels written by extremely talented women, as well as reflect on my life and experiences.

After I turned in the journal on Friday, Erin, Anni, Chris and I began our road trip to Rotorua for the annual marathon, 10k and 5k. Erin's roommates Becca, Jamie, Brian and Matt, along with our friend Jess had left earlier in the day and we were meeting them there. We arrived late at night to the smell of sulphur filling the air...there are hot pools and sulphur springs all around Rotorua. We were starving, so we found a cheap and tasty looking Indian restaurant and walked on in. Just our luck...ALL 4 of us are vegetarian! We ordered four different dishes and then ate Bucca di Beppo/lazy susan style and passed the food around the table, making a rainbow design on top of the white rice...we had to have a quality meal before our big run! :)

After dinner we met up with the rest of our group and headed to the race headquarters to check in. We each received our bibs with our numbers on them, along with a super cool race shirt, a time monitor for our shoes, and some other goodies in the bags they gave us. Along with the registration area was a huge merch section for all of the Asics gear they had (Asics sponsored the event). I hadn't planned on shopping while I was there, but I needed a new pair of running shoes, so....I caved. But here is where I legitimize the purchase...they were ONLY $50 NZ, and they told me they would sell them to me for $40 NZ!! That's $28 US for a pair of $120 running shoes!! How could I pass that up? :)

After we all registered (Jamie registered too at the last minute meaning 8 out of the 9 of us that were there were running in the 10k), we went on a desperate mission to find ice cream. We found a Burger King that was open really late and ordered soft serve with fudge :) Then we headed to our hostel where we all piled into our room that slept 10 people. All of the bunks but one were occupied! Such a blast!

We woke up early the next morning, got dressed, stretched, ate just enough to give us energy, pinned our numbers onto our cool new shirts, and laced our timers onto our shoes...We were ready to go! We arrived at the starting line and watched the marathon runners wait for their signal to go. After they were on their way we all lined up waiting for our race to begin. We were treated to a performance of the traditional Maori Haka, given instructions by the officials, and then signaled to go by the firing of an authentic canon. It was raining at the start of our race which made conditions a little tough, but things cleared up after a while and it was nice and cool for the run. The race course was absolutely beautiful, winding along the far side of town, through a park, and along the back side of Lake Rotorua. I am not much of a runner AT ALL, but this was a wonderful experience and a great challenge! I won't give any specific number as far as my time goes, but I finished!!...and that was what was important to me!

After we all finished the race we were given bananas, hot tea and coffee, and soup from the foundation who runs the event. A previous foot injury from back when I was in elementary and middle school started acting up during the race so I had my foot iced and wrapped. We then all headed out to breakfast a a great place called the Fat Dog Cafe. I ordered a vegetarian breakfast special that was probably the best breakfast I have had in NZ, and one of the best ever. Wheat toast with potatoes on top (can you say hello carbs?!), and eggs over easy on top of that...mix that with caramelized onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, I think some spinach, and some serious spices and you get pure bliss! We were going to check out the hot pools after breakfast, but our group was so tired that we decided to just make the long trek home. What could possibly make 3 1/2 hours in a car bearable? A stop at Candyland for some fudge about halfway through! :)

What a great time with friends and a great physical challenge! Sunday became my day to sleep, catch up on school work, and prepare for the coming week. Oh...and a couple episodes of my favorite TV shows were thrown in there too! I can't pass up the drama on Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice while I'm here...and I am totally into the new NBC show Parenthood! If you get the chance, check it out! :)

Catch Up Part 2: Australia!!

Monday morning, April 12th...Erin, her dad and I boarded a plane to Sydney, Australia!!! Another stamp in my passport...Check! :)

We arrived to absolutely beautiful weather! We hopped in a taxi and went to out hotel first thing to check in. We stayed at the Hyatt Sydney Harbour...wow is about all I could say when we arrived. This hotel was magnificent! Erin and I immediately went running out the back doors of the lobby to the boardwalk along Sydney Harbour and what did we see? The Sydney Opera House!! The hotel was situated right in an area called The Rocks and near Circular Quay, so standing where we were you

could spin in a circle and see the city of Sydney, then the harbour and the opera house, and then the Sydney Harbour Bridge behind the hotel! Breathtaking! We were taken to our room, settled in, and then decided to head out and explore. We boarded a ferry to Manly Beach, where we walked around and explored this adorable town. Erin and I looked for Havaiana jandals because she needed a new pair, but instead ended up finding a totally hippie rainbow beanie for me! We watched the sun go down on the water, listened to some crazy birds up in the trees, and then headed back to Sydney on the ferry. The cityscape at night was beautiful from the water! We had a delicious dinner on the quay and then went back to the hotel to sleep.

The next morning Erin's dad had to go into the office for a few hours, so Erin and I decided to go to the mall and get manicures..so much fun! Afterwards we had a delicious tofu stir fry for lunch and then headed back to the hotel. One of the people who works with Erin's dad told him that climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge is something you HAVE to do while you're there, so we went to talk to the concierge that afternoon to see if there were still any openings. We decided on this at about 3:30, and found out that they had 3 spaces available for the 4:15 departure!! SWEET! It was obviously meant to be! When we arrived at the Bridgeclimb center they outfitted us in these cool looking spacesuits and had us do a climb simulation to make sure we were comfortable with using the devices. We finally got onto the bridge and started climbing, and the view just became more and more spectacular. We were climbing at sunset, so the sky was in the process of turning brilliant shades of pink, orange, yellow and red. We spent a while at the very top, under the Australian

and New Zealand flags, staring out at the beautiful view in front of us! Everything was so amazing that my fear of heights went completely out the window! None of us wanted to climb down! I HIGHLY recommend the bridgeclimb to anyone who visits Sydney! You won't be disappointed! Later that night we went to the oldest pub in Sydney and had the most amazing gourmet pizza...if I remember correctly one was kumara (sweet potato) and brie cheese...mmmm... :)

On Wednesday, Erin's dad had to go back into work for a little while, so Erin and I grabbed boba and trecked across town to a school for students learning how to cut hair.

We got FREE haircuts! It was awesome and we were happy with the results! Once her dad finished work, we hopped on a bus and headed over to Bondi Beach! I see now why all of the celebrities go there...it's Beautiful!! It is a HUGE strip of beautiful white sand covered with people from all over the world wanting wanting to catch some rays as well as a possible glimpse of a movie star...hello Hugh Jackman?! :) There was even an adorable couple doing a photo shoot on the sand. The wife was pregnant and they were standing on a surfboard while the husband held her belly! Sooo adorable...but then again, you're reading the blog of a future midwife and self-professed lover of birth and everything baby :) We hung out on the sand for a while, threw a football with some guys from Ireland, had lunch, and then took the bus back to the city. That night Erin and I celebrated the midpoint between our birthdays with an amazing Italian dinner at a trendy restaurant in downtown. This is where Erin and I fell in love with afogatto...espresso + ice cream = heaven :)

On Thursday we went on a Blue Mountain Safari Tour. Our wonderful tour guide Mel drove us through the Sydney Olympic Park, and then out to the beautiful Blue Mountains! We climbed around in a eucalyptus forest looking for kangaroos (sadly we didn't find any in the wild...we thought we heard one but it turned out to be some kids), had some tea and Anza

c biscuits, and then drove deeper into the mountains. We stopped and did a minor hike down to a lookout where we could see the Three Sisters mountain peaks and the beautiful valley below us. Soo gorgeous! Mel then drove us to a place called Outdoor World, where we took a gondola across the valley, then a tram to the bottom of the valley. We hiked around the rainforest, saw some beautiful birds, and then took a crazy train ride up the near

shear side of a cliff back to the top. Then it was time to head back. We stopped at a historic hotel on our way home for dinner...Fish n' Chips all the way! Our last stop was my favorite! They took us to a wild animal park and rehabilitation center. This place takes in injured animals and nurses them back to health, all while allowing the public to enjoy them up close and personal. We were able to see kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, crocodiles, dingoes, wombats, Tasmanian devils, fruit bats, penguins, emus...you name it! Also, we were able to pet the kangaroos, wallabies and koalas...so adorable!! We acted like total kids and ran around the park with our "passports" looking for the animal stamps for all of the exhibits! We were not going to leave unless we got all of them! haha We did...and they gave us a tiny stuffed koala :) When we got home we showered, got dressed up, and met Erin's dad's coworker on the top floor of our new hotel, the Shangri-la, at their sky bar. I ordered a martini while we talked for a while, and then we left to go meet his family for a delicious Malaysian food dinner in Darling Harbour. They were all so wonderful and nice!

Friday was our last full day in the city. We woke up and got coffee at Starbucks (that had become our morning routine), and then went to do a walking tour of the city. We went to the Opera House, explored inside, and then walked to the botanical gardens. We cruised around for a while, and I got thoroughly freaked out when I discovered spiders the size of Hummers chilling in webs between the trees. Mix that with the thousands of bats that were hanging and squaking in the trees and you have the perfect place for a Halloween celebration! Too bad I don't think they celebrate it. Huge white parrots were also flying all around the gardens from tree to tree. We then too the ferry over to Darling Harbour where we visited the Maritime Museum. Later that night we had dinner at a fish restaurant in the harbour, and then headed back to the hotel to call it a night.

Saturday morning was bittersweet. We packed all of our things and headed to the airport. It was tough to part ways with Erin's dad. We all had so much fun together and we all were not ready for it to end. While we waited for Erin and I to board, we watched the A380 (Erin's dads plane as well as the groundbreaking new Airbus that is two stories from tip to tip. It looks like a flying cruise ship!) pull into the terminal. We then said our goodbyes and boarded our plane back to Auckland...back "home".

The weather was SO gloomy when we got back to Auckland, and as much as I didn't like it at the time, I'm taking the rain for all it's worth now because I know it is going to be blazing hot in California when I get home!

What an amazing trip! Memories that will last a lifetime and beyond... :)

More to come soon!

Catch Up Part 1: Erin's dad arrives and Waitomo!

Hey all!

School is gotten so busy recently that I have not had the opportunity to update my blog. This is going to come in a couple installments because so much time has passed and I would be sitting here for hours if I did it all at once.

The first week of mid-semester break was nice and relaxing. Erin was down on the South Island until that Thursday, so I had some serious time to catch up on work and sleep. I used that Monday-Thursday to get some reading done for my politics and education classes, as well as complete an assignment due after the break. I was able to Skype with Tina for her birthday which was amazing, and got to see her face when she went to one of our favorite juice bars and found a drink pre-ordered from me as a birthday present! She was so excited!

Erin and her dad arrived in Auckland on Thursday...Erin from the South Island and her dad from Los Angeles. On Friday they picked me up that night and we all went out to dinner at a delicious Sushi restaurant called Gion in Parnell. I've never been a big fan of raw fish, but I got up the guts to try their spicy tuna hand roll...soo good! We all ordered the teriyaki salmon for dinner which came with rice, salad, and an incredible avocado paste. This was probably one of the best dinners I have ever had. After dinner we went to Movenpick for some Swiss gelato, and then headed back to the Hyatt (where Erin's dad was staying) to indulge in their incredible spa. We soaked in the jacuzzi and relaxed in the steam room and sauna. What a perfect way to end the night! We had a roll-away bed brought into the hotel room so that I could stay the night because it was so late :)

The next morning (Saturday) we all went down to the farmers market by the Britomart Train Station, had delicious pastries, and relaxed in the sunshine. After that we parted ways, I went home and Erin and her dad went to Waiheke Island for the day. When they got home we all got dressed up and went to dinner on the Viaduct at a beautiful restaurant called Cin Cin on Quay. That night there was a Carol King and James Taylor concert at Vector Arena...sooo wish I could have gone!!! We drank wine, enjoyed the view and each others company, and had delicious risotto :) Another amazing evening!

Sunday morning we all got up nice and early, ate breakfast at the Hyatt, and headed off to Waitomo. The drive was long, about 3 1/2 hours, but we all were so excited about the day that it didn't really matter. When we finally arrived at our destination the excitement was impossible to contain! Waitomo Caves Black Water Rafting!! The guides suited us up in thick wetsuits, plastic booties and super socks, head lamps and long sleeve waterproof vests. We could hardly move but at least we were warm! Next, we drove up the hill to this lazy river where they fitted us with inner tubes and had us jump off a platform backwards into the river with our butts shoved into the doughnut hole of the innertube...can you say attractive?! haha The water was FREEZING! We drove up the road a bit further and then hiked down a hill in what looked like a rainforest to the entrance to the cave. We walked in and my breath was quickly taken away. The rock formations in the caves were spectacular! The room we entered into was relatively small, but as soon as we kept walking, the ceiling opened up and we were in a huge cavern. Oh...I forgot to mention that there is a huge RIVER running through the cave...hence the black water rafting :) This adventure was a mix between walking across the rocks, walking through the river, and sitting in our innertubes riding down the river. There were even a couple instances where we had to jump of ledges backwards into the water to get to the next spot...nerve-wracking! The best part of the whole trip was seeing the glow worms in the caves! These creatures are absolutely spectacular! Floating down the river in one long line of innertubes looking at the glowing ceiling above us was an experience beyond compare. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I really didn't want it all to end :) Once we got back to their headquarters they gave us warm tomato soup and bagels...I literally could not feel my fingers or toes. This was truly an experience to remember forever!

On the drive home from Waitomo I received one of the best text message ever...my little sister Jillian wrote to me saying that she is coming to visit me in New Zealand after her high school graduation!!! I am excited beyond words!! I cannot wait to take her around this beautiful country and show her my temporary home! Waitomo will definitely be one of our stop on our adventure! :)

Another update coming very soon...