Weekend in Akaroa

Today was absolutely beautiful! The weather was vastly improved from yesterday. It was in the 70’s, blue sky, multi-hued waters….We started off by going to a quaint church that sat MAYBE 100 people. The average age of the parishioners was about 70. It’s nice to feel young. We then went on a cruise of the harbor and saw more dolphins, as well as seals (they posed for us) and a variety of birds, not to mention the incredible coastline. The whole harbor and surrounding areas (Akaroa) was formed from the largest volcano eruption in NZ. We then walked around the quaint town, and went to a phenomenal house with a garden of whimsical, mosaic sculptures (thanks, Chick, for recommending that!). On the way home (on a bus), we saw a gazillion sheep! Photos of these experiences can be seen by the following link (make sure you check out the captions): http://flickr.com/photos/27117889@N08/sets/72157614597148140/

Excursion #1

Update: It is now Saturday evening. Last night, we went to dinner with friends at a Burmese restaurant in downtown Christchurch. Don’t ask us what Burmese food tastes like; it is indescribable, but delicious. There were familiar flavors, such as cilantro, crispy-fried onions, sweet and salty, crunchy…. all mixed in unusual but REALLY good ways. We then went to see Roberta Flack. Her voice is as good as ever, and we loved her classics. However, the duo she sang (“Feeling like making love to you…”) with a very young (as in early 20's) male back-up singer was a bit awkward. C’mon, she’s 72!

We are writing you from Akaroa, NZ which is about 1.5 hours from Christchurch. It’s a French town on a bay. VERY picturesque, even though it is gray, overcast, and drizzly. We will post pictures when we return to Christchurch on Sunday evening. We squeezed into we suits, boarded a boat, and headed out to the Pacific Ocean in search of Hector dolphins, the smallest and rarest in the world (7,500 left). We did see a few, but we (well, Kenn, because Lynda was too cold) didn’t swim with many. Kenn can claim to have had two pass by him within 3 feet. Apparently, although we were interested in finding them, they weren’t hot on finding us. Good news: Lynda did NOT throw up on the boat because the ocean, she was rockin’! Tomorrow, we take a cruise of the harbor. Lynda will take 500 more pictures. Stay tuned! Love to all our family and friends

Getting Caught Up

Yesterday (Wed), we went out to a faculty member’s house in the Northshore part of Christchurch. He (Mike Robb) lives about 10 minutes walking distance from an absolutely gorgeous beach (see pictures at: http://flickr.com/photos/27117889@N08/sets/72157614373177561/ . We then went back to his house and watched a cricket match between NZ and India. Go ahead, ask us about cricket. We KNOW cricket now.

Tomorrow (Friday) we are going with some of the faculty to a Burmese restaurant (Lynda can’t wait!) and then to a Roberta Flack concert (Kenn is in heaven). Then……we head out Saturday to Akaroa (about 1.5 hours from here). It’s described as a small, French town on the coast. The important part of this is that we have signed up to go on a tour where you (hopefully) swim with dolphins in the wild. Wahoo!!!! We will take pictures, we promise. But being gone for the weekend, we may not get the blog going again until we get back.

Interesting NZ facts: Girl Scout cookies here are called “Guide Biscuits.” There are no snakes or poisonous spiders. Oh, and did we mention the wine is really good!

Kenn's First Day of Class

Today (Tuesday) was my first day to lecture. Good news: they didn't throw food at me. And, I only had to ask students to repeat what they said a few times (I am SO into Kiwi talk now!). Interesting class anecdotes: 1) Students call their professors by their first names. 2) The student group here (still not sure EXACTLY what the name is - I stopped asking them to repeat after two times) will be having a speed dating event. I thought that was hysterical and so appropriate for this women-laden field we are in.

Weird side comment: Today for lunch (I eat at "home") I had tomato and basil tuna. Comes in a can like regular tuna, but it is ready to go (i.e., it is tuna mixed with tomato and basil, so it is red and kind of, well, watery.) Actually pretty good.

FAQs from the Blog

To our dear friends/family who have been asking:
1) We enjoyed the Oscars. It was bizarre watching it in the afternoon, but there is no way we were going to miss it.
2) We're struggling with the AI (American Idol) issue. It was on last week late in the week, but it was on the semi-finals, so it is really behind. We're checking about watching on the web, but that, too, seems to be behind. Waaahhhhhh!

To Market To Market….

Today (Sunday) we hit three markets, all within about 7 hours! And it was with gorgeous, sunny weather about 23 degrees (that’s about 76 for you US folks!). First, we went to the Riccarton Rotary Market (Lynne H: We can’t believe you walked there!), that has 300+ stalls: produce, plants, jewelry, antiques, flea market stuff….Quite unique (see photos). We ate lunch there and then headed back to City Centre (where we were yesterday) and visited the Botanical Gardens. Phenomenal! Beautiful gardens everywhere (see photos), but the most spectacular was the special showing of begonias (http://flickr.com/photos/27117889@N08/sets/72157614281908368/). We then headed over to the market we saw yesterday, that had even more vendors. Finally, we hit the local grocery store on the way home. Now, mind you, this is all through the bus system. We are quite the savvy bus-travelers!

Cool things we like about NZ: 1) The bus system here is great!; 2) Everyone says thank you to the driver when they get off the bus; 3) Wine bottles have screw tops (vs corks) – and we’re NOT buying Boone’s Farm type wines!; 4) Nobody is talking/texting on their phones. They’re actually talking to one another; 5) (for those who know Kenn): The Oscars are on LIVE here – of course, it will be on at 2:30pm, but that’s ok!: 6) The snacks here are really good. We just had some Garlic Aioli Veggie Chips. YUM!! Good thing we walked a lot today!

Back to work tomorrow (Monday),

Kenn and Lynda

February 21, 2009 (see another new one below this)

Today was spent exploring the city centre which included an open air crafts market, lots of small art galleries, boutiques, cafes, and souvenir shops. Here are some pictures of sites we saw. Other interesting new facts we learned about NZ:
1) At some intersections, all traffic, in all directions stop, and you can cross diagonally on foot.
2) Lynda had a flat white today (halfway between a latte and a cappuccino). She is sure she will be ordering many more of those!
3) We learned about the blue pearl, which is a cultured pearl made in an abalone.

We walked for about 6 hours and now our feet are pooped. Tomorrow, another farmers’ market and more great adventures.

February 20, 2009

We’ve officially been gone one week and yesterday was another day of experiences. First, the department had its Powhiri. The event typically is held outside, but it was raining, so it was held in the campus Maori cultural center. The returning students and faculty officially welcomed the new students and faculty (and the Erskine Fellows and wives) by singing in Maori and then giving us a Maori greeting (touching foreheads). That was followed by a BBQ-type lunch. Last night, we attended a cocktail party at the home of a colleague Kenn knows from ASHA. Her house is nearly new (2 years old) and very modern. We really knew only Gail (never had even met her husband), but we had a great time meeting new people (mostly department heads and professors from Education). All were incredibly friendly. It was quite the affair: hired servers, fancy appetizers, any kind of drink you wanted…. The main challenge was trying to understand everyone with their accents against all the background noise of the party. We both felt like we were ready to leave after 3 ½ hours; our ears were tired! Speaking of accents, Kenn was told by a waitress that she liked his accent. Who knew we had accents! Today will be spent checking out downtown Christchurch (farmers’ market, arts center). More to come!

(2/19/09) Quick Facts about NZ We’ve Learned So Far:

1. Everything is on the left: driving, where you walk on the sidewalk…..
2. Prostitution is legal! (We won’t go there).
3. Light switches go down to go on, not up.
4. They have a NZ’s Got Talent show, just like America, except this one DOES have talent and the judges are nice.
5. There’s no tipping. None. Not even for prostitutes! (ok, we really don’t know that).
6. They have dog food meat in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. It looks like huge Jimmy Dean sausages. Buyer beware!
7. The weather is reported as rain or “fine,” not shine.

Tomorrow we will be going to a department Powhiri at 10:30 am. This is a traditional welcoming by the Maori culture. That will be followed by a BBQ. Then, we’ve been invited to a cocktail party at a colleague’s home. If we get there by 7:00pm, we will be welcomed by bagpipers! Uhhhh, we’re not in Tallahassee any more!

K&L

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

(We’re putting dates in the title because our computer still thinks we are in the states)

We are getting into NZ life. Kenn loves the fact that he walks to work in about 90 seconds. Both of us still need to consciously think about which way to look when crossing the road (they drive on the left here). Lynda “did the bus” by herself today and found some neat shops. We thought we’d give you a view of our little modest abode. Click here to see pictures and descriptions http://www.flickr.com/photos/33530324@N07/ (if that goes to FSU, then copy and paste the address into your url window ). Oh, and today was the ultimate stupid American incident. Kenn was at work; all other department faculty were at a retreat. Kenn went into the main office, not realizing that there was an alarm. Yeah, he not only set off the alarm, you could hear it about 5 blocks away! The security had to come turn it off. To add insult to injury, he had to ask for clarification from the officer about 4 times because he couldn’t understand what he was saying! Ending on a positive note: We found caffeine free Diet Coke (though it tastes different than US Diet Coke).

Cheers! (That’s what they say here when you leave)

First Full Day in NZ

We don’t want to overwhelm you with oodles of writing, so here are highlights:

Dumb American Incidences: Ok, we were here for MAYBE 24 hours, and Kenn already burned out our Sonic Care toothbrush holder. Hint: Read the “converter” that says it ISNT a converter! Second experience: the newspaper in the driveway leading to the duplex is NOT your newspaper!
Interesting Cultural Experiences: People walk around stores in their bare feet! They also diminutize (is that a word?) words. For example, sunglasses are called “sunnies”.
Interesting Language Points: Today we went to the bank and opened a “cheeking” account. Also, Kenn met the administrative assistant at the department, and she asked him if he was in contact with Greag. Kenn wondered at first if that was like poison ivy until he realized that was “Greg.”
Disappointing Experience: They don’t sell caffeine-free Diet Coke. Kenn is NOT happy!
Other: We rearranged the furniture in the duplex (in essence, switched the living room area with the dining area) and added a few personal touches and it looks MUCH better. Also, we thought the downtown, central area of Christchurch was not that far of a walk. WRONG! Took us 1 ¼ hours to walk. We now are proud owners of Metro cards for the bus!

So close, so far....

Well, the good news is that we are in New Zealand! Wahoo! The not-so-good news is that our flight from LA to Auckland (north island of NZ) got in late, so we missed our connection to Christchurch. So, now (9:40am local time) we wait to the next available flight (1:00pm). Oh well. At least they have wireless! It means I can send this update while Lynda tries to sleep on the chairs next to me. The flight from LA was fine. It took almost 14 hours. Lynda slept a fair amount. I'd say I got about a total of 3 hours sleep (Shurita, I needed stronger drugs!). But, it's cool to be here. The weather here in Auckland seems pretty nice, and it is a gorgeous day. Oh, and one other good thing is that our luggage got as far as Auckland, and should be put on our plane to Christchurch, so that's good. And finally, the highlight of our first hour here in NZ......we bought some chicken-flavored chips from a vending machine (you know, when in NZ, do like the New Zealanders!). They actually were pretty good! Good weather, good chips...what else could you want?!

NZ or Bust!

We are on our way to New Zealand. We left for the airport this morning (thanks Jeri for the ride!) at about 10am. We are now in LA waiting for our flight to Auckland. We've got about another 2 hours before we board. The flight from Atlanta to LA was pretty nice because we both were in first class! That spoiled us for the next flight, but we're hoping we can sleep for some of the 13+ hours (thanks Shurita for the drugs!). We're looking forward to being able to blog from NZ! Kenn and Lynda