don't forget your roots.

i've been craving my grandma's food ever since
i left china this summer.
today, i skyped her and she gave me
step by step instructions on how to make 盖饭.
i ran to the grocery store and bought a potato.

it didn't taste nearly as good as hers
(in fact, it tasted nothing like hers...),
but it sure was satisfying!

"be safe, learn alot!" she says to me.

it was a perfect day to take the cable car up

to visit the botanical gardens.
here's a view of wellington:

we split a chocolate raspberry muffin from the cafe.
a bird literally flew onto my piece as i was holding it.
it startled me; i screamed...

these flowers remind me of my sister.
i think she likes begonias.
without her, i wouldn't be here in new zealand.
she was the one who encouraged me to study abroad :)

this plant makes me feel
uncomfortable but its so beautiful

dead little bug floating in the

lily pond while being nipped by little guppies.

foolishly, i drank a cup of black tea
before bed last night and ended up lying there
restlessly for a few hours.

i made some french toast this morning
and then janola wiped (basically lysol but
a prettier pattern with light blue and white pinstripes)
the bathroom & kitchen surfaces.

i can't believe i spent $NZD10.50 on this tub
of ice cream last night. dairy products here are pretty $$.

today, i made myself a sandwich then
decided to wander the streets.

however, as i was walking, i suddenly
felt an overwhelming sickness.
i deliriously went home & threw up a bunch.
i think it was food poisoning from the
sushi i got yesterday.
i crawled into bed miserably and took a nap.
then i felt better so i went outside again.

i'm living on my own in a city in a foreign country!

after crouching on the floor at the farmer's market
indecisively eyeing plants for a very long time,
i picked two plants to live with me at my new place.
the lady smiled and said "finally made a decision, eh?"

view from my window. yes, a church.

got some groceries.

made some banana pancakes.
it said to use a standard australian measuring cup
for the milk, but i just eye-balled it.

i woke up very happy this morning.

i wandered outside and found myself
at the farmer's market. the cashier
automatically spoke to me in chinese
when he told me the price of my veggies.
for a split second, i almost forgot what country i was in.
"xie xie" i said as he handed me the bag.then i explored the city a bit and made
my way to the waterfront after going into a
ceramic shop, used bookstore, and grocery store.
what a lovely city.

the onuku farm hostel is my favorite place that we stayed at.
it felt like a unique intersection of different places:
remote rolling green hills with grazing sheep,
tropical flowers and bushes, polynesian seas,
near the french town of akaroa.

i could not get over this darling kitchen.

new zealand wood pigeon

hostel lobby run by a middle eastern looking british boy named anthony.

carved maori mask with inlaid shell eyes.

then for the first time in a week, i had some alone time.
i went for a walk in the hills behind the hostel..
it was the most peaceful hour of my life.

i slept in 8 different beds in the past 10 days.
we hostel hopped our nights and stayed at places
ranging from an 'all men's dorm,' remote country farmhouses,
tropical paradise french hostels and hippo lodges
with smelly barely clothed foreign men.

after a warm welcome, the owner of the farmhouse gave us a depressing lecture about new zealand farmers.
then he invited us to watch a sheep shearing contest on tv.
he has thousands of sheep and cows and a jack russel terrier mix named josh.

queenstown: a ridiculously hilly

little town nestling between canyons.
looking for an adventuresome evening?
come here. they have everything.
warning: all hills are at an upwards 45 degree tilt.
i wanted to give up and roll down the street.

milford sound; the fiordlands.
sounds are created by mountains,

fiords are created by glaciers.

at one point, ryan and i kayaked directly towards the huge waterfall.

cam, our kiwi guide told us it was okay since it
would immediately push us back out. i sat there
in our little yellow kayak which was rocking madly in the currents.
the howling wind and raging water blinded me.
i had never encountered nature at this degree of wildness.
it felt raw, pure and powerfully refreshing.

fox glacier is a year-round glacier that
moves a few meters annually.
we strapped on our crampons and hiked up it
while eating chunks of fresh ice along the way.

the six of us took a very scenic road trip
around new zealand's south island.

we were able to see so many different
types of terrains in such a condensed amount of time.
i felt so small and insignificant being enveloped in the land.