i'm writing a paper on the
Indigenization of Christianity in the Pacific,
looking specifically at Fiji and Tonga.

these places used to seem so unfamiliarly foreign.
but now that they come up in conversations/lectures
every single day, they don't feel so far away anymore.
+practically neighbors+

ps: i lost my only stack of post-it notes.
i don't know what to do.
(i make a daily to-do list & have for the past 2 years)
but they cost $11 a pack here..
*sigh, first world problems..*
-____-
maybe i will buy a roll of receipt paper
and write down all my to do lists
until i finish the roll. then i can look back
and read all the things i've done.

sometimes, it'll hit me that i am here.
i also just noticed how symmetrical 'AOTEAROA' is.

kiwis will say "choice!" instead of "cool!"
they also don't refrigerate their eggs.

highlight of my sundays.
i discovered that feijoa IS pineapple guava.
i also realized i had never actually eaten
chard or purple kumara so i got some today.

no one in the building has been able to

take a real shower for a week. the only
water that comes out is..beyond scalding.

so i've been filling pots with water from
the kitchen sink & dumping it onto myself
while standing in the shower.

@__@

out of all holidays, i always have the best easters.
this year, i get to visit tonga!

you have not lived life if you have not
tried hokey pokey ice cream.
~*rich creamy vanilla with honey comb chunks*~
i got it on sale at new world this afternoon.

i spend my rainy days eating avocados and
picking aphids off my plants.

i feel overwhelmed & anxious for some reason.

i hear maori(?) chanting coming from the street.
my shower has done nothing but scald my skin.
i hope seymor is okay. i wish i had a pet here.
like a little fish to keep me company.
i'm expected to memorize a poem titled
"what am i"...in samoan.
(it's pronounced saaa-moa, not suh-moa)

the following shows the linguistic
branching of the word "coconut"

Some Austronesian words for "coconut":
Nyiur (Indonesian)
Nu (Tetun, i.e. East Timor)
Niyog (Filipino, e.g. Tagalog, Pangasinan)
Voanìo (Malagasy/Madagascar)

Some other Pacific words for "coconut":
Ni (Marshalls and Kiribati)
Niyok (Guam)
Noece (Caroline Islands--Belau)

Some Polynesian words for "coconut":
Niu (Fiji)
Niu (Samoa)
Niu (Tonga)

E tipu e rea (we want the best of both worlds)
i am most enjoying my Aims & Ideals of Maori ED class.
our class is tiny & our tutorial is even tinier
because people don't show up for some reason.

everybody in the class comes from such a
different background which makes
discussions super interesting because there
are so many different perspectives to be shared!
i like the professor (joanna).
in fact, i've always adored/respected all my ED profs.

Mālō e lelei
Tonga is composed of 176 islands,
36 of which are inhabited.
The king (George Tupou V) passed away today.
i am going here in 4 weeks.

this inspires me.

WARNING: MAXIMUM WEIGHT=1 PERSON

decided to try and make curry for the first time.
i couldn't find one "good" recipe for it, so i combined
many from online & the box of japanese curry.
it was so good and easy too. i made extra for leftovers
so now i can have a yummy lunch tomorrow!
this curry has:
+lamb
+onions
+carrots
+potatoes
+eggplant

tararua.

the second night of tenting was much
warmer than the first. i snuggled into the
soft grass & passed out. we woke up,
ate breakfast, washed our dishes & filled up our bottles
in the river and were on the move again.

day #2 hike was somewhat brutal.
every muscle in my body ached
and my legs are swollen with bug bites. eek.
but i feel very accomplished & GOOD.
the landscape felt so wild and free.

the land before time
tramping through new zealand.
we hiked up+down mountains, leaped over muddy swamps,
hopped over river rocks, pulled our way up
tree roots growing in steep hills
and climbed on/through/above many boulders.
this landscape has been sculpted into our bodies.

we made it to the totara flats by nightfall.

this is a [female] colossal squid
on exhibit at the te papa. it was accidentally found
by nz fishermen in antarctic waters.
it has the largest eyeball of all creatures on earth.
there is no record that a male colossal
squid has ever been sighted!

i watched a little video that was being displayed
then turned around and saw it.

our first assignment in my Pacific Studies class is to

attend a Pacific cultural event and write a review.
Xoobwen Fwaada, a Melanesian band from New Caledonia
was performing at Te Papa museum today so i decided to go after class. the group is interested in promoting indigenous music and reviving the usage of traditional bamboo instruments.they sang about their origin, meeting new people and dragonflies.
they also all spoke french which had to be translated into english for the audience.

one lady asked "i have never heard of this New Caledonia,
is it near France?"
there was an embarrassed silence in the crowed.
"uhm, not quite, it was a French colony,
about a 2 hour ferry ride from New Zealand"

i just joined the school tramping(hiking/backpacking)club!

we're going to the Totara Flats this weekend
for the 1st trip of the semester!

i am glad i already have all the gear i need
(sleeping bag, backpacking backpack, canteen,
head lamp, rain jacket,etc).
i just wish they had clif bars here in aotearoa.
i'm not too keen on museli..

i found a very cool picture online.

i planned to print it out at the kodak store a block away.
but then decided just to paint it myself @ 11:00pm.

taped to the door is a map of wellington.
i constantly have to un-tape & bring it with me places.
for example, lauren and i walked 8.8 kilometers
to and from a pet store. we both wanted a pet betta fish.

we ventured into greater wellington
and encountered many street names
we couldn't even pronounce.
then we passed katherine mansfield's house.
sadly, we didn't end up getting our finned friends
(but we did see heaps of beautiful tropical guppies)
i was going to name mine Lova,
short for pavlova (nz's national dessert).
but just wait, i will have my lova one day.