Todd's Birthday and Penguins

Last weekend was busy busy busy.  On Saturday, it was Todd's birthday but seeing as we're a day ahead of everyone, no one in the states was really celebrating yet.  But we did!  We had brunch with Deb and Lynnette (friends of Laura and Todd's after a chance encounter in a jewelry store revealed that Deb had grown up in the same town that Laura and Todd live in in Maryland.  Crazy small world.  

Todd, Lynnette, Deb, Moi and Vanessa

It was a rainy day and was supposed to clear up so after a lazy afternoon at home watching Top Gear, we drove out to Portobello to have Korean BBQ at the house of Laura and Vanessa's co-worker Kitty. 

Kitty!

Todd and Dan grilling

um... self explanatory picture

Anna - the only one who dressed up in honor of the evening's future activities

After we grilled and ate about 6.5 pounds of meat (so much but sooo good) and large slices of chocolate cake, we drove further out on the peninsula to see the penguins come home!  There's an area where volunteers corral visitors (like us!) from getting too close to the penguins so they can get to their nests and feed their babies.  The penguins that nest there are Blue Penguins, which are about 10" tall and ADORABLE!  If you've seen Madagascar, then you'd have to assume that Dreamworks animators looked at these penguins to create the S.W.A.T. penguins in the movie.  

They come in from the water like a dark ripple.  It's rather scary if you don't know they're only 10" tall and weigh 2 pounds.  Once the fast moving ripple reaches the shore, 16 penguins climb out and scamper up the rocks and then waddle up the beach to their meeting point.  Once they've all assembled, they move out, bellies to the ground so they blend with the night.  Here's my picture of them doing that:

They blend really well.

We plan to go back on a clear night with, preferably, a full moon so we can see the penguins better.  

Knitting & Pool

A while back, I joined Ravelry.com, it's basically facebook for knitters and crocheters.  Yes, I might have some grandmother tendencies...whatever.  Anyways, there are a gazillion groups on Ravelry so I looked for one based in Dunedin and found the group Take Back the Knit (I believe it's an unwritten law that anything knitting related - be it store or ravelry group - needs to have a pun in the name). I emailed a couple of the members and asked where they meet during the summer and was given directions to one of the member's home.  Laura and Todd dropped me off on their way to coffee and I walked into a stranger's house to go knit.

Shockingly, I don't think I was the youngest person there!  There was another girl about my age who's getting a degree in Neuroscience at the University of Otago and 4 other women ranging in ages up to maybe 60.  It really was a knitting circle.  No TV, tea, chocolate, and 6 women knitting and talking.  Haha, it was completely cliche and spectacular!!! 

I got an education on fruitcake from one of the women.  She's flying up to Canada for someone's wedding so that she can make a fruitcake.  In NZ, it's tradition to have your wedding cake be fruitcake.  It's not just a disgusting Christmas cake here like it is in the states!  It's still a special dessert that makes an appearance not just at Christmas but apparently most weddings.  Apparently, baking it in a wooden box is best because then the corners don't burn and you only have to use 1 piece of baking paper and not 6.  There was also discussion on currants and which brandy to use to get a really dark cake as well as how to soak the fruit to get the best brandy absorption.  Seriously...an education.  I'm going back again this week.  

Being the only unemployed member of the household tends to sign you up for cooking on a regular basis so everyone else doesn't think you're useless.  Needless to say, I enjoy Fridays when the Friday Shop is open and we go buy steak pie for dinner.  Good.  Deal.  And there is literally a shop that is only open on Fridays and all they sell is gone by noon.  Theories abound that they're a catering company during the week as well, but it's amazing that they stay in business and are SO POPULAR when they're only open 5 hours a week.  

Friday was also the eve of Todd's birthday.  Saturday was booked already so we went out Friday to play some pool.  Laura DOES NOT know how to play and was very confused why the cue ball couldn't be moved wherever you wanted it to go.  Vanessa calls the stripes "BIGS" and the solids "LITTLES".  We're not sure if that's a Kiwi thing or a Vanessa thing.  Vanessa's not sure either.

Vanessa's good cuz she used to play a lot.  Todd got better the longer we played - helped that he had skill to begin with.  I get better after a beer and an hour of practice.  Laura's attention span isn't that long when beer's involved so we made up our own versions:
Quadrants: We all got our own quadrant.  If the cue ball stops in your quadrant, you get to hit it.  Solids/stripes and team rules still apply.
Speed Pool: You have 3 seconds after the cue ball stops moving to make your shot, solids/stripes and team rules still apply.  A) stinks when the cue ball stops but the ball you hit hasn't and you're not sure if it's going to go in B) good thing that nobody who was really playing was near us cuz we were making tracks around that pool table with our cuesticks sticking out at all wonky angles.  

After pool, we went to the Octagon (the center of town) and had wedges at Craic, one of many bars in the Octagon.  Wedges are just steak fries, but they're served with sour cream and sweet chili sauce.  I would put sweet chili sauce on par with ketchup for how prevalent a condiment it is.  All the Kiwis love it and would probably eat it with everything if given the chance.  And it is quite yummy - they're not crazy! 

Life In Dunedin

So, last week was quite busy - even despite the fact that I'm still not employed...

Tuesday, we took Hedwig to see the tire specialists cuz she tended to list STRONGLY to the right, and when that's the side the traffic is coming from it doesn't bode well for car longevity.  So, 30 minutes later, they called me and said that the passenger side tires had lost their structural integrity and weren't staying round anymore. :(  2 new tires later, Hedwig is good to go and I've actually been driving her!!  I've stalled many times now, but I've still yet to hit anything (knock on wood).

Tuesday night, I went to water aerobics with Laura and her friend Cathy from curling.  I've never actually done water aerobics before but it was fun!  The pool is heated so that's fabulous.  And we used the woggles a lot.  Woggle = noodle, those fun colored pool noodles.  The first time the instructor mentioned the woggles I had NO idea what she meant.  Fortunately, I'm a quick study so I figured it out.  It also helped that the other 20 women went straight for the pool noodles so I'm sure that helped me.  Laura and I are going again tonight!

Wednesday, Vanessa and I got up SUPER early to go walking.  We left the house at 6:45 am (hey, that's super early for me) and drove into town to meet up with 2 University of Otago students who are walking the length of New Zealand to bring awareness to children being sold into the sex industry.  Interesting fact, the sex industry is unionized!  Laura finds endless amusement in this fact.  I digress...  So Vanessa and I and 4 other people who work with Laura and Vanessa at the University, walked with these two students, Tim and Kate, out of Dunedin north on the way to Waitati.

The first part of the walk was lovely.  It was flat.  So for half an hour or so we walked and talked and enjoyed the fact that it was sunny and warm since rainy weather and a cold breeze would have been most unenjoyable.  Then, we started to go up, as you cannot fail to do while walking in Dunedin.  I was just keen to keep up the pace I had been making but the hill kept going! and going... and getting steeper...and going...so I stopped to take pictures.  Honest, I wasn't stopping cuz I was huffing and puffing

View of Dunedin from somewhere up the hill

The calves lined up to cheer us on our walk... so cute!

We finally reached the top of the hill and stopped for orange slices that Donna had brought and photos:

Kate, Tim and Vanessa (eating an orange) at the top of the hill

Proof that I made it and didn't send my camera up with Vanessa

Fortunately, people had 9am meetings to get to so Laura drove up and picked us up from the top of the hill but not after catching this gorgeous view of Otago Harbour

So we drove back down to the University.  Then I accompanied Laura and Dan (who works with her) to the store where we got donuts and coffee before I walked home.  Uphill.  Again.  Me not so smart.  I literally walked uphill both ways... but a donut has never tasted SOOOOO good at the end of a walk.

That night, Laura and Todd and I went back to the university to attend the Pecha Kucha night.  "Pecha Kucha" is Japanese for "chit chat".  An architecture firm in Japan, back in 2003, started a night where a presenter shows 20 images for 20 seconds each and talks about each picture.  Now it has grown and occurs in 300+ cities around the world where presenters choose 20 images on a topic of great personal interest.  Check it out:  www.pecha-kucha.org  

We heard from 11 presenters including an archivalist at the University Library who presented old Dunedin business letterheads with the picture of the business' building on it, so a wee history lesson there; a woman who started a business trimming clothing with possum fur; a scientist who studied brachiopods - strange creatures that remind me of barnacles, but the scientist was funny so we laughed instead of snored.  There were also 3 architects who work at firms here in Dunedin.  So, during the intermissions, I networked and got contact information and sent them all my resume when I got home.  Still waiting to hear back from one guy...but fingers crossed maybe it'll work out.  Otherwise, I'm off to the vineyards!

Dunedin - Home Sweet Temporary Home

Thursday, I spent the day "working from home" with Todd, read: updating my resume and looking for job openings.  At noon we went to a Kiwi yoga class.  I was nervous I wouldn't be able to understand the Hindi names of the positions when spoken with a Kiwi accent, but I made it through.  I miss Laughing Lotus and the flow of the class, but hopefully not all yoga classes here are that choppy.  Still fun tho!

Then, at 5, we went downtown to meet Laura and Vanessa and their friend Tania to go see HARRY POTTER 7!!  A full 24 hours before it opened in the states!  Visiting a British Commonwealth when a British movie is being released totally has its benefits.

 

Friday I went out on my own!!  I walked down to the Octagon via the steep but gorgeous hills and got a SIM card for my cell phone.  If you care to call me it's 01164 21 332 389.  It's free for me if you call or text so don't be shy!!! hahaha :)

 

Friday afternoon was the Otago Polytechnic Art Showcase.  All the various art students had their final projects on display and we went to observe.  We're quite cultured down here (read: there was free wine).  Anyways, the art was really cool and despite falling in love with several pieces, we all managed to keep our wallets closed.  Pretty easy for me because mine currently doesn't have much in it.  The exciting part for Laura was the appearance of the 3rd and 6th place models from New Zealand's Next Top Model.  Apparently with only 4 million people in the country, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous is quite easy.  Laura's in the top left corner and the twins are in front of her with the long brown hair...

Saturday was rainy, a shockingly regular weather forecast.  I think I may be the only person who LOVES it.  Todd and Laura and I went to the Farmer's Market and the Craft Market, had lunch and went home.  At the farmer's market, since it was raining, there was no line at the Bacon Buttie Man.  A Bacon Buttie is a sandwich filled with bacon.  That's it.  Well, a couple onions, but 98% bacon.  Genius.  Side note: bacon as Americans know it is called streaky bacon.  Bacon for Kiwis is actually our ham or Canadian bacon.

At the Craft Market, I met the 2 Alpacas that were there for show and tell.  They were rather anti-social but the guy who manned the booth, Flagstaff Alpacas, was super friendly.  He and I chatted about yarn and then I so cunningly asked if they needed help at their farm.  He took my number and I bought yarn.  I guess he won this time...

Interestingly enough, the ATMs are worthy of a story.  Most ATMs are, as the acronym promises, machines.  Here, the EftPOS ATMs are actually a person in a booth with a debit card machine who hands you money.  I bet the unemployment rate here is nil.

And in the parking lot, Laura and I discovered a very intelligent world travelling Kiwi:

Sunday we stayed in and had a rousing cribbage scrimmage.  The American team beat the International team (Laura and I won!).  Vanessa's friend Francis came over for dinner and we all played some bananagrams.  Scintillating weekend, no?

So today, Monday, I applied for a couple jobs and researched architecture firms here in Dunedin.  Hopefully I'll have a job in a week so I can move into a house with Vanessa's friend Megan.  We went to visit her today and she lives even FURTHER up the hill.  Walking home will be a beast so fingers crossed I get a job AND a parking spot :)  Cheers for now!