Trips and travel: October 2009

Hello Family,

So my time in Dunedin is winding down to just a month and some change. I realized that you guys, aside from my mother and father (maybe?) don't really know anything about my actual life here. That is my flat living, university going, club hopping life in Dunedin. Seeing that it is a Sunday morning and no one is awake yet, ill shed some light...

1. University life: So I decided to take four 300 level courses here which was a decision I regret in the sense that the teachers here love to give busy (long hours), necessary assignments. Due to this I spend much of my weekdays in the library. The classes I took here were/are
Indigenous representation in cinema: most pointless class I have ever taken. Class and screenings were unnecessary because our only real assignment was a research paper about nothing we learned about, which was kind of depressing. Class time was predominately open discussions debating the evilness of the hollywood system. Ended up writing a 15 page essay on Inuit Cinema which was unfortunately the best thing I learned about in my class.
Entrepreneurship: The hardest part of this class was spelling out E-n-t-r-e-p-r-e-n-e-u-r-s-h-i-p over 30 times in a matter of an essay. This class met at 8 AM and also had no final which inevitably over time caused me to sleep in instead of going. For the essay, I used dear ol' dad as my prime example (supposed to be a research paper) and still managed to get an A. We had a group project which was actually somewhat enjoyable, so in the end it was all alright.
Tourism development and planning: I was so bummed when my HTM advisor Derek Bratton was so excited about me taking this course that he started jumping for joy. The name sounds rather less than interesting. Luckily, this turned out to be one of my favorite classes with our sexy old-man hippie professor.
Ecotourism: By far one of my favrorite classes I have possibly taken. There is something to be said about a class that gets me out of bed at 8 o'clock every week. This was kinda like a Sut Jhally class in that it made me re-evaluate my life.

Flatlife:
So I live in all green complex called the lofts. The people that live here are probably my favorite internationals aside from my few lady muffins. I live with five people. Its quite the eclectic mix of people, coming from all very different backgrounds with different interests.
Ill go in alphabetical order...
Abby: from Maine, goes to Bates, plays lax, sings responses to questions, loves to cook mexican cuisine
Geoff: from Philly, goes to URichmond, frat boy, comedian, grew his hair and mustache out while living in NZ
Hannah: my kiwi lover, lives in Queenstown, goes to Otago, loves shopping for unecessary accessories so together we are trouble, likes playing practical jokes and scuba diving
Michael: My danish biffle. goes to Copenhagen uni, law student, always happy, fantastico chef
Raphael: French muffin from Lyon, likes to wear all sorts of hats and enjoys lighting incences (I have no idea how to spell that word)

Now the fun part: SOCIAL LIFE!: So the assumption that kiwis were hippy, nature loving, free spirited beings was a bit off. But, kiwis have blossomed into my favorite group of people. They are an extreme culture who dress in a mix of trendy, snowboarder, and hobo chic. The girls practically never wear pants but i like the style and have purchased a few items of clothing since arriving. Even the laziest kiwis are fit and do not really understand the true concept of laziness. Another thing that kiwis love beside activity is alcohol. I did not know what drinking was until I came here. In fact the biggest threat walking around Dunedin is stepping on the intense amount of broken glass. The night clubs are a blast and kiwis love to dance in the drunk daze to techno (or as they call it drum and base) and make fools of themselves. Last week at the cook (a popular club), I was swing dancing with this kiwi in the dance floor at a club, Id be shocked if American boys would dare to touch the swing dance genre (of course aside from Kunle, my ballroom partner extraordinaire) Going out here in general is just really fun and we had our first party last weekend which was also a major success. HOLLA!

Miss you all... but im never coming home
-Kirst

The word bungy, as used by A J Hackett, is said to be "Kiwi slang for an Elastic Strap".[4] Cloth-covered rubber cords with hooks on the ends have been available for decades under the generic name bungee cords.By 1982 they were jumping from mobile cranes and hot air balloons. Commercial bungee jumping began with the New Zealander, A J Hackett, who made his first jump from Auckland's Greenhithe Bridge in 1986.[8] During the following years Hackett performed a number of jumps from bridges and other structures (including the Eiffel Tower), building public interest in the sport, and opening the world's first permanent commercial bungee site; the Kawarau Bridge Bungy at Queenstown in the South Island of New Zealand.[9] Hackett remains one of the largest commercial operators, with concerns in several countries.
(WIKIPEDIA.com)

So yeah, I was going to to skydive, but after discovering NZ was where bungy jumping originated I changed my mind. I cant really describe it.... but everyone reading this should do it.

We stayed at my flatmates house in queenstown. It was my dream home, no joke. It was isolated with lots of land, and space to the point where we laid out in our undies and no one saw.