Sunday started off with attempting to get out of bed. Yes it only took the extremely direct self motivating word of MOVE repeated at a rate of 10 times per minute for a bit before my toes finally responded followed eventually by the rest of myself (remember combination of early church plus hiking plus dancing makes mental cognition response time a bit slow). You know how people often wonder at how incredible the human body is? Especially the fact that we have approximately 19 muscles in each foot and another roughly 13 per leg? Well let me tell you that my wonder and awe level hit an all time low as I felt every one of those usually silent muscles make their presence known with every mini-step. Grandma syndrome hit with full vengeance and I was just grateful to make it the 5 feet from my bed to the hot shower in less than 10 minutes.
In case that wasn't enough I also had the privilege of speaking in sacrament meeting. Thankfully I was the last speaker and so by that point my body and I had already worked out a happy compromise that if it would support me for a 15 minute talk I would give it a 2 hour nap. Success and the nap felt so good!
That night the stake had organized a fireside for the ysa which sounded really fun so we went. It was at a chapel in the stake that we had not been to before. Funny, when we walked into the building the first thing we saw was a cultural hall full of posters and signs saying things like "match making" and "start here" on them. Rule number one of the NZ program- NO DATING began flashing through our minds as we looked at one another. What kind of fireside is this one of us asked but before there was an answer we were already be ushered into the chapel... too late to escape.
It was a good thing we stayed because it ended up being one of the most incredible firesides I have been to in a long time and no, not because I met Mr. Perfect. After the opening song and prayer they asked us to line up and head into the cultural hall. As we walked in they handed us a roll of tickets and told us that we could visit any of the booths available until they called time. The booths had all sorts of activities from listening to messages from Beyonce to playing games to passing off articles of faith and scripture mastery. For some of the booths you had to pay tickets and for others you could win tickets. There were YSA running around telling you what you should spend your tickets on or if you should just keep the amount that you had. After about 45 minutes they called time and we had to line up to get back into the chapel. We had to turn in our tickets (they wrote the number we had on our hand) and we also had to hand over any candy or other prizes that we had acquired from the booths. Next we were ushered into 1 of 3 locations in the chapel based on the number of tickets you had left over.
Yup, you guessed it. The fireside theme was eternity is now (that's actually the ysa theme for the year) and to help us understand the concept the leaders had put on an activity that resulted in a kingdom of glory based on the amount of tickets we had acquired through our "life." I'm sorry to say I wasn't quite celestial kingdom worthy (sorry Mom!) but good thing this was only an object lesson :). The second half of the fireside had 3 speakers- a couple and a member of the stake presidency. It was amazing as they talked about our potential in various ways. The man talked about the record of the 4 minute mile and how doctors said that it was physically impossible to do but that they were proved wrong and now people break that record quite often. It definitely got me thinking about how much I let others limit my potential instead of trusting in Heavenly Father and moving forward. Afterwards I made some new friends and even met a returned missionary who served with Tannen in England. Small world.
When we got back we had a movie night with Camila and finished the Work and the Glory series. I never realized how blessed I am to have visited so many of the church sites they mention in those movies. The best part of today was also the fact that Monday was Auckland day and therefore we had no school!
Monday, January 28, 2013
This is What I Live For
Four key elements for a successful hike:
1) Bring an experienced guide with you just so you don't die of hypothermia in the bush (meaning wilderness)
2) Recruit the young men from the nearest ward to accompany you
3) Make sure there is enough trail mix to go around
4) Remember the 3-1 rule (more on that later)
James also told us that we would be going on a hike Saturday morning and to meet at the church with a backpack, a lunch, and our togs (bathing suits). Little did we know what was coming our way. We showed up bright and early on Saturday just as James was pulling in with the classic monster van. After a prayer we piled in and headed off. The road took us to the Waitakere mountains about half hour outside of Auckland. It was one of the windiest and most narrow roads I have ever driven on. Add that to the fact that I'm still getting used to whole driving on the left side of the road and there were cars that kept suddenly appearing around the sharp corners... well, let's just say that I'm glad I wasn't driving.
We stopped at the parking lot just long enough to met up with the herd of young men and their leaders who would be accompanying us before hitting the trail. Now upon reading the word "trail" your mind probably conjured up some image of a nice dirt trail beaconing welcomely into the woods. Well allow me to correct you only slightly. When a Kiwi tells you that you will be going hiking on a trail through the bush they mean hiking through the bush minus the trail. Flash back to any nature survivor shows you've watched where the guy is hacking through large ferns, dangling vines, and giant bushes. Now replace the guy with a herd of young men, their leaders, 9 BYU girls, and Erika their director. That's exactly what the "trail" was like. The benefit behind hiking through the bush in NZ is that there are no poisonous snakes (or snakes period), no parasite insects (like ticks!), and no man eating spiders (LOTR doesn't count). Oh and there's no poison ivy, or thorn plants, or really anything to spoil your leisurely hike through said bush. So it was the perfect adventure.
Now our trail started out in the middle of the jungle, following along side a nice gentle stream. The trail took us along this stream for about two hours before the stream turned into the trail. Except for a few parts where the water got up to our hips it was relatively shallow and easy to hike through. Chacos became my best friend since my feet dried almost as soon as they were out of the water. At our half way point we found ourselves at the top of a beautiful waterfall about 20-30 feet high that fell into a deep pool. It then carried about 100 feet to another second waterfall roughly the same size. The vista was breathtaking.
Our lunch break included episodes of cliff jumping into the chilly mountain water and learning a Maori game the boys called Pukana. The best part was when the boys jumped up on some of the rocks in the pool and performed the haka. It was also quite funny because afterwards the boys asked us where we all were from. When they got to me I told them I was from Alabama. Next thing I know they are breaking into a chorus of sweet home Alabama. Haha it was awesome!
Lunch was only the halfway point so after about an hour we packed up and pushed forward, well actually downward since we had to climb down the second waterfall. It was more like climb-walking since the rocks were slanted at an angle that made it necessary for a combination of the two in order to get down.
It was during this second half of the hike that the true adventure began. For starters, we had to rock climb above the river on a few occasions. The drop was never more than 5 feet down but the water was deep and we wanted to keep our stuff dry. This is where it was time to trust the 3-1 rule. Meaning making sure you have 3 holds steady and then just moving one limb at a time. The rocks were well placed for climbing so it wasn't too difficult. Just enough thrill to keep our group moving forward. After only a little while the terrain began to change. Pretty soon the soft ferns and shady trees were replaced with tall reeds, swampy water, and muck. Thankfully there was a random boardwalk that provided our trail so we didn't have to hike through the mud and slime. After a good 45 minutes the terrain changed yet again and transformed into a dry grass wasteland fit only for the shifting dunes of black sand. **Note black sand and sandals are not a good mix, especially in the middle of the day... The trail continued snaking through random patches of jungle, swap, and desert until we came to a man made tunnel. The tunnel was put in place in the early 1900s by loggers wanting to export the timber. It was big enough only to fit one tree through at a time and it was no small tunnel. This tunnel acted like a portal taking us from the jungle/swamp/desert and opening up to the ocean. Walking along the waves and feeling the cool water helped to sooth my burning feet while bringing into sharp contrast all of the scratches and scrapes I acquired from the venture through the bush. Haha at least the water was another breath taking site to behold.
In case you're wondering our hike still hadn't reached its end. Instead we hiked for another 45 minutes or so on the beach before veering back into the jungle and finishing by another fresh water stream. Some of the cars had been transferred to this parking lot so we wouldn't have to hike back (thank heaven!) and then they sent a car full of leaders back to the other parking lot to pick up the remaining cars. While resting we decided that our adventure needed a nice cold ice block (popsicle) and a hot bag of chips (french fries) before it would be complete. So we popped back into the monster van and headed to Piha beach just a few miles down the road for our sustenance.
And if that wasn't enough to make it a perfect day- there was a ysa dance that night for the entire stake which of course we had to go to. Ok well, maybe I was the only crazy one of the bunch that still went with our roommate Camilla. It was a country dance theme so of course I couldn't pass that up. We drove out to the country where a beautiful home sat nestled on a hill over looking several pastures of sheep. In fact they had even mowed one of the sheep pastures and used that for the dance floor. The full moon provided the perfect back drop while one of the ysa taught everyone else different line dances. There is nothing better than line dancing to Acky Breaky Heart with a bunch of Kiwis in a sheep pasture under the full moon. Seriously, what more is there to life?
Just a few photos of the adventure. More to come!
Our lunch break included episodes of cliff jumping into the chilly mountain water and learning a Maori game the boys called Pukana. The best part was when the boys jumped up on some of the rocks in the pool and performed the haka. It was also quite funny because afterwards the boys asked us where we all were from. When they got to me I told them I was from Alabama. Next thing I know they are breaking into a chorus of sweet home Alabama. Haha it was awesome!
Lunch was only the halfway point so after about an hour we packed up and pushed forward, well actually downward since we had to climb down the second waterfall. It was more like climb-walking since the rocks were slanted at an angle that made it necessary for a combination of the two in order to get down.
It was during this second half of the hike that the true adventure began. For starters, we had to rock climb above the river on a few occasions. The drop was never more than 5 feet down but the water was deep and we wanted to keep our stuff dry. This is where it was time to trust the 3-1 rule. Meaning making sure you have 3 holds steady and then just moving one limb at a time. The rocks were well placed for climbing so it wasn't too difficult. Just enough thrill to keep our group moving forward. After only a little while the terrain began to change. Pretty soon the soft ferns and shady trees were replaced with tall reeds, swampy water, and muck. Thankfully there was a random boardwalk that provided our trail so we didn't have to hike through the mud and slime. After a good 45 minutes the terrain changed yet again and transformed into a dry grass wasteland fit only for the shifting dunes of black sand. **Note black sand and sandals are not a good mix, especially in the middle of the day... The trail continued snaking through random patches of jungle, swap, and desert until we came to a man made tunnel. The tunnel was put in place in the early 1900s by loggers wanting to export the timber. It was big enough only to fit one tree through at a time and it was no small tunnel. This tunnel acted like a portal taking us from the jungle/swamp/desert and opening up to the ocean. Walking along the waves and feeling the cool water helped to sooth my burning feet while bringing into sharp contrast all of the scratches and scrapes I acquired from the venture through the bush. Haha at least the water was another breath taking site to behold.
In case you're wondering our hike still hadn't reached its end. Instead we hiked for another 45 minutes or so on the beach before veering back into the jungle and finishing by another fresh water stream. Some of the cars had been transferred to this parking lot so we wouldn't have to hike back (thank heaven!) and then they sent a car full of leaders back to the other parking lot to pick up the remaining cars. While resting we decided that our adventure needed a nice cold ice block (popsicle) and a hot bag of chips (french fries) before it would be complete. So we popped back into the monster van and headed to Piha beach just a few miles down the road for our sustenance.
And if that wasn't enough to make it a perfect day- there was a ysa dance that night for the entire stake which of course we had to go to. Ok well, maybe I was the only crazy one of the bunch that still went with our roommate Camilla. It was a country dance theme so of course I couldn't pass that up. We drove out to the country where a beautiful home sat nestled on a hill over looking several pastures of sheep. In fact they had even mowed one of the sheep pastures and used that for the dance floor. The full moon provided the perfect back drop while one of the ysa taught everyone else different line dances. There is nothing better than line dancing to Acky Breaky Heart with a bunch of Kiwis in a sheep pasture under the full moon. Seriously, what more is there to life?
Just a few photos of the adventure. More to come!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Gangnam- Kiwi Style
Meet Beau. My awesome one of a kind host brother. He loves "tricking" us by tapping us on the shoulder and then pretending like he has been engaged in something else the whole time or by telling us that there is someone behind us to make us look. He is an excellent basketball player not to mention his amazing magic abilities that makes things disappear in his magic hat and then reappear behind your ear. His two best friends are the Cat in the Hat and Marry Poppins and yes he knows every song by heart. Sara and I count ourselves lucky to have someone who is always excited to see us when we get home and that we're his number one invites to play duck duck goose on the trampoline. We were privileged the other day to see first hand Beau's incredible dancing skills! Boy is he something! After his show he invited us to join him. We even were given complementary hats (a fireman hat and a russian furry hat) just to add to our stylish get-up. Definitely one of the best dance parties I've ever been too! The video of me dancing was some how erased..... but take a look at this talent :) Oh and his friend Jayceen also wanted to add her touch as well.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Money Exchange
So interesting experience at the shops yesterday... Our roommate Camilla gave us a list of new junk food we had to try so we walked to pack and save (the grocery store) after dinner. We picked up some ginger beer and different kinds of biscuits (cookies) and lollies (candy) and headed over to the cash register. Of course no grocery store experience is complete without a little competition at the check out line. I was doing pretty good until it came time to hand the girl my money. The total came to $8.43 so I got out a 20 and a few coins. I only had two 20 cent pieces and one 50 cent piece. So naturally I hand the girl my 50 cent piece. She then gives me the strangest look and says why don't you give me your two 20 cent pieces? Because I owe 43 cents and those only add up to 40 I reply as I try to hand her the 50 cent piece again. She says I know and you only owe 40 cents not 43. Now I'm confused... I look at the register showing the total and tell her that it says there I owe 43 cents. Starting to get impatient she says that they don't have 1 cent pieces and just to give her the 40 cents. Still a little unsure I give her the money and left. I looked at the receipt on the way out and sure enough they round up or down for the total amount. Weird! But hey I saved 3 whole cents! Sara had no idea that they did that either and we talked to Julie about it afterwards. The smallest coin they have is a 10 cent piece. So crazy!! Haha well now I know :)
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Delicious!
Our host mum is amazing and is working hard to make sure we have the true kiwi experience! Here are some examples of some things we've tried recently.
Yo-yos like small shortbread cookies with a creamy stuff in the middle. There are little specks of orange that add to the flavor.
Date scones (sk-u-on) not fried but baked and incredibly delicious.
Boil-up: consists of meat (brisket), doughboys (dumplings), watercress (the green stuff) and kumara (golden kumara is sweet potato and they also have a white variety that tastes just like sweet potato just white)
Ketchup does not exist but tomato sauce does and it does have a different flavor. I think they use a different spice with it but it's still yum.
Junk food! These are some of the more popular name brands that our host mum went and got for us.
Just delicious!
The potato looking thing with the silvery color towards the top is kumara, the orange stuff to the right is cooked pumpkin (yes they eat it as a veggetable here), and the green stuff underneath that is called silver beet with the normal chicken and stuffing as well.
Fish and chips with potato fritters (the circular things)
Haven't tried yet but it looks really good
Mint milk = kind of like milk and mouthwash but together, banana milk = banana pudding liquid form, carmel milk = drinking carmel, lime milk = disgusting (sweet but weird flavor beyond description), crunchie bars = honeycomb covered in chocolate it takes good but not my favorite when they name something crunchie they mean crunchie, marvellous creations = a mixture of chocolate covered gummy candy and mini chocolate pieces with pop rocks mixed in... definitely a party in the mouth experience.
Also haven't tried but looks delicious
Look- drinking coconuts all ready to go! Straw not included
Mini sweet corn fritters. Yes they look like mini pancakes and that's kind of what they taste like but with bits of corn inside them (they also make them with sea food). They eat them with sour cream as shown above
Jelly = jello. Notice the fun flavors.
Yo-yos like small shortbread cookies with a creamy stuff in the middle. There are little specks of orange that add to the flavor.
Date scones (sk-u-on) not fried but baked and incredibly delicious.
Boil-up: consists of meat (brisket), doughboys (dumplings), watercress (the green stuff) and kumara (golden kumara is sweet potato and they also have a white variety that tastes just like sweet potato just white)
Ketchup does not exist but tomato sauce does and it does have a different flavor. I think they use a different spice with it but it's still yum.
Junk food! These are some of the more popular name brands that our host mum went and got for us.
Just delicious!
The potato looking thing with the silvery color towards the top is kumara, the orange stuff to the right is cooked pumpkin (yes they eat it as a veggetable here), and the green stuff underneath that is called silver beet with the normal chicken and stuffing as well.
Fish and chips with potato fritters (the circular things)
Haven't tried yet but it looks really good
Mint milk = kind of like milk and mouthwash but together, banana milk = banana pudding liquid form, carmel milk = drinking carmel, lime milk = disgusting (sweet but weird flavor beyond description), crunchie bars = honeycomb covered in chocolate it takes good but not my favorite when they name something crunchie they mean crunchie, marvellous creations = a mixture of chocolate covered gummy candy and mini chocolate pieces with pop rocks mixed in... definitely a party in the mouth experience.
Also haven't tried but looks delicious
Look- drinking coconuts all ready to go! Straw not included
Mini sweet corn fritters. Yes they look like mini pancakes and that's kind of what they taste like but with bits of corn inside them (they also make them with sea food). They eat them with sour cream as shown above
Fry bread
Jelly = jello. Notice the fun flavors.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
City of Sails
Weekends = pack in as much as possible at the cheapest price. They have a pass here called the discovery day pass where you pay $16 and you can use any bus, ferry, or train for the next 24 hours. It's awesome! So we got up early, ate a quick breakfast and ran to catch the bus. It was about an hour ride into the city but it dropped us off right by the ferry building where we met the rest of our group. Auckland has a population of roughly 1.4 million and with its miles of ports and coastline it is a sight to behold. There are a few sky scrapers with the most famous of them all being the sky tower, which is shaped similarly to the space needle in Seattle.
Our first stop of the day was to ride the ferry across the harbor to a small port called Devonport. It's a quant little town that dates back to the early 1900s (some buildings earlier depending on where you go). The peninsula originates from two old volcanos that stopped erupting thousands of years ago. The Maori used the volcanos to set up defenses for their villages because they offer a 360 degree view of the harbor. Most of the girls in our group stayed by the shops but Sara and I ventured off to go hiking. We hiked up Mt. Victoria (more like a giant hill) first. The view was absolutely breathtaking with a giant volcano visible to the northwest, the city of Auckland to the south/southeast. Sail boats dodge the bigger vessels slowly chugging their way into Auckland's main port and compete with each other for the best wind while lazy yachts zigzag up and down the coastline. I could have stayed up there all day and still have wanted more.
We also ventured over to the northhead of the island where the ruins of an old british fort are still visible. We even explored down and around the tunnels underneath the fort they used to use during military engagement. It was a bit creepy since some of the passageways were quite narrow but that didn't stop us from exploring. Our greatest discovery involved an old fireplace and some cool graffiti. We met up with the other girls for lunch (we had packed ours all thanks to Julie for taking such good care of us) and then headed back into the city.
We spent the rest of the day walking around, visiting shops, and exploring. We walked past the sky tower (we'll go up there another day) and all along the warfs (like giant piers). We watched the sail boats drift in and out of the harbor and compared which yacht looked more expensive. We walked down to some steps where you could put your feet in the water. I couldn't get enough of the beautiful sea green color of the water. Oh and being so close to the harbor of course we had to stop by the fish market (I couldn't connivence everyone to go so just a few of us went). I saw the largest lobster I've ever seen along with live eels and sea urchins. There were lots of fish varieties but in all honesty it was a pretty small fish market. I expected it to be more packed and with more variety. Don't get me wrong- it was pretty cool but a lot calmer than I thought a fish market would be.
By that point the rest of the girls were ready to go home. We had walked quite a bit plus the wind had picked up and started blowing a lot more. But Sara and I decided that we weren't done (all thanks to my upbringing mom :) we had to get our moneys worth) so we took the ferry to and from Devonport one more time (Sara had never ridden a ferry before today). We walked around some other parts of the city before catching our bus and heading home. After the bus dropped us off we stopped by the shops by our house and picked up some fish and chips. And just in case the day wasn't perfect enough we ate our fish and chips with some tip top ice cream (the brand) while watching a few episodes of Gilmore girls. We fell asleep by 10:30 absolutely exhausted but it was totally worth
View of the unloading docks while riding the ferry
Volcano!
The orange building is the ferry building
On the collar it says "doggie parking"
View from Mt. Victoria
Our first stop of the day was to ride the ferry across the harbor to a small port called Devonport. It's a quant little town that dates back to the early 1900s (some buildings earlier depending on where you go). The peninsula originates from two old volcanos that stopped erupting thousands of years ago. The Maori used the volcanos to set up defenses for their villages because they offer a 360 degree view of the harbor. Most of the girls in our group stayed by the shops but Sara and I ventured off to go hiking. We hiked up Mt. Victoria (more like a giant hill) first. The view was absolutely breathtaking with a giant volcano visible to the northwest, the city of Auckland to the south/southeast. Sail boats dodge the bigger vessels slowly chugging their way into Auckland's main port and compete with each other for the best wind while lazy yachts zigzag up and down the coastline. I could have stayed up there all day and still have wanted more.
We also ventured over to the northhead of the island where the ruins of an old british fort are still visible. We even explored down and around the tunnels underneath the fort they used to use during military engagement. It was a bit creepy since some of the passageways were quite narrow but that didn't stop us from exploring. Our greatest discovery involved an old fireplace and some cool graffiti. We met up with the other girls for lunch (we had packed ours all thanks to Julie for taking such good care of us) and then headed back into the city.
We spent the rest of the day walking around, visiting shops, and exploring. We walked past the sky tower (we'll go up there another day) and all along the warfs (like giant piers). We watched the sail boats drift in and out of the harbor and compared which yacht looked more expensive. We walked down to some steps where you could put your feet in the water. I couldn't get enough of the beautiful sea green color of the water. Oh and being so close to the harbor of course we had to stop by the fish market (I couldn't connivence everyone to go so just a few of us went). I saw the largest lobster I've ever seen along with live eels and sea urchins. There were lots of fish varieties but in all honesty it was a pretty small fish market. I expected it to be more packed and with more variety. Don't get me wrong- it was pretty cool but a lot calmer than I thought a fish market would be.
By that point the rest of the girls were ready to go home. We had walked quite a bit plus the wind had picked up and started blowing a lot more. But Sara and I decided that we weren't done (all thanks to my upbringing mom :) we had to get our moneys worth) so we took the ferry to and from Devonport one more time (Sara had never ridden a ferry before today). We walked around some other parts of the city before catching our bus and heading home. After the bus dropped us off we stopped by the shops by our house and picked up some fish and chips. And just in case the day wasn't perfect enough we ate our fish and chips with some tip top ice cream (the brand) while watching a few episodes of Gilmore girls. We fell asleep by 10:30 absolutely exhausted but it was totally worth
View of the unloading docks while riding the ferry
Volcano!
The orange building is the ferry building
On the collar it says "doggie parking"
View from Mt. Victoria
Tapa
Tapas: usually made from tree bark and beaten into thin strips. These strips are then woven together to make rugs or clothing. It's actually a tradition in the islands of Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji but since so many of those islanders are now living in NZ it's a custom that has stuck. So as I mentioned in my previous blog we actually made some as part of our maths class. Although we didn't actually use bark we did use paper which still comes from trees. Anyway the basic steps are as follows:
Find a design you like or make up one yourself. The key is to create symmetric patterns and shapes. The tapa can either be one large shape with small patterns or smaller patterns all coming together into one tapa.
Divide the paper into gride squares to make drawing the design easier. Then pencil in the design. Once your design is finished go over the design in black permanent marker. Also color in the parts you want solid black.
When you've finished with the black then you dye the paper. But first you want to crumple up your paper into a ball and then carefully uncrinkle it again. Run a clothes iron set on warm over the back of your tapa to smooth it out. Now you're ready for the dye. We used just common dye found at the store (shops) it was a brownish color. You mix the dye with water and sponge the die all over the entire tapa until it looks like so:
Let your tapa dry completely.
Finally using bleach and q-tips you can dye parts of your tapa white to accent the pattern. It won't bleach the black marker only the dye. Let the tapa dry and you're done! Here's my finished product:
Find a design you like or make up one yourself. The key is to create symmetric patterns and shapes. The tapa can either be one large shape with small patterns or smaller patterns all coming together into one tapa.
Divide the paper into gride squares to make drawing the design easier. Then pencil in the design. Once your design is finished go over the design in black permanent marker. Also color in the parts you want solid black.
Let your tapa dry completely.Finally using bleach and q-tips you can dye parts of your tapa white to accent the pattern. It won't bleach the black marker only the dye. Let the tapa dry and you're done! Here's my finished product:
Math Class Adventures
Remember watching the Harry Potter movies and imagining what it would be like to have Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice and shaky hands teaching you a charm's spells or Professor McGonagall sternly reminding you that transfiguration requires concentration not lolly gagging? Well, from the moment our math class began this week I felt as though I had been transported into such an experience. That first day of maths class she walks in with short blond hair, fashionable clothes, and quite the personality. Since when did Madame Hooch become a maths professor I thought to myself after resisting the urge of looking around for her broomstick, black robes, and quidditch whistle. After a quick introduction she pulled out her dice, measuring sticks, colored counters, and whatever else you can think of a math teacher owning and the class began.
Rich task was her middle name and problem solving was most definitely her game. Class involved trial, and error, explaining and correcting, but with speed and accuracy. Her purpose to rid us of our old school boring mathematics approach and to introduce us to smart maths teaching. Being the unique teacher that she was we learned number rap songs (with dance accompaniment), used geometric features to create tapas (google the word they are really cool!), drew giants based on a single hand print, and we beat each other at games similar to chess but with number equations that move the pieces. Every day was a whirlwind of activity from 8:15am until 3:30pm. She was not afraid to correct you and her common phrase was "investigate!"
Math class will never be the same. I always thought math = memorize a bunch of formulas and know how to work numbers. Instead our professor taught us that math noticing patterns and learning how to decode them. We developed interesting and easy ways to integrate a simple mathematical concept into other subjects without going overboard on materials and planning. Although a bit eccentric at times (add in an intense New Zealand accent full of idioms and academic vocabulary) our professor opened up the world of math in ways I had never though of before.
Rich task was her middle name and problem solving was most definitely her game. Class involved trial, and error, explaining and correcting, but with speed and accuracy. Her purpose to rid us of our old school boring mathematics approach and to introduce us to smart maths teaching. Being the unique teacher that she was we learned number rap songs (with dance accompaniment), used geometric features to create tapas (google the word they are really cool!), drew giants based on a single hand print, and we beat each other at games similar to chess but with number equations that move the pieces. Every day was a whirlwind of activity from 8:15am until 3:30pm. She was not afraid to correct you and her common phrase was "investigate!"
Math class will never be the same. I always thought math = memorize a bunch of formulas and know how to work numbers. Instead our professor taught us that math noticing patterns and learning how to decode them. We developed interesting and easy ways to integrate a simple mathematical concept into other subjects without going overboard on materials and planning. Although a bit eccentric at times (add in an intense New Zealand accent full of idioms and academic vocabulary) our professor opened up the world of math in ways I had never though of before.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Words to Know
So of course one of New Zealand's trademarks is their accent. It's wonderful being in an English speaking country but just because we speak the same language doesn't mean that we always communicate. Here is just a brief list of some new words I've picked up over the past week and a half:
throw a wobbly: throw a fit
spit the dummy: spit the pacifier or in adult context means they couldn't take it any more
to give someone a brown eye: to moon someone (funny if you think of skin color in relation to the word they use and we use)
heaps: lots of
pudding: word used for dessert pudding can be cake, cookies, brownies etc. custard = American version of pudding
biscuits: cookies (I tried to explain biscuits and gravy to my host mom haha she thought it sounded disgusting until I told her they weren't cookies)
footie: rugby
togs: bathing suit
so yum: really good (they use this word all the time)
rat bag: trouble maker
poncy: posh, ritzy
cool as/sweet as: really cool/awesome. You have to listen carefully to this one because they don't fill in anything else. They just say "sweet as" that's it and it pretty much sounds like they are swearing... but they aren't. There are even companies that have summer deals "sweet as."
acts: ask
yous: plural of you. They say how are yous doing. Or these cupcakes are for the two of yous.
car park: parking lot
motorway: highway
jelly: jello (jam is jam/jelly)
jandel: sandals- flip flops
boot: trunk of a car
nexminute: next minute or next thing you know...
scallywag: no not a pirate but another very much used term for trouble maker
my shout: meaning I'm paying or it's on me
Julie even let us borrow a book with little phrases to help us practice/learn how to blend in. Give me a few more months I'll be a pro :)
throw a wobbly: throw a fit
spit the dummy: spit the pacifier or in adult context means they couldn't take it any more
to give someone a brown eye: to moon someone (funny if you think of skin color in relation to the word they use and we use)
heaps: lots of
pudding: word used for dessert pudding can be cake, cookies, brownies etc. custard = American version of pudding
biscuits: cookies (I tried to explain biscuits and gravy to my host mom haha she thought it sounded disgusting until I told her they weren't cookies)
footie: rugby
togs: bathing suit
so yum: really good (they use this word all the time)
rat bag: trouble maker
poncy: posh, ritzy
cool as/sweet as: really cool/awesome. You have to listen carefully to this one because they don't fill in anything else. They just say "sweet as" that's it and it pretty much sounds like they are swearing... but they aren't. There are even companies that have summer deals "sweet as."
acts: ask
yous: plural of you. They say how are yous doing. Or these cupcakes are for the two of yous.
car park: parking lot
motorway: highway
jelly: jello (jam is jam/jelly)
jandel: sandals- flip flops
boot: trunk of a car
nexminute: next minute or next thing you know...
scallywag: no not a pirate but another very much used term for trouble maker
my shout: meaning I'm paying or it's on me
Julie even let us borrow a book with little phrases to help us practice/learn how to blend in. Give me a few more months I'll be a pro :)
Basketball
Remember one of the goals I made for this trip? Try new things and don't look back? Well I took that challenge on Tuesday. Tuesday night is basketball with the YSA like I mentioned before. Ok so it wasn't exactly a "new" thing since I've played basketball before but playing at the church with the ysa (especially with some of the big kiwi boys) was something I'd never done. There were lots (heaps) more people there this time around but I still managed to play a few games. Some of the games even got a little more competitive than they probably should have been with a few elbows getting thrown here or there. Truth be told I was not a star player by any means but it was so much fun! There were more girls this time around (even one that I recognized from a class I had at byu- she's leaving for a mission in february small world!) so it was 2 girls 3 guys per team and same rules 5 baskets. You could also only win three games in a row since there were so many people who wanted to play.
I had a blast! I even prided myself in making the winning shot for our team's first game. We went undefeated until our 3 games were up. It's getting to the point where people know not only who we are but our names too (though I'm still working on all of theirs). We didn't get home until after 11 but it was a really fun day plus we didn't have any homework.
Our mathS class is going pretty well. The teacher wanted us to see how hard it is for kids to work with numbers and learn new concepts/vocabulary so we worked in base 8 instead of base 10 (meaning numbers only existed as such 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20 etc and our conversions were different). It definitely got us thinking. Funny how once we learn a concept we forget how hard even the simplest things were at one time. Don't believe me? The next time you see a baby pay attention to how much effort it takes for them to pick something up with their fingers. What is now a routine and simple task used to take lots of effort and concentration. So often teachers are the same way with their students. They see the task as something easy and routine because it is for them and yet the students are learning these concepts for the first time. It's given me a lot (heaps) to think about as I prepare to intern this August.
I had a blast! I even prided myself in making the winning shot for our team's first game. We went undefeated until our 3 games were up. It's getting to the point where people know not only who we are but our names too (though I'm still working on all of theirs). We didn't get home until after 11 but it was a really fun day plus we didn't have any homework.
Our mathS class is going pretty well. The teacher wanted us to see how hard it is for kids to work with numbers and learn new concepts/vocabulary so we worked in base 8 instead of base 10 (meaning numbers only existed as such 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20 etc and our conversions were different). It definitely got us thinking. Funny how once we learn a concept we forget how hard even the simplest things were at one time. Don't believe me? The next time you see a baby pay attention to how much effort it takes for them to pick something up with their fingers. What is now a routine and simple task used to take lots of effort and concentration. So often teachers are the same way with their students. They see the task as something easy and routine because it is for them and yet the students are learning these concepts for the first time. It's given me a lot (heaps) to think about as I prepare to intern this August.
Monday, January 14, 2013
"MathS" and FHE
So apparently in America we have to be unique at everything. We write the date our own way (1/15/2013 instead of 15/1/2013), we use feet, yards, inches, gallons, pints, etc. Not to mention working in degrees Fahrenheit instead of Celsius. We like walking and driving on the right side (which actually is how it should be according to most of the world) and we have developed our own interpretation of the word for mathematics or maths as they call it here. We read an entire book called Elephant in the Classroom (which I totally recommend for anyone struggling in teaching mathematics) and they quoted americans as using a unique version of the word "maths."
Haha well we started our mathS class today. Helen our teacher is quite the character and already I can tell this week is going to fly by. She isn't a member of the church but has quite a passion for helping teachers becoming better at teaching math in the classroom. At one point she was trying to teach us a concept and finally she said "I've got it! You'll never forget this!" and then proceeded to use an analogy comparing beer/wine mixing to help us understand haha.
For FHE we were invited to a family's house that only live a few houses down from us. Their daughter Shannon is our age and is another connection for us to the YSA. We had the best time! They had even recorded the Alabama vs Notre Dame game for me so I could watch the highlights :). We ate dinner and Sara and I taught the lesson. They still have a few younger kids at home so we made it pretty short but we focused on the plan of salvation. Boy did that bring flashbacks from the mission- especially being in someone else's house, eating dinner, and not being as familiar with the culture (plus the brown skin). We also played church bingo and 7-up (not the thumbs up game but a different one). The dad was the bingo caller and cheated by looking at other people's cards to make sure everyone got a bingo. Everyone got upset and Sara and I just laughed because it made us think about our families. We stayed at their house for quite some time playing games and then watching home videos of different Samoan dances that their family performed for the oldest son's wedding last year (he married a BYU girl from the year before as we were reminded MULTIPLE times....). We also got to see pictures of the youngest son (10) playing rugby. We had candy and more Samoan coconut rolls for dessert- so delicious
Haha well we started our mathS class today. Helen our teacher is quite the character and already I can tell this week is going to fly by. She isn't a member of the church but has quite a passion for helping teachers becoming better at teaching math in the classroom. At one point she was trying to teach us a concept and finally she said "I've got it! You'll never forget this!" and then proceeded to use an analogy comparing beer/wine mixing to help us understand haha.
For FHE we were invited to a family's house that only live a few houses down from us. Their daughter Shannon is our age and is another connection for us to the YSA. We had the best time! They had even recorded the Alabama vs Notre Dame game for me so I could watch the highlights :). We ate dinner and Sara and I taught the lesson. They still have a few younger kids at home so we made it pretty short but we focused on the plan of salvation. Boy did that bring flashbacks from the mission- especially being in someone else's house, eating dinner, and not being as familiar with the culture (plus the brown skin). We also played church bingo and 7-up (not the thumbs up game but a different one). The dad was the bingo caller and cheated by looking at other people's cards to make sure everyone got a bingo. Everyone got upset and Sara and I just laughed because it made us think about our families. We stayed at their house for quite some time playing games and then watching home videos of different Samoan dances that their family performed for the oldest son's wedding last year (he married a BYU girl from the year before as we were reminded MULTIPLE times....). We also got to see pictures of the youngest son (10) playing rugby. We had candy and more Samoan coconut rolls for dessert- so delicious
BBQ
Sunday. We went to our ward for the first time. All of the other girls and our director are in the other ward except for two other girls that are with us. The majority of the ward are islanders so naturally we fit right in with our light hair and skin :). I had the coolest experience of meeting the family of a missionary that I served with in St. George. The missionary isn't coming home until March but I'll get to see her before I take off. Our YSA class was pretty full with a variety of ages, which is nice. Funny... they still stress eternal marriage just as much and have teachers who bring it up at every possible moment with everyone either groaning or snickering. haha I guess somethings are the same world wide.
After church we started getting everything set up for our BBQ. Julie invited all of the BYU girls with their host families and a few other people (including the missionaries) for a pot luck dinner. Beau's dad is native Tongan and came to grill the meat (hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken etc) and boy was it good!! We set up a canopy with chairs and tables outside. It was a bit hot but started cooling down later in the day. It's funny that upper 70s are "so hot" to the Kiwi's but I guess they also don't have air conditioning and if there isn't a nice breeze blowing it can get a bit stuffy. Anyway the BBQ was a hit! We even sang a song in Maori that we'd been learning and others sang other songs after us. The missionaries that came are both from the states and were in shock, not knowing how to handle themselves around so many Americans.
We had to fight to help with the dishes (we keep trying to convince Julie that we're not guests but part of the family and have to do our share of the work). So we made a deal that we would do the dishes until we are tired and then turn the rest over to Beau's dad. So that's what we did- until they realized that we weren't getting "tired" and they finally kicked us out of the kitchen.
That night we went to another missionary setting apart. This time we missed the actual meeting though because of the BBQ and we just went for the social aspect. Of course there was tons and tons of food. We tried a few things included Samoan hot chocolate (not my favorite since it's pretty much just heated water with coco powder and something else in it) and Samoan sticky buns (bread with a coconut sauce over the top. It's not very sweet but still really good). Afterwards we watched the first movie in the Work and the Glory series with our roommate Camilla. About half way through the movie it hit me how ironic it was to be in NZ watching a movie about America.... It also got me thinking as to how blessed I am because I've had the opportunity to visit many of the church history sites. Many people only ever see movies or pictures of these places and I've been there. That was pretty humbling to think about.
After church we started getting everything set up for our BBQ. Julie invited all of the BYU girls with their host families and a few other people (including the missionaries) for a pot luck dinner. Beau's dad is native Tongan and came to grill the meat (hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken etc) and boy was it good!! We set up a canopy with chairs and tables outside. It was a bit hot but started cooling down later in the day. It's funny that upper 70s are "so hot" to the Kiwi's but I guess they also don't have air conditioning and if there isn't a nice breeze blowing it can get a bit stuffy. Anyway the BBQ was a hit! We even sang a song in Maori that we'd been learning and others sang other songs after us. The missionaries that came are both from the states and were in shock, not knowing how to handle themselves around so many Americans.
We had to fight to help with the dishes (we keep trying to convince Julie that we're not guests but part of the family and have to do our share of the work). So we made a deal that we would do the dishes until we are tired and then turn the rest over to Beau's dad. So that's what we did- until they realized that we weren't getting "tired" and they finally kicked us out of the kitchen.
That night we went to another missionary setting apart. This time we missed the actual meeting though because of the BBQ and we just went for the social aspect. Of course there was tons and tons of food. We tried a few things included Samoan hot chocolate (not my favorite since it's pretty much just heated water with coco powder and something else in it) and Samoan sticky buns (bread with a coconut sauce over the top. It's not very sweet but still really good). Afterwards we watched the first movie in the Work and the Glory series with our roommate Camilla. About half way through the movie it hit me how ironic it was to be in NZ watching a movie about America.... It also got me thinking as to how blessed I am because I've had the opportunity to visit many of the church history sites. Many people only ever see movies or pictures of these places and I've been there. That was pretty humbling to think about.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
A day at the Zoo and Dancing
Saturday I think it all caught up with me because when Sara got up at 7 to go play basketball with the YSA I hardly remember telling her that I was going to stay in bed. It felt so good to sleep! I had breakfast and had already started on my laundry by the time she got back. Everything here is a lot smaller than in the states. Trash cans are about 1/3 the size of what we have and you have use a specific type of black bag that you purchase for the trash company to be able to pick it up. The washer is also a lot smaller and no one has dryers. Everything is hung up instead.
So our big event for the day was heading into the city to see the Auckland zoo! Julie helped us figure out the bus system (which is pretty expensive 5.60 one way but cheaper if you get an all day pass that allows you ride any bus you'd like to anywhere in the city). We were so proud of ourselves when we got off where we needed to be with the right bus. The plan was for us to meet up with the other girls around 11 but our bus got to the zoo closer to 11:30 so we worried that we had missed the girls. We ended up meeting up with two others from our group and we found out later that the other girls had changed their minds about going. Our little group of 4 was so much fun!
The zoo had quite the range of animals and it was really clean and well organized. The weather cooperated and it didn't get too hot until a bit later in the afternoon. We got to see a little elephant show where they showed us the elephant's teeth (it was an asian elephant) and feet and even made it lay down and then get back up. We saw tigers playing with balls and flamingos sitting on their eggs. We also met cousin "it" the orangutan (look at the picture) and of course we went through the Aussie Walkabout exhibit and encountered kangaroos and emus. But the best part was seeing a real live kiwi bird! They are native to NZ and are only found on their islands. They are extremely rare in the wild and there are lots of conservation efforts to keep their species alive. They are brown, flightless birds, about the size of a turkey with super long beaks to dig for bugs under leaves and dirt. While waiting for the bus on our way home we walked through a park near by called Western Springs that had chickens and pukiko birds (see picture) everywhere.
Then to top off the day, a missionary from the stake got home from his mission on Monday so they had a big celebration for him and we were invited. He had served in Tonga and so they had decorated the cultural hall with different maps of the islands that he had served on (he served on the same island as John Groberg for about 6 months). Of course there was lots of food and then a few amazing cultural dances and songs welcoming him home. The costumes were lovely and all of the entertainment was put on by the returning elder's family. Afterwards there was a dance for anyone who wanted to dance. I didn't recognize many of the songs but it was so much fun! I'm starting to get the names down of all the ysa. We didn't get home until late and were pretty tired but it was such a fun ending to an awesome day!
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