Last Day of School!

It's hard to believe especially since it's only the end of January but our classes are officially over as of Wednesday! It's super nice because now that means we'll be getting into the schools really soon and I can't wait! We have a few papers and a portfolio that we still have to put together before our trip to the south island next week. I'm glad that we are done with our long days at the chapel. Not that I didn't like the classes or the professors but it is a long time to be in the same room... even if you have breaks it can still get long.

Thursday was really neat because we had a woman from the University of Auckland who is in charge of the Maori immersion program throughout the country. She talked to us about how the program came about. The Maori language/culture was treated very similarly to the way the US government treated our native populations. When the English arrived the people were eventually forced into English only schools and made to be transformed/converted into "civilized" people. It was only in recent years (as recent as the 70s/80s) that parents/grandparents began to realize how important cultural preservation is and they began to fight for their children to learn the Maori language. The parents themselves organized schools: mothers would give the lessons and fathers would donate a day of pay to provide the materials and such for their children to learn. This began at the kindergarden (which is their preschool) level. As the children got older a program would be created for them at the primary level (elementary school) and then at the college level (high school). Now there are programs even through the university level. The program is complete immersion into the Maori language. Obviously there are pros and cons to this approach. Pro being the preservation of native language and culture. A con being that these students struggle with learning how to read in English. They are still working out the kinks but it is amazing what what they have made happen!

This specific professor was one of the leading parents behind the cause. Her approach about bilingualism is different from most. Some believe that it is like two separate wheels of a bike spinning together, leading in the same direction but remaining separate as two distinct parts. Instead she believe that it is like a tree with different branches. These branches should grow together as the tree grows and eventually the tree will be able to reach its true potential.  It was really awesome!

We spent the rest of the day doing homework and getting ready for our weekend trip to the temple and Rotorua. Yeah, I know it sounds boring but even in paradise you still have to get work done. Both Wednesday and Thursday night Jean and Jayceen invited us to dinner (some of Julie's friends). We had the best time! Jean is an excellent cook! After dinner we played the wii version of the DDR game. Jayceen really loves puzzles too so naturally we had to put together a Hannah Montana puzzle (her favorite one). It was an awesome week and the weekend trip is just going to make it better!

Match Making?

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!

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) 

Monday our fearless leader/NZ guide James stopped by with lava lavas for everyone during our history class. So naturally we had to break for our first lava lava tying lesson which led us to discover our creative side. Did you know that there are more than 9 ways to wear a lava lava? For more visit this blog: http://rachel-elizabeth4.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/hogwarts-school-of-witchcraft-no_22.html

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!

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.

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 :)

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

Fry bread 

Jelly = jello. Notice the fun flavors.

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