City and Flat Life

Now that I'm actually in a city, I'm experiencing a much better immersion in urban New Zealand. The city I'm living in, Wellington, is the capital of the country, thus is where the Parliament building and most cultural hubs are centralized. It's often been compared to San Francisco, and now I know why. I've just scraped the surface of the art and night life here, but it is definitely very active. It's also incredibly hilly, and I swear I've lost two pounds just from walking between my flat and the city. There is also a Wellington tram, as well as buses that run on power lines above the road, as in San Francisco.

Part of that cable system has to do with the energy consciousness of this country. Every toilet (or loo) has two levels of flushing (for heavier and lighter 'loads'), people line dry more than machine dry, every plug has an on-off switch to cut off power when the plug is not in use. And this is the only city I can think of where I can see dense forests surrounding the outskirts of the city almost anywhere I turn- I like it, it reminds me that nature is close, and metropolitan doesn't have to mean cold and urban.



I've only been here three days, but it in some ways it feels like a home. There's so many hidden shops, random art pieces, and nice views. In spite of the occasional whipping wind, the somewhat erratic weather (which I assume with become worse with time), and the hills which cause my thighs to burn, everyone here is incredibly friendly, the architecture is diverse, the nightlife is lively, and the arts scene seems incredible.



Last night I went to a concert for a New Zealand Band called "The Phoenix Foundation" (see above and below); It was a free event put on by the city. I'm writing a review on their CD for my study abroad program's newsletter, and I was really excited for the chance to hear them live. They're great, they sound kind of like a mixture of Pink Floyd and The Shins. I'm hoping to look into other NZ bands while I'm here.



Of course, life isn't all sunshine and roses. I have yet to adjust to people driving on the left side of the road or to the metric system (oh my god, you're driving 100 miles and hour! oh wait, that's kilometers...), the currency is still confusing, and shopping is very expensive. Almost everything is pricey here, because it all has to be shipped overseas, and I'm not familiar with most of the brands of food. Vegetables and fruit also happen to be incredibly expensive, but I'm hoping to acquire some for a better price at the Sunday Farmers Market. And while the bars here have a great atmosphere, and often have live music for no cover charge, the drinks are often expensive- and because pub life is such a huge part of the culture here, I've been very careful about how much money I'm spending when I go out with other people. One girl in my program spent over $100 in one night alone... luckily I'm way too cheap to end up in a situation like that. And did I that I walk up mountain every day? I think I did.



My flat, the Wai Te Ata apartment (as seen above), looks a bit industrial on the outside, but is actually a nice setup on the inside. On the first floor is the living room and kitchen, on the second floor I have a single and I share a bathroom with a kiwi named Hannah, and on the third floor is Jake from University of Michigan and Will, the Wai te Ata RA (Residential Advisor). While a lot of my friends are struggling with their internet situation (since internet is charged by bandwith/downloading in New Zealand, instead of a flat rate), Will has already set up wireless that we can use for 20 bucks a month. Below is my room so far, hopefully I'll add a bit more decoration when I get the chance, but it's generally quite spacious and nice. And you can also see the view from my flat of the city... slight tree obstruction, but otherwise not too shabby.





Anyhow, I registered for classes today, and although the process was a bit tedious and confusing, there were helper students walking around to guide me. I'm officially enrolled in:

1) New Zealand Literature
2) New Zealand Politics: Power, Equality and Diversity
3) Maori Performing Arts & Society
4) Intro to New Zealand History

Because of the way that credits transfer, I might actually have to drop a course. Because courses here take a lot of time (and it seems, a lot of work), 3 courses is usually equivalent to a full course load, especially with upper level courses- 4 courses can be considered an overbooked course load. At least with three courses I won't be too stressed, and I get to pick which classes I'd like to keep. There's still a lot of things I need to do academically, like buy school supplies and books, get an ID card, etc. but we get a week to sort these things out before classes begin. So until then, cheers!