Good News!

Spring is in the ai- oh wait. loljk. its freaking cold as outside!
its getting darker much earlier, and its cold, cold, cold!
Last night, my host mom was sprawled on the couch and i was laying on the floor with Zues (cat) and Schnookie (dog) and we were just chilling and talking about the family going up to the tippy top of the north island in  July. But i was only supposed to stay with this family until June, and i'm pretty sure June comes before July. just saying. So we were talking, and i was like "well, where am i going then?" and my mom was like, "oh you're not going anywhere. we've decided to keep you." and she started laughing and i started laughing and the smile on my face must have been the size of texas. i was just like, "really!?!?!" and she is a very sarcastic person so she always jokes that i'm going to go live with the bookers (old host family) again, so i was just super pumped.

Anyways, just had to go into detail with that because i am still so ecstatic about staying with this awesome family. Um, hmmmm. what else is new?
If i keep saying "adjective as" its because its a kiwi thing to do. its the lingo on the street. word.
Take for example lesson A=
- "Wow. That chocolate is sweet as!"
- "Dude. is that a guy or a girl walking down the beach? Scary as."
- "Physics is a hard as subject. dayumm"

So yeah, it seems kind of lame and dumb but all the kids and even old people say it over here. And also, when you ask someone a yes or no question you can expect this answer:

- oh yeah yeah yeah naw braaah. OR
- oh no no no yaah braaaahh.
(Emphasis clearly on the 'bros')

me with some friends on top of this statue. you can see just how tall Saara (the girl on the left) is.

awkward self-timer camera . :)

Welly ^^^

a very sideways glance of the railway station. haha. my bad. 

OH. and also, for school, My team is winning the House Cup. 

Blue Team is in first place

Red Team is in 2nd 

and no one really cares about green or yellow. 

That's all for now. See you next time kids.
(Que Mr. Roger's theme song)

video attempt = FAIL

here's a video of me mumbling about nothing really and looking extremely pale. However, i'm actually getting a nice tan, i'll have you know. haha, i know its not in sync, but eh. whatever. i'm too lazy and i'm rushhing, so i'm not going to fix it. :)

A little glimpse of God goes a long way.

Well, the days are growing colder and the nights are growing longer. and when i take one step out of my house, i have to physically brace myself against the wind and [most days] the rain. Nick, my brother, claims this is the perfect weather. ha. HA. HAAAA.  June and July are supposed to be the coldest months. eee-gads. Right now, i'm curled up on my sofa, sitting in my school uniform [because i am simply to lazy to change], wearing my thickest pair of tights and sipping away at my coffee. Its real handy having a home so close to school, so that whenever i have studyhall i can just quickly walk 5 minutes to my house and just chill out for a whole class (1 hour).
I have a massive physics exam coming up and an equally massive calc test early next week, so i constantly have my nose in my notes, trying to soak up as much information as possible as well as memorizing countless formulas. yay. so much fun!

Holy Guacamole!

Wow. i haven't updated in….hm…well, too long- that's for sure.
A lot has actually happened. a lot of GOOOD things happened. Its really hard to remember everything but here goes:

• My school (Heretaunga College) won the National Dragonboating Championships. That may not seem like such a big victory, but to me and to my school it is HUGE! 
• I joined my school's field hockey team. I wasn't planning on it, but a friend persuaded me into going out yesterday (monday) for the hockey trials…i'm not really that good at hockey back home, but wowza. compared to the girls here, i'm pretty decent. and i am being VERY modest when i say that.
• learned New Zealand's National Anthem (in maori). you jelly?
• Went to the International AFS camp and had the time of my life. yes, i was the only american girl there and also the only one who could speak english without having to go "um…" every 5 seconds. Nevertheless, it was a good two day camp. I met a lot of people from Argentina, Denmark, Iceland, Canada, France and Malaysia. . . and pretty much every other country known to man. The camp wasn't that big though. There were only 40 kids. 
• At camp, i am happy to say, i went on the Flying Fox! was it scary? yes. was it awesome? heck yes.
• I am officially addicted to Desperate Housewives. I'm not a big TV fan, but my host brother insists that every monday, we all sit down and watch it. Its actually pretty darn good, if i must say so. Things like that can really suck you in. :) 
• My last class today was a studyhall, so i just left school early (yes, Year 13/seniors can leave school grounds) and got changed and went into town barefoot. When i first came here, i was like "OH MY GOD. people walking barefoot, everywhere?!? in the park? the supermarket? the train?! GROTTY!" but now i kind of like the freedom of walking with no shoes. I just hope i don't get some weird foot fungus! YUCK.
• Scored a goal in handball. um hell yes!!!!! 
• I went (last weekend) hiking up 10 freaking kilometres pretty much vertically up this mountain. I thought i was going to pass out. honest. but it was so worth it when i got to the top of the hill (I call it a "mountain" but my kiwi friends call it a "hill").

Anyways, okay. i think it is time to share some lovely photos :) going in chronological order::::

David, Anna-marie, Dorothy, and me were just hanging out and then this old guy comes sprinting up the mountain and so i asked him to take a photo of all of us together :)

me and dot at the bottom of the so called 'hill'

the dam.

the BEAUTIFUL view from the top. amazing. 

Heretaunga (far) winning regionals

the coach Shannon (far left) throwing the other coach in with my host brother (far right)

Doing the Haka after winning.

Shannon keeping a straight face while Bradley (right) performs the lead role of the haka.

wellington the day of regionals dragonboating.

and again.

heading home on the train after a great day watching the dragonboaters.

A photo i managed to take from up high on a bridge's ledge. I was freaking out while taking the photos up there. :\

NOW, fast forward to two days ago:

Me and my friend Rasmus, from Denmark.

Me and my cute little Icelandic friend, Brynja.

Me with other AFS'ers :) as you can see, yes, i went to BK!

I look really depressed here, but actually i was having a great time. it was just 7 15 here and i went to bed at 5 30, so as you can imagine i was a little slow in the morning.

me and karla, a girl from Finland. Skinny, tall, blonde and blue eyed. oh, those finnish models.

Me with my friend Laadina and Brynja again.

Me, and Emma (who took the photo) and other AFS'ers

That's it for now. sorry if that took you 45 minutes to get through. i should really update more often, yes? yes. 

Art History Photos

Well, i'm not sick of new zealand just yet.
A lot has happened in the past few days, but i am far too lazy to type all of it. :D
All of my classes are going great && i'm meeting a lot of new people who are really nice!
In my art history class, we recreated the "Last Supper", which sounds lame, but it was actually pretty neat.
Photographs? yes, they are needed:

First of all, this is our own funny take on things. :)

serious #1

attempt at serious #2

serious #3

serious #4

Close-up #1

Close up #2

Then, i attended my first "Sausage Sizzle" during my morning break (first lunch- yes we get two lunches…you jelly?) at school. Pretty damn good, not going to lie. It was a sausage/weenie ontop of a slice of bread, topped with some Tomato Sauce (no one says ketchup here…weird? meh.) 

…………..amazing…………..(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

This is what my home looks like, it really is starting to feel like home now : )

Update?

its hard to believe i have been in new zealand for a month. it feels like a decade has passed since i had my last day of northern lebanon high school. but then again, time is going really quick! Despite my first 3 weeks in new zealand, i am incredibly happy. My host mom and my host dad are really cool people and my host brother, Nick is really funny. ( :
I'm starting to become familiar with the school grounds and i'm not getting lost quite as often- which is a major plus. Definitely, love how relaxed school is, too. I came into class 10 minutes late today (i had slept in and Nick was at the gym) and all my teacher said was, "Good morning, Evelyn. How are you today?" The relationship between teachers and students is weird! it almost seems unprofessional! I have to say i like the more relaxed environment over here. But, The earthquake in Christchurch is affecting my school a lot. A lot of the teachers and students have family in Christchurch which is horrible. The death toll was up to 103 yesterday and over 200 people are trapped (not counting the missing)! Tomorrow we get a "mufti" day or a day of not wearing our uniforms. it costs $2.00- which isn't bad at all- and all the funds are going to Christchurch. my whole school is dressing up tomorrow in black and red….too bad i don't have any red things. :\ but, The scary thing about the earthquake is Christchurch isn't even supposed to get big earthquakes- Wellington is. The fault line is so close to my house! I can't help but be a teensy bit paranoid.

Lovely things that have happened so far:

• saw my school's Dragonboating team compete (and win!) races at the bay.
• joined my school's Running Club- we run BEFORE school in the morning. insane.
• saw the South Island (in the distance) while standing on the North Island. crazy!
• set off my house alarm (purely by accident). and had the cops call my house. i insisted i was fine and no, there was no bad guy.
• learned new Maori slang words at school. :)
• went to see the Lord of the Rings gift shop- where they have actual things from the set.
• ate vegemite (YUM!)
• bought an "All Blacks" rugby team flag. 
• got booked in for a 10 day South Island trip in April.
• went swimming. in the ocean. which is practically right outside my house. amazing? yeaah, i think so.

Me and Dot at the Lord of the Rings gift shop. 

Both of us standing near a stage prop that was actually used in the movie!

and again with my very attractive facial expressions.

Me with Dorothy's host sister, Nikita.

This past saturday, watching the Dragonboating events (this was actually St. Patricks team).

watching Heretaunga's team go by!

making cookies with Dorothy and her host mom.

the bay.

That's all for now. Updating this blog is starting to seem more like a chore than anything, but  its a good way to show all you guys back home what i've been up to! 

-evelyn

reality

today i woke up and just lied in bed for a little bit thinking, "am i really here? is this a dream? is this me trippin'?" at first, it was such an odd feeling to be so far from home and not know a single other soul. i don't know how to describe it, its just weird. and other people who have done this kind of thing know exactly how i feel, but until you're actually on your own, by yourself, you'll have no idea of what i'm going through. and its cool because its like a fresh start. no one in new zealand knows anything about you. but then again, these people have known each other for at least the past five years of their high school. its kind of like you're on the outside, looking in. and its sorting through the good and the bad people. haha, if that makes sense at all. its just such a good feeling of having that freedom and independence, meeting new people and being immersed in a completely different culture.

anyways, i slept over at dorothy's house again yesterday,
for those of you who forget she comes from Rhode Island, back home in the states.
We climbed this massive (and when i say massive, i am actually under-exaggerating) hill/mountain. it was so exhausting. and i must admit, when dot told me that the view was great, i was just thinking yeah, yeah. a view is a view. there's nothing special about that.
but when we got to the top i saw things from her point of view. it was incredible. words cannot describe it. it was just really exhilarating.

all in all, it was a pretty good day.



-evelyn

School and Athletics Day

Today was my second day at Heretaunga College. It is wonderful. i know i made the right decision to speak up about moving schools and host families. definitely. The guys and girls at Heretaunga are so nice and welcoming. They're so curious about America and and where i live and my accent. A lot of kids talk really fast and sometimes its hard to follow them because they use slang words i have never even heard of, so i have to ask them to repeat themselves a few times! Two maori kids (year 13- my age) today tried to teach me some of the maori language, (so coool!) but it sounded so strange with the rolling tongues and foreign, tiki-like words.

And since today was "Athletics Day", we did no school work! Woohoo! :) We got together in our House groups (think harry potter's hufflepuff, slytherin, etc) and we got to compete in different events, like the 100 metres, javelin throw, 1500 metres, discuss and relays. It was so much fun! It was like an over-the-top pep rally back home. There were costumes and each house dressed up in a different color (red, blue, green, and yellow). somewhat like halloween. Anyways, we're competing for the "House Cup" and whoever has the most points will come in first at the end of the year. crazy.

Here i am (Blue house) with Dorothy (Green House). I don't really want to hang out with her too much at school because already people are labeling us "the two crazy americans."

and now for some more lovely photos:::::

^^^me trying on the enemy's (friend in the Yellow House) costume.

Me with Irene and Jaimie and the gang. 

My friend Jaimie (Green House) on the left and Simran(Blue House) on the right (obviously he doesn't wear gloves like that on a regular basis. or i wouldn't talk to him.)

-evelyn

Kiwi Phrases;

Here are some phrases and/or words that are different than in america, i'll probably be adding more as i go along:

• togs- swimsuit "Grab your togs and lets go."
• jandles- flip-flops "Don't wear your jandles for such a long hike, evelyn."
• petrol- gasoline "We need to fill the car up, the petrol is low."
• buggered- tired out; lazy "i can't be buggered."
• brekkie- breakfast "C'mon then, lets get some brekkie going."
• rubbish- trash; unbelievable "That can't be right. That's rubbish"
• bush- forest/undergrowth area "Don't get lost in the bush."
• pakeha- non-maori person "She is such a pakeha."
• quite nice- often used with sarcasm or as a compliment "Your hair is quite nice."
• justin bieber- the ultimate insult. "Your hair reminds me of Justin Bieber." 
• hammies- upper leg muscles "Your hammies tired yet, from all this walking?"
• bloke- friend (see also mate) "My bloke and i are going into town."
• torch- flashlight "Grab the torch for camp."
• eh- used at the end of questions "The weather's a bit shitty, eh?"
• oy- an exclamation "Oy! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
• dairy- think of a tiny grocery store that's really expensive "Go down to the dairy and get some lollies."
• cuppa- a cup of tea, coffee, etc. "Make me a cuppa, will yah?"
• brilliant- used quite often as an exclamation "That was just brilliant beyond words."
• mate- friend "and how are you, mate?"
• lollies- candy "Go buy some lollies, yeah?"

I'll continue adding more when i hear them, but a lot of them i have forgotten. :\

hogwarts themed?

I got my Hogwarts-Gryffindor themed school uniform and it is a million times better than St. Mary's uniform. For one, St. Mary's skirt went down to my ankles. Heretaunga's skirt reaches just above my knees. Secondly, Hereataunga isn't so god damn strict, meaning i can show a little skin.
picturezzz? yes, i think so.

 i also have this oh-so attractive pullover cardigan for when it is a bit nippy outside;

Heretaunga College, itself, looks so confusing. There's construction going on and they have these construction workers running around everywhere like ants! Its insane. They have fences to keep kids out of work zone areas and so you have to walk around everything (it takes 10 minutes longer to get to one class) and its just one big mess. But things should be settling down by term twooo! hopefully.

i am so excited to start school tomorrow. I cannot wait.

too cool for school

welps, i am officially no longer going to Hell everyday (also commonly referred to as St. Mary's  All Girls Catholic College).

haha no- just kidding, it wasn't that terrible.

i am now enrolled at Heretaunga College. Tomorrow i will be going into school to get fitted for a uniform! For those of you who don't know, school is very different over here. College consists of 9th year, 10th year, 11th year, 12th year and 13th year students. Kind of like back in the states, how we have 9th grade through 12th grade but its like adding another year. 

My american AFS friend, Dorothy, is actually in year 12- which sucks because i'm in year 13. Nick, my temporary host brother is the "head boy" (or class president as we would say back home) of year13 though, so at least i will know someone in my grade level. 

And exams are also really different. There is no graded homework or anything like that. Sure, we get homework and assignments and what not, but my teachers at St. Mary's have been stressing how important it is to pass the Internal Exams (hard tests given in class) and the External Exams (even harder tests given out of class. Think something like the SATs but for school. I like this, because back home we are constantly having tests and quizzes every week it seems. 

-evelyn