October has been terrible…

Ashley said that I don’t have to always post my blogs about things being peachy. So, I just want to start off by saying that this month has been miserable. I have not been doing well at all and I shouldn’t have to pretend otherwise. I don’t see a need for me to go in to details and feel that if anyone is close enough to really care, they will ask me in person.

With that being said, it is clear why I haven’t been an updating machine this month. However, there are a few more interesting things/pictures I’d like to share now that I have said what I needed to.

Starting with a bit of Austin…

This is the rather well-known/iconic picture in Austin done by Daniel Johnston. I think it is all kinds of funny/weird/creepy… and I walk by it all the time. 

This is my church.
I joke.
However, it is one of the closest churches to me… when I kept wanting to take a picture, the scientologists kept coming outside and looking at me.  I actually came back another day when no one was paying attention to snap a picture.
I would also like to say that they almost always have a “hiring” sign out… I was tempted to apply.. but something told me I probably shouldn’t.

The lawn in front of the tower… known to be a popular place for reading, napping, frisbee, etc.
The domed building in the distance is the state capital building.

Just part of the facade of the main gym on campus… it is big.

This is inside the main tower building… I was admiring the ceiling on my way to take some pictures of my favorite UT library.

This is the awesome science library.
There were a ton of people studying so I tried to make it clear I wasn’t trying to take their picture… I would have liked to show you more than the ceiling.. but I was getting annoyed stares. The room consists of a bunch of periodicals,books, tables, computers, and some nice couches/arm chairs. However, it is the ceiling that makes this library my favorite.

It is just super cool… all kinds of famous quotes that make zoning out and looking up completely worth it.

I did go home in the middle of October to visit everyone and was pleased that it also happened to be the weekend of the neighborhood garage sale. Uh oh. =)

I bought a leafy friend.

And a lovely painting… but the best purchase by far was…

A MONOPOLY TABLE!

I just need friends to play with…

It is awesome! And has never even been played… a bunch of the game materials were still wrapped up in plastic. Super unnecessary purchase… but totally worth it.

And finally… I was given these free by the owners of the monopoly table. They said they thought I could use some “water glasses”…
I think these glasses are gorgeous… I just doubt I’ll be using them for anything besides water anways. =)

Well, that’s all for now. I am at a bad place right now and can’t seem to get up out of it. Hopefully, November will prove to be better for me.

Do you believe in magic… in a young girl’s heart?

Hey everyone! I realize I have been REALLY slow with the updates lately… but you’ll have to forgive me. I’ve been busy! I moved to my new apartment in Austin at the end of August. So, I’ll start there…

But, first… a few days before I moved I went over to my sister’s and snapped a cute picture of Ethan with my camera phone.
He looks crazy… and CUTE!

Now, on to Austin….

Hello, snazzy apartment building. It was actually quite difficult to get a picture of the sign thanks to some not so strategically placed bits of nature. =P

The building is brand new… and the apartments are all very nice! It is also a major plus that it is a fairly short walk to campus. All of my classes are 15-30 minutes away via my feet. =)

Lovely new appliances… =) I also have a dishwasher.. but since it is just me and I don’t own a lot of dishes I’m not quite sure I’ll be using it! However, it sure would have been nice back in NZ when there were 5 of us!

I took several pictures but I don’t think I need to bore you with them… they were all pretty plain because it was before I moved in all of my stuff. If there’s a huge desire for more pictures I will take some new ones with my happy furniture. Anywho, I do have a lovely bathroom, washer/dryer, and a fairly big space for sleeping/doing work/eating… everything. My apartment is an efficiency which means it is really just one room and then the bathroom… so I sleep in the kitchen pretty much. However, I love it.. I don’t need anymore space for just me!

A day after moving everything in, I decided to check out some of the Austin poetry scene and was pleasantly suprised to discover poetry is happening all over the place. I ended up choosing a venue called “Ruta Maya” to do an open mic there. I took some pictures with my phone of the place.

Unfortunately, I was not smart enough to take them in the daylight. The place is actually quite huge (2 stories) and looks super cool both inside and outside though that is hard to tell here!

Stage!

I actually ended up meeting a famous, well-travelled poet at the event though I didn’t know it at the time. (Thanks, youtube for letting me watch numerous videos of him… this guy is an AMAZING poet and performer) He invited me to another venue that I haven’t been able to attend yet.. but I will go soon.

This is another picture I took with my camera phone. I was quite pleased with how it turned out. This is the infamous UT clock tower… I guess for NZers you could compare it to Otago’s clocktower. It is just kind of a symbol of our school known around the world. They even light the clocktower up orange when it is finals time, graduation, orientation, or we win in sports.

Later in the week I tried to get a closer picture with my camera so you could see some of the cool classical architecture going on.  I did come on a day and time when no one had classes… usually the area in front of the tower is full of students hurrying off to lectures… instead, I just snapped a shot of one solitary soul who I was annoyed got in my way. =)

This is the statue in front of the Flawn Academic Center… which is a great resourceful place for students. There is a ton of study space, an undergrad writing center, computers to use, a killer Audio Visual Library, and a million other things!

Anywho, the reason I felt compelled to take this photo was because last year I actually did an assignment on this particular work for an art history course. We were given a lot of room to be creative in the project and part of what I decided to turn in was just a quick poem. It is funny to look back on.. because my writing style changes constantly and this was really only a little over a year ago. 

10/6/08
The Torchbearers (based on the Charles Umlauf sculpture)

They run with rapidity,
fly with intention,
muscles tensed,
no intervention.

The crowd holds its breath
emotions are high,
the torch is passed on,
and the people cry.

They yell out in triumph,
as the flame doesn’t falter,
moving one man to the next,
the pace without alter.

The torchbearer smiles,
and sprints with great need,
the future is bright,
for he has great speed.

A youth with great drive,
becomes a man with ambition,
towards knowledge he’ll strive,
to attain recognition.

With success his reward,
the man will then see,
it’s time to pass the light,
to its next nominee.

The flame will not flicker,
it shall always shine bright,
because the race never stops,
there is no end in sight.

For the torch moves always,
traveling from hand to hand,
a light ever unyielding,
with man’s will to understand.

Some of the research I did on this work noted that the torch was supposed to be a “torch of knowledge” which was why it was placed in front of the FAC… and just that hint of info gave me all I needed.

ETHAN! =) I did end up going home last weekend for a few days. I had an appointment I needed to go to plus I wanted to see my family and friends a bit!

Well, I do have a few more pictures I have taken in Austin this week but I am going to stop here for now. =) My classes have been pretty interesting so far. I am now taking 15 hours… I switched my major from history to english while I was abroad… and now I am thinking I’ll probably minor in Art History. (Thank you eanesy…  Mr. Eanes was my high school speech coach as well as Art History honors teacher… he is the one that got me excited about art!)

The classes I am currently taking:
-Nutrition Through the Life Cycle (science credit, yes!)
-Issues & Policies in American Government (because.. I have to. I much prefer NZ where you only take subjects in your major!)
-Prehistoric Archaeology
-20th century European Art to 1940
-Literary Contests/Contexts (focused on books about islands and literary critical theories)

So far, I am obviously digging the classes that I WANT to be in. The art history class is fantastic and my english class is great because there are only 12 of us with a super brilliant professor.

Ah, and one last picture before I go… as of today it is 97 days until I arrive in New Zealand to visit Terence. I made a chain to visually see the days pass.

Unfortunately, both ends are touching the floor… but soon… very soon.. it will be shorter!

Talk to you guys later! =)

Downtown Adventure Part 2

Howdy y’all!

I am super busy at the moment getting ready to move back to Austin this weekend for school so I am going to just post pictures and try not to be so wordy today. =) Anyways… here are some more downtown pictures!

This is Hemisfair park where there were lots of vendors selling things.

No explanation necessary.

Mexican food

Okay… I just thought this was funny. My apologies.

Walking up to the Tower of the Americas which dominates the San Antonio skyline.

I’m in front of the tower!

=) There is a restaurant at the top and you can get a view of the whole city.

Only in Texas. There were a ton of beautiful fountains I wanted to show you… but.. none of the water was turned on.

I found a secret door!

I became friends with an oversized head.

And enjoyed a mosaic bench… surrounded by some dehydrated grass.

I discovered a squirrel who appreciates sculptures.

I enjoyed some sculptures/art outside the Convention Center.

I pretended I was Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

A rather imposing blue sculpture…

The Alamodome where the San Antonio Spurs used to play basketball… they now play at the AT&T Center.

We went back down to the riverwalk to start heading back to our car.

Then we walked through Rivercenter mall… and I made another friend.

And in the mall… I found the Texas version of Monopoly for your viewing pleasure.

=) I hope you enjoyed the pictures! My next blog won’t be written until I am back up in Austin…. lots of big changes are coming up and lots of new pictures to show everyone what I’m up to!

“Do you hear me talking to you across the water… across the deep blue ocean?”

Hola mis amigos.

Lo siento. I’m sorry. I have been super busy lately and have been procrastinating with my blogging obligations. The big news I have is that I spent a rather large sum of money on something I really wanted… a plane ticket! I will be visiting Terence in New Zealand in the middle of December and I am super excited!

In other news,  I went downtown with my parents last weekend and took some pictures to show off some of  San Antonio. =) I am going to post half the pictures today and then make another blog for the rest of them because there are quite a few!

Welcome to downtown San Antonio! And check out that blue sky!
The Alamo… site of the most famous battle from the Texas Revolution in 1836. I suggest doing a nice google search to learn more if you’re interested. =) I find it to be a really intriguing piece of history.

Me.. taking a picture of the Alamo. I believe my mother is responsible for the photo but I like it because it also shows the wall around the Alamo and bits of the city.

The fountains on the way down to the riverwalk.

More fountain goodness.

The riverwalk that runs through the downtown area. It is absolutely lovely to explore and goes on for several miles.. I don’t even know how long it is…

You can go on a boat ride with a guide who tells you all about the history of the river and all the buildings, restaurants, and stores you may pass.

I took a small detour from the riverwalk and took some stairs up to snap a picture of La Antorcha de la Amistad.. the Torch of Friendship sculpture which I think is super cool. It also helped that the Tower of the Americas is also in the background.

Then, I went back down to the riverwalk.

And made my way down the river towards La Villita which is pretty much an art community that features lots of fine art stores, restaurants, and gift stores. Oh, and I apologize for my messy hair and huge sunglasses. =)

I passed a stage on the riverwalk on the way up to the village.

We stopped off at our favorite art store.

And I made a new friend.

Then my parents and I decided to walk around the city some more up above the river… and I was able to “wait” for a bus. =) Please note the bud light truck in the background. Some stereotypes are true.

Anywho.. I will continue the next blog with showing some more of the city and then a little more of the riverwalk. =)

I’m a poet… and I didn’t even know.. that I was one. =)

Hey everyone! I have been keeping pretty busy lately but I have made some time for fun things! =) I have been doing poetry readings at least once a week and I was recently invited to read at “First Friday” in downtown San Antonio. First Friday is pretty much an art, music, and food event… but this Friday was the first time they have ever had poetry. So, I read along with 2 other local poets. And… I got most of the reading on film via my mother… I usually never have anyone film the readings but it is nice to be able to share it with you. It is near the bottom of this post… my poems did have to be edited slightly for this particular performance because there were children present… so bad words were not appropriate.

This is Jim. The super cool fellow who asked me to come read.

I do have the video below. It  is a bit dark/noisy and shaky at points but it gets the point across. =) It is also cut off at the beginning and end but you arent missing too much. I’m going to put in the missing bits for you.

The first one is called, “Drivers in Texas” and begins with the words:
“I was driving down the road today
when suddenly it hit me
It’s so ridiculous it’s hard to say
but it really did hit me
well, hit my car that is.”

And the last poem, “Life in an Era of Technology” ends with:
“We are a generation that has been lost
and we need to be found
so turn off your computers
and take action now.”

Hope that helps…

enjoy!

(And for the record.. it is very embarassing and difficult for me to post such things. It feels rather private since they are my words… and I am reading them… but I would love any comments or nice feedback!)

The exciting news is that after the reading I was invited to read at a few more venues. However, with my lack of free time I probably won’t be making it to very many… but I do now have some poetry contacts in Austin so I would like to start reading there as well when I return to school.

Miss you all!

Despite everything, “it is still a beautiful world.”

Hey everyone!

I really am sorry for my lack of posts. I promised many people I would continue blogging when I returned to Texas but I have not been too great at fulfilling my words yet. I have had a very trying summer and am simply trying to get everything I need to finished so that I can be ready to start school in 3 weeks. In any case, I will try to start posting more when I get the chance to take some pictures. =)

For now, I only have one thing to show you. She is world famous though and proof to all you non-Texans that I do not have a horse.. but a car. Her name is Rosie. She is a 1988 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible and is my best friend.

My house is also a bit in the picture right behind me… which is my way of letting everyone know I do not live on a farm. However, I do think it would be kind of cool to live on a farm!

I love my car… so even if you think Rosie is lame (which she isn’t!) … you must lie and say she is awesome. =)

I miss everyone that isn’t here in San Antonio! I will be able to start moving into my apartment on August 15th and then school will start about a week and a half after that. Crazy! I hope you all are doing well!

Adios!

I am still alive, I promise!

Howdy ya’ll!

I thought I would greet everyone in the stereotypical Texan way. =) I am sorry I haven’t posted too much since I have been back but I have been so very busy. When things calm down a bit I will try to start posting some more things about what my life is like here in Texas for those of you who don’t know! =) I just wanted to post something so you know I haven’t forgotten anyone.

For now… I will leave you with a picture of my favorite and only nephew.

Ethan and I! =)

Botanic Gardens, hair dye, and many sad goodbyes…

Kia Ora from Texas!

I am now home but I need to update from my final days in New Zealand before I elaborate on being back in the states…

There were many farewell parties going on before I left since I was actually one of the last exchange students to leave. It was tough to say goodbye to so many great friends.  A few days before leaving Terence and I took a stroll through the botanic gardens. I had been there earlier in the summer if you have seen my earlier blogs. The plants were not as lively in the winter so I didn’t really take any pictures. Plus, we didn’t go until later in the day so it was dark pretty fast.
This is us in the gardens with Dunedin behind us.

I also decided a few days before leaving that I wanted to do some kind of fun change. I decided to suprise all my friends and family by coming home with my hair a different color. I had my awesome friend Samantha help me dye it!

Samantha and Shrek. My hair doesn’t look too different… but it is much darker… and more red!

The night before I left Terence took me out for a goodbye dinner at Velvet Burger.

I had the “Velvet Lady” burger. It was huge… I have to say.. I think the burgers in New Zealand actually beat the ones in America. Wow. Mine was grilled chicken, lettuce, avocado, cheese, bacon, tomato, and who knows what else. It was pretty intense. I was scared.

Terence noted that 3 animals had to be killed in the making of his burger. (Sorry vegetarian friends..) The description also said that if you finished the burger you deserved a high five.

So, he got a high five. Way to go Terry!

The night before I left I didn’t get a lot of sleep. When we returned back to the flat we had a long conversation with Peter trying to help him with a problem and then Terence and I ended up staying up most of the night talking and enjoying our last hours together. The time flew by quicker than any amount of time has ever passed for me. It was crazy.

In the morning before I left, Terence, Shrikar, and I went to Capers for a “See you later” brunch. (I don’t like to really say “Farewell” because I don’t believe this will be the last time for seeing them!)
Shrikar gave me a suprise gift! An amazingly sweet card and a little bumblebee! (His nickname for me is Bumblebee!)
Terence and I both got the blueberry gourmet pancakes and Shrikar had the eggs benedict. The pancakes were the best I’ve ever had… it had fruit and yogurt in the middle.
I was so happy to spend my last day with such great people!
Man love!!!
Okay, I actually begged them to do this… it was quite humorous though.. people were staring.

After our brunch. we went back to the flat where we we were joined by Peter and Marcus who came to say goodbye. We all had a nice chat for a couple hours and I was so glad to have everyone with me. I gave Shrikar a goodbye gift of a poem I wrote for him of all the time we have spent together. Terence and I also exchanged gifts which left both of us feeling pretty sad. Before too long my shuttle to take me the airport arrived and I had to leave. I hugged everyone goodbye with tears streaming down my face and Peter surpsied me with a farwell gift of a book… he knows me well. =)

While I was hugging Marcus, Shrikar, and Peter goodbye… Terence talked to the shuttle driver and ended up being allowed to come to the airport with me! I was ecstatic to not have to go alone! So, we went to the airport together and had a very hard farwell once it was time for me to get on the plane. I actually ended up crying during both of my first two flights because I was so upset to leave Terence, my friends, and New Zealand behind!

I ended up having quite a lot of flights to catch… and I traveled through time again. I thought I would let you guys see where exactly I went.

June 30
Dunedin to Christchurch
4:00pm-4:55pm

June 30
Christchurch to Auckland
5:30pm- 6:50pm

June 30
Auckland to LA, California
9:30pm-2:30pm (Still arriving on June 30 at 2:30pm… even though I left on June 30 at 9:30pm…What?!)

June 30
LA to San Antonio
7:05pm- 12am

This was taken from the plane as the sun was setting in Auckland.

When I arrived in San Antonio at midnight my parents were waiting for me down at the baggage claim area. They were a bit suprised by my hair but quite glad to see me! We only live about 20 minutes from the airport so it wasn’t long until I was home. However, I wasn’t ready for bed thanks to the crazy time changes I had to deal with and I was up until 3am.

It was so strange waking up in Texas the next day but I was greeted by some very loved faces… my sister and Ethan! =) So I got to spend the day with them and my family… giving everyone the gifts I brought for them and not believing how much my nephew has grown. Crazy!

Anyways, I’m going to end this here… but I did promise some friends in New Zealand that I would continue my blog now that I am in Texas so they could learn about where I am from. So, while I may not update as much as I did while in New Zealand, I will continue blogging to let everyone know what is going on and so I can prove I don’t live on a farm. =) 

I love you all!

A few page turns back in history and Governor’s Cafe…

Hey everyone!

The days are really starting to pass quickly now and I am very sad to be leaving soon. I feel like I just arrived but over 4 months have passed. I had been thinking of maybe doing some traveling these past few days but I think I’d rather stay near the friends I have made and enjoy my last days here in their exquisite company.

On Tuesday I went with Samantha, Elinor, and Terence to the Otago Settler’s Museum which was actually really neat. The museum was much larger than I thought it would be since Dunedin is a small city but I was pleasantly suprised.

Me with pretty dresses from the past.

Terence cooking up some mischief?

My hut! =) It was actually much bigger on the inside than you would think.

Lots of pictures of early settlers… We actually got to see a picture of Elinor’s great great Grandfather since her family is from Dunedin.
This is how they cycled in the 1870s. Super stylish… except I could barely reach the pedals.
“Josephine” train… and Terence’s thumb.

After the trip to the museum the four of us went to get some coffee and food at Governor’s Cafe.

What will I do without flat whites when I get home? I’ll have to learn how to make them.

Samantha, Elinor, Terence, and me! =)

Part 2 of The Catlins: Pounawea, Surat Bay, Nugget Point, and Jack’s Bay

Kia Ora!

The second day of our trip was really neat. We started out the day with checking out the beach right outside the cabin we were staying in.

Isn’t that a nice view to walk outside to?Then we drove to Surat Bay. If you look in the left  part of the picture you can see sheep covering half of a hill… Terence noticed it and I thought it looked kind of silly since from where we were you couldn’t see a fence.
The bay was supposed to have a bunch of seals… but only one friend was out to greet us. I was excited because I’d never seen a seal up close in the wild.  We both kind of wanted to pet our new friend… but when we got a bit closer he gave us a mean look so we decided it probably wasn’t the best idea.
This was taken while we were in the car driving to the next place!
This is at Nugget Point… which was my favorite place of the whole trip. It was absolutely stunning.
This photo really doesn’t portray the vast expanse of sea we could see… and there wasn’t a boat in sight.
So beautiful! It was such a nice walk to get to see this. The walk just offered great views and ended here next to a lighthouse… which was unfortunetly locked so we couldn’t go in!
Us with the… nuggets?
This is still at Nugget Point… I took it on the walk back. The whole place was just stunning and didn’t quite seem real to me.

After Nugget Point we went on quite a long and interesting adventure in order to find a phenomenon called “Jack’s Blowhole”. I was quite amused with the name to be honest… and laughed when I read it on the map. I jokingly told Terence that was one place I probably didn’t need to see.. but in the end we just couldn’t avoid the temptation of being able to tell people we saw “Jack’s Blowhole”… so we decided to go.

We drove forever on a road that was full of potholes and had a bit of trouble when one sign seemed to lead us to some private property with a rather vulgar “No Trespassing” sign including language I will not repeat. =) In any case, the sun was setting over Jack’s Bay (above) before we realized how to find the infamous “blowhole”.
We found the right sign… but we ended up taking the wrong path at first which led us to a dead end. However, eventually we found the right way to go. It was a long walk with the darkening sky though… and we were once again without a torch.
Atleast there were some nice views along the way…
This is  “Jack’s Blowhole”. I realize it probably doesn’t look like too exciting a finish to our trip but it was so dark that a picture couldn’t show the actual amazing “blowhole” which was situated 200m from the sea and 55m deep. The waves far below could be seen rushing in and it was actually really bizarre to see since it was located in the middle of nowhere.

Anyways, the trip was really awesome and definitely worth giving up a few days of studying for. I did have my final test on Monday morning at 9:30am… and was pleased to actually finish almost an hour early. So, no worries I think… and now I can enjoy the rest of my time here with some really amazing people.