Texan Out Of Water

Saturday, I took the bus into Christchurch with the mission of buying a towel so I could take a shower. Not having a single clue where to go, I decided a nice walk around the city was in order. After going to a few used bookstores, I walked down to Cathedral Square where there were a couple of Kiwi jugglers making quite the fashion statement (sideways mohawks and super-long mullets) and about 10 million seagulls. Then I walked down to the Avon River. I met and chatted with a few Japanese ladies who were trying to feed a duck...they were soooo cute! The weather was fabulous, so I took a few pictures to rub it in.

The Avon River runs through Christchurch, under this bridge with an arch dedicated to the ANZAC soldiers of WW1.

Sunday was spent sleeping all day trying to shake off the cold I've caught. The weather got pretty bad Saturday night, so Sunday was overcast and cold. I spent a lot of time watching television--just like in Japan--and it's amazing how open the culture here is about sex and the human body (this morning the Australian news ran a piece about women's perception of their body topped by models wearing transparent shirts--boobies and all!) There are so many things I've seen and thought, "there's no way they would allow that in the US!!" There's a commercial for deodorant where a woman flashes her breasts at a man in a bus, the yearly Uni publication for students has lists sponsored by the Dining Hall Staff listing "Why Chocolate is better than Sex," (2. "If you love me you'll swallow that" has real meaning with chocolate,) the "Top 5 Condom Slogans,"

(1. Cover your stump before you hump;
2. If you're not going to sack it, go home and whack it
3. The right selection is to protect your erection
4. If you slip between her thighs, condomize
5. If you think she'll sign, cover old one eye)

and "Top 5 Ways to Know You're Trailer Trash."

Monday was the first day of class. There were lots of Commerce (business) students who came to the class trying to get an easy "Pass." The professor was pissed. We had 2 exercises to complete. Our first exercise was drawing words to best portray their meaning without using any pictures. We were given words like, "Fury" "Depression" "Sour" "Joy" "Silence" "Smooth" and "Juicy." This was all pretty easy. Our next exercise was to redesign the packaging for a product of Sticky Tack for putting up posters. This was more difficult (and something I still must finish...although I'm writing this...and watching old old old episodes of Friends..heh.) After class, I caught a ride into Christchurch with one of my classmates to buy our supplies. While we were there another classmate came into the shop and offered to give me a ride back to school. She is a mother of 2 commuting from Dunedin. We went and had dinner at a phenomenal Thai restaurant in Christchurch--MMmm...Tofu Green Curry...ahhh. Then we went to the grocery store in Lincoln, which was good, since I'd gone earlier in the morning to buy some cold medicine at the chemist's (no, Brandon, not "plasters") and bought lots of food to make pasta, but when I got home I realized I hadn't bought any pasta....

Today, I met with the international liason, Jenny, to catch up. I met her when I toured the campus in May. We ate lunch and talked about the Uni. In class, we spent the whole time practicing drawing--charcoal, pencil, and ink. After class I went to the library to check out some books (what an overacheiver!), figured out my email problems and came back to the flat. My "RA" dropped by to grab some stuff. She was American, so I asked where she got her undergrad: "GW"...graduated in 2004! She's working on her Ph.D in Tourism. It's a small world, indeed.

Tomorrow, my task is to go to the gym and sign up. NZD$60 for a year...who can beat that??

Til next time...