Classes (or papers rather) started over a week ago now and I'm settling down into a routine here on campus. I've come to discover that I love the toast here and that, though I haven't always been a breakfast girl, I really don't go a day without it here. :O)

I'm taking two chemistry papers and an anthropology paper on the Oceanic societies and how they're changing. I'm most excited about my Geochemistry and Environmental Chemistry paper. For the lab portion of the course, we'll be analyzing water samples from different areas around New Zealand. In order to obtain these samples, we have to go on field trips. So sad. We have one required weekend-long trip to Rotoura and Lake Taupo, which starts this Saturday. There's also three day field trips and we have to participate in at least one of those as well. Most of us will be going on two or three of these optional trips, because they're already included in our tuition and they're awesome!

The first trip was last Sunday, July 15, and we drove down to Te Aroha, a town about 45 minutes south of Hamilton. The plan was to climb a mountain (literally, a mountain... I was soar on Monday) and travel into the abandoned Tui mine near the mountain's peak. We first collected water samples from the various streams and springs coming off the mountain. Then we began to climb.

The mine has 5 levels, the fifth being at the top, which is where we were going to enter the mine shaft, though we did stop at each level and examine the minerals and water present there (and the view, of course). Now, I'm not going to pretend that this mountain was a rock face, but it had a decent grade that got me huffing and puffing pretty quickly. After we passed the fourth level, the path went from being wide and rocky to forested and quite narrow. I enjoyed this part of the walk more because it reminded me of the woods behind my home in A2 and because scrambling over rocks and trees made me think about something else besides how much my legs were not enjoying this exursion.

When we finally made it the the fifth level entrance, which was several hundred feet from the base of the mountain, the path had reduced to about a foot in width and then you were staring down a cliff. I wasn't terribly comfortable about that, but the view was incredible. We could see for miles.

The mine, which was operated in the 60s and 70s, was in operation to extract zinc, copper and iron from the mountain. It was neat to see all the mineral deposits on the walls and to traipse through the mine shaft and to see where the men had left off. The mine was intended to run for 20 years, but the market for the minerals dyed out only three years later. When we got to be the end of the shaft, we found filled rail carts and explosives wiring. It was as if the men had heard the news that the mine was closing and simply walked out.

My mountain goat of a professor then told us that we would be heading down the back of the mountain, as it was about half the distance back to the vans, though it was also a bit of a "scramble." We soon found ourselves climbing over huge fallen trees and down rocks. It was slippery and the pathes were extremely narrow. By the end, most of us were sliding down on our backsides and grading onto nearby trees, which I have to admit was a lot of fun. It was a great day and I feel really blessed to have this chance to travel and learn for a class!

As for campus life, I really do enjoy this campus. It has a great little shop and food area in the middle of campus which sit on the edge of a huge pond. Most students hang around in this area and its quite beautiful. The rest of campus is quite hilly and the buildings, which all have their own names, are also lettered and thus referred to. Instead of saying that I'm heading off the the Maori and Pacific Development building after finishing this blog, people here would say they're going to S-block. It makes life a bit easier, because for the most part the buildings are named alpabetically, so navigating campus isn't terribly hard.

I've discovered that when they say its winter in the southern hemisphere, its rainy season on New Zealand's north island. It's chilly yes, ranging from the high 40s to low 60s, but never like Michigan's winter weather. Its very green here and for the most part, I can walk around in a fleece or sweatshirt and be fine. As for the locals, the guys can usually be seen in swim shorts of some kind or another and the girls... lets just say that the baby doll fashion is alive and well here; much more developed than in the States. Most girls can be found wearing leggings or tappered black jeans with boots and a shapless blouse. But hey, thats fashion, right? Another common fashion statement: No shoes. I've been told (and have seen ample examples) that wearing no shoes at all is an acceptable thing to do throughout New Zealand. Its funny to see students in class or people walking in downtown Hamilton with no shoes on at all. Definitely not in the United States anymore. :O)