FACT: At 9:30 any given night it is around 40 degrees outside and there is a line at the corner dairy for ice cream.

I'm still alive! Sorry about the lack of news. The last week has been pretty busy, and it's harder than I expected to keep writing. Here's a snapshot of what's happened since I last wrote:

Friday the 8th there was a train ride for the international students to the Taieri Gorge. We didn't go all the way into the gorge this time, but the colors were quite pretty and the rolling farmland outside of town was beautiful.

Dunedin Railway Station

Lots of farms!

The other day the girls in my flat were discussing the potential economic benefits to

raising our own sheep for wool, and we decided that we should all be able to claim ten sheep,

since there are 40 million sheep and 4 million people here.

That evening I was picked up by a family and we drove to Living Springs Camp, just outside of Christchurch. This was the weekend that the South Island churches have their big conference together. It was about a 5 1/2 hour drive, and though the night hid the scenery, we really enjoyed the time together spent singing, telling stories, and discovering amazing NZ cookies called mint dark chocolate Tim Tams. (Like two Thin Mints stuck together with a creamy chocolate filling. YUMMM.) When we arrived I found my cabin, crawled into my sleeping bag and was out pretty fast.

Early the next morning I was startled awake because my bed was shaking. I was completely disoriented and confused for a moment. What was that? Where was I? California? What room was I in? Was that, perchance, an earthquake? I didn't hear any of my bunkmates stir, so eventually I just went back to sleep. It turns out that yes, we experienced a small aftershock about 5:30 am. Big enough to make international news, or even local news? Nope. Big enough for me to get excited? Yep.

The view that met us as we sleepily found the dining hall was one of the most breathtaking sunrises I've ever seen. Brilliant sunrises are hard to capture on camera, but I tried.

The camp is nestled in the rolling Port Hills that overlook Lyttelton Harbor. A picture's worth a thousand words, so...

photo credit: Living Springs Camp

Over the weekend we had a series of messages on the book of Ephesians, and there was also a lot of time spent singing, fellowshipping and getting to know the brothers and sisters from other cities. In the afternoon a few groups hiked up the hill behind camp for a better view of the harbor. Really steep climb, but really worth it!

On the drive home Sunday we stopped in the town of Oamaru, where a dear couple had dinner waiting for us. The last stop before Dunedin was a locally famous ice cream shop in Hampden, where ordering a "single" will land you two humongous scoops of Much More brand ice cream, which might just be the best I've ever had in my life. Sweet ending to a sweet weekend. :)

This week really flew by...

Monday we went grocery shopping as a flat. Inconvenient, but also fun. That night Maxine put on "Kiwi Night", which involved a host of distinctly kiwi treats: Jaffas (chocolate balls with orange-flavored coating), Pineapple Chunks (pineapple-flavored marshmallow candy coated in chocolate), Lemon & Paeroa soda ("World Famous in New Zealand!"), Hokey Pokey ice cream (vanilla with little chunks of hokey pokey), and kiwi dip (made with reduced cream and onion soup mix) and chips. We took pictures but were threatened not to post them, so you'll have to imagine the event. :)

Tuesday I had my first class, Pacific Societies. Seems like it will be interesting, and I'm excited to take a class in an area about which I know nothing. Being on campus was exciting on one hand, but all day I felt painfully "green". As in new, like a total freshman. Lacking confidence, like a total freshman. It's not a fun feeling, unless you are actually a freshman. Anyway, on my way home I stopped by a cafe and treated myself to a mocha, and when the barista asked "Would you like marshmallows or a chocolate fish?", the day started getting better. By the way, this was only the second time I've had coffee since I arrived. *triumphant glance in the direction of everyone who thought I was addicted*

Wanting to make the best of my afternoon, I decided to hunt down the used book store I'd spotted a few days earlier. I eventually found it, and escaped out of the chilly wind to the comfort of a quiet, warm shop filled with overflowing bookshelves. I browsed for a little while, then had the idea that I'd ask the shop owner for his recommendation of some kind of New Zealand nonfiction, and whatever he recommended, I'd buy and read. This is the book, and I'm going to try to read the whole thing while I'm here.

Wednesday through Sunday passed pretty quickly. Forensic Chemistry seems like it will be a pretty cool class, and I was sold on Cognitive Engineering from the first lecture. More on school stuff another time.

Overall this week had its ups and downs, but each day I'm settling a little more. I miss my family and friends at home, but I wouldn't say that I'm homesick. Occasionally I catch myself making comparisons about life here and life at home, but then I'm reminded that if I wanted everything to be familiar and convenient and comfortable, I wouldn't have come. So... I'm learning not to compare, but just enjoy life here for what it is.

Comment if there is anything in particular you want to hear about, or want pictures of!