There are no graham crackers here.

The kiwis that I asked didn't even know what a graham cracker was. What they think are s'mores are not really s'mores, but we can keep this secret to ourselves.

Some things, however, seem to be universal. Walking through the library I observed that probably 70% of students are on facebook, about to get on facebook or studying on a short break from facebook.

In my defense, I am not actually on facebook—I'm working on a paper about the islands of Fiji. Somewhere between lunch, email, people-watching and looking up this week's grocery deals at New World, I got about 150 words written. Yes, even though I'm at an awesome uni taking awesome papers, it's been hard jumping back into a new semester after barely getting a summer break.

Maybe describing my courses a bit will inspire me to study.

I'm taking Forensic Chemistry, which the course listing describes as “Application of modern chemical analysis to practical scientific and technical situations, with particular emphasis on producing evidence for use in the judicial system.” I describe this class as “Using big machines with lasers to identify drugs on fabrics, while feeling like a detective in a white lab coat.” Ok, it's not always that glamorous, but obviously I'm not going to share the boring stuff. :) DU doesn't offer anything in this area, and this class is so cool that I'm already wishing I could stay here for a year of study and continue this path.

Cognitive Engineering is a new class this semester concerning the study of factors that affect decision making, with the application of designing systems that can't be messed up so easily by human error. We study cases of major disasters in all kinds of fields—healthcare, construction, aviation, maritime—and analyze the weaknesses that caused the system to fail. This class is fascinating, and will forever change the way I think about mistakes. Nearly full attendance on a Friday afternoon--that pretty much says it all.

Pacific Societies in an intro-level class that is about, um, societies in the Pacific. Since I would not look Smarter Than a 5^th Grader if ever asked a question about the Pacific, this weakness is getting amended as I get informed about the region I'm living in. Some classes involve lectures, some involve films, and some involve winning Cadbury chocolate for outscoring the other team on a quiz.

A few small stories from the last week (a few more ways to put off writing this paper):

Monday is my night to cook, and recently I made maple glazed ham and special potatoes. The flat smelled amazing, and I felt like I was at Grandmommy's house at Thanksgiving time. I was reminded that 1) I have an incredible family and 2) this year will be my first Thanksgiving without them. I guess I'll have to get together and cook with my American friends/flatmates if enough people are still in town at the end of November.

Tuesday night while one of the girls was cooking, the hot water faucet broke. The knob was jammed, and precious hot water was gushing down the sink. We couldn't turn the knob at all, and it seemed the heat and steam had tightened the jam. We tried calling maintenance, but didn't get an answer. We stared at the faucet for a moment, stared at each other for a moment, then Maxine ran and asked for help from the guys across the street. We immediately got two heroic volunteers who were only too ready to save the damsels in distress. From the kitchen we heard “Oh! It really is stuck!” Ha. When they discovered they could do nothing to solve the problem, they turned their attention to introducing themselves and inviting us over. We waited until they left to burst out laughing, and notice that Ms. Chef was in her pajamas. A third guy came and was able to get the water off eventually. Lesson learned: if we aim for one minor catastrophe a week we can meet all our neighbors really quickly. :)

One thing I really love: I can send a text out to the sisters, "Thinking to go (insert some activity) tomorrow. Anybody keen to join?" and immediately get a "yes" or two. Last Saturday the activity was a hike.

Ross Creek Reservoir, about a 40 minute walk from my place.

The afternoon was unforgettable. Epic combination: three sisters, a hike, a ukelele, milk tea and Tim Tams. These girls are amazing... Janine is on the left, Vicky on the right.

Sunday evening, after student fellowship at the brothers' house, Vicky and I escaped the temptation of pumpkin pie, chocolate cake and three kinds of ice cream (so. hard. this is why workout buddies are crucial!) to go to the gym. This was my first visit. Because of Dunedin's small size and my lack of transportation, I get in a few miles of walking most days, and if I feel the need for exercise above that the outdoors are usually my preference (especially here, of all places). However, since an outdoor run on a winter night wasn't particularly appealing, I decided to take on the treadmill. I had a fantastic run, and set a personal record! A 5:90 mile felt nearly effortless...it must be that decrease in elevation that makes running feel so easy here!

Then I realized that the treadmill was measuring in kilometers.

So, Thursday will mark one month in Dunedin. All the new is beginning to feel normal, and I love that. Feeling like a tourist was fun for a while, but I really relish the things that are becoming familiar...the layout of the grocery store, the glow of amber lights around the rugby field as I walk home at night, the voice of each brother and sister, the closet doors and floor boards that creak in our flat, and even the routine of donning sweat pants, double socks, three tops, a jacket and a hat before hopping in bed with a hot water bottle.