Its weird. Just now, I realised that I have effectively started my life over somewhere else. At the beginning, I thought about home a lot, wondering what other people were doing and if they were thinking about me. Since coming back from the vacation to the north island (which I still have to write about!) my life has been completely hectically full with school, assignments, friends and social things. And then there's my rugby team and choir, and training for running still. I never watch TV, and I barely check my email, becuase I'm actually too busy!

So. Now for an update. Last weekend we went out to a soft-shore and sampled benthic organisms out on the Otago peninsula. It was quite nice. Then my rugby team won 98-0. The benefits of having 3 world champions on my team. Then, we had this club lock-in with kegs where basically the idea was to get us absolutely hammered. This was effective. All the teams (4 mens and one womens team) were given themes to dress up as... ours was Chapelle Corby: an Aussie ex-model turned drug dealer who was arrested in Bali a few years ago. So the girls all dressed up as models- in prison uniforms. It was pretty hysterical. Then, on Sunday and Monday I wrote a 4200 word ecology report and a 2000 word microbiology paper-both wer due on Monday, so I had two days of straight writing, without sleep. It was wonderful for my health, but I probably did very well on them. Somehow I've developed the ability to really perform under pressure! This is bad, as it will probably pave the road for more intense procrastination in the future.

Four girls in my choir have formed a barbershop quartet, and of course, I got the bass part! Its hysterical, and we really are quite good. The choir is doing some concerts in Wanaka (west of here near the mountains) on May 19th weekend.

This week I basically went to rugby, got muddy and wet, slept, and hung out with a few friends. This weekend, we took on the inbred sheep farm girls and the big Maori girls from Invercargill at home, but they went down 24-12, we didn't have some key players, but it was a lot of fun anyways.

Today I've basically been at the library working on an essay and soon I'll be making dinner for my flat!

I'll post some random pictures too... as per the usual. These are all from the first few days of the trip- Wellington is the city in the day, and the nighttime pictures are from the countryside outside of Plamerston North.

BACK!

It was an effing trip of a lifetime, people! There are way too many details to explain right now, but I have had the most amazing time of my life.

The north island of NZ is beautiful- we saw beaches and rainforests, glow-worms and rainbows, waterfalls and gysers, geothermal lakes and 90-mile beach. We stayed the night in Wellington, Palmerston North x 2 (with Nanette's friends), Rotarua, Auckland, Paihia, Sam's farm, Auckland (with Nanette's friend Ben), and Christchurch. We also visited many other places and I can confidently say now that I know much of the North Island. If you ever get the chance, go there, I can't even describe how amazing it is to drive up to Mount Doom, or to stand in the same woods as Frodo and exclaim "Get off the road!" I haven't even uploaded pictures onto my computer yet, but when they get up I will begin to put some of the better ones up. Between the three of us who went (my American flattmates Nanette and Laura) we have over 1000 pictures. So therefore they will not appear here. However, once back in Canada, please bring me some food and a comfy chair and I will talk you through all of them.

Will be back later, but also wanted to let you all know I'm back and I'm safe.

Love Rebecca