Macchu Picchu

So once again I seem to have taken slightly longer than expected to compile another update. Crazy things tend to happen here in Peru, as you'll read over the next few posts. But first, Macchu Picchu. (And good news about waiting is that with wifi now I can include pictures).

I was supposed to trek this wonder of the world my second weekend in Cusco, but just two days before the activities coordinator at the school asked if I could switch to a new weekend. Seeing as I didn't have too many plans made already there was no problem, and switching weekends ended up being one of the bet things that could have happened.

My group was small, just me and four others. A couple from Ireland, a girl from Australia, and a guy from Canada who also happened to be a professional photographer. That was a nice little bonus. Our guide, Silvio, had been to Macchu Picchu almost 400 times. He knew his stuff.

Most people hike the Inca Trail, but my group did the Lares Trek. With a different starting point that needed to cross a checkpoint that closed at 6am due to construction, we had a 3:45 pickup. After a groggy first couple of hours and seeing the sun rise, the adrenaline kicked in as we arrived at our starting point for our three days of hiking.

So I will admit here that our group was kinda spoiled. This trek was booked for me as part of my entire month in Peru so I didn't quite know what to expect. I for sure did not know we would have porters carrying our extra bags, tents set up for us very night, or three fully cooked meals a day. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. Sadly we didn't also have donkeys to carry ourselves up the large cliffs. Our highest point the entire trek was just over 15,000 ft. Easily the highest I've ever been.

Our first say started off slowly for everyone. No one in our group had been at higher than sea level for more than a week, and some of the toughest hiking was right off the bat. There were several breaks during the first couple of hours. At the same time I was worried about conserving my camera battery. I wasn't going to be able to charge it for a few days, and if it had no battery when I got to Macchu Picchu I probably would have cried. But I didn't have to worry about conserving too much battery that day because it began to rain. Hard. For two hours. And for 30mins we had hail. It's fun to walk in hail, if you enjoy pain and not looking at the beautiful scenery.

But by the end of the first day the weather had cleared and it only got better as each day went along. The second day was by far the most beautiful, with sunny weather most of the day and our highest point of the trip. At that point we saw a beautifully clear lake. No pollution up there, crystal clear. Incredible. That view was followed by walking along alpaccas and llamas and looking down into a gigantic valley. Couldn't have been a better day.....until I got the migraine from hell at camp and was completely out of it for four hours.

Third day got us into a small town called Aguas Calientes before taking a train to the town of Macchu Picchu. We actually had a night in a hostal so we could shower (mine was in the dark bc the power had gone out), and we had another early wake up call--4:30--for our big day.

Waking up the next morning I immediately felt excited and anxious. I had wanted to see Macchu Picchu for as long as I could remember, and when I planned my entire year of traveling I thought this day could be the single greatest highlight of the whole trip. We ate breakfast, got in line for the buses, and made our way up the trail to get in line. Then they started letting people in....

Those first few moments walking into the site are something I will never forget. You could catch a small glimpse of some mountains if you looked, but I kept my head down to 1) make sure I saw it all at once and 2) see where I was going so I didn't trip. Everyone was silent. No one, not at all, was talking. It felt eerie almost, as if people were anticipating what was around the corner while respecting where they were at the same time. Then you turned the corner and bam! Macchu Picchu. There it is.

The one place I had been to in my life that I knew only did itself justice in person was the Grand Canyon. No doubt, that list now includes MP. I've thought for a while to try and think of words to describe what I saw. There are three descriptions I have come up with/experienced....1) Breathtaking scenery--you're honestly in shock of he views 2) laughably incredible becase you don't believe what you see 3) Tear-inducingly beautiful because there is nothing else like it in the world. Mountains, stone structures, and luckily for us not too many tourists.

After a tour of the site from our guide Silvio, we climbed Huanupicchu. That's the big mountain you see in the background of all the main Macchu Picchu pictures. It's another 1200 ft up, and was possibly the most terrifying experience of my life. I don't have a huge fear of heights, I just fear insanely steep stairs with no railing and a 500ft or more drop to the nearest branch at any moment of our climb. There's a sign in sheet to make sure everyone returns, and I'm shocked more people don't die climbing it (apparenly it's only about one every year or so). But the views from the top are out of this world amazing and getting there is one of the things I'm most proud of in my life. If you go you must climb it, just be careful.

And so, exhausted and sweaty and hungry, we got back to our hostal later that day and took the train back to Cusco. I can't wait to go back someday and experience the views again. Something I'll never forget and yet something I can't wait to do again.

Cusco, Peru Part II

So I´ve fallen behind on blogging again. My apologies. I was pretty sick for a couple of days this week, and while it´s never fun to be sick, it´s definitely more interesting when you have crazy dreams of saving babies and needing to go to the hospital bc your legs have to be amputated. Such was my life after an apparently bad tuna sandwich.

I thought I´d write a little more about Cusco since my last post was quite rushed. I also promise to post another time or two before the weekend is over and I´m incommunicado next week while traveling to Lake Titicaca. So, some observations about Cusco:

--The number of wild dogs has continued to fascinate me. You don´t just see one or two every day, you see 30 or 40. They are everywhere. Some are cute, some are downright dirty. Some are visably pregnant or nursing, and most are just trying to find a place to take a nap. But you have to walk around them as much as you do people on the sidewalks. And resisting the urge to pet them is never easy, but I´ve held back.

--You know how sometimes you´re sitting in your car behind a giant truck and when that truck starts up after a red light all this terrible black smoke comes out from the exhaust pipe? Every single car in this city is like that truck. It´s nuts. My friend here joked with her host family that her 1992 car back in Colorado is so old. Her host mother said that´s fairly new for people in Cusco. It just makes walking tougher because you´re always inhaling smog and dirt and caughing when a car goes by. My clothes probably get dirty twice as fast here as they do at home. And that nice breath of fresh air you take every now and then? I´m gonna have to wait another couple of weeks.

--Haggling is part of the culture here, especially in the major markets. However, I admit I feel terrible when I do it. Everything here is so cheap. Women in the markets will haggle because they still make a profit, but am I really the person (or any American or fortunate citizen from a first world country) who should be saying ¨No, senora, I only want to pay 3 bucks, not 4 for that hat¨? I feel ridiculous, so often times I just take what advertise as the price. But try to gouge me because I look so touristy and I´ll bargain down like it´s my job. The best way, no joke, is to just stare at the product you want and not say anything. I´ve gotten women to take off almost ten bucks just doing that. Sometimes yoú´re just thinking and before you know it you´ve haggled.

--The history of this city is quite something. I admit, I didn´t know a thing about Cusco before coming here. I probably couldn´t tell you it was a city in Peru before my trip. But the Incas were responsible for so much cultural significance in the area it truely is astounding. And when the Spanish came, everything changed. Cathedrals, laws, you name it. The combinationof the cultures has lead to a unique relationship with religion and the locals´relationship with the earth as a spiritual path. Very interesting stuff.

--I try to save money by eating with my host family, but the food here is so good and so cheap it´s hard to resist. I can get a 4 star gourmet burger with two beers for just over 15 bucks, or I can get a large pizza for 7. Everything is about a third of the price here as it would be at home.

--Oh, the buses. Possibly my favorite part of the city. Each ¨line¨or ¨route¨is determined by the name on the buses. There´s the Servicio Rapido line, the Lion of St. Germain, the El Dorado, and even the Batman. Each ¨bus¨is different, but most are large vans with about 20 people packed inside. How anyone gets out at any stop is beyon me. If you can get a seat you´re lucky.

--Just another cheap thing and because I´m a New York City guy. Cabs here are at most, which is only during the night, one dollar. No matter the distance. Amazing.

--Finally, the people on the street who come up to you asking if you want to buy something or go to their restaurant. For the first couple of times you walk through the main plaza it´s almost charming. You say no politely, or dare to see what they are offering. But after three weeks I just want to shove those people up against the wall. No, I don´t want to go to your pizzeria, did you not just see me walk out of the restaurant next door? No I wouldn´t like an öriginal painting¨that I´ve seen sold in three different towns.¨And NO I DO NOT WANT A MASSAGE! The massage ones are almost funny because these women only know how to say ¨Massage senor?¨Even turn your head and they pounce on you and speak away in Spanish. I´ve resorted to just ignoring these people, giving a stern no, and occasionally saying something quickly in English that just leaves them confunsed.

Ok, that´s all for now. Check back tomorrow for something new on Macchu Picchu!

Cusco, Peru

So I´ve made it to Peru after a quick stop in LA and about 22 hours of toal flying. It was nuts, but I have arrived in Cusco and have had one heck of a week.

I arrived a day late because I had to come all the way from New Zealand, so things were crazy off the bat. Oh, and they changed my host family the day before I arrived because my host mother had to go to the hospital in Lima. Crazy. But I was picked up by my new host father, Cesar, and taken to the house. It´s a nice little apartment only a short walk from the center of town. Inez, his wife, is a very nice lady who always seems to be busy. They are both retired teachers and have hosted many people on my program.

The school I am doing my program through is the Academia Latinoamericana de Espanol. They have a school here in Cusco, and two others--one in Bolivia and the other in Ecuador. They offer spanish classes at every level, and they work with local schools for volunteer projects. The schools are closer to daycares because they are for kids 3-5, but they are all kids of disadvantaged and poor families. So, after I arrived in Cusco I was told to take a nap because the altitude is a killer. It´s 11,000 ft above sea level here, easily the highest I´ve ever been. I´m easily out of breath walking up the street, and headaches were a problem this week.

This week I took classes at the school, and they get right into it. No english, at all. And considering I had studied spanish for 6 months over the past 6 years, things were a bit rough at first. I still understand and never lost the major aspects of the grammar, but lord I´ve forgotten so much vocabulary. I forgot snake (serpiente), moon (luna), and I´ve even spoken french a few times, an astounding fact considering my french vocab consists of about ten words. But I had a great teacher named Rebeca along with two other students. Sarah was younger than me and from Belgium while Francesca was in her 40s and from France. The academy has people of all ages from all over the world, hoping to improve their spanish and work with local kids at the same time.

It´s easily been the most emotionally tolling week of my entire trip. Even more so than when I first left home. In Australia you can feel lonely or homesick and still just get by and figure things out no problem by checking into a hotel if you need a break. I kinda felt the same way here but it´s s tough to communicate sometimes. Monday night was crazy and lying in bed I realized I hadn´t spoken a word of english all day. I don´t think that´s happened ever in my life. It was tough to say the least, but things have steadily improved throughout the week.

I´m now done with my spanish classes portion of the program, and today I visited the school that I´ll be volunteering at for the next two weeks. The kids have already stolen my heart and I want to adopt them all. They´re incredibly sweet and vivacious and just love meeting new people, playing soccer, and doing arts and crafts. There´s no way someone couldn´t like these kids.

But before I start my volunteering I´m heading to Macchu Picchu this weekend for four days. I´ve been looking forward to this part of my journey more than any other singular moment, and I cannot wait to get started. It´s currently pouring rain outside, so I hope that stops, but I am geting picked up at 3:45am in the morning to get started. Four days, about 6 hours of hiking a day, and hopefully the most incredible views of my life at the top.

I´ve probably left something out here, my apologies, but I need to get some sleep before a big day tomorrow. Anything I´ve forgotten I´ll include in the next post. Until then, adios.

On the road again...

Today is my final day in New Zealand as I take off again tomorrow. It's been four fantastic months here, from chopping down weeds to driving around the south island with my mom to playing rugby and baby sitting three adorable children. But I'm ready to move on after six months in Australasia. It's been grand, but new adventures await.

Over the next two days I'll be in four different countries. Starting off in New Zealand, I fly to LA tomorrow for about 24 hours before I get on a plane again. I head down to El Salvador for about an hour before I finally end up in Lima, Peru. That's about as crazy a travel itinerary I've ever had.

But I am especially looking forward to my short stint in LA, getting to see a bunch of friends, and watching a Stanford football game that isn't on my computer screen in millions of pixels.

I will be arriving at my host family's place in Cusco, Peru some time late Sunday or early Monday. I'll be back in the eastern time zone so now weird calculations to make any more, and I'll post an update as soon as I've settled in and can find an internet cafe later next week. The first few days should be pretty simple--Spanish classes, orientation, etc--but I'll try and let everyone know I haven't caught malaria and died.

Oh, I'll also be posting pictures of all my adventures from Rotorua (several pictures of the adorable girls included) on facebook soon, so check those out.

Ok, I'm off. Adios!

Chippie sandwiches.

We've been meaning to have a picnics with the girls lately, and finally we decided to just have it inside instead of waiting for a perfect afternoon on ye weekend. Our "picnic" consisted of snack food mostly, including some chippies.

If you didn't know or remember, chippies are french fries. They're also chips or hot chips, but chippies for little kids I guess. But for this picnic Shanelle and Brendon insisted that I try a chippie sandwich. And yes, it's absurd as it sounds.

You begin with a simple piece of white bread. For extra artery clogging you can smother it in butter. Then simply place a few chippies on the bread. Add ketchup if that's your thing, and fold the bread over and you're done!

It tasted about as I expected. It's fries with ketchup, just with a some bread outside. It's good, just completely unnecessary. But the kids love it, and if you're ever in the mood to try something new and take a year or two off your life then I say go for it.

I went to a Hangi

A Hangi is a traditional Maori feast. It involves an entire day of preparation, and here in Rotorua they provide an entire cultural experience for those who come.

I went alone to the Hangi, and had those few awkward minutes sitting at my table with no one else and just staring around with no one to talk to. Eventually my table began to fill up, and next to/across from me were two older couples: one from Ireland and the other from Vancouver, Canada. They spoke to each other very openly about the U.S., about Obama, and more. They discussed how Americans are whiny, how our economy is messes up, and how Washington politics are so screwed over for the next several years. They went on about all of these things for a solid ten minutes, and only then did they turn to me to ask my name and where I was from. "Washington, D.C." I said. "Ohhhh" was the reply by each of them, followed by a long silence when they all looked extremely awkward/embarrassed and weren't sure what next to say.

I assured them that they were not totally in the wrong, but I did explain a few things to them about to current situation so they didn't think all Americans are crazy or our system a waste. The wife from Canada was particularly funny. She would not--and I mean would NOT--stop complaining about the noise a group of kids were making. Her husband obviously was embarrassed by her constant whining, and tried to point out that they are children about ten times. Later, after telling me about how she enjoyed this country and that country, I pointed out that they seemed to travel quite a lot. "Yeah, we're in a bit of debt." well maybe you shouldn't go to Turkey every year for three weeks only because "the people there are so nice." Just a thought.

Anyway, we were then brought to the attention of our guide for the evening. He asked where people were from (only American there, shocking) and explained the events of the evening and asked for a volunteer to help him out with everything.

First on the list of to-dos was to check on the hangi, out feast. A hangi works by digging a deep hole in the ground and heating it up with hot rocks and gathering steam and smoke. The gold is then placed in the hole and covered in cloth, and then the hole is covered. It cooks all day, and no spices are added. Pretty awesome how it works. So we checked on it, everything looked good, and so we moved on to a small creek to see some native Maori chants done while in a canoe on the water. Also pretty cool, fire was involved, and they wore indigenous clothing and artwork on their bodies/faces.

The final part of the cultural performance happened in an auditorium setting. There was singing, dancing, a female peace offering and presentation to all of us who were guests for the evening. Fascinating stuff to see the ancient practices of the Maori people and how they are still used today. They did their haka dance as well, equally as impressive as everything else shown that night.

An finally it was time to feast. Like I said before there is no seasoning on this food, but the chicken and lamb just falls off the bone. Rice, potatoes that melt in your mouth, and so much incredible food. I could have eaten ten plates, but while pacing myself dinner was over so while I was disappointed in trying to eat ten plates it was probably a blessing in disguise. I was full, and it was an incredible meal. Overall an incredible evening of culture, food, and interesting company.

My Birthday "celebration"

This post could also fall under the "oops I probably shouldn't have done that" posts, it was that special a celebration.

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago (just go "oh crap I didn't say anything"? Belated wishes are still being accepted, no late fees apply) and my host family wanted to make it memorable. Despite the drinking age only being 18 here, the big thing to do on your 21st birthday is to drink a yardie. A yardie is one of those giant yard glasses that holds a lot more liquid than you might think, and for your 21st you fill it with beer.

The object during this "celebration" is to drink the beer as fast as possible. My host parents both did theirs around 3:30, and both gloriously puked it all back up almost immediately. They even told me that there's a 99% chance I'll do the same. So I began to mentally prepare.

Come my birthday we set out to buy the yardie and the beer. These things aren't cheap--we found a steal for only $35. Most were about $90. Then I had to get beer. My options were pretty limited and I wanted to drink something familiar so I wasn't chugging some weird, foreign beer that tasted horrible. My best option was Carona. Not ideal, but it was that or something I wouldn't bother giving to a homeless man. NZ beer=not the best.

The other part of preparation involves pouring the beer as early as possible the day of consumption to flatten it--chugging with bubbles isn't as easy. So I did just that the moment we got home with the beer. In the end the yardie held seven bottles of beer. Throughout the day I kept checking to see I'd the bubbles were still around and taking a whiff of the Carona and the lime I had added to it. Smelled delicious. I was ready.

We had homemade pizzas that night for dinner. Delicious, but I had to hold back because I didn't want to puke up an entire pie. Then came the moment after the kids went to bed and Brendon and Shanelle were ready too. You need a "pourer" to help out because the yardie needs to be twisted as the liquid comes out. Otherwise too much will flow from the bottom and splash all over your face. Brendon was the pourer and Shanelle was the photographer.

Well let me tell you, despite my expectations, flat and room temperature beer is not very tasty. It was nasty. Horrible. Disgusting. I was so shocked by the taste I lost concentration. I was trying to chug as much as possible but I slowed down about halfway through. I had chugged almost four beers in about 90 seconds. I wanted to keep chugging but my stomach wasn't having it. I had to resort to giant gulps one at a time. But soon I felt that rumbling and had to stop despite the cheers of my host parents telling me to finish. I thought I was going to lose it, but I willed y stomach to hold up. I said I'd rather finish this thing and not puke even I'd it takes me forever.

As I continues to struggle towards the finish one gulp at a time I got some encouragement by two year old Ella who had woken up and come outside. She started clapping her hands and repeating whatever her mom said. How could I not be enthused by a two year old cheering on a guy chugging beer? Several times I thought I was going to lose it, but I felt more determined as the chugging went on to not spew. Finally I got the last gulp down. Completed! Finished! I did it!

My time? 25 minutes. Apparently that's just not even acceptable. I tried to claim hey I didn't puke, something almost unheard of. But of course the locals just said it was only cause I took ten years to do it. But I thought of it as a power hour done in half the time or less, plus an extra beer. Brendon and Shanelle teased me for taking so long, but I was happy just to not puke. So take what you will.

But I now have a new task for all my friends back home on their next birthday. I will be the pourer, and everyone will do a yardie. Maybe someday I'll do another one just for kicks and try and not be the slow poke.

Heart-stopping football!

In one of the best football weekends I can remember, both Stanford and the Redskins kicked field goals to win the game.

Stanford made up for a horrific error after missing a PAT and dramatically drove down the field with just over a minute left. I love Andrew Luck. The Redskins improbably held down the Packers offense and Graham Gano redeemed himself late after missing a fg earlier in the quarter. Then Landry had that interception (btw, he has the biggest biceps of any human being I know), and the miracle comeback was completed soon thereafter.

To continue the great streak the Redskins are on Sunday night football this week, meaning the game is broadcast on the ESPN channel here and I get to watch my first 'skins game of the year. Maybe we'll pull off another upset. I've got to tape the game because it happens when I'm playing rugby, so I'll just have to ignore my phone and the Internet until the kids have stopped watching playhouse Disney and I can enjoy watching something more than highlights.

Go Cardinal! Hail to the Redskins!

Special Police Training

New Zealand is hosting the world cup of rugby next year, and it's the biggest event the country has ever held. With the world cup comes a need for increased security and proper training for the proper authorities.

To help some local cops with their training the academy volunteered the boys or a morning. We were supposed to act as a rowdy crowd, a belligerent and obnoxious group. We were told to try and get through an open part of the fencing around the stadium for the first part, and then to try and resist the cops during the second part while in an open field.

But these cops were just going through the motions. They had helmets and shields, and they warned us that if we got too rough they wouldn't hold back in using their batons and had no qualms with inflicting injury. I seemed slightly hesitant until we were told the following: we would be supplies with bottles and cans to throw at the cops. They WANTED us to throw stuff at them. They needed the preparation.

I couldn't say no to that opportunity. When can someone say they got to throw stuff at cops without fear of being arrested? Almost never. Like me the other boys saw how awesome this chance was so we all went all out. We filled up the bottles with water and when we rounded the corner to get through the fence we chucked everything as hard as possible. I got a cop on the leg pretty solidly. Hitting a cop with a heavy bottle and seeing them buckle slightly is oddly satisfying.

There were times when we even stole a couple of batons, which their boss had told us before "if you guys do that, I'm gonna rip them a new one." We ended up stealing five, and the look on one cop's face when we took it from him was like he had just soiled himself. Priceless. But kids don't try this at home, unless you feel like getting a rap sheet.

We've got cable!

Last week my host family decided to upgrade from the free basic channels to sky tv, the local version of digital cable. It's a big deal.

The girls now won't watch movies all day, they can watch Disney, Disney playhouse, animal planet, and even nickelodeon. It's great for everyone else too because now there's new programming every twenty minutes to occupy the kids instead of watching the same movie three times in one day. Better yet there's "my sky," which is basically TiVo, so we can record anything too.

Of course, I'm pumped because sky tv also cones with ESPN. It's not just live ESPN from home but an international feed from Australia. But it does include live Sportcenters from Bristol and PTI, my favorite show. I hadn't seen an episode in five months. And ESPN even broadcasts the Sunday night football games. This way I can watch the Redskins get clobbered by the Colts in a few weeks.

There are, however, the problems of being sucked in by the tv. Shanelle and Brendon have definitely had to repeat themselves to the kids and each other because someone is so keyed in on what's on tv. Some dirty looks have been thrown along with some frustrating ahems. But I'm just happy to have my ESPN, no complaining from me.

My new nickname

My new nickname

I like nicknames. They're fun. I've had the same once since 4th grade, but the boys at the academy recently came up with one I never expected.

One morning a couple weeks ago before a group meeting we had a few moments so one of the coaches said "Ok guys since we've got some time let's work on out vocabulary." Apparently from time to time they'll just throw out words to expand their knowledge. The boy in front of me turned and said "What was that long and confusing one someone mentioned earlier? You know?" I paused for a moment and said, "You mean audacity?" "Yeah! That one!"

So he raised his hand and shouted it out. No surprise the coach asked if anyone knew. No surprise again, I was the only one that knew. I explained, everyone nodded, and we were asked for more words. I thought what the heck, I'll just start naming WOW words (words of the week) from 8th grade English.

I suddenly became the star. I knew all these "weird" and "random" words these guys thought were hilarious. I was the only one that knew their meanings. I felt like the smartest English student in class, ironic since my friends from home can attest that I do not have the world's biggest vocabulary and am a horrific speller. Nevertheless I threw out words like pique, ominous, and atrocious. Soon I scaled back a bit realizing I could use something more common place like intrusive or vex.

By the last few words when they all still had no idea of the meanings, boys began to say "Just ask dictionary over here." Even the next morning, when I was explaining rigidity during a core workout, one guy called me "dictionary boy."

So now I am referee to as dictionary. Simple and short, I'm not the one with the expansive vocab who knows all these words. I can only laugh at how ironic it seems to me given my past, and my high school friends will particularly smile reading this post. Cullen, you still have that list?

The NZ List

I enjoyed making my list for Australia a few months ago, so I thought I'd compile another one from my experiences here in New Zealand. Enjoy.

1) At first I thought their accents would be just slightly off from Australian accents. I was right. The difference? A slight infusion of what sounds like a Boston accent. That and they say "eh" like Canadians. It's all quite infuriating.

2) NZ people are called Kiwis, the Kiwi is the national animal. But it's nocturnal and admittedly impossible to see in the wild. And it's only in very dark nocturnal spaces in certain wildlife parks. For being such an important image of the country it's shockingly hard to see. I've seen one, and that was considered lucky.

3) in America we have chips and French fries. In England fries are called chips and chips are called crisps; same deal for Australia. In New Zealand both are chips, you just have hot chips and cold chips. I find this irritating and unnecessarily confusing.

4) Many people know the stat the ratio of sheep to people here is 10:1. But that ratio is getting smaller because the wool industry over here is going down the tube. More lamb chops for everyone!

5) On the subject of animals, one non-native species here is the possum, and it has no natural predators so they just multiply. There are 80 million here. Not thousand, million!

6) If you use google maps to go from one main city to another it doesn't say "stay on highway one for two hours" because everything is so small the main roads go through each town. So your directions have an additional 649165 steps to stay on this road or that one. Old school maps rule the day here.

7) You could probably write a thesis on this subject, but the relationship with the native people in NZ is 100% different than the situation in Australia. Think of Australia's situation as how we handled the American Indians, and with the native Maori people and European settlers the cultures are now harmoniously intertwined, respectful of each other, and there is crossover in many ways during everyday life.

8) NZ cops don't carry fire arms. At all. Nothing. That's nuts, it's insane. Two cops have died in the past two years, and seven others were shot and wounded. Dear NZ, wake up!

9) In NZ they rank schools on a scale of 1-10 based on family incomes, with 1 being the poorest schools. The lower the ranking the more government funding they get. Interesting approach; of course the rich parents just complain their kids are getting shorted.

10) This country is obsessed with rugby, but it is also very into net ball. It's like basketball except there are no backboards and no dribbling. If you have the ball you can only take one step--and the same if you're the defender of the player with the ball. Otherwise you can move freely; but if your opponent is open and it's your person it's basically a free shot at the basket. My nomination for most worthless sport.

11) They don't yield to pedestrians here. At all. It's not a law or anything. So I've stood at an intersection for five whole minutes just waiting.

12) There are never street address up. You may see one address for every ten buildings. Trying to find a particular place while driving is especially vexing.

13) They call water polo underwater hockey.

My Sassy Girl

Shanelle and Brendon are big movie fans. They have a huge collection, and for the most part they are mainstream movies from back home. Shanelle is also very much into chick flicks, and always rents a few movies a week when a local store has a special rent five for a dollar deal.

So last week she rented a few and asked what Brendon and I would like to watch. We said we were indifferent (something my mom always gets frustrated with when I say..."No, pick something"), which was the wrong decision. Shanelle picked, and she chose the movie My Sassy Girl.

It is, without a doubt, the worst chick flick I have ever seen. I've been dragged to the movies as an awkward third wheel, been forced to watch crap with girls because they've "had a terrible day and I just want some company to watch this movie." But this one takes the cake.

You want to punch the female lead after about two scenes, and by midway through the film you want to plant dynamite in her mouth. The plot is so out of control with such an implausible ending it makes things that much worse. And the little things are off too. Case in point: there is a scene in New York City supposed to be taking place in January, but there is no snow, fall leaves on the ground, and trees are blooming spring flowers. That's basically all the seasons in one shot. Horrible.

So, lesson learned here: when the host mom, who admits to loving cheesy chick flicks, asks what you want to watch, pick anything not named My Sassy Girl. Ugh, I'm upset even thinking about it. Maybe I'll go burn every copy like the Pentagon burnt every copy of that recently published war book.

Zorbing

The academy is only Monday through Thursday, so on Fridays the international students get to do an activity around Rotorua. These range from whitewater rafting (which I did a few weeks ago) and other adventure activities to cultural experiences and overnight trips around the area.

I recently went zorbing, something I had wanted to do for a while and had almost forgotten about. Zorbing is basically rolling down a hill in a giant plastic ball. Sounds implement enough, and it's quite fun. I'm in that ball somewhere in that picture.

At the top of the hill they pour in a bit of warm water into the center of the ball. Then you have to slide in "superman" style: arms out in front, and just slide on in. Definitely not great for those claustrophobics out there. Then the ball is closed up and you're inside this ball as it begins to roll down the hill. I tries standing up as Shanelle suggested, but I fell in about one second and just started rolling around. You have very little control over which way you're facing as you're tossed around rolling in several different directions. At one point I was stuck backwards for a few seconds with water constantly rushing over my head. A little freaky, but fun.

The entire experience only lasts about 45 seconds, but it's a blast. I got soaked and had swallowed a bit of water, yet it was all worth it.

The New Zealand Sports Academy

The New Zealand Sports Academy (NZSA) is where I have been learning how to play rugby for the last few weeks. The academy is located at the Rotorua International Rugby stadium, just a short walk from my host family's home.

The academy is a one year program with an option for a second year that takes kids ages 17-25 from all around New Zealand that want to improve their game in hopes of someday playing professionally. The coaches here are world class, and the academy has a history of former athletes that have gone on to play professionally and even for the All Blacks (the national team).

A typical day at the academy had everyone arrive by 8 for a short meeting followed by two hours of weights and core work. Following a short break is classwork for the boys here (like life skills training--a lot of these boys don't have the best education backgrounds) while I have to work on skills training. Except for the first week, I have been the only international student here. It's quite a positive I have found because I get a lot of one-on-one training with ye coaches about the game's skills, strategies, and basic philosophies. That work lasts a little over an hour and is followed by lunch and then the day ends with work out on the fields with conditioning, speed/agility games, and scrimmages. It's pretty fun.

While the NZSA does take boys up to 25, the oldest ones here are 21. Most are still teenagers, some still only 17. I have to constantly remind myself how much older I am than all of these guys. Moreso, they have he maturity of middle school kids. I really feel like I'm back in 6th and 7th grade all over again. All the boys are obsessed with playing pokemon on their cell phones, and most of them don't even have email addresses. No joke. And yes this is New Zealand, not some poor third world country.

So far I have thoroughly enjoyed my time. The first week was a little slower as I got introduced to things, but I've picked up the game pretty quickly and have enjoyed playing in games with the other guys here. They're very talented. And then they'll say something that reminds me how young they are. First day for example:

Boys: Where in the U.S. you from?
Me: Washington, D.C.
Boys: (completely serious) Do you know Obama?
Me: No, no I don't.

Little things like that happen all the time, and I'm sure I'll have more stories to share over the next few weeks. As for now I'm just enjoying working out with them, learning more each day, and every now and then pulling of a great fake pass that makes all the boys laugh at the one who got faked out by the newbie American guy.

My Host Family

Apologies for not having updated the blog in forever. Transition period, waiting to see how things worked out in the new environment, and to be honest I just got lazy. But I'm back, and you can expect nearly daily updates for the next couple of weeks to catch everyone up on what's happened.

One word to describe my host family: awesome. I absolutely love them and could not have been luckier with getting a better situation. Brendon and Shanelle McCashin are only 27 years old each. They met ten years ago and now have been married for five years. They also have three adorable children: Jasmine, Ella, and Isabel. They are only 3, 2, and 1 years old, respectively. That family photo there is almost a year old, so I've also supplied a recent photo of Isabel to show how much she has grown up.

Brendon was in the navy for four years before becoming an electrician, which has been his occupation for almost six years now. Shanelle used to do IT work, but now she is a stay at home mom and also does lots of babysitting for other kids around the age of her own. Very convenient.

I thought I would have plenty of down time while staying with them, to do some reading and study Spanish before I get to Peru. However, I find all my free time spent playing with these three girls. They're just the best, no other way to put it. I've especially taken to Isabel. Shanelle refers to me as Isabel's beat friend, and I spoil her by picking her up any time she puts her arms in the air to ask. I can't help it, she's too cute. She also just learned to walk a couple of weeks ago, and I was there for her first few steps.

The girls love to watch movies, and I've had a chance to catch up on some Disney classics. I've also seen the Tinkerbell movies about three times each (there are three of them). It's amazing how these kids can watch a movie and then go "Again! Again!" right when the ending credits come up.

As for typical days around the house. I have my own room (I'm the only boy staying with them at the moment) but I spend almost all of my time in the kitchen/family area with the family. They make dinner for me each night, and have been more than accommodating. I really couldn't have asked for a better situation. I really do feel like a part of the family, something I never thought would happen and I couldn't be happier about it. We've celebrates Isabel's first birthday together, gone to the family's beach house for the weekend, and stayed up late talking family, life, and other things I never imagined discussing with people who were complete strangers not even a month ago. It's just fantastic. I'm already sad I'm not staying with them longer, but it's just another great excuse to come back and visit sooner rather than later.

Earthquake

Christchurch just had a 7.2 earthquake. I was just there a couple weeks ago, but I'm now about aw far away as I can be and still be in the same country. I didn't feel a thing up here until people started calling me and waking me up. All fine and dandy. Thought people might be curious.

Adventures with mom Part II

We left the dead town of Te Anau and drove over to Queenstown, which at this time of year is easily the most popular destination on the south island because it acts as the center for all those coming to ski in NZ. It's got a very similar vibe to Aspen or Park City, just not as old and overly classy. I'm a huge fan of Queenstown. On top of being the main skiing attraction it's considered the adventure capitol of the world for people (like me) who like to do crazy things like bungy jumping, parasailing and paragliding, extreme canyon boat riding, and other insane stuff. If I had to live in NZ this place would be my home.

Better yet, we stayed at the Azur Lodge while there. It's a little odd driving through a sketchy neighborhood to get to this place, but it could be the best hotel/lodge I've even stayed in. You get your own little cabin with a king size bed, couches by the fireplace, complimentary bottle of wine, the biggest shower head I've ever seen and a tub with jets, and it's all situated with absolutely incredible views of the mountains and lake. Phenomenal.

And there's so much to do in Queenstown. We took our time walking around the center of town and rode up the gondola (more incredible views) and did the luge ride they have. We played mini-golf--twice--once with my mom getting a hole-in-one on the final hole to earn a free game and the other place being indoors and the most intricate putt putt course you could imagine. Par was 68 and I shot over 80. It's that nuts. I did the bungy jumping, we took advantage of the rain to see Inception (great film), and ate way too much food. It was all such a blast and even if you weren't in town you could relax at the lodge all day if you wanted and just sit back and enjoy the sun hitting the mountains. It was definitely a sad moment when we had to leave that place.

Instead of driving all the way up north we flew up to Nelson, a nice little town on the northern coast of the south island known for being artsy with lots of craft stores and galleries. The only problem was that almost all of the main ones were closed because August is their month off during the winter. Unfortunately the travel agent forgot to mention this fact. Anyway, we stayed at another B&B in Nelson and spent some time enjoying the galleries that were open and a great chocolate store with little puzzles on each table that entertained the two of us much longer than anyone our ages should have been. No matter, we loved it.

Nelson did, however, offer one thing well beyond everything else: the combined classic cars and WOW museum. WOW stands for World of Wearableart (I think that should be two words, but they made it one). The cars, of course, were cool to check out from the Packards from the 1910s and 20s, 50s Cheveys, and even the more modern Ferarris and a Maybach. The WOW portion was actually more impressive. There is a show every year (it originated in Nelson but now is so big it has to be held in Wellington), and it's basically open to anyone who wants to submit their art/outfit. Some crazy things, but really interesting to see what people do with the idea that the clothing should be considered art on its own.

Finally our last stop along the way was in Kaikoura. What made this stop interesting was our accommodation: a place where you stay in a tree house. It's a very nice room, but each one is up a flight of stairs so you have a view and it looks like a tree house from the outside. Very cool idea, and the views you get are of the mountains on one side and a vineyard with cows on the other. Shampooing in the morning while watching cows grazing is quite entertaining. After avoiding a fire scare (they make you light a fire with pine cones in the fire place...those things extremely smokey so the person who thought that one up clearly was not thinking) we both enjoyed a night of playing cards and dinner.

The next day was my mom's last full day in NZ. We drove back down to Christchurch and went to dinner at the hotel's restaurant (where they had a smoked scallop that came out with a covering so the waiter could release the smoke in front of you. I coughed it was so bad. Again, who comes up with these ideas?). Before we headed to the airport the next day I taught my mom how to eat a Tim Tam Slam, so her trip was complete.

It was two weeks of overeating, overindulgence, and over-excitement at times. But it was two of the most fun weeks I've had since I left home almost four months ago at this point. I basically know the south island by heart at this point, so if you ever want to go I'll gladly be your guide.

Adventures with mom Part I

My mom came to visit for two weeks recently and a lot took place, so I'm breaking it all up into two posts.

Just a couple days after finishing up work with Conservation Volunteers NZ I was able to check out of the backpackers hostel for what I knew was going to be something a little more comfortable for a couple of weeks with my mom. Clean beds and bathrooms along with real and tasty food coming my way for two weeks. I was in heaven.

We started in Christchurch for a few days where we walked about town in the rain on the first day to take a look at all the galleries. We visited the Christchurch Cathedral, the city museum, and spent some time at the film festival (where we saw that classic "The Human Centipede"). We had a little tour around the city and drove up into the mountains where we saw it snowing!

Probably the most fun we had was at the Antarctic Center. Who knew that Christchurch was the main hub for almost all every country that had a base on Antarctica. You're a lot closer to the South Pole than you think down here, and the center had all sorts of information about the history of exploration down there, a look into what life down there is like today, and they even have pictures sent back to the center regularly to update everyone (we even saw a picture taken the very same day we visited). They have a storm simulator too; you get a special jacket and walk into a room with snow and they turn off the lights and make it extremely windy to the point where its below 0 degrees F. They also have lots of info about and house penguins. I had no idea how many species existed.

The two of us were going to explore the entire south island during my mother's two week stay, so we figured the easiest way was to drive around most of the time and maybe schedule a flight somewhere. I took the reigns on driving, and driving on the opposite side of the car and the road is even weirder than you can imagine. It definitely takes a little getting used to. But I managed and we left Christchurch and headed down to Dunedin where we stayed at a lovely B&B, got a tour of the city from a fellow who had spent his entire life there, and took a fantastic train ride up into the mountains and back that also scared the heck out of my mother as at one point we were allowed to walk across the train tracks over a bridge before the train went. Did I mention the bridge was almost 500ft above a rive gorge? My mom was not happy.

Two days later we made it to Te Anau, a small little town that had about three places open. We had two objectives in this town, the first to visit the glow worm caves. Getting to the caves involved boating along Lake Te Anau, which is right next to Fiordland National Park. The lake was beautiful, perfectly still, and on average had a depth of 800ft. The deepest parts were 1400ft. Sadly, upon our arrival to the caves, we were informed that a huge storm had come through the mountains the night before, causing tons of excess water in the caves, and we could not take the small boat into the inner caves to see the glow worms. Disappointing, but we did get to walk in through some parts of the caves--which was nice--and we did get our money back. Woohoo, free tour.

Our second day in Te Anau had us taking a tour up and through Fiordland National Park to see the Milford Sound. We took a bus ride up to the sound with several stops along the way to take in the incredible scenery (think giant open fields from Lord of the Rings), and we got to listen to every bit of tour info twice because we were on the Japanese bus with their interpreter (but she was actually very nice and always took pictures of families). The mountains were just incredible, with snow caps and waterfalls as far as you could see.

The ride up, however, was nothing compared to what we saw while boating on the sound. Right off the bat we saw a family of dolphins in the water, including tow baby dolphins. We spotted a penguin and saw a pack of seals near the end of the trip. But the scenery on this ride was unlike anything I've seen before. Mountain upon mountain darting into the water. Scenery you thought only a computer could generate for a movie was right in front of us. It was cloudy at first but soon they moved away to create the perfect amount of clouds to allow some perspective. You know how sometimes certain scenery seems fake because it's just so big and seems too perfect? That is what everything seemed like on this boat trip. Just stunning. We even took the boat right up to the bottom of a massive waterfall. Ever been standing almost right under one that's about 500ft high? Another unique experience. Just take a look at the pictures I'll provide because there really is no better way to explain everything.

Ok that's it for week one. Check back soon for week two.