I’m happy to say that
I’ve continued to look outside the box for things to do in these last few
weeks. My host family and I have moved a few kilometers down the road, so I’ve
been dealing with packing and unpacking and numerous other transitions—like not
having internet at the house for almost three weeks. However, in between hunting
for new local haunts, I’ve had ample options to experience some culture since a
few holidays have occurred in that time.
Diwali, a traditional
Indian festival, has gone on for a couple of weeks, and attended part of the
city-sponsored celebrations one Sunday afternoon. I got to spend time with a
friend and some of her extended family, which made me feel like I better
understood what was going on; one of the city’s main streets downtown was shut
down, had I wandered alone through the large area filled with vendors and
performances, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed myself nearly as much. My friend
helps her mother-in-law teach traditional Indian dance, and after watching the
students put on a marvelous performance on the main stage, I met with her
family and happily joined them as they tried the goods from various food stalls
(I discovered that I like Falooda and Samosas). Seeing the celebration, even in
a more commercialized setting, was still exciting, because I usually enjoy
getting to experience a bit of other cultures.
Labour Day also came
along, and since I got the day off for this national holiday, I decided to do
the most touristy thing possible in NZ: go to Hobbiton. When I told people back
home that I would be moving here, they often asked me if I would visit the site
of the hobbits’ hometown in The Lord of
the Rings movies, so I felt almost obligated to journey to the set just
outside Matamata. While I can’t claim to be a tremendous fan of the series, I
did enjoy the location and certainly appreciate the attention to detail in
creating the set for a fantasy world—and I took plenty of photos. The drive a
hundred miles south of central Auckland and back was the more pleasant part of
the trip for me; I have loved being behind the wheel ever since I got the
chance, and getting to wind through the countryside with mountains and
sheep-filled fields all around made for a lovely journey.
The other big holiday
was Guy Fawkes Night, which is just a noisy enigma to this newcomer. It’s an English
holiday celebrating Catholic extremists’ failed attempt to assassinate
Protestant King James I in 1605 (Guy Fawkes was only one of the members
involved), and NZ’s English colonization meant that the celebration is popular
here. However, I gleaned from numerous newspaper articles this week and from
overheard conversations that this has become a celebration devoid of its
original meaning—but most holidays are, I think—and has evolved into an excuse
for hooligans to run amuck. After hearing backyard fireworks go off every night
for over a week, I kind of agree with such a sentiment. November fifth is the
actual date, so because of the date some naysayers lump it in with Halloween as
a commercial blight on society. In any case, I’m still not sure why it’s a big
deal to anyone, so chalk it up to cultural differences.
On a more positive
note, I have found some new words I think I’ll be throwing into conversation:
- chocka - full
- biff - throw
- gun (adj) - good; Ex: a gun athlete
The last—and for me,
most exciting—new venture of late has been my first open water swim. It was in
the Auckland Harbour, and although the course called for us to round a small
island instead of crossing the harbor, it was still in very deep water. And the
water was FREEZING: when I first got in, I was trying to inhale and couldn’t
feel whether I was actually breathing or not, but after a short 100-meter warm-up,
I decided my body wasn’t actually shutting down. I raced far better than I expected,
especially since I really didn’t get a chance to do stroke work specific to open
water, which is supposedly different from the pool swimming I’ve been doing my
whole life. That meant that my speed was alright, but I kept changing
direction, bumping into other competitors, and I never found the third buoy I was
supposed to round. Despite those few detractors, I really loved it, and I’m
looking forward to finding more swims nearby to attempt—hopefully one that
crosses the entire harbor.
 |
| The harbour bridge--across the waterway I'd like to attempt to swim! |
Until next time!
—Lenora
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