The last couple of weeks, especially compared to the previous two, have been relatively calm. I spent a solid three days recovering from our adventure in the south island and enjoyed sleeping in and lounging around the flat between classes. I got back in the pool after a little over two weeks out and was surprised to find I didn't feel like I would be drowning anytime soon. Apparently carrying a 30+ pound pack for two weeks helps to maintain some shoulder strength...

Across the Bay from downtown 

     Wellington is a great city for any and all forms of art and seems to have a handful of concerts, live music, plays, comedians or exhibitions premiering every night.  I think it would be a shame not to take advantage of these things and I have had a really fun time finding little known events around town to break up the week. Last tuesday (two tuesdays ago? Wow time goes fast!) a friend told me about a play that was running a student special. I had a paper due that week that I had gotten as far as deciding on the prompt I would be arguing.  Naturally, I figured this was an admirable amount of work to complete for the night and decided attending the play was the best decision I could make regarding my further education. It was.  We saw "Joseph K," a dark comedy adaptation of Franz Kafta's "The Trial and were highly impressed with the diversity of the four man cast. School, swimming, homework and class readings, a club meeting or two, and the Friday night market made up the rest of my week. A group of us had planned to take an overnight backpacking trip but a few people dropped out and we had to cancel. As plan B, we took the ferry across the harbor to Day's Bay and had a went for a very enjoyable day hike. The weather was beautiful and we finished the afternoon off with fish and chips and some ice cream.

Day's Bay 

     On Wednesday I attended trivia night at one of Victoria's cafes/bars. Our team did well enough. I knew most U.S references and the rest of the team picked up anything New Zealand. We realized about half way through that we would not be winning but would also not be last... We came close though, to last that is. Regardless, It was a good way to get to know people better and provided a nice excuse for a do-nothing-night. I have been swimming a couple of days a week with the local master's team and a couple of days with a friend and neighbor (who also swims with the team). We walk, bus or meet at the pool on non-masters days and I don't know if I would make it there many days if I didn't know he was waiting. Using self motivation to get to the pool is about as easy as convincing myself I should write a paper not due for another two weeks. On Friday we met at the pool in the morning and completed a workout before heading back into town for "Soup and a Seat." Soup and a Seat qualifies as one of those completely obscure events I mentioned before. The local chapter of the New Zealand Film Achieve airs a short documentary on Fridays in August and September during the lunch break period. For eight dollars you receive admission to the theatre as well as a bowl of soup and some bread. It was the perfect activity for a rainy Friday afternoon without classes. I couldn't help but grin, sitting in the theatre with my soup, silently kicking myself for not knowing about this strangely perfect event until the second to last week of its existence. The documentary was entitled (rather fittingly for this blog I might add), Lost in Wonderland. We both really enjoyed it. My first Kebab on the wharf and an hour or so of coffee and chess next to a warm fire at a great local restaurant/cafe/brew-bar completed the perfect rainy afternoon. An Ohio-in-August worthy thunderstorm rolled in around six and provided an excuse to curl up with a book and stay in for the night.  

Some New Zealand sweets 

The final products 

   

Debating the merits of each cake

Saturday morning was the usual routine of hating life for three minutes after my alarm went off, before making my way to the pool for practice. A member of the team has volunteered to pick up Ali and I for swim on days there are masters practices.  This is basically the only reason I make it to morning practice anymore. The thought of making my way to the bound-to-be-late bus at 6 in the morning in the rain is enough to make me turn off the alarm and drift right back to sleep. Having someone drive twice a week and having a friend waiting at the pool the other two or three days have both proved great blessings. I don't know if I'd be in the water half as often without them. That afternoon my original orientation group met up at a house in town and learned how to make Pavlova, an uniquely New Zealand dessert. The amount of sugar consumed this day should be criminal. The afternoon resulted in a pavlova decorating battle that progressed to the point of separating sprinkles by color. It was fun to catch up with people from my program and nice to be in an actual house for the first time in a while. Sunday was church and lunch with some friends, studying and ice cream in the evening as a mini-spring break reunion.
     This week is looking pretty low key: a couple of papers, meetings, classes and hopefully a chance to see more of Wellington and all it has to offer. I miss home and it is certainly weird not to be at Wooster now that school is back in session but I wouldn't trade my time here for anything. I'm having an incredible time and am so grateful for all the opportunities I have had since being here.