rain in christchurch

howdy howdy! currently in christchurch--full of 'us' jews. NOT. on the easty coast, slowly but surely making my way back up to auckland. SAD. so, as usual, i'm going to start back and end up where i am today...or something like that??

i forgot to tell you guys the most ridiculous thing EVER! my friend mark loves this story....so wwhen i was with stray and we were driving to queenstown there is this awesome fruit stand they stop at. its run completely by asians and everytimei have been there there have been bus loads of them. so anyways, the last time i was there i was going to the bathroom and there was this older asian woman in back of me. mid 40's early 50's. so i start paying more attention to her because she was STOMPING her feet like a 5 year old and then i looked more carefully and her pants were practically OFF. she had undone them and pulled them down so i could see her nasty undies. so there she was, stomping her feet over and over again, violently, with her pants down. i almost let her go in front of me but i was getting far to much enjoyment watching her parade around like a toddler. so mark and i have just been stomping our feet constantly....what a ridiculous woman.

while i was in queestown becky took me on this sweet 3 hour hike called the Fern Hill Loop. you get up super high and end up with this awesome view of the remarkables (the mtn range that runs through qtown). so anyways, at the beggining of the hike this dog found us. she had a studded collar on (ew). just a black dog, prob. a lab, pit, boxer mix. so anyways, this dog ended up coming with us for the entire hike. listened to everything we said. at one point i looked up and there were 2 massive moutain goats about 10 feet from us and the dog just bolted after them. they were to fast though--thank god they didn't charge us because they had gigantic horns. we named the dog fluffy, dont ask me why, because there was nothing fluffy abuot the dog except for the collar.

i have really enjoyed going on all the hikes here in NZ. i have always tried to be aware of the weather and other things that factor into a godo safe hike, and nz has really opened my eyes to how powerful nature can be. for example, about 170 trampers had to get helicoptered out of the milford area a few weeks back bc of rain. it just pisses down rain here. BUCKETS. ship loads. so moral of the story is, i feel like i'm a good hiker, but i'm not stupid enough to climb everest. nor would i be able to. i actually think thats pretty foolish. that mountain would eat you. the biggest mtn. in nz. mt cook kills about 1-3 people each year here.

so the last night in queenstonw was beckys last night--she has been there for 6 months. so we had aparty at her place--she has 5 other roommaates--all very cool people. a couple kiwis, one swiss, and english. so we had a barbi before the party and bought so much damn meat. it was actually a sick amount, but man was it good. lots of lamb. so becky had one roommate who i will call "elna." she was english, late 20's and just really winey. high maintance. so anyways, we were eating, oh and this was part of her birthday party too, so anyways, she keeps telling us how she is going to get dressed and balahab...mind you, she isn't that cutest bee in the hive. so the next time i see her i am horrified. she walks up the stairs and i thought at first she was either a HE or a gremlin. no joke. she had this awful outfit on, green and black, and curled her hair so she looked like a 5 year old beauty pageant girl, fake eyelashes, and green eye makeup. i mean it was AWFUL. i couldn't stop stairing at her because i just coudln't understand what she was thinking when she put all that crap on. sajkdfhjksf gives me the chills just thinking about it.

later that night, people decided to go to the bars---i could not do it. we had to get the bus early and the last time i did that i wanted to die on the bus. so i woke up to beckys roommate jack on her bed jumping all over screaming "MARRRYY!! MARRRYYY!!!" kiwis can't say mari. they say mary. so he was just wasted screaming for me to get up. MARYYYYY!

on the bus to christchurch we stopped at the one town that seemed familiar and i was walking with becky and i was like i swear i have been here, where are we? and this woman overheard me and yelled at us and said " well dear you are in geraldine, the GAYEST city in new zealand!" yea...we thought that was strange??

another town we stopped at was omarama. my favorite town to say. omaramramrmarma.

we also stopped at Lake Tekapo. GORGEOUS!! i mean stunning. snow on themtn, just out of this world gorgeous.

first day in christchurch becky and i went for a run. i ended up going some different direction and got so lost. ended up being 45 minutes from when we said we would make it back. stupid.

my dear friend julie howell just got a job in arizona---YAY!!! mazel tov.

just bought new shoes. i feel like a real person when i put them on but i dont want to wear them over here---dirty.

the season change here is throwing me off. all of the summer stuff is on sale, but i feel like i should buy for the winter...brr...getting cold.

ohmigod in queenstown we went out to this italian restaurant--bella cucina. it was very authentic--becky andi split this pizza which was awesome but we also got this pasta dish with braised lamb, zucchini, and pine nuuts. it was mindblowing goodness. also qtown as this gelato place called patagonia--the closest thing to real italian gelato outside of italy. man was it yum.

we watched sex and lucia which was really good and La vie en rose--which was great as well---high reccomend.

since i have about a week and a half left before i lfy to the states i started thinking about the day i flew to san francisco. really the like 2 weeks before i left to come here i was sucha mess. such anxiety. the day i left i was crying so hard, couldn't breathe. so scared. and i think that i was acting out ina 'normal' way, jus tscared for the unknown, and it kind of amusing to think about. i wasn't even excited for san fran bc i was so scared.

just really can't imagine not doing this whole experience. i was made to be a backpacker---low maintence, dont care if i'm dirty, i can wear the same thing everyday and just not care for a second..etc etc....so i guess the moral of the story is the harder things are, or the harder certain choices, the ones that will be more challenging, are always more rewarding. if i were to stay in IN, ohmigod, i dont knowi what i would have done...die??

i definitely dont want a "normal" life. after this, i think i would pretty much do anything, go anywhere and be completely fine. i would have no problem moving anywhere by myself---its just wya to easy to meet people and get involved...etc etc. I swear everytime i get on facebook someone i know just had a baby or is getting married. yea thats great for some people, but ohmigod, the thought of either of those, more or less those combined---i might as well run infront of a train. to much stuff to do. eww its just gross thinking about. gives me anxiety. skjdhfkjd ew. the only way i could possibly "settle" down in one place for a while is if the Obamas asked me to be their babysitter. thats it.

since i have been here i have become extremely independent. i have always been independent though--for as long as i remember. or maybe just strange? my mom said she know i was a little 'off' when i was like 6 at Lake Michigan and started picking up dead fish. Ha. so yea, i have gotten even more independent here, but i also think its important to rely on certain people. def. not everywhere. but i have been very lucky with the friendships in my life--i have lots of great people to count on, all over the place.

i have thought of a GREAT business--i want to open a world wide chocolate shop---world sweet shop--and it will have all different sweets from all over the world. for each country. NZ has these things caled tim tams and ginger kisses and they are so damn good. i may bring some back.

my friend shannon and i stayed with lindsay and lauri for 2 ngihts here in christchurch. it was great--relaxing. slept well. so anyways, yseterday lindsay and iwere looking out the window and they have a massive backyard and all of these bees were in the air. turns out there neighbors has a beehive and they come over to lindsays garden for pollen. the bees were lfying in practically a straight line---she---so lindsay told me thats where the tern "Bee Lining It!" get it? wowzzay.

lindsay and lauri know like everyone on the news. nuts!

so i just went to this yoga class today. it was me and this argentinian guy and the teacher. it kind of felt like torture. i just wanted a gentle class to stretch and it was all poses an the woman just hounded me--do this, do that, nono, yes yes...ugh. then at the end she tied my ankles together like a pig roast. i thought she was going to shoot me or something. dominatrix. (sp?) it was really awkward. and it doesnt help that i am so not flexible. also she kept telling me to spread my toes---umm I CANT! my toes dont spread. and she kept asking me and i kept saying they have never been able to spread my entire life. it was frustrating. and she wouldnt let me drink water....wow.

tomorrow ileave for Kaikora--its NZ's mecca for dolphins and whales. im supposed to be swimming with the dolphins and i asked if there had been lots of dolphins around and they said not so much because there have been tons of killer whales coming through...greattt...i really wnat to swim with them. the pod has 400. ahh. cross your fingers!!! well i should get going. its raining and my feet are cold. brr.....

tata for a few days! i think i will write once more? 2 more times? we will see..

peace out homes!