Top of the Pops

Through the International Student Activities Office, we were invited to attend a taping of "Top of the Pops." It is a British version of MTV's TRL. New Zealand gets in on the action by using taped performances from the British show and mixing in performances that take place here. There's even a Kiwi Carson Daley whose name is Bede and I got a chance to talk to him. Meeting the host wasn't exactly the highlight of my evening; it was the equivalent of meeting a local news anchor -- cool but nothing to write home about. Anyways, we were told by ISAO to "dress up as if were going to a club." So my friends and I got all decked out but when we arrived, we saw nothing but little teeny-boppers in their punk rock outfits. Meanwhile we all looked like junior executives from Bank of America. Of course we also didn't know the band that was performing, "Elemenop" (pronounced LMNOP). As lame as it all was, it was very cool to watch the process of creating a TV show. Surprisingly, there were only about 50 audience members but to make it seem as though the audience was packed, we were constantly told to "get closer." Well, the show airs today at 5pm so we're all going to see if we made it on TV.

Anyways, once taping wrapped, my friends and I felt we needed to redeem ourselves in the coolness category so we went dancing and had a GGGGRRREEEAAAATTTT time! I was having so much fun that I needed to be dragged out the club while I was still getting my groove on. I have been having SO much fun since I got here but that all stops this weekend when I start working on my two upcoming papers:-(.

Internship: Day 2

The second day of my internship was much more low key than the first but fun nonetheless. I didn't do much work but then again, I am still trying to get a better grasp of what exactly the US Commercial Service does. My boss, Lisa is awesome! She encourages me to talk online and at one point we were both IMing our friends at the same time! I am hoping to learn a lot more in the coming weeks because I want to do my absolute best but more importantly, make a good impression on my boss (mainly because I need to become employed by May 2006 and Lisa has LOTS of great contacts). As slow as yesterday was, I certainly didn't go home empty handed -- my boss had a bottle of wine hanging around and gave it to me! Gosh, I love my job!

Internship: Day 1

Today was the first day of my internship and it was AMAZING!! I arrived at 9am and an hour later, my boss was already buying me tea on our first break of the day. By noon we were on our way to the Hyatt for a US Chamber of Commerce luncheon where Allison Dubois was speaking. She is a medium --a psychic of sorts-- whose real life is portrayed in the new NBC show "Medium," starring Patricia Arquette. It was so cool to see Allison b/c before I left the States, I had just seen her on the Today Show promoting her new book. She discussed her experiences as a medium, talking to the deceased and how they help her solve murder mysteries; it was actually really interesting to hear her speak.

At my table, I met a group of lovely Kiwis. One woman I spoke to, Barbara, is a United Airlines sales manager. We had a most excellent conversation discussing topics that ranged from politics, to family, to things to do in New Zealand (of course!). As for the food, if I was a meat-eater, I would have enjoyed the chicken lunch a little bit better, but seeing that it was free, I made the most of my situation by eating the potatoes and veggies and drinking lots of wine. I also met a lovely older gentleman, Paul I think is his name, who was very dashing. He kept chatting me up; I think he was trying to get...all up...in that. J/K!!!

By 2 o'clock Lisa (my boss) and I were headed back to the Consulate to pick up our stuff and head to her friend's new furniture store; he wanted her help in finding American companies willing to sell their goods in his store. Mosaner, the store, was very cute, but her Brazillian friend was even cuter :-D. We stayed briefly, trying to ascertain what US companies would be interested in bringing their business to NZ and once we were done, we left. I was home by 4pm. Not a bad way to start my internship, eh? But tomorrow is when the real work starts.

Good Morning, Sunshine!

On on our final morning in Pihia, my friends and I woke up at the crack-a$$ of dawn to watch the sun rise. We were all up by 6:45 but we didn't know that the sun didn't actually rise until 7:30, so we were sitting on the beach in the freezing cold weather (mind you, it's winter time here) for 45 minutes. We contemplating going inside many times but much to our avail, we decided not to and believe me, it was worth it!

Saltwater Lodge

Here's a picture of our hostel. Pretty swanky, eh?

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music...

You cannot image how beautiful the Waitangi Treaty Grounds are! As I mentioned before, pictures just don't do this place justice. The grass was green, the flowers were all in bloom, and the ocean was a rich blue color. It was like a beach-side "Sound of Music." I dared my friends to reinact the opening scene of the movie but no one took me up on my offer.

Traditional Maori Dancing

Before departing the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, my BU group was invited to watch a traditional Maori dance peformed by (I presume) our guide's children. The dancing was beautifully detailed and coordinated; it was especially neat to see that kids our age were so in touch with their cultural and historical heritage.

Waitangi Treaty Grounds

The Treaty of Waitangi is a formal agreement by the Europeans (Pakeha) to maintain the cultural integrity of the indigenous Maori people but more importantly, it was an agreement between two peoples to live and work as one nation (albeit a British one). The treaty is equal in weight to that of the US Constitution. My group and I had the wonderful opportunity to visit these very grounds on which the treaty was made. While there, we visited Te Whare Runanga, a Maori meeting house where all the tribes converged to discuss their issues/concerns within the community. The house is inlaid with intricate carvings and weavings, each representing the ancestral background of all the tribes' families. Te Whare Runanga is still so sacred a place that we were expected to removed our shoes before entering.

Is that a Woman's Face on the Side of that Cliff?

Yes, it is! The face on the cliff is that of a Maori goddess who is said to have guided the boats of Maori fishermen safely back home.

The Excitor

Once our tour of the museum ended, we all headed off in different directions to take part in our chosen activities of the day. While some people did boring stuff like kayaking, horseback riding, and quad biking, I was in the mood for something a bit more adventurous...I was in the mood for...Excitor. It's a 1600 horsepower, adrenaline pumping, high-speed boat trip throughout the Bay of Islands and through the famous Hole in the Rock (actually, I thought we could have cruised a little faster). From bottom to top, the first picture is me looking like a dork in my head-to-toe red Excitor wet-suit;next is our Excitor boat; finally, there's the world-famous Hole in the Rock.

Simple Beauty

Outside of Pompallier House is a beautiful garden full of flowers in bloom. I'm not sure what kind of flower this is, but I just found it to be incredibly striking.

A View from Pompallier House

Once everyone sobered up from the night before, we took a ferry over to Russell Island the following morning. There, we visited Pompallier House, an old French-colonial factory that printed bibles in Maori as part of the Catholic Mission back in 1842. It was amazing to learn about the labor-intensive process of how the old leather-bound bibles were made. The picture here is a view of Russell Beach from Pompallier.

A Classic Case of Oneupsmanship

After the boys did their (horrible yet entertaining) rendition of "Lovin' Feeling," my hostel-mates Bethany and Julia decided to get in on the action and sang ABBA's "Dancing Queen." Soon afterwards, the rest of the BU ladies followed up with Madonna's "Like a Prayer." Everyone was singing and getting their groove on...even me! Needless to say, we crazy Americans were the only ones on the dance floor. Good times, good times.

You've Lost that Loving Feeling

The night we arrived in Pihia was karyoke night at the Salty and it had been BU tradition to win the competition each time a group visited the Bay of Islands. To jumpstart the night, Jon, Nate, and Rory sang the Righteous Brothers' hit song "Lovin' Feeling" in dedication to Kevin's wife, Julie.

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall...

That night at the Salty (as we affectionately called the Saltwater Bar and Lounge), there was a 2 for 1 special on all beer and wine. While most of us split the two drinks, Leslie decided to buy 2 mugs of beer all for herself. Bless her heart.

Pihia BBQ

During our first night in the Bay of Islands, Kevin (our BU director) treated us all to an outdoor BBQ. Since BU was paying, everyone made sure to get second and third helpings. Here I am with my friends Christa, Julia, and Bethany.

Welcome to the Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands is comprised of three primary islands: Pihia, Russell, and Kerikeri. Pihia, which is the island we stayed on, is a bomming tourist town, but since it is winter time, the islands is a calm, quite, peaceful, and relaxing place to stay.