Which Way?

Look right, look left, look right. Not the other way. If you do, you're likely to get hit by a environmentally friendly bus. Note that they are not pedestrian friendly buses. Auckland has some outstanding statistics on the number of people who are killed per year by simply crossing the road. They make up for it by having obnoxious cross-walk signs and space-esque sounds. I've noticed that when walking up and down stairs, people still follow typical traffic flow. Those going down, stay to your left, and those going up, stay to your right. This has gotten me into some awkward face to face "do I cross to his/her left or right?" situations. You know, the typical chicken headed lean toward the direction that you want to go, yet the other person chooses the same path. The casual chuckle, the inevitable "I'm sorry", then continue on your way.

My finger nails look like they've been mauled by a chipmunk. My nervous habit seems to be getting worse as a result of my unfamiliarity with the surrounding environment. I sit there casually chewing away when someone leans over and warns me that I may not have a finger left by the time I'm done with it. My dreams have been getting a little out of hand too; some very realistic and others completely bizarre. Last night, for instance, I had a dream that certain someone came to visit me. I remember looking him in the face, and asking if it was a dream. Not more than five seconds later, I came to the realization that I was in fact, dreaming. Being in a dream and realizing that it is in fact, a dream, really sucks. Once you reach that point, you become determined to never leave the world of sleep. However, when you have preceding 'nightmares' of a obsessive stalker killing off your friends and family one by one, it tends to be a sigh of relief.

I've been asked heaps (a lot...Kiwi slang) for pictures of my apartment and the surrounding city. I'm yet to take my camera out on the streets, but I have taken pictures of my room and the building.

The pictures above are 1. my uncharacteristically clean room 2. the apartment complex 3. the view from our common room. I've taken a few more boring, white wall shots, but nothing really worth posting. It's a beautiful apartment and we're all extremely fortunate to have floor to ceiling windows. Light is highly valued.

Another school week has come to a close and the weekend is on the horizon. The plan is to visit Coromandel (http://www.davidwallphoto.com/images/%7B775E773E-D361-4B20-9CBB-31E7423764AD%7D.JPG), a continuation of our journeys north. We figured now would be a good time to explore beach areas, being that it is starting to get fairly chilly here in Auckland. Nights have been getting down to the high 50's, a big difference from the 78 degree weather we had upon our arrival. I feel like the temperature has undergone a dramatic change in only a day, when in fact I've been here for about 3 weeks now. I'm still yet to decide whether this semester is flying by or creeping slowly. You tend to lose your sense of time when in New Zealand. What date is it? No complaints. Come to think of it, I haven't seen one store that sells watches...

Catch you on the flip side.