Normality.

Correction. My teacher is 'transgender'. Did you ever find out the truth about something you suspected for awhile? I mean, maybe you're just better off not knowing...I think I was. Its hard to sit in a class for two hours and have the only thought on your mind be, "male or female?" Auckland is a crazy place. I feel the realization of my professors sexual orientation has aided me in understanding just how insane the Kiwis are. It wasn't one week before I had stumbled across the Beer Olympics, an event held at the Bay of Islands where, to put it simply, kids dressed as animals ran three legged races while chugging beers and puking in the barf bag tied to their necks. Our arrival in Auckland was no different, as we observed guys in girls dresses, and women dressed in bright, mod wigs, running drunk around the streets in hopes of winning costume contests at the bars and clubs in the city. I'd call this country somewhat unpredictable.

The class week is finally over (and yes, it's Thursday mid-afternoon), so I'm already attempting to plan out my weekend. Tonight is the 'Kiwiana' party, in which study abroad students are asked to dress based around the theme of New Zealand. Whether you decide to dress as a sheep, or a surfer, is at your discretion. Why is it that a large part of me feels this is just an excuse for kids to get drunk and run around in costume? See aforementioned paragraph. Aside from the typical drunken debauchery, a few of us were discussing a trip to Waiheke Island, a short ferry ride from Auckland. It's been praised for its snorkeling and beautiful beaches, so...when in Rome.

I'm not completely enthralled by the pictures I've been taking; I still feel like I need more time to get familiar with my camera. Messing with the apeture and shutter speed have gotten me some cool shots, but I'm impatient. I'd like to think that if I had Photoshop I could adjust these pictures to perfection. I don't know the first thing about Photoshop. Balancing the red, blue, and green hues via adjusting the line values in a graph? I'm already yelling at my computer. My camera has spewed out some interesting shots as a result of my lack in photography knowledge.

I must say that Auckland is definitely not at its finest point. It's pretty miserable out. Rainy, windy, dreary, cold...feels like home. I'd like to go and make myself useful, but I'm afraid the only place I can do that is in my bed, asleep, wrapped up in a t-shirt. It sounds like a wonderful idea.