School's Out!

I'm heading out tomorrow morning at 5:35 so I thought I'd just wrap up this last week before I lose internet for 10 days! We finished our classes this past week, weird thought, but super exciting. Don't be jealous :)

First, here we are, trying to keep the weight off after eating the New Zealand ice cream that we get plenty of, and surprisingly it is way better than that stuff at home. It's super creamy. Anywho, one day after school, Whitney brought Jillian Michaels to kick our butts in the cultural hall (this is where we have class but we had to put the chairs and tables up everyday as if we hadn't been there). My calves were so sore because we still had to walk home after this, and back the next morning, and so on and I honestly thought I might have pulled both of my calves, they have never hurt so much! But alas, they are better, and I can walk. We knew we could count on you, Jillian.


We had science this past week and it was really fun because our teacher, Ian Milne (who Dr. J always reminds us was "born to teach science. When he popped out of his mother's womb they said he would teach science" always using the word womb...gross word) had tons of little experiments and such for us to do. Here I am teaching a lesson on energy transfer by making home-made hokey pokey (this carmel type of stuff they put in everything! So good.)


And we made volcanoes! Way more legit than those baking soda/vinegar ones I made in Mr. D'Amato's 3rd grade class; those aren't even accurate. This was made with water and an airborn tablet in a film canister, covered in oat meal.


Here is where we ate lunch everyday for the past 3 weeks! This is just out on the front lawn of the chapel, and this is why I have such an impressive farmer's tan :)


We were supposed to go to the beach on Saturday, but those Australian's are really ruining my summer sun with all their rain! I think it should really be over now, up in Auckland anyway (its supposed to rain the whole week down in Queenstown though, bummer.) So our alternative? Auckland War Memorial Museum, which sounded boring, I know, but I really liked it! There was tons of Maori stuff and we even went to a singing/ dancing/ fighting/ haka-ing show! Here I am with Rebecca, Janet, and Whitney.


This is one of the guys from the performance! How do we look? Like pros.


Next we went to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World! I loved it. Aquarium but with even cooler stuff, like this Penguin ride that drives right through their little habitat place. We were very excited about how interactive this place was. Great for entertaining a bunch of 20-22 year old American girls.


Here I am with a HUGE stingray. We swam with some in the Bahamas and I thought I was scared of them then, but they were runts compared to these ones. A guy was in the tank feeding them so he could get them to come flat against the glass and splash over the top and they were just so cool. Next there was a moving walkway that you stood on to go through this aquarium over your head full of sharks which was so crazy, the sharks kinda looked like they had awkward faces, like something you'd find in the farside cartoons. Better pictures to come one the girls share them with me!


Well have a great week and a half everyone! Don't be offended when I don't respond! (just take the hint...)