Hug a Ginga Day!!!

So today was Hug a Ginga Day, Ginga being slang for Ginger which in and of itself is slang for someone with red hair. Only in New Zealand it isn't pronounced Ginga like the food, rather Ginga with a soft g like in gum, and rhymes with ringa. And there is a big debate over whether it was offensive or not. What this meant for us at school was crowd control when six students would charge a red head and try and hug them. You know there is a lot I like about New Zealanders, but sometimes I still just don't quite get them.

In addition to being Hug a Ginga day, today I finished my fifth week at school, I am now over half-way done with my internship and it feels like I just started. Most days this week I didn’t get home till almost 6pm, it was really hectic, and I think it is only going to get busier. But here is a bit of a break down of the last week.

Last weekend I went into Wellington and toured the houses of Parliament. It was really interesting to see how the New Zealanders have mixed British and Maori culture in their government. Below are some pictures of me in front of the parliament building with my cousin Tyler.

On Sunday I went tramping (hiking) through a native plant reserve. It was really beautiful. I found it similar to hiking in Washington, but just different enough to not be too familiar. It’s like hiking in Washington but with a splash of tropical foliage mixed in.

The rest of the week was pretty much more of the same: sleep, school, plan, eat, sleep. Although, the weather has turned here so there have been wicked rainstorms that have caused flooding all over New Zealand.

On Thursday night I went out with some teachers from school to a quiz night at a pub. First we stopped at a fish and chip shop to get dinner. It was the greasiest little shop; it was just a front counter with a long bin of deep fryers behind it. Each order was put in a basket and fried up all at once. For $6 I had the best, lightest, least greasy fish and chips I have ever had. And to serve it the woman just dumped it on some newspaper sprinkled it with salt and wrapped it up chips and all. Delicious!

The quiz was really fun, I was happy to be able to contribute to the American themed questions and the music questions, the New Zealand and the sports questions I wasn’t so helpful with. Here is a sample of the questions I can remember, some I knew, some…not so much:

1. What is the name of the rock song that starts with “Out here in the fields, I work for my meals”?

2. What band got their name from a Muddy Waters song?

3. What sports team is the highest paid in the world?

4. Inner City Pressure by Flight of the Concords is a parody of a song by which 80s band?

5. In which city are the Spanish steps located?

6. Who is the all time highest scoring All Black (New Zealand’s National Rugby Team) player?

7. What country is closest to where the titanic sank?

8. Name the four main characters from Sex and the City?

9. Where did Tiger Woods finish in his first match back after his sex scandal?

10. What band has a song called “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town”?

Bonus questions: Name the 10 body parts that are only three letters long(not including bum, ass, tit or pit)

Name 10 countries whose names are four letters long.

I hope you enjoyed that, how did you do?

That about sums up my week, the tentative plan for the weekend is lots of prep work for the upcoming week, and maybe a side trip or two depending on the weather. Cheers!

Ready Steady Cook and Mufti-Day

Last week the school had a Mufti-day. Mufti is what they call regular clothes, so it was basically a free dress day. The students regularly wear uniforms, so this is their chance to wear whatever they want. They pay two dollars, which goes to the student government. It was really weird to see the students in regular clothes, I had quickly gotten used to students being in their uniforms. It was crazy because there was a serious difference in behavior from the uniform days. I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of school uniforms.

The other big event last week was Ready Steady Cook…

It was so much fun, and that wasn’t just the wine talking;) Ready Steady Cook is a British cooking program where the chefs are given a shopping bag of ingredients and then have 20 minutes to make dinner; they also have a communal pantry to use as well. (You can YouTube it if you like, it’s quite good) Anyway, we were given an hour and used the schools food technology rooms. My group was given steak, a leek, a red pepper, pineapple, couscous, a bag of apples, and a giant candy bar. So we ended up making a beef and veg stir-fry with couscous, apple crisp, and chocolate dipped pineapple. Then at the end we all had a big communal dinner, it was awesome!

More pictures to come...

I know it has been a while since I posted, but things have sort of fallen into a routine now and there hasn't been much to say. Although, this past weekend I did go to a rugby match, you really can't leave New Zealand without seeing a Rugby match, it is the national sport after all. We went to see the Wellington Hurricanes at their last home game. It was a come from behind victory so it was very exciting. It was also freezing, we layered up quite a bit.




I now can say I have a fair understanding of the rules of rugby, the problem is that in New Zealand you have Rugby Union (called simply Rugby) and Rugby League, and they have different rules. But I think I have a basic understanding of both. Up next: Cricket :)

I woke up Saturday to a grey drizzling mess outside. The plan had been to explore the neighborhood but that idea was quickly shelved. Instead I went to see Iron Man 2 with my 12 year old cousin, I'm not quite sure who was more excited:) After the movie, which was amazing, I went home to work on some lesson plans. When the weather cleared up Michelle (a friend of the family who is staying with Alana and Tony) and I went into the city to have dinner. I was really excited to finally get to walk around the city. I can't wait to go back and explore it a little more during the day. This picture is of the main restaurant and theater area. What I like about Wellington, is that for a big city it is quite relaxed and low key, but still vibrant.

And they have a Paramount theater as well.

Sunday was freezing cold, but I woke up to the sounds of a crackling fire. Most homes in New Zealand don't have central heating so they use space heaters when a room gets cold, and a fire when you want to warm the whole house; and man does it work! Even though it was really cold, it was quite beautiful outside so I decided to explore the neighborhood I will be calling home for the next two and a half months. Here is a picture tour of the neighborhood...

This is the house where I am staying...

and the street I live on.

And a wee little pond down the street from my house.

The neighborhood, calledWhitby, is built on a cliff along this bay

It really is quite beautiful here

Finally when I returned home I thought it would be a good idea to do some laundry. One of the many things I love about the Kiwis is their environmentally conscious nature. Why use a clothes dryer when you have a perfectly good fire to dry your clothes, no electricity necessary!