Girl Let Your Hair Down

Today our group went to Piha Beach again! Jessica and I have gone before with our host family. We saw it at sunset that time. But this time it was fun we got to "hike". Our director told us we were going to hike, so we all pictured big steep hills. Oh we better bring our tennis shoes we thought! Well little did we know, we'd be climbing sharp rocks, beating the tide, basically, my tennis shoes got soaked. One of the drivers, 27-year-old Carl, tied my wet and sandy shoes onto his backpack. And i wore my flip flops (or jandals, as they call them here) the rest of the time. :)

I came home to upload pictures and I realized I can't find my camera cord. I'm sad! I called Dr.Jacobs, he's going to see if it's in the van. If not, when we get back from South Island, I may have to get a new one! I hope I can find it..so I'll add a few pictures on here, they are borrowed from my roommate.

Between the 12 girls, we all picked a "Secret sister" to serve for the next couple weeks. We also wrote down all our love languages, to better serve each other. Cute, right? We're babes. Boys come and get us.

Friday was Sarah's birthday, in our group. We had pavlova cake for her. DELISH! Just wish I could bring so much food home for all of you to try. I'll just have to bring it in 10 extra pounds..haha jokes. I have been going running again! Sorry, mom, if you think that's dangerous. I tell them how long I'll be gone, where I'm running, and I'm only gone for 20 minutes. :)

Wednesday was fun, we went on a party bus to this concert. It was a mormon girl who was leaving on a mission. She sings really well! There was a jam session for anyone to join. Everyone pointed at Juliet haha but she didn't go up! The party bus was fun. Those YSA boys sure are shy, unless you put on the jams. haha!

I love New Zealand. But I miss you all! Gotta go prepare my primary lesson for tomorrow.

Fish and Fleas..

Kia ora! haha actually today was pretty flea-less. It was Auckland Anniversary today! So no school and no work for people. Last night, we slept over at our friend's house and then the 4 of us went to the Orawa beach together, and met up with all the other girls. It was a Lincoln Ward picnic/beach party. Some of the single adults showed up too. It was fun!

I went swimming in the water. Juliet went a little crazy collecting sand dollars. I realized they are fuzzy and semi-alive. Gross. But they are cool looking. Then we sunbathed, listened to music, read a book, chatted it up with people, ate, got ice cream. I love the beach. And I love new Zealand. It is starting to feel more like home. The people at the singles adult ward are looking more familiar. This week should be filled with some fun things. We only have one more week of school. Math all day. But on Friday we'll be done with classes! No finals. I think we're getting quite the deal.

Well, I gtg do homework if I want to fit in all these fun activities this week.

Love you all.

Still fleas. I'll let you know when that disappears..we have a nightly ritual of ironing our sheets to kill the fleas. I'm pretty sure if the flea bomb didn't work, the ironing won't..maybe we're addicted to sleeping on warm sheets..

Tonight was a really fun night. One of the best with my host family. Cherish, the 14 year old, is adopted. Our host mom adopted her from her niece (Age gap). So Cherish's real mom, our host mom's niece, and her kids came to visit. They are staying for a week .It is fun to have them here! There's a 6 year old and a 9 year old. Jessica and I will be teaching the 9 year old in Primary! The 6 year old is really cute. She kept coming in to Jessica and my room and kept talking to us. We said, "We can't play until we finish our homework." So we took a break to make dinner for them, ate it, then did homework again. Finally she came in and watched me while I finished my homework. Then we colored in coloring books, the whole family ate ice cream and we sang to songs while Cherish recorded jessica and I being off key. Fun night. Starting to feel more like home.

Today in class, we had science and social studies. Science was fun! We did experiments and taught each other mini-lessons. Then Social Studies was really fun because we all represented a continent, and then we sat in a circle, with drawings of people in front of us to represent the percentage of the world;s population our continent held. I had the Middle East, which only holds about 2% of the world's population. Then she gave us bread, cutting it proportionally to how much of the world's food supply our continent gets. Middle East gets 3% of the food.

Fun Fact: North America has only 5% of the world's population but has 40% of the world's food supply. Interesting eh? And Asia has 60% of the world's population but only 10% of the world's food. Apparently, they use their resources very well.

I read Obama's inauguration speech. I have hope for the future, America is a great place to live, and I stand behind our President. I am proud to be an American, truly. Especially being so far away.

I can't wait to teach.

I love New Zealand. Only a week and 2 days til the South Island!

Love you all. I think and pray for you every day!

Bug bites, shopping, sharks and other things..

Hello! Yesterday we went to this aquariam which was so cool! It is made from an old sewer so you walked through this hall with glass above and around us, and there were sharks and fish swimming all around us! It was scary! We saw octopuses, crayfish and turtles. It was fun to see all the animals. We saw a show with a guy and stingrays!

Then we went shopping. It was so so fun! I got 2 shirts and shorts. I'l put up pictures when I take them. IT was fun to shop with all the girls but one. I love the girls in my group. They are all kind, talented, smart and beautiful! I am learning from each one of them.

Today my roommate and I went to the family ward. We got called into the Primary and now we are going to teach the 8-11 year olds and Sharing Time next week! I cried when they asked me to help. Not sure why, but I think it's because I felt very loved and needed. I can't wait to teach..

I got to talk to my Mom and Dad on Skype this morning! And my sister and Josh the other day. I love keeping in touch with people from home. I am not homesick because I know I will come back to the U.S. eventually.

We learned a fun Maori stick game in school called, "Rakou". It was really fun, I want to do a game like that in my Practicum.

2 weeks 'til South Island trip!!

<3 you all.

Got Fleas?

So my roommate, Jessica and I had a funny experience. She has these little bites all over her, with red circles in the middle. We looked it up online, and predicted they were flea bites. They didn't like the diagnosis of bed beg bites, or the diagnosis of mites. But there are no pets here. Our host mom does leave the window open at night (we closed it last night and tonight, needless to say). I checked on me, I don't have as many bites as she does. Hardly any. But my hair and head are SO ITCHY! So we went to the pharmacist today. We got 4 different things to stop itching! This solution you add to a bath, this cream, calamine lotion, and pills. It's kinda funny I thought. We like to joke we have fleas, though I don't see how we could. Some people think it's gross I guess I think it's funny.

We're not getting very much sleep here. And eating a lot. I already feel fatter..But I am going to try to eat less and go running as much as I can. I can still try new foods without gorging myself. They offer us food all the time, I hope its not too rude to say, Oh no thanks, we are full! It doesn't seem to bother her..

After school today, our host family and Jessica and I went to Piha beach!! Here's some pictures. It seriously was what I imagined New Zealand to look like. I love it so much. We played around it was so fun! The 14 year old, Cherish, has quite the personality. She is lively, I love it!

Today in the car on the way to the beach, our family was saying that they are glad Jessica and I were put with them because we are full of laughs. That made me feel really good. I love when people think I'm funny. haha! I am learning so much from their generosity. I try to help as much as I can, they don't let us much. We vacuumed our own room though. But she changed the sheets cuz of our "flea" problem. And did our laundry.

Anyway I love you all. <3

Beach day baby!

So. Today was fun! We went to Long Bay Beach. In the morning it was chilly (bytheway, here they call coolers "chillybins"). But it warmed up! I took a nap on the beach and got a little sunburned. But it was still fun! We picked up a lot of pretty shells. I slipped on this muddy rock! In a white skirt. I'll try to put pictures up.

Yesterday we were in school all day. Needless to say, my attention span struggled. But anyway then in the afternoon, my host mom came in, she's a native Cook Islander, and taught us Maori songs and dances! It was fun. We put on lava lavas and she taught us! I have a video. Not sure I'll put it on yet..haha. We made flax weed flowers and headbands. I've had a request to make one..will do. My host mom has so many talents, I really admire her.

Last night, we went on a party bus to Auckland with the Young Single Adults in our ward. We loved them. They're a little obsessed with us, and frankly, we enjoy it. Their accents are incredible! But..heaps of them (that's how they talk here) have girlfriends from last year's BYU group. Haha. Not supposed to date? ...not anymore! Jokes.

Today we went to the beach. It was heaps of fun! We picked up seashells! I took a nap on the beach and got sunburned a little. But then I played in the waves. Then we got dropped us in Auckland (just 3 of us), without planning a way home (sound like me, Mom?). It was so fun though! We went shopping. My roommate bought a shirt! Then we walked far around the city trying to find a bus station, finally did. But we had to transer buses and we got on the wrong bus. Then the bus stop was on the opposite site of the railroad tracks that we needed...quite the adventure. After almost 3 hours of traveling time, we got home safely. I don't know if my friend that came with will ever be able to forgive me! I was quite proud of myself though, despite the setbacks. Plus it was a funny adventure!

I love it here. Such a beautiful place. I miss you all at home. Be safe and happy. I am always thinking of you!

<3 Ames

I am a pakaha

There’s hardly any white people or pakeha, as the Maori call it
My friends Juliet and Lauren said they saw some boys from the singles ward at the mall and they were beautiful Islanders. There’s a dance Friday night! Exciting.
A native New Zealander came to teach us Literacy. We learned the New Zealand national anthem in English and in Maori..It was so fun! Her daughter came to teach us as well
There’s a New Zealand version of “12 days of Christmas”, it was fun! We learned lots of new Maori vocabulary
Beautiful day…we put on sunscreen. They told us the New Zealand sun can burn you in 8 minutes…FLIP!
Our family is so generous. We’re trying to figure out some sneakier ways of providing help because they won’t let us do dishes or help prepare food or buy our own food. They have fed us 4 cups of milo already in the past 24 hours (a blander but still yummy version of hot chocolate). I feel an addiction coming on.
We were given a map and we have Fridays off next month to explore! I can’t wait. There is a train station 5 minutes from our house. Our program money will go to the bus fare, so our program director will pay us back.
We get to go to the South Island on February 2nd…CANT WAIT! We get to fly there, AND stay in a hotel! I cannot wait to explore..mwhahaha!
I am in New Zealand…weird…when I came to class this morning, everyone commented that I looked so tired. I know I hadn’t showered and my hair looked nast but apparently I am still experiencing side effects of jet lag as well..I was unaware..
I am ridiculously grateful to be in the host family that I am in. I know I am placed there for a reason. I have a lot to learn from them. We participated in their family prayer last night. We woke up and our host mom had woken up at 5 a.m. to make us breakfast, and she was studying the scriptures. I have already come to admire her diligence in the gospel.

It's awesome here! I got here before my BYU friend did who's living with me, so at first it was awkward. I just sat and talked with the family a lot and took a long nap. lol. Our flight was 14 hours long-long flight! My friend and I got seats next to each other. It was fun! We sat next to this Australian girl, who we loved! 23 years old, she says her family calls her a traveling hippie. She only has a couple outfits cuz she moves around a lot. She was flying home to AUSTRAILIA because her cousin is dying and she had to leave her Mexican boyfriend, apartment and job. She was still so positive though! She slept on my shoulder during the flight haha. Also, we got to talk to her about the gospel! It was awesome. I loved it! We watched a couple movies on the plane, and ate and slept...Then we got picked up. I forgot that the drivers seat is on the right seat of the car! Craziness! It is beautiful here. Springy/fall weather, it was gorgeous. Blue skies. Our family said they would take us to the beach! My friend is taking a shower and it made a weird sound the whole time throughout the house, kinda funny! We have wireless internet here, though sometimes its slow, so I'll be able to email a lot probably. Yess! I am so excited to start my adventures. Some things I've noticed so far..
*They have kind of an Austrailian accent, w/ a variation.
*They call take out food "takeaways"
*They say, "There are heaps of Mormons", or "There are heaps of bananas"
*They fed us a lot of fruit!! Maybe we won't gain weight after all. Except we have like 5 meals a day with constant feedings between..haha
*Garbage is rubbish bin. Like in England!
*The Maoris go barefoot. Apparently, they own this country, they can do what they want!

Anyway I miss you all! Hope life is going great in the States. Keep me posted! <3