This is my life...

Marine Studies Class

Visiting the Peninsula and doing water testing

Things we have to remember. I am here for school. Otago is making this difficult for me. My geology class consists of two week long field trips to incredible parts of the country. My ecology class is taking me crab-digging in an intertidal zone. Two weeks ago my marine studies class took me to an aquarium and the following week we went on a three hour long boat ride, saw seals, beautiful views of the Otago Pennisula, and, to prove I am actually doing work here, conducted some salinity and chlorophyll tests! I wont lie, it’s not all trips and days on a boat.  I am struggling to get used to the massive lectures and lack of grades throughout the semester. The learning environment is completely different and I sometimes leave class wondering why I am such an idiot, and then realize five minutes later I actually DO understand everything. I really am enjoying it and the professors are very interesting and from all over the world. What’s interesting about all of my classes is that there is no set professor. Every week or so we get a different lecturer who presents on their specialty. It keeps the class interesting and reassures me that I am getting accurate information from the people who have made it their life’s work to study that topic. It makes the curriculum a little more jumpy, but different doesn’t mean bad!   

Beautiful views during Marine Studies class!

The university is beautiful, and if you don’t believe me, google some pictures and check it out. I’m pretty sure the geology building is haunted as it is one of the first original buildings. Walking around their late at night was a bit eerie, but it had to be done to get my mapping project done! I will admit that every day I think about the one thing I’m missing at SLU. There are no chapel bells at 5:00. There are bells, every hour, but not to a tune I’ll find myself humming the rest of the evening…. So SLU you’ve got them beat in that aspect! It’s hard to compare the two as they are so different, but I am really enjoying myself and my time here.

Our humble abode

The housing set up is great! We are placed in flats, which are little houses all around the north side of Dunedin where the campus is located. I am lucky and right by campus with a mere two-minute walk to the second floor of the geology building. (I hear my friends in Denmark groaning...) Also as I mentioned before I have a lovely walk to the grocery store through the botanical garden and I’m not more than 10 minutes from all of my favorite SLUzers, shopping, and restaurants. I live with four other students in a little grey and red flat. We each have our own room (WITH A DOUBLE BED!) and we share a bathroom, kitchen and living room. 

My room!

Bernice is our Kiwi-host and the only other girl in our flat. She is the most amazing cook and spoils us with treats galore and gourmet meals. The boys are Taylor, Jacob and Theirry. Taylor and Jake are from the US and Thierry is from France. They are all great and always keep Bee and I entertained with their humor and late-night cooking mishaps. Five nights a week we do flat dinners where one person cooks each night. I am really glad we do it, it allows us all to check in every night and it has definitely brought us closer as a group. We have come up with a bucket list for the semester, which is essentially a list of things we as a flat have to do before the semester ends. I, apparently, need to make the boys cheesecake… I am really enjoying life in the flat. I am having fun, learning the life of electricity bills, the importance of a coffee maker, and the joy of meeting people from all over the world!

Feeding Mitch, our pet spider