Week One Down!

Hello, again.

I just finished my first week of classes, and they have me really looking forward to the next semester.  The topics are intriguing, and I feel like I'll be learning some practical skills as well.  All of my lecturers seem really nice, which is a bonus.  The workload appears to be quite manageable, and I already know when all of my assignments and exams are.  There are a lot of group projects.  I still need to scope out the best study spots.  I've been finding my way around campus just fine, but I'm hoping to map out some shortcuts for rainy days like today.

I'm taking four courses at UC this semester.  SCIM 101 is about Indigenous Knowledge and Science and its place in the world today.  That class will have a lot of guest speakers, so I'll be able to see plenty of perspectives and really explore the scope of the relationship between modern and indigenous science.  My English class is New Zealand Literature.  I got a crash course in New Zealand's literary history, and now we will start exploring the influences and motifs that pervade the literature, as well as prominent authors.  I'm taking two biology courses.  Animal Behavior is very interesting, as we have been looking at case studies.  It's really cool to see the concepts in action in the natural world.  I'm also very excited for New Zealand Biodiversity and Biosecurity.  So far, we have been discussing the geological history of New Zealand and its relationships to the surrounding land masses (since Pangaea and Gondwanaland), and how the geological experiences of Zealandia shaped the flora and fauna found here.  Right now we're looking at a lot more of the flora.  Like I said, all of the classes look to be very interesting and exciting.  If anyone wants to know about the topics, I'd be happy to tell you more, but don't worry, I won't go on and on about them here (because you should all know what happens once you ask me to talk about plants!).

The flat is lively, as ever.  There have been a lot of parties in the group of apartments, which confuses me slightly.  I didn't realize that Wednesday and Thursday nights were big party nights!  I suspect that it may have something to do with Winterlude, the second semester re-orientation events going on around now, before anyone has too much homework.  Alexis and I had a "party" yesterday--we got (excellent) burgers at a local spot called Velvet Burger, then worked on a tub of ice cream while watching New Zealand soap operas.  It was a nice way to relax after the first week of class.

We were hoping to get out this weekend, but it looks a little rainy, so we'll see how things go!