Gorilla warfare

Ladies and Germs,

What's new with everyone?

Me? Oh...the same. We found out where we are going for our teaching practice. I am heading to Mt. Maunganui it looks like. It is a little town on the coast up in the Bay of PLenty area. It is about a 15 hour drive from here (including ferry) and about 4 hours from Auckland. It should be good. I'm looking forward to it.

If anyone has some free time (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, Gall and Rooney) could you send me Joel Plaskett's Truthfully, Truthfully (the copy I have here is incomplete) and the new Mars Volta album. I've heard good things. Oh...and if anyone has figured women out...let me know the secret too. That'd be grand.

Things that I miss. A list by Chris Lahey.
1. Mayonaisse. The mayo here sucks. It is sweet and runny and gross all over.
2. Clamato. I have been wanting a caeser for so long.
Yeah...I guess that's about it. I thought there was more. Oh well.

Heffy, I recieved your package last week. Thank you so much. I have a letter and some stuff for you too I just have to get some envelopes this week.

Alright. I have to go get some work done on a few lesson plans.

Everyone be cool.

Whakarongo mai!

Kia ora, now that I have all of your attention.

Well...things are still good. Life is flying past at break neck speed. I'm hoping it will slow down so I can enjoy it. Enjoy more anyway. The truth is that I wouldn't trade anything to be here now.

Lastnight my Professional Studies class went out to "Lone Star" for dinner. It amazed me for a number of reasons.
1. Isn't there like 4 Lone Stars in Ottawa?
2. The place was packed to the rafters on a Monday night.
3. Plates were on average 25$. That is not a 'student' place by any stretch of the imagination.
4. Who goes to NZ to go to a Texas/Americana bar?

Today was 'Bi-Cultural Day.' It was great. We didn't have class but instead we had a number of lectures on Te Kete o Aoraki (an education curriculum made by the local tribe,) the Treaty of Waitangi (kind of like the constitution of NZ,) and Te Reo and Tikanga (language and customs.) I learned a butt load considering I knew next to nothing before. I know a lot more than most now. Probably more than most Kiwis. Anyway, it was the last lecture of the day and the principal of the school was doing his wrap-up speil and this guy, this idiot, shit-disturbing racist, who sat through all the lectures like the rest of us asks, "Could it be that the Maori are less intelligent than Pakeha?" and quoted racist paper where they found African-Americans less intelligent than honkys. I can say for myself and the rest of the people in the room we just about died. I couldn't believe that anyone could actually think that let alone utter it amongst a room of teachers, principals and soon-to-be teachers. That is something that you keep in your head. Idiot.

Enough for now.

Po Marie.

The mind works in mysterious ways

So look at...whoever told you that ChCh sucks may try to tell you that The Shins suck too. Well I'm here to say don't listen to him. The Shins will rock your socks off and probably your shoes and maybe even your pants. I think I saw some pants a-flyin. Seriously folks...there ain't nuthin better than some fun, upbeat pop music every now and then and this band will fulfill that need.

Also, if you have the chance, Conan and the Moccasins put on a pretty good show.

What did everyone do today? Me? Oh...I went to the beach, drank some beer,laid in the sun, and wrote some postcards. Yeah...it was a good time, thanks for asking. Alright...gotta go.

Good, and you?

So there is this cat that lives on campus in the library. Apparently he just showed here about 5 years ago and never left. There were a bunch of people that wanted to get rid of him for "health issues" or whatever because it just wandered all over; into classrooms, kitchens, etc. But a bunch of other people petitioned to keep it around and they won. Now it lives in the library on a pile of pillows and actually has a position here...I think it is "Customer Service Representative." His name is Andy. He still wanders around - today he wandered into a friend's class, did a tour, then left 10 minutes later - but mostly he sleeps in the library. He looks just like Capone except with a fully functional tail and I haven't seen him 'pleasure' himself yet. Hopefully this story doesn't affect anyone's ideas on the reputation of this instution.

So I did manage to get a ticket to see the Shins. No one wanted to go with me though so it will be a solo mission. I am pretty excited about the show.

This weekend there are too many things to do. On Saturday and Sunday there is a Roxy surf competition at the beach. On Saturday night there is a thing in the park called Starry Night. It is in celebration of the last night of summer and there is music and stuff. People just bring a picnic and hang out. On Sunday there is a street party in a little town called Lyttleton that is near ChCh. And also there is a lecture on the Life and Times of everyone's favourite physicist, Albert Einstein. So much to do, so little time. It is a good thing I don't have any work to get in the way of all this.

Holy Shins!

Christchurch is great. Don't let anyone tell you different.

So we went out lastnight to a few places. This place called Warner's has this huge old bar in it. Also, we know one of the bartenders so drinks were pretty cheap (nudge, nudge, wink, wink.) We had a very raucous New Zealand vs. Canada billiards match. Then we went to a place on the strip, which is this row of bars and cafes along the Avon river. There we met a bunch more kids we knew and drank the night away. But the real reason this is a great city is today after sleeping a hangover off...I went downtown to get some postcards and ran into a few friends at this Tsunami benefit concert that was going on in the Arts Centre. So we hung out there for a while and bathed in the sunlight. On the way back to my house, walking through the Botanic Gardens, there were numerous outdoors concerts and event to see. Also I found out today that The Shins are playing at the University of Canterbury's orientation this week. I am going to get a ticket now.

So to sum up...Rooney, quit spreading the bad word on this city.

The pictures, Boss

To All the World,



Alright...now is the moment you have all been waiting for. The pictures have arrived. Well more specifically I figured out how to put them on that thar interweb.

They are at Yahoo Photos which is accessible at http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/laheychris/my_photos. I hope this works.

And sorry guys (read sorry Pete)...there are no pictures of Japanese girls giving peace symbols or thumbs up in Kareoke bars.

Some other things I forgot to mention

So why the hell do all New Zealand bathrooms have their hot and cold water on different taps? This seems like the most backward idea ever. Why can't they mix the water in the faucet like normal countries?

And why the hell are there so many little sinks around? These sinks are about half the size of normals sink so it is impossible to wash your hands or your face or whatever without getting water everywhere.

There was something else...it will come to me later.

It just came to me...right now there are adverts for an "RPS Championship." That's right...a rock, paper, scissors world championship. I laughed my ass off when I first heard about this but I found out later that the world champion is a Kiwi and the runner up is a Canadian. Hilarious.

Everyone should be able to post comments easier now. I hope. Keep 'em coming.

they built this city on rock and roll

Sorry to get your hopes up...this post is not about rocking or rolling. It has been so long since I have heard or seen either.

Well...I finally have a home. At least a home until I move in 5 weeks for my first practicum. I moved in Saturday and used the weekend to get cleaned and settled. I now have a bed and a desk and a make-shift book shelf. I think I have also acquired all the kitchen stuff that I need. It is nice to have a home, let me tell you. Backpacking and sleeping in hostels (with the loudest snoorers ever to grace New Zealand) makes you appreciate what you have. My address is:

67 Brockworth Place
Apt. 3
Riccarton
Christchurch
8004
New Zealand
Ph. No.: 064 03 348 8411

I expect all of you to mail me stuff, even if it is just anthrax.

Today was the first day of school. I didn't have that dream that I usually have either...you know the one where you get lost and then get to class late. I guess it really isn't much of a nightmare. There was a Mihi Whakatau today for the new students also. It is a Maori welcoming ceremony but different than the kind that you would be welcomed to a marae (Maori meeting hall.) I met some cool kids and some not so cool kids. It is funny...but I think I can tell the students in my Chemistry class that will be the type of teachers that students hate and therefore makes students hate Chemistry. I hope I don't turn out to be one of those. I 've only had 2 classes so far and they seem alright. They could get really boring, really quick I'm afraid but we'll hope for the best. I met a few more people today...actual Kiwi's. I have met a ri-cock-ulous number of Canadians here. I'm in school for 5 weeks (until March 9) and then I head out on a practicum somewhere.

I really need to get used to the New Zealand way that all the New Zealanders talk about. For example, the school didn't have the classrooms posted for the first class until 15 minutes before the first class. Oh and in my Chemistry class there were 23 people. Which is about 12 more than the prof had materials for. But everyone says...that is how it is. Sometime I think the New Zealand laid-back-attitude borders on incompetence but that is just coming from a self-proclaimed laid back Canadian.

There is a rumbling in my stomach region. Dinner time.

P.S. Here a the shout-out I promised Mr. Andrew Gall. For being so damn goodlooking he sure asks for a lot. Just kidding Gall.

The world from here

Alright...it's been a while I guess. So here I go...

The last post was probably from this same computer in this same internet cafe. But don't let that fool you. I haven't been sitting here, doing nuthin, running up a huge tab. Oh no. [Some kid just ran by with a bag of NOS. That is huge here. Everyone doing their whippets with their NOS.] Anyway, this week I went North. I got up to Picton on Tuesday. It was raining and blowing. But it was a cute little town, not just a dirty port city like I had thought. Then from there I went to Nelson for a couple of days. Nelson was great. I would love to do a practicum there. It is the geographical centre of New Zealand (obviously) and therefore there is all sorts of stuff to do. I did some hiking and some exploring and hope to make it back because Nelson is a good jumping off spot for the Able Tasman National Park. In Nelson I met a fellow Canuck that has worked on Baffin Island for the last 10 years AND he was a mediation instructor (i think you would have to be to be there for that long.) Needless to say he was pretty interesting. I also met a girl from Newfoundland and we are going to do the Milford Track together I think. Today I cam back to CHCH beacuse I finally get to move in tomorrow. I also found out from a friend at my hostel that there is a party tomorrow night. Can it get any better?

Lastnight a bunch of people from the hostel I was in went out to hear some live music in Nelson. I got in with shorts and jandels so it was already a win situation. What I noticed about the live music was that is was all North American hits. The usual you know...the Stones, Coldplay, Cat Stevens, etc. (Now I know someone is going to call me on this and say "Um...the Stones and Coldplay are both from the UK dumbass" but I still think that if it wasn't for American record companies they wouldn't have 'caught on.' Anyway, what I found interesting was the the Danish guy, the Norwegian girls, and the German girl that I went with knew all the words. So I asked the musicians and the other kids how is it that all these North American hits are so popular everywhere in the world and that I don't know one Danish, German or Norwegian song word-for word. Why is it that it is so hard to be a local (to your country) and get airplay. We decided that the answer was that the music industry is dominated by the 'big' record companies Sony, Emi, Universal, etc. And it is these companies that dictate what gets played over the entire world. I feel bad for local (here meaning anywhere from out of North America) musicians who can't get air time because some dick at Sony or whatever thinks that the new Nickelback song should be heard by everyone and his dog instead of some great New Zealand or German band.

So I'm thinking harder and harder about getting a car. A few people I talked to had nothing but good things to say. You can get a good one for as cheap as 1000$ and they have to be safe or you can't sell them. And you don't need insurance. If you don't have insurance and you get in an accident, the other insurance company pays. Weird eh? Anyway, I think it would be really helpful to see all the sites I am missing on a bus.

Yeah...so I think that is about it for now. Goodbye cruel world.