Cell phones are such a rip-off here! Back home I paid US$50 a month for like 1500 minutes - here you get only 120 minutes for NZ$60 (like 45USD)! Un-frickin'-believable! If you go over your minutes the cost is outrageous so you might be better off doing prepay but those rates are even more horrendous. I still haven't got one 'cause I just can't bring myself to spending that much for so little! The cheapest phone you can buy is $100 plus another $35 for the sim card. AND cell phones aren't considered local calls so I can't even use my flat phone to call a mobile...you have to get a calling card! Again - un-frickin'-believable!
My internet access pretty much sucks too. I have ethernet connection in my office which can be slow as hell during a good chunk of the day depending on usage. I usually just don't bother from noon-3 because it can get so damn annoying. Wireless access is limited to the main library and science library...
Lastly...the tv networks don't let you watch their shows online except from within the US. What the hell!?! So that means there's no Gray's or NCIS for me until I get a tv!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Perspective
First reality check: I got a new flatmate yesterday, Peng Yuan, who left her 7 month old baby back home with her mother-in-law for the month she's here. Now, I love you all but you all were easy to leave behind comparatively. Rachel and I looked at each other and were like "I guess this was an easy move for the both of us!" I guess she started her program here, then got pregnant...so instead of staying she went home to have the baby and is now going to travel back and forth while doing her PhD...crazy! But I guess quitting/delaying grad school due to getting pregnant or wanting to get pregnant is not uncommon. The Minnesotan I meet last week fell in love here, got married and had a baby so she quit her PhD program and is doing a MS program part-time instead. Robert even mentioned that I can't do that...I assured him I wouldn't...there's much debate about whether having a baby during grad school or while you're trying to gain tenure is easier...I don't think it makes much difference...not that that situation is going to happen any time soon!
Second reality check: How lucky I am to be doing what I love! So last night I was playing cards and drinking with the flatmates and a mate of Robynne's - finally I've learned how to play poker! Robynne and her friend are both in medical programs with about a year left and are not completely happy with it but totally feel stuck after all their effort in their education...yikes! I'm told that in England you have to make the decision to pursue medicine at 16 or 17 years old. Hell, I was about 23 before I even knew I wanted a biology-based career and still didn't know exactly what type of career I wanted. Well, hopefully she goes after the psychology aspect of it that she does like...
So I've come to the conclusion that my life is pretty frickin' grand right now! Not that I don't know this but it's good to be reminded!
Second reality check: How lucky I am to be doing what I love! So last night I was playing cards and drinking with the flatmates and a mate of Robynne's - finally I've learned how to play poker! Robynne and her friend are both in medical programs with about a year left and are not completely happy with it but totally feel stuck after all their effort in their education...yikes! I'm told that in England you have to make the decision to pursue medicine at 16 or 17 years old. Hell, I was about 23 before I even knew I wanted a biology-based career and still didn't know exactly what type of career I wanted. Well, hopefully she goes after the psychology aspect of it that she does like...
So I've come to the conclusion that my life is pretty frickin' grand right now! Not that I don't know this but it's good to be reminded!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
My arse is cold!
I know - Mike would say that's nothing new! I totally realize that they warned me about this but I am absolutely baffled by the poor insulation and expensive electric heat they use here! Really, you'd think they'd realize that it would be less expensive to use different heating methods and invest in some frickin' insulation! I'm sitting in my office with my long underwear on, wool socks, fleece pull-over and drapping my fleece zip-up over my legs...and I changed desks today to a smaller desk 'cause I decided that being closer to the heater was the most important factor in desk choice! At home I'm lucky to have an electric oil heater as my flatmates have some crappy tiny electric ones with fans that run for about 3 mins. So my room is decently warm...but the heater does run most of the time on cold nights...when it turns off, it's not off for long 'cause all the heat is lost out the single pane windows (and I suspect the poorly insulated walls). And no doubt, I could go outside right now and find some Kiwis walking down the street in shorts and sandals or possibly even bare footed! Krazy Kiwis! I think I might pick up something to bake tonight!
Monday, September 24, 2007
My lab and research
Check out the link to my lab's website. If you click on people, you will see pics of who I work with (and what they do here). I will be on there eventually but my project focus will be similar to Clement's - alternative life cycle strategy's. There are two local trematode species that can skip the definitive host and produce eggs in the second intermediate host as metacercariae - which I think is very cool and thus will be the focus of my project. On the lab home page, the pic on the right is of metacercariae full of eggs! If you're into science humor you can click on cartoons under Tommy...gotta love geeky science humor!
My first weekend
So as I mentioned before, friday night I was exhausted. I went to the supermarket for hamburger to make spaghetti for dinner, a bottle of local wine and some actual ground coffee. Went home, played music - from my iTunes library as there's no tv or radio - made dinner, drank my wine and Rachel came home halfway through dinner so she joined me for spaghetti.
Saturday I was up early to walk around town and do some shopping. They have the best farmer's market here! All types of food - veggies, fruits, meats, sandwiches, homemade soups, chocolate, herbs, etc, etc - flowers and plants and live music. I will definitely be going there often! I had to go to 3 bookstores before I found the bird field guide my officemate recommended (she studies birds so she's a great reference to have!). I found the upside down maps at the visitor center, where New Zealand is at the top and Canada is at the bottom; it's pretty awesome - looking at the world from a different perspective (let me know if you'd like one). I popped into a couple of bike shops but as the end of the semester is approaching I'm going to wait and see if I can pick up a used one. I checked out cell phones (I'll probably get one in the next couple of days) and purchased a calling card...so of course I went home and spent all of the afternoon on the phone! It was great to talk to the few of you I did! Rachel and I headed to the bar saturday eve for some beers and found a small bar in the city center that had a band. The band mostly played American music, Kiwis head out on the dance floor as soon as the music starts (both Rachel and I said that doesn't happen back home...people need more alcohol before dancing), met a couple of people visiting from Australia, and danced! On the way home Rachel wanted to buy milk and beer (I know - what a combo), but they wouldn't sell us beer because they have an intoxication law!...we definitley were not wasted!...just talkative and giggley...and the guy behind the counter had a such heavy accent (as did the men hitting on me at the bar!) that we could barely understand him so he thought we were more drunk than we actually were!
Sunday was cold and rainy...I had about a third of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows left so I got sucked into the end (as with them all, once you get to a certain point you can't put it down) and finished the book. Also did some reading for my research.
I've pics of my flat in an album on the right...make sure you scroll down after you hit play so you can see the captions under the photos. My flat has 6 bedrooms. The 1st floor has a full bath and two bedrooms; 2nd floor has the living room, kitchen, bathroom with toilet and sink only, and one bedroom; 3rd floor has 3 bedrooms (including mine) and bathroom with shower and sink only.
Saturday I was up early to walk around town and do some shopping. They have the best farmer's market here! All types of food - veggies, fruits, meats, sandwiches, homemade soups, chocolate, herbs, etc, etc - flowers and plants and live music. I will definitely be going there often! I had to go to 3 bookstores before I found the bird field guide my officemate recommended (she studies birds so she's a great reference to have!). I found the upside down maps at the visitor center, where New Zealand is at the top and Canada is at the bottom; it's pretty awesome - looking at the world from a different perspective (let me know if you'd like one). I popped into a couple of bike shops but as the end of the semester is approaching I'm going to wait and see if I can pick up a used one. I checked out cell phones (I'll probably get one in the next couple of days) and purchased a calling card...so of course I went home and spent all of the afternoon on the phone! It was great to talk to the few of you I did! Rachel and I headed to the bar saturday eve for some beers and found a small bar in the city center that had a band. The band mostly played American music, Kiwis head out on the dance floor as soon as the music starts (both Rachel and I said that doesn't happen back home...people need more alcohol before dancing), met a couple of people visiting from Australia, and danced! On the way home Rachel wanted to buy milk and beer (I know - what a combo), but they wouldn't sell us beer because they have an intoxication law!...we definitley were not wasted!...just talkative and giggley...and the guy behind the counter had a such heavy accent (as did the men hitting on me at the bar!) that we could barely understand him so he thought we were more drunk than we actually were!
Sunday was cold and rainy...I had about a third of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows left so I got sucked into the end (as with them all, once you get to a certain point you can't put it down) and finished the book. Also did some reading for my research.
I've pics of my flat in an album on the right...make sure you scroll down after you hit play so you can see the captions under the photos. My flat has 6 bedrooms. The 1st floor has a full bath and two bedrooms; 2nd floor has the living room, kitchen, bathroom with toilet and sink only, and one bedroom; 3rd floor has 3 bedrooms (including mine) and bathroom with shower and sink only.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Still lagging...
It's wierd adjusting to such a different time. I'm exhausted in the evenings (even now at a little after 5pm I could go to bed!) and I start waking up about 5am...then 6am...then I'm wide awake before 7.
So there's 2 other Minnesotans in my department! I met one yesterday...she heard I was here and came by my office to meet me...I think she was quite happy to here my lovely accent! The other is in MN visiting right now.
I had dinner at my supervisor's last night and he took me for a little drive along the pennisula beforehand. Man, it is so beautiful here! I got to see some awesome views of the harbor and ocean and it really wasn't even a good time of the day to go. I totally wish I would have had the camera and binocs with me...but there will be plenty of trips to the pennisula in the future. Robert and his wife are from Montreal and are very social so dinner was great!
I've already got quite a few birds on my NZ list! My officemate studies birds so she's lending me a bird book and I think I'll purchase my own this weekend. No penguins yet...but it won't be long...
I promise...pictures soon...
So there's 2 other Minnesotans in my department! I met one yesterday...she heard I was here and came by my office to meet me...I think she was quite happy to here my lovely accent! The other is in MN visiting right now.
I had dinner at my supervisor's last night and he took me for a little drive along the pennisula beforehand. Man, it is so beautiful here! I got to see some awesome views of the harbor and ocean and it really wasn't even a good time of the day to go. I totally wish I would have had the camera and binocs with me...but there will be plenty of trips to the pennisula in the future. Robert and his wife are from Montreal and are very social so dinner was great!
I've already got quite a few birds on my NZ list! My officemate studies birds so she's lending me a bird book and I think I'll purchase my own this weekend. No penguins yet...but it won't be long...
I promise...pictures soon...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Hurry up and waiting!
Yeah! I can finally post! I've only had internet access through the lab computer and for some reason cannot log in to Blogger from there. My office mate is letting me use her user name and password to access the internet with my laptop...so here I am! I won't have my own user name and password until next week. Which means I probably won't be calling anyone on Skype until then, unless I want to pay for internet access at a cafe this weekend...
So far I've been filling out lots of forms and then waiting for them to be processed in order to do the next step. I've been meeting lots of people in the department...we'll see how many of their names I'll actually remember. I finally got keys to my office and labs today. Really, I'm just waiting for my enrollment to process so I can get my ID, user name, scholarship $$, access to buildings after hours...
My flat is like a townhome...I'll post pics next week as I don't have them on my computer yet. My flatmates: Rachel, from Ireland, arrived the day before me and is also on a PhD scholarship studying geology (volcano stuff)...we get along well and it's great to be sharing the settling in crap with someone; Christian, whom I've barely said more than hi to, is finishing his thesis in electrical engineering and will be leaving next week; and Robin, an english girl here for some 10-week medical program and will be moving out in a couple of weeks. Rachel and Robin are both tea drinkers and tea time is a social time so I like that. The coffee here is crap...I accidentally bought the soluble kind...not even sure if they have real coffee here!
I dropped a load of $$ at Kmart yesterday. I knew I'd need to take a taxi home so I figured I might as well load up...hairdryer, flat iron, iron, towels, waste basket, etc...got home and realized I bought the wrong size sheets so I had to hike it back to Kmart to exchange. So far I'm walking everywhere and if you all thought my hill in Mankato was a killer, you should see the hill I have to walk up to get home here!
I hope to see more of the city this weekend and pop in (I'm using the local lingo already...you "pop" on by everywhere!) a bike shop to check things out. But really I need some money to come in before I can purchase anything major...anyone know of someone who'd like to buy a Ford Explorer, send them my way!
So far I've been filling out lots of forms and then waiting for them to be processed in order to do the next step. I've been meeting lots of people in the department...we'll see how many of their names I'll actually remember. I finally got keys to my office and labs today. Really, I'm just waiting for my enrollment to process so I can get my ID, user name, scholarship $$, access to buildings after hours...
My flat is like a townhome...I'll post pics next week as I don't have them on my computer yet. My flatmates: Rachel, from Ireland, arrived the day before me and is also on a PhD scholarship studying geology (volcano stuff)...we get along well and it's great to be sharing the settling in crap with someone; Christian, whom I've barely said more than hi to, is finishing his thesis in electrical engineering and will be leaving next week; and Robin, an english girl here for some 10-week medical program and will be moving out in a couple of weeks. Rachel and Robin are both tea drinkers and tea time is a social time so I like that. The coffee here is crap...I accidentally bought the soluble kind...not even sure if they have real coffee here!
I dropped a load of $$ at Kmart yesterday. I knew I'd need to take a taxi home so I figured I might as well load up...hairdryer, flat iron, iron, towels, waste basket, etc...got home and realized I bought the wrong size sheets so I had to hike it back to Kmart to exchange. So far I'm walking everywhere and if you all thought my hill in Mankato was a killer, you should see the hill I have to walk up to get home here!
I hope to see more of the city this weekend and pop in (I'm using the local lingo already...you "pop" on by everywhere!) a bike shop to check things out. But really I need some money to come in before I can purchase anything major...anyone know of someone who'd like to buy a Ford Explorer, send them my way!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Leaving tomorrow!
I'm back in San Fran after spending a few days at my Uncle's north of LA. We had a family dinner wednesday eve with Troy's family and Lauren brought Andrew and the puppy. It was great to finally meet Andrew! Jeremy and Claire came up with the kids for a few hours on thursday...i loved seeing them and catching up! Then back to SF on friday...so glad to be out of the desert. Judy, Shawna and Josh brought the kids to Bonnie's today...what a bunch of cuties! It's been great catching up but I'm exhausted. Getting ready to leave tomorrow night...it's 17 hours from SF to Auckland and then another couple of hours to Dunedin! Next time I post, it will be from NZ!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
So I'm off!
Boy, was I totally crying as I left MN today! I cried saying goodbye to Mindy - she started it - I cried at the terminal, I cried during take off and as we flew over MN. It was so sad to leave...who would know I was actually happy and excited too?!I'm at Bonnie and Charlie's in San Fran...waiting for Shawna to arrive. Bonnie, Grandma, Shawna and I are roadtripping to Troy's tomorrow!
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