Week two complete. I am so settled in! This week the boys were on school holiday so we’ve been spending some “family” time together. It’s been great, because I’ve gotten to see some more of Christchurch. We went to the Botanical Garden, Christchurch Museum, and explored nearby Diamond Harbour.
On Wednesday I spent the day at the University of Canterbury. I went first to visit Prof Bronwyn Hayward and other honors/post grad students for their weekly tea meeting. They were all political science or international relations majors, and many of them were from different countries. After that I was quickly introduced to Bronwyn’s work with the CYCLES project.
Subsequently, I had the pleasure of meeting with Professor Richard Manning of the School of Education. Over lunch, he gave me a very brief overview of Maori history in New Zealand including the controversy surrounding the translation of the Treaty of Waitangi. He showed me around the Riccarton Bush, a stand of native forest and birds in the middle of Christchurch.
I’m beginning to feel more acquainted with the bus systems and city layout, which is an accomplishment for me! It helps that both professors I’ve met so far are geographers, so they helped me get very situated by showing me important landmarks and giving me plenty of maps.