The UV index for Wellington is currently reading “extreme danger!” I’ve been told that’s normal. Today the linearized uv metric will peak around 12-13. Portlanders this time of year may be lucky enough to see just 1 at solar noon. Anyhow, I’ve always loved the smell of sunscreen.
Its late January (the kiwi summer), I’m deep in the southern hemisphere, it’s 1:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday and I’m 9,126 miles away from home. The urge to leave my room is, to say the least, unbearable. But I can’t. I must stay here and write blog.
So far the quarter-hundred of us have travelled over ~700 miles around the North Island via coach. Shoutout to kiwi mum (Michelle) and her exceptional driving prowess. Now, in the wake of the first field trip, though I still forget which way to look when crossing the street, I have found more or less, a sense of home again. Although I usually find it rather easy to settle down in foreign places and be a happy camper, living out of the coach for the last two weeks was hard work, and I never really felt like I was able to stretch out my legs. Now, in Wellington, there’s enough space to lay out all of my things. Seeing all of my possessions spread about me on my desk right now I can’t help but shake the feeling that I think I might have over-packed.
Our group is situated in the 5th and 6th floors of the North side of the newest VUW campus residence: Te Puni Village. And it really is a great place to live. But it’s a very different kind of campus living than I’m used to and very different from what Lewis & Clark offers. For one, I’ve never lived in a dorm that’s needed an elevator, but the amazing views of Wellington from virtually every floor more than make up it. Since most student’s are out for summer break, Te Puni feels a lot how I imagine the Overlook Hotel during the winter. Perhaps its only a matter of time before cabin fever strikes… However, it’s only an 8-minute walk to class in the mornings, and there’s a ping pong table on the seventh floor, so I’m happy.
New Zealand’s zeal for the new is most apparent in Wellington. Walking around Cuba and Manners I get the feeling I’m in an off-location Portlandia shoot. With an abundance of “hipsters” and “hipstesses”(I’m coining that term “hipstess”) there’s always (only the feeling) that there’s a lot going on. Wherever their true intentions lie, I will never know, but so for now we must pass over it in silence. Nevertheless, Wellington has a lot to offer and I’m looking forward to exploring it more.