Dolphins Are The New Dramamine

Hello everyone (or the small sample of people who actually reads this blog)! I know it’s been a while, aided by the fact that internet around these parts is short-lived and infrequent. I can’t believe that I’ve already been here for over a month! But when I think about it, so much has happened that it’s hard to believe it’s only been a month.

I’ll start with this past week, because it is the most fresh in my mind. As some of you know, I’ve grown up with a strong love of…dolphins! And though I used to cry because I didn’t get to touch the dolphins in Sea World or Marine World or whatever dolphin-related book I was reading, this week I cried for a very different reason. While we were boating out to the Poor Knights Islands (said to be one of the best places to snorkel in the world), I was lying down feeling seasick out of my mind (not quite out of my stomach), when I heard the cry, “Dolphins!” and immediately fell over myself sprinting onto the front deck. What started as a tiny puff from a blowhole in the distance turned into a pod of dolphins leaping all around our boat, almost close enough to touch. I was so overcome with emotion that yes, I cried, because I’ve been wishing to see a sight like that since I was about five years old. (PICTURES -->) 

Since I feel like it would be impossible to fit everything, I’ll give a few highlights…

Kayaking. When we first had our kayak training, we had to practice flipping over and getting back in. I was pretty afraid to flip my kayak over, because (probably like most people) I have an intrinsic fear of drowning and I was afraid I’d get stuck under the kayak and feel like I was drowning (not actually drown, but I was afraid of that feeling itself, ya know?) But I’ve noticed that since I’ve been here, I’ve already become better at acknowledging, and then stepping away from fear, and expanding the elastic limits of my comfort zone. Who knows what crazy things I’ll be doing in week 15.

Zorbing. Nuff said.

Bioluminescent phytoplankton! Apparently bioluminescent algae is a thing on the east coast (of the U.S., and maybe on the west coast for all I know), but to me it was the first time I’d seen anything like it. We spent almost a week at a place called Opoutere, kayaking through mangroves, and getting our hands dirty doing a survey of shellfish in the estuary. On the last night, we all walked down to the beach together, and as I got closer to the water, I let out a tiny gasp as a speck of glowing green flickered and then disappeared. The more I watched, the more tiny, glowing phytoplankton I saw wash in and out, a fleeting bright green spark that was like the ocean’s magical little attempt at a shooting star.

La Rosa Park. It was refreshing to visit La Rosa Park, just a park outside of Auckland, and see someone who leads community-driven projects/engagement. Gabriella, a cheerful Aucklander we met, was the leader of daylighting, or un-piping, a stream in a park, and adding community gardens and art to it, and it was heartwarming to see how well it had gone. I think that community-driven or grassroots activism can be a murky topic in that there aren’t specific guidelines on how it’s done, but it was great to see that it can, in fact, be done (and done well).

Tongariro Crossing. Known as the best day hike in New Zealand, and one of the best in the world, I have to say that this was by far the coolest hike I have ever done in my life. The 15-mile hike included a side trip climbing Ngauruhoe, or as some people know it as, Mount Doom. Every turn and summit held a new landscape, from the impressive Mars-like Mount Doom, to bright blue and green lakes, to dramatic red volcanic cliffs, to thick rainforest. If you’re ever in New Zealand, DO THIS.

Food Matters Conference. Not part of the program, a group of about eight of us went to a conference called “Food Matters” in Auckland. A scientist, a chef, and Dr. Vandana Shiva, an incredibly inspiring environmental activist, spoke about the hidden and devastating effects that the use of genetically modified foods have on the environment. Going in, I had little qualms with GMOs, but I learned so much from the conference. There is a profound amount of pesticides used on them (since they are engineered to be pesticide-resistant), and the side-effects of using sprays such as Roundup can be incredibly damaging. Also, the superpower chemical companies like Monsanto are stripping the rights of seed saving, and the biodiversity of crops, away from farmers all over the world. Knowing that GM foods are not grown here in New Zealand is a comfort, but it seems their use may be impending (GM foods are already imported).

Hobbiton. Okay, I fully embraced the American tourist experience for a day, and took a tour of the Hobbiton movie set, a huge sheep farm-turned-very-realistic Shire. Not only was it amazing how life-like it all felt, and exciting to dress in provided hobbit clothes, but it was mind-blowing the amount of detail that went into the set. There was even an intricate process for creating fake moss on the fences, and during filming, someone was required to walk back and forth across lawns to create natural-looking footpaths.

TLDR: EVERYTHING IS MAGICAL AND I’M SO GLAD I’M HERE WITH MARINE LIFE AND MOUNTAINS AND MORDOR (yes, I will continue the alliteration theme)

~Peace~

P.s. Pictures finally here

Kia Ora Tātou! (Hello Everyone!)

Hi friends,

I made it! Although this is only my fifth day in New Zealand, it already seems like I’ve been here forever. Way back on the second day we were here, we drove to a nearby town called Thames, and after spending only a few hours away from our site, when we returned I was already calling it Home Sweet Home.

Today, we went on an 11 kilometer hike (trust me, I’m not exactly sure how far that is either and as I’m writing this the wi-fi is down so I can’t even look it up, but I think around 7 miles), and I had a great chat with two of my teammates (I don’t know why I’m choosing the word teammates, but it seems right), Charlotte and Rachel. We were discussing how we’re glad to be with a group of people that shares the mentality of pursuing your passion in life, rather than scrambling for a job that will make you the most money…and then went on to say that it’s all about finding a balance between the two (your passion and making enough money to get by). Which then led us to feel this extraordinary amount of gratitude for our parents, who have worked so ridiculously hard their entire lives, doing jobs they don’t necessarily love, to make enough money for us to have the luxury to pursue paths in life that can allow us to both live and enjoy ourselves while we’re at it. So thank you so much, Dad, for getting me to this beautiful place where I can learn like I’ve never experienced learning before, and for giving me the chance to focus on more complex and amazing things in life than just making money. I’d also like to give a huge thanks to the Barger Leadership Institute for helping finance this trip—I can’t help feeling little else but amazingly grateful to even be here. Yes, it is still like a dream (but better). Because of this, I’ve instituted a personal “No Complaining” policy—I am not allowing myself to complain this semester. About anything. Because really, it’s not helping anyone, and it’s probably a healthier way of living in the first place.

The best I can describe our immediate surroundings is a mix between the California Central Valley and Hawaii. We’ve got the rolling hills spotted with grazing livestock, and then this amazing variety of tropical plants and tropical weather, which at times makes it difficult to remember that I am in fact here to go to school. I am living with one roommate, Kira, in an almost beach-hut-like one-room cabin. There were a few shells on the porch when we first arrived, so we of course have dubbed our home “Shell Cottage.”

The EcoQuest site is right on the beach, on a bay called the Firth of Thames, and the water is unbelievably warm. There are also teeny tiny jellyfish, so that adds an exciting (and shocking—literally) element of fun to the water. The sun really is pretty brutal here, with that whole missing-ozone-layer thing, but, as I’m sure to no surprise to some of you, I am already known for being very “diligent” (aka anal) about the sunscreen (with zinc) and sun hat (with neck flap) use. Being slathered in multiple coats of sunscreen from head to toe every day, with the added sweat, dirt, and/or sea water leads to every shower feeling like the best shower I have taken in my entire life.

The other 25 people in my group are endlessly entertaining, and fascinating, and smart, which is really great because if they weren’t then it would be a very rough semester. The instructors all have fantastic New Zealand accents, and even though the country is very Westernized, it is even more different from America than I expected. Oh, and lots of little words here and there are different, a bit like the Brits—they call “z” “zed,” they call it a bum bag instead of a fanny pack, because “fanny” here means something, er, very different. Okay, it means vagina. Hopefully my audience is mature enough to handle that I just said the vagina word.

We’ve been learning a lot about the Māori (native) culture and language, which is beyond exciting because I love learning other languages (I’m sure you noticed the title of this post). Their language has 15 letters, and the “wh” is pronounced like an “f.” So the town we are in, Whakatiwai, is pronounced “Fuh-ka-tee-why.” Yes, it does sound like an English expletive but I’m so wordly and cultured that I don’t giggle at that (anymore). We’ve also been learning a lot about the geological, biological, and cultural history of New Zealand in general, and getting glimpses into the field work ahead, which is both terrifying (yes, I am very intimidated by the amount of knowledge my classmates seem to have on things I feel like I’m stumbling around in the dark on) and thrilling (I’m so excited to get my hands—and feet, and socks, and everything—dirty out in the field, and fill up my very own field journal like a real live scientist). My favorite bird name I’ve learned so far is the Hihi (pronounced heehee), but after learning about kiwi birds and the snorting sounds they make, I want more than anything to see one and keep it as my pig-bird pet and bring it home with me (just kidding, airport security—I know you’re reading this).

We have a garden here, which the Sustainable Food Systems major in me is very excited about, and every day we’ve had salads made fresh from the garden, which the Food Loving Person in me is very excited about. I also can’t wait to check out some of the farmer’s markets around here, which sound amazing. Because New Zealand is so small, it makes conservation and sustainable living practically mandatory—they must import (a very, very long way) anything they don’t produce themselves, which makes those imported goods very expensive…which then leads people to choose more locally-produced goods instead. So clearly, the environmentalist in me is thrilled to learn about all the challenges and processes and ideas around sustainability here.

Apologies for the long post, maybe the next one won’t be as long, but maybe it will, so for the lazy/time-stressed friends,

TLDR: EVERYTHING IS MAGICAL AND I’M SO GLAD I’M HERE WITH SALADS AND SUMMER AND SCIENCE

~Peace~

P.s. pictures coming soon

You Know That Feeling When...

When you finally decide to check the tracking number on your Student Visa application a week and a half before your trip, and it turns out that three weeks ago, it was actually lost in the mail?

Well, imagine all of your internal organs transforming to lead, except your heart of course, which has instead turned into a backfiring jackhammer. Imagine wondering, seriously, if you could have a heart attack from the amount of times you hear "Sorry, we can't help you," or "It's not guaranteed" in the next four days, and good lord, the feeling of all that lead falling away just days before you leave as you listen to the voicemail saying that yes, the hundreds of miles driven and hundreds of dollars paid and hundreds of years aged in one week have in fact paid off, and your passport and visa have been rushed through all the right hoops in time for take off. Now that I know I'll be making it on that plane on Monday, I'm becoming more capable of feeling, you know, excited. For that whole, I'm-leaving-the-country-for-four-months-to-go-on-a-beautiful-incredible-adventure thing. Though honestly, it still feels pretty surreal. I don't think it will actually hit me until I'm walking off of the plane in Auckland. For the weekend, I'm staying at my lovely Aunt Mary's house in LA, soaking up her wisdom and positive energy and doing productive things like making a blog and doing the readings I'm supposed to complete before I get to Auckland (hey, better late than never, right?) So this isn't quite yet the Thrilling Account of My Semester in New Zealand. But it will be fun for me to look back and read my pre-departure ramblings after I've returned a transformed and worldly woman, etc. So here, world, I hope this sneak peek into the blogging of Rachael Lacey will help you gauge whether or not you want to actually continue reading the blogging of Rachael Lacey over the next four months. (Oh, FYI, out of the 26 people on my program, 20 of them are girls, and out of those 20, 5 are named Rach(a)el. SO, I have decided that my name for the next 4 months is officially Lacey. Handy having a first name as a last name).

For now, have a lovely weekend, remember to never use the US Postal Service for important documents, and for goodness sake, if you are in a place that's over 60 degrees right now, be grateful, because this LA sunshine is making me question why anyone ever chooses to live in Michigan (just kidding, it's because of the wonderful people, of course). 

I'm not sure how you end a blog post so I'll just connect with my inner hippie and say 

--Peace--