Monday, September 14, 2009
Give Way
I am pretty well accustomed to cars driving on the left now but “give way” symbols (the equivalent of a yield sign but used much more prevalently) never cease to unnerve me. I really think the upside down triangle looks like an arrow pointing in the direction you are supposed to go and, when riding in a car, I am always temporarily alarmed that we are going the wrong way down the street.
Insert catchy title here
I am building up thoughts for a reflection on environmental practice and consciousness in NZ (I’m sure you are all on the edge of your seats ^_^ ) but classes have picked up and I have a fresh slew of essays and presentations to complete. So…it probably won’t get done for a couple of weeks. In preview – climate change is recognized as fact (sooo refreshing!) and there is widespread public reaction to things like opening up national parks to mining. On the other hand, government environmental policy is effects-based, short on pollution standards/policy plans, and largely successful thus far because of the high ratio of resources / people. More later….
Other doings:
1. walked into the hills around Dunedin again on a spectacular day. Though I am starting to get normalized to the tremendous scenery around here, I don’t think I will ever get tired of the view from Flagstaff/Swampy/Cargill!! I was hiking by myself and had some interesting times trying to navigate with a topo map that had a severe lack of road names and trailheads that had a severe lack of signage. I think I may have been on a trail that didn’t officially exist for most of the climb up….. Wandered through Ross Creek Reservoir and Woodlaugh Gardens on the way back.
2. discussion about abortion with my flatmate from the Bible Belt and my flatmate from Denmark. And I am amazed once again at how strongly the communities we live in influence what we take to be common sense!
3. avoided the Undie 500 insanity as much as possible. Students from Christchurch pubcrawl to Dunedin in cars costing $500 or less, usually decorated in some fashion. This typically leads to drunken mayhem and, a few years ago, caused a “riot.” (students debate how bad it was) Last year they tried to cancel the event but people came anyway, repeating past behaviors. This year there were calls to have organized activities to control the crowd but the district council instead just put liquor bans on North Dunedin and declared a “no diversion” policy on anyone arrested for disorderly behaviour. And things got out of hand again…as expected. Here's a video. My flat is two streets away, so I got to smell burning sofas and listen to people making a ruckus. I wish the streets between me and uni weren’t littered with glass shards….
4. spent heaps of time contemplating representations of the South Pacific, kaitiakitanga (stewardship), NGOs and international policy making agency
Other doings:
1. walked into the hills around Dunedin again on a spectacular day. Though I am starting to get normalized to the tremendous scenery around here, I don’t think I will ever get tired of the view from Flagstaff/Swampy/Cargill!! I was hiking by myself and had some interesting times trying to navigate with a topo map that had a severe lack of road names and trailheads that had a severe lack of signage. I think I may have been on a trail that didn’t officially exist for most of the climb up….. Wandered through Ross Creek Reservoir and Woodlaugh Gardens on the way back.
2. discussion about abortion with my flatmate from the Bible Belt and my flatmate from Denmark. And I am amazed once again at how strongly the communities we live in influence what we take to be common sense!
3. avoided the Undie 500 insanity as much as possible. Students from Christchurch pubcrawl to Dunedin in cars costing $500 or less, usually decorated in some fashion. This typically leads to drunken mayhem and, a few years ago, caused a “riot.” (students debate how bad it was) Last year they tried to cancel the event but people came anyway, repeating past behaviors. This year there were calls to have organized activities to control the crowd but the district council instead just put liquor bans on North Dunedin and declared a “no diversion” policy on anyone arrested for disorderly behaviour. And things got out of hand again…as expected. Here's a video. My flat is two streets away, so I got to smell burning sofas and listen to people making a ruckus. I wish the streets between me and uni weren’t littered with glass shards….
4. spent heaps of time contemplating representations of the South Pacific, kaitiakitanga (stewardship), NGOs and international policy making agency
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Moon, magnetics, and mayhem
In addition to different constellations being visible in the Southern Hemisphere (the Southern Cross instead of the Big Dipper), the moon looks different from my new position on the sphere that is our planet. Instead of a “man on the moon,” the pattern appears “upside down” and is understood to be in the shape of a rabbit. Also, the phases of the moon move in the opposite direction – the sunlit portion goes from left to right so that the crescent points to the left when waning and to the right when waxing. Craziness!!
Also crazy for anyone who is a fan of maps, orienteering, or the earth’s magnetic field, magnetic declination here is around 21 degrees!!! (so if you calculate it in the wrong direction, you could potentially be turned 42 degrees from the point you are intending to go!!)
Interesting happenings of the past few weeks:
1) worked with eight other people to plant kanuka on the Otago Peninsula. I went with the understanding that we were attempting to bolster dwindling populations of bees but it turned out that was a cover for the real project, providing habitat for a species that is being poached. I got to meet Lala, one of the founding members of STOP (Save the Otago Peninsula) who is involved in tons of conservation groups in Otago. While staking down weed mats, I saw a skink and one of the coolest stick bugs I’ve ever seen.
2) went to a water conservation order hearing for the Nevis river area. It turned out it was the second round of hearings by a special tribunal, such that the read submissions were really nitpicky responses to arguments I hadn’t heard and pretty much everyone there besides me were presenting evidence. I had a cool conversation with the guy next to me (from Otago Fish and Wildlife??) about how the process worked and the hydroelectric plans being considered by the power company.
3) finally went to the archives! (it only took me two months to find it...) Very, very cool place. I looked at a crazy missionary’s autobiography (and an even crazier children's book about the deeds of that missionary), a tourist travel account for the Pacific Islands from the 1900s, an illegible microfilm journal which was supposed to be about recruiting workers from the New Hebrides, and huge stacks of photographs. In addition to material useful for my essay, I found some 100 year old pictures a volcano. :-)
4) played “extreme” croquet. (at night with headlamps and with the weather threatening to turn wet).
(my game face)
5) attended the Dunedin Folk Club. The evening featured a wide variety of styles - starting with wooden flute and bagpipe and ended with a piece for tubular bells, banjo, and sawed cymbals (cymbals played with a bow). For the first half hour I was probably the only person there under forty… it made me miss having instruments to play on. So I went to an informal open mic session in the hopes of temporarily borrowing a guitar. Despite how it was publicized, it turned out being just the regulars of the club sitting around at a table in a café demonstrating their formidable fingerpicking skills. I didn’t know any of their songs but playing ‘Angel Band’ caused some rather impressive harmonies. I miss singing with you, Stephanie and Ruth!!
Also crazy for anyone who is a fan of maps, orienteering, or the earth’s magnetic field, magnetic declination here is around 21 degrees!!! (so if you calculate it in the wrong direction, you could potentially be turned 42 degrees from the point you are intending to go!!)
Interesting happenings of the past few weeks:
1) worked with eight other people to plant kanuka on the Otago Peninsula. I went with the understanding that we were attempting to bolster dwindling populations of bees but it turned out that was a cover for the real project, providing habitat for a species that is being poached. I got to meet Lala, one of the founding members of STOP (Save the Otago Peninsula) who is involved in tons of conservation groups in Otago. While staking down weed mats, I saw a skink and one of the coolest stick bugs I’ve ever seen.
2) went to a water conservation order hearing for the Nevis river area. It turned out it was the second round of hearings by a special tribunal, such that the read submissions were really nitpicky responses to arguments I hadn’t heard and pretty much everyone there besides me were presenting evidence. I had a cool conversation with the guy next to me (from Otago Fish and Wildlife??) about how the process worked and the hydroelectric plans being considered by the power company.
3) finally went to the archives! (it only took me two months to find it...) Very, very cool place. I looked at a crazy missionary’s autobiography (and an even crazier children's book about the deeds of that missionary), a tourist travel account for the Pacific Islands from the 1900s, an illegible microfilm journal which was supposed to be about recruiting workers from the New Hebrides, and huge stacks of photographs. In addition to material useful for my essay, I found some 100 year old pictures a volcano. :-)
4) played “extreme” croquet. (at night with headlamps and with the weather threatening to turn wet).
(my game face)
5) attended the Dunedin Folk Club. The evening featured a wide variety of styles - starting with wooden flute and bagpipe and ended with a piece for tubular bells, banjo, and sawed cymbals (cymbals played with a bow). For the first half hour I was probably the only person there under forty… it made me miss having instruments to play on. So I went to an informal open mic session in the hopes of temporarily borrowing a guitar. Despite how it was publicized, it turned out being just the regulars of the club sitting around at a table in a café demonstrating their formidable fingerpicking skills. I didn’t know any of their songs but playing ‘Angel Band’ caused some rather impressive harmonies. I miss singing with you, Stephanie and Ruth!!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Learn to speak Kiwi (part 2)
turns of phrase:
“have a go” or “its your go” = it’s your turn
take the piss = to be given a hard time for something
full on - dense, challenging, difficult...as in “that reading was full on”
Are you winning? (asked if someone walks up when you are studying ) = are things going well?, are you getting a lot done?
Crack up = that’s funny
Good on ya! = congratulations (can be used sarcastically as well)
heaps = lots....as in "there were heaps of sheep in the road"
terms:
torch = flashlight
lolly = candy
rubber = eraser
boot = trunk of a vehicle
take-away = takeout; also a type of fast food restaurant which only serves takeout (they have no tables to sit at.) Typical options are hamburgers, fish and chips, and chinese (often all at the same place).
“have a go” or “its your go” = it’s your turn
take the piss = to be given a hard time for something
full on - dense, challenging, difficult...as in “that reading was full on”
Are you winning? (asked if someone walks up when you are studying ) = are things going well?, are you getting a lot done?
Crack up = that’s funny
Good on ya! = congratulations (can be used sarcastically as well)
heaps = lots....as in "there were heaps of sheep in the road"
terms:
torch = flashlight
lolly = candy
rubber = eraser
boot = trunk of a vehicle
take-away = takeout; also a type of fast food restaurant which only serves takeout (they have no tables to sit at.) Typical options are hamburgers, fish and chips, and chinese (often all at the same place).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
