why have you so many thorns?
nasty, prickly beast
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Reflection Time! : haka and maori women's rights
In Maori Society last week, we talked about performing arts and in doing so spoke to one of the questions I posed in my original reflections – what is the Maori opinion regarding the All Blacks use of the haka at sporting matches. I can now say with some confidence: not favourable. The “Ka Mate” haka has been used by the national rugby team since 1903 and is typically interpreted by sports announcers and the general public to be an appropriated war dance used to intimidate the opposing players. But while certain types of haka were used for war, the category extends to many other types of dance as well. “Ka Mate” is technically not a war dance in either form, content (expresses relief and thanks of a chief who narrowly escaped death), or the way it is performed (without weapons).
The iwi (tribe) of Te Rauparaha (the man who wrote the piece) have recently filed a lawsuit for intellectual property rights, something which would be extremely interesting to know more about. Their goal was not to gain royalties for its use but rather to try to regain control over the cultural practice to prevent its further exploitation and misinterpretation. A spokesperson for the All Blacks apparently said that “the haka is bigger than Maori” - that it should not be restricted to a specific tribe but rather has acquired a new and national meaning. While this sounds all well and good, it leads to interesting issues surrounding the appropriateness and way in which Maori symbols are used. As our lecturer pointed out, these symbols at the very least become divorced from their original purpose and history (something important in Maori worldview) and often end up actively involved in the perpetuation of misinformation about the specific practices and culture as a whole (such as in haka being known as a war dance). Plus, it arguably allows for a superficial (read advertisable) embrace of Maori things while practices and perspectives that are more difficult to deal with are ignored.
Among reasons for thinking that nationalizing Maori symbols is a bad thing, the haka is frequently exploited in advertising. For example, this advertisement for the 2007 World Cup match between NZ and France (I’m not going to even try a full on critique of that as there is way too much wrong about it. For a start: primitive/timelessness of Maori culture, objectifying, eroticizing women, isolated and paradisiacal tropics) The haka has further been used and spoofed across the globe. For example, this Scottish employment commercial.
I think I’m going to peg this as just above using demeaning caricatures of native peoples as mascots for American sports teams (like the Florida State Seminoles).
I am also pretty conflicted about Maori views on gender role division. Lecturers and texts take great care to emphasize the importance that women play in childbearing roles and on the marae (meeting house complex). They seek to explain (justify) the logic behind their exclusion from certain ritual leadership roles and place seated behind the men in the marae. I am interested to see how/whether views have changed with regards to the women’s rights movement and how cultural and gender identities intersect/conflict. (Mainly discussions from my Community Based Learning class last year regarding tensions between Native American and women’s rights movements are playing through my head – the perception that women acting out hurt the strength of the indigenous cause because it criticizes cultural values.) To what extent should traditions be maintained in continuation of old cultural practices and when can they be challenged? Does Maori minority in numbers (and consequent risk of being swamped by dominant Pakeha ideas) present an obstacle to cultural evolution? In other words, the desire to maintain something distinct and resist the other major way of being prevent change.
I am impressed overall though with the unique amount of consideration of Maori concerns in NZ law. Studying the resource management act, you find that consultation with iwi is firmly built into the consent process and the document openly recognizes the importance of wahi tapu (reserved/sacred sites) and the “principles” of the Treaty of Waitangi (vague to be sure, and possibly would be better to have part of the treaty text reproduced, but still way beyond the typical treatment of treaties in the US). Also, marae have been built on several university campuses, police are trained to say a karakia (prayer) and sprinkle water at the site of any fatal incident, and there are Maori language TV shows and radio stations.
Current topics I'm curious about:
- Maori opinion on contemporary hot topic debates such as abortion, capital punishment (or just punishment by the state in general), and homosexuality.
- Bastion Point, NZ 1977 vs. Alcatraz Island, CA 1969 (both involved occupation of an area for an extended period of time in order to bring attention to indigenous issues) Based on what little I know about either, it would be interesting to compare government responses to these protests.
The iwi (tribe) of Te Rauparaha (the man who wrote the piece) have recently filed a lawsuit for intellectual property rights, something which would be extremely interesting to know more about. Their goal was not to gain royalties for its use but rather to try to regain control over the cultural practice to prevent its further exploitation and misinterpretation. A spokesperson for the All Blacks apparently said that “the haka is bigger than Maori” - that it should not be restricted to a specific tribe but rather has acquired a new and national meaning. While this sounds all well and good, it leads to interesting issues surrounding the appropriateness and way in which Maori symbols are used. As our lecturer pointed out, these symbols at the very least become divorced from their original purpose and history (something important in Maori worldview) and often end up actively involved in the perpetuation of misinformation about the specific practices and culture as a whole (such as in haka being known as a war dance). Plus, it arguably allows for a superficial (read advertisable) embrace of Maori things while practices and perspectives that are more difficult to deal with are ignored.
Among reasons for thinking that nationalizing Maori symbols is a bad thing, the haka is frequently exploited in advertising. For example, this advertisement for the 2007 World Cup match between NZ and France (I’m not going to even try a full on critique of that as there is way too much wrong about it. For a start: primitive/timelessness of Maori culture, objectifying, eroticizing women, isolated and paradisiacal tropics) The haka has further been used and spoofed across the globe. For example, this Scottish employment commercial.
I think I’m going to peg this as just above using demeaning caricatures of native peoples as mascots for American sports teams (like the Florida State Seminoles).
I am also pretty conflicted about Maori views on gender role division. Lecturers and texts take great care to emphasize the importance that women play in childbearing roles and on the marae (meeting house complex). They seek to explain (justify) the logic behind their exclusion from certain ritual leadership roles and place seated behind the men in the marae. I am interested to see how/whether views have changed with regards to the women’s rights movement and how cultural and gender identities intersect/conflict. (Mainly discussions from my Community Based Learning class last year regarding tensions between Native American and women’s rights movements are playing through my head – the perception that women acting out hurt the strength of the indigenous cause because it criticizes cultural values.) To what extent should traditions be maintained in continuation of old cultural practices and when can they be challenged? Does Maori minority in numbers (and consequent risk of being swamped by dominant Pakeha ideas) present an obstacle to cultural evolution? In other words, the desire to maintain something distinct and resist the other major way of being prevent change.
I am impressed overall though with the unique amount of consideration of Maori concerns in NZ law. Studying the resource management act, you find that consultation with iwi is firmly built into the consent process and the document openly recognizes the importance of wahi tapu (reserved/sacred sites) and the “principles” of the Treaty of Waitangi (vague to be sure, and possibly would be better to have part of the treaty text reproduced, but still way beyond the typical treatment of treaties in the US). Also, marae have been built on several university campuses, police are trained to say a karakia (prayer) and sprinkle water at the site of any fatal incident, and there are Maori language TV shows and radio stations.
Current topics I'm curious about:
- Maori opinion on contemporary hot topic debates such as abortion, capital punishment (or just punishment by the state in general), and homosexuality.
- Bastion Point, NZ 1977 vs. Alcatraz Island, CA 1969 (both involved occupation of an area for an extended period of time in order to bring attention to indigenous issues) Based on what little I know about either, it would be interesting to compare government responses to these protests.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Party in the Bush!
Every year the Otago University Tramping Club puts on event known as "Bushball" during which club members backpack to Mount Aspiring Hut and once there have a formal dinner (this year a masquerade) and dance party. Around forty of us packed into vans on a Friday evening and drove to a carpark in the Matukituki Valley.
I was too cheap to rent a tent so I slept with seven others under a fly erected between two vans which subsequently blew down causing us to sleep under a picnic shelter. In the morning, we tramped between amazing snow-covered peaks, picking our way around cow poo, crossing streamlets to reach the hut. Upon arrival (it was raining by this point), we set up our beds, then traded our soggy socks and thermals to put on tuxes and dresses. We ate a three course meal complete with gourmet cheese and wine, turned up the music, and danced (and drank) until late. Some of us wandered outside to admire the moonlight on the mountains and the incredible stars. Hiking boots, wool socks, and fleece combined with formal attire is super stylish. The next morning it snowed (it is winter I suppose…) followed by rain, making for a very, very cold, slippery, muddy hike back. During the ride back I had a great conversation with a nontraditional (in his 30s) geology student who told us about the history and recent politics of the towns we were traveling through and ranted about the problems with the American health care system. Can’t wait to go back to the Southern Alps!
I was too cheap to rent a tent so I slept with seven others under a fly erected between two vans which subsequently blew down causing us to sleep under a picnic shelter. In the morning, we tramped between amazing snow-covered peaks, picking our way around cow poo, crossing streamlets to reach the hut. Upon arrival (it was raining by this point), we set up our beds, then traded our soggy socks and thermals to put on tuxes and dresses. We ate a three course meal complete with gourmet cheese and wine, turned up the music, and danced (and drank) until late. Some of us wandered outside to admire the moonlight on the mountains and the incredible stars. Hiking boots, wool socks, and fleece combined with formal attire is super stylish. The next morning it snowed (it is winter I suppose…) followed by rain, making for a very, very cold, slippery, muddy hike back. During the ride back I had a great conversation with a nontraditional (in his 30s) geology student who told us about the history and recent politics of the towns we were traveling through and ranted about the problems with the American health care system. Can’t wait to go back to the Southern Alps!
Learn to speak Kiwi (part 1)
Turns of phrase:
have a think....think about it
wee....as in: “Take a look at this wee graph”
eh.....interjected at the ends of sentences (several kiwis I know use it as much as a stereotyped Canadian)
flash....posh, flashy as in: “that pub was real flash”
sweet as.....usually used to mean very sweet - as if you are aiming for a phrase like “sweet as sugar” but then leave out the comparison. Can be used for other adjectives too like “weird as” or “paranoid as”
keen....as in: “Let me know if anyone is keen to come tramping”
cheers.....not just when drink, also can mean something like thank you
ta....thank you
terms:
scroggin = trail mix, gorp
muesli = granola
carpark = parking lot
holiday = vacation
tramping = NZ style hiking
Also: “Kiwi” refers to either the bird or NZlander but not the fruit. That is “kiwi fruit.”
have a think....think about it
wee....as in: “Take a look at this wee graph”
eh.....interjected at the ends of sentences (several kiwis I know use it as much as a stereotyped Canadian)
flash....posh, flashy as in: “that pub was real flash”
sweet as.....usually used to mean very sweet - as if you are aiming for a phrase like “sweet as sugar” but then leave out the comparison. Can be used for other adjectives too like “weird as” or “paranoid as”
keen....as in: “Let me know if anyone is keen to come tramping”
cheers.....not just when drink, also can mean something like thank you
ta....thank you
terms:
scroggin = trail mix, gorp
muesli = granola
carpark = parking lot
holiday = vacation
tramping = NZ style hiking
Also: “Kiwi” refers to either the bird or NZlander but not the fruit. That is “kiwi fruit.”
One month, 8 days
I am clearly not so good at remembering to blog. So I am going to post several in a row and we can just pretend like I’ve been doing so periodically throughout the last three weeks……
Some adventures of note:
1) Sampled some NZ cuisine including pavlova (type of dessert), meat pies with tomato sauce, L & P (carbonated lemonade type drink), and marmite (spread made from yeast extract and salt)
2) Birthday in New Zealand!! It snowed (just a wee bit) on my way to university. In the evening, I went with some of my flat mates and nearby cohorts to the documentary “Afghan Star” (part of an international film festival) and to a poetry reading at the public library. It was pretty sweet.
3) Spent a day hiking around the Otago Peninsula.
Ditte, Anna, Kyle, Kevin and I rented a car which we used to explore the incredibly beautiful area just outside of Dunedin. We met some seals, sea lions, and most excitingly - yellow eyed penguins!! We waited at a beach until dusk and watched them coming ashore after a day of fishing in the ocean.
They're pretty small in the picture. We had to respect their space or they wouldn't come on land.
Also I drove for the first time on NZ roads! Since you drive on the left, the driver’s seat is on the right side of the car. The most problematic part of that is the controls on the steering wheel are on the opposite sides too – needless to say I kept preparing for rain every time I wanted to signal a turn
4) Found glow worms in a forest. They look a bit like fireflies but don’t blink on and off.
5) I now play the saron in a gamelan ensemble. It is going to take a while to get the hang of it since the notation, scales, and song structure are quite different from anything I’ve played before. One especially neat (and confusing) aspect of this performance type is that it is conducted by the tempo set by the drummer rather than directed by someone whose role is solely to keep the group together. We are going to do a shadow puppet show performance at the public art gallery sometime in September!
6) Wrote my first NZ paper and took my first NZ test (it’s weird not having blue books!)
Some adventures of note:
1) Sampled some NZ cuisine including pavlova (type of dessert), meat pies with tomato sauce, L & P (carbonated lemonade type drink), and marmite (spread made from yeast extract and salt)
2) Birthday in New Zealand!! It snowed (just a wee bit) on my way to university. In the evening, I went with some of my flat mates and nearby cohorts to the documentary “Afghan Star” (part of an international film festival) and to a poetry reading at the public library. It was pretty sweet.
3) Spent a day hiking around the Otago Peninsula.
Ditte, Anna, Kyle, Kevin and I rented a car which we used to explore the incredibly beautiful area just outside of Dunedin. We met some seals, sea lions, and most excitingly - yellow eyed penguins!! We waited at a beach until dusk and watched them coming ashore after a day of fishing in the ocean.
They're pretty small in the picture. We had to respect their space or they wouldn't come on land.
Also I drove for the first time on NZ roads! Since you drive on the left, the driver’s seat is on the right side of the car. The most problematic part of that is the controls on the steering wheel are on the opposite sides too – needless to say I kept preparing for rain every time I wanted to signal a turn
4) Found glow worms in a forest. They look a bit like fireflies but don’t blink on and off.
5) I now play the saron in a gamelan ensemble. It is going to take a while to get the hang of it since the notation, scales, and song structure are quite different from anything I’ve played before. One especially neat (and confusing) aspect of this performance type is that it is conducted by the tempo set by the drummer rather than directed by someone whose role is solely to keep the group together. We are going to do a shadow puppet show performance at the public art gallery sometime in September!
6) Wrote my first NZ paper and took my first NZ test (it’s weird not having blue books!)
Sunday, July 19, 2009
On classes, earthquakes, and chocolate….
I have finished my first week of classes at Otago. I think, if anything, I have culture shock from being at a large university rather than from being in a different country –although the fact that the entire university student population is of legal drinking age certainly affects the creation of norms and traditions. (I don’t think my kiwihost can conceive of what it would be like to go to college without copious amounts of beer on hand.)
Classes are much, much larger than I am used to. Rather than cut off enrollment, they just move the lecture to a bigger room and add more tutorial sections. Needless to say the classroom dynamic is rather different when there are more people in the auditorium than in your entire college graduating class (In one of my classes, there is something like 470 students!) Lectures aren’t run on a MWF or TTh cycle and are almost certainly held in different locations throughout the week - something which seriously trips me up. I may have definitely had to get up and leave a class after the professor showed up and I realized I hadn’t checked to see if the location had changed. My favorite academic jargon for the week: ‘the tuts are fortnightly’ (small group discussions meet every other week)
I switched classes because the assessment in Human Geography would have been frustratingly easy. There are several hundred people in that class so I figure that if I continue attending the lectures they won’t notice. At any rate, It will be good motivation to drag myself from under my warm covers in the morning. I am now taking Anthropology of Contemporary Issues – a course about globalization – instead.
I am excited to get back into the academic swing of things – the first reading for Geography of the S. Pacific, about how photography changed the way people thought about travel, was wonderfully full of new ideas about space and time and history. The first substantive Environmental Politics lecture involved a description of the 70s survivalists (using exponential population theories to predict catastrophic resource disasters), the Promethean response (the view that technology could handle the environmental crisis) and discussion about how the same division informs current arguments about the environment.
And I am back to being overwhelmed at how incredibly lucky I am to have the luxury of sitting around thinking big thoughts. God, I hope someday I can give back to world enough to even slightly deserve this.
Since last writing I:
1) visited Larnach Castle - the only castle in NZ (and contemporaneous to the Alexander Ramsey House)
2) explored around Dunedin (the farmer’s market, First Church of Otago, the Octagon, the Botanical Garden)
3) explored the university (trying to figure out where my classes were - OUSA, Castle Lecture Theatre, the Archway, the Quad)
4) joined the Tramping Club and Campus Greens
5) didn’t feel the 7.8 earthquake centered only 300 km from Dunedin :(
6) toured a chocolate factory and watched 30,000 Jaffa chocolate balls getting thrown down the steepest road in the world
7) had the rugby match between Australia and New Zealand interrupted by seven guys tied to a keg of beer
8) went tramping on Flagstaff
Classes are much, much larger than I am used to. Rather than cut off enrollment, they just move the lecture to a bigger room and add more tutorial sections. Needless to say the classroom dynamic is rather different when there are more people in the auditorium than in your entire college graduating class (In one of my classes, there is something like 470 students!) Lectures aren’t run on a MWF or TTh cycle and are almost certainly held in different locations throughout the week - something which seriously trips me up. I may have definitely had to get up and leave a class after the professor showed up and I realized I hadn’t checked to see if the location had changed. My favorite academic jargon for the week: ‘the tuts are fortnightly’ (small group discussions meet every other week)
I switched classes because the assessment in Human Geography would have been frustratingly easy. There are several hundred people in that class so I figure that if I continue attending the lectures they won’t notice. At any rate, It will be good motivation to drag myself from under my warm covers in the morning. I am now taking Anthropology of Contemporary Issues – a course about globalization – instead.
I am excited to get back into the academic swing of things – the first reading for Geography of the S. Pacific, about how photography changed the way people thought about travel, was wonderfully full of new ideas about space and time and history. The first substantive Environmental Politics lecture involved a description of the 70s survivalists (using exponential population theories to predict catastrophic resource disasters), the Promethean response (the view that technology could handle the environmental crisis) and discussion about how the same division informs current arguments about the environment.
And I am back to being overwhelmed at how incredibly lucky I am to have the luxury of sitting around thinking big thoughts. God, I hope someday I can give back to world enough to even slightly deserve this.
Since last writing I:
1) visited Larnach Castle - the only castle in NZ (and contemporaneous to the Alexander Ramsey House)
2) explored around Dunedin (the farmer’s market, First Church of Otago, the Octagon, the Botanical Garden)
3) explored the university (trying to figure out where my classes were - OUSA, Castle Lecture Theatre, the Archway, the Quad)
4) joined the Tramping Club and Campus Greens
5) didn’t feel the 7.8 earthquake centered only 300 km from Dunedin :(
6) toured a chocolate factory and watched 30,000 Jaffa chocolate balls getting thrown down the steepest road in the world
7) had the rugby match between Australia and New Zealand interrupted by seven guys tied to a keg of beer
8) went tramping on Flagstaff
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Greetings from Dunedin
A quick list of interesting things I did during the program introduction this past week –
1) went caving at Waitomo (abseiled 60 meters, admired some damn fine speleothems (aka. cave formations), and ziplined across a cavern with all lights off),
2) ate kumara and lamb,
3) went for a walk in a very unique redwood forest,
4) learned the words and actions for the haka, and
5)was made uncomfortable by the romaticization and simplification of Maori creation myths at an “authentic” hangi feast at the Tamaki Village. Other parts though were amazing - the traditional songs and the atmosphere of the meal. Very not sure how I feel about that evening. How does tourism affect the preservation and presentation of Maori culture?
The New Zealand countryside on the North Island reminds me of a lot of things all at once. If you don’t look too closely at the trees, they seem vaguely the shape and thickness of Northern Minnesotan forests. But if you look slightly closer you realize that the underbrush includes a plant with leaves like a palm tree and that none of the trees look completely “right” It also looks like the Scottish countryside with patches of pasture and sheep, except that in that part of NZ there are more cows than sheep making it feel a bit like rural MN, except that the cows and pastures are set on very hilly topography and ridges. When you put this together with the driving on the left side of the road and the jet lag, it is surprisingly disconcerting.
After the Australearn orientation, we flew to Christchurch, then Dunedin. In contrast to the Auckland international airport which featured cute beagle airport security dogs smelling for fresh fruit and meats and a small army of people opening luggage to check any camping equipment for dirt, the Rotorua airport had no security. Having never flown domestically in any country besides the US, it was pretty weird.
We were greeted in Dunedin by one of the people working for the International Student office and brought directly to our flats. My current home away from home is a lot bigger than I expected. I share the third floor with two girls: a music major from Denmark and an economics major from Germany. Each of us has our own room and we share a bathroom. Below us is a floor of boys – two american boys and one kiwi fellow. On the ground floor, there is the kitchen, laundry, and living room. My flatmates are generally nice though we have yet to have a meeting to discuss cleaning tasks, groceries, etc. I am not sure I can distinguish Dave from the friends he always has over….
I registered for classes today – a process made absolutely mental by the number of students and lack of electronic registration. Lots of standing in queues. The timing of many of the classes I wanted to take conflicted. Right now I am enrolled in Human Geography, Geography of the South Pacific, Environmental Politics, and Maori Society…but I might try to switch things up during the first week.
Mostly, I’m still getting settled in. There are heaps of little connections to your surrounding community that you forget about until you move somewhere new and suddenly formerly familiar activities take twice as long to do. Acquiring public library cards, opening a bank account, finding the nearest and cheapest grocery store, buying shampoo and bulky warm $4 sweatshirts from second-hand shops, etc Exciting mundane little things.
Tomorrow I am going taking the Taieri Gorge Train into the foothills surrounding the Otago Peninsula.
Random tip (offered by a lady at the bank): when the sidewalk is particularly icy, wear socks over your shoes.
Currently excited about: the possibility of playing in a gamelan ensemble, learning how to find south based on the available constellations, the Dunedin botanical gardens, the geology museum, the Cadbury chocolate festival, classes starting up.
My snail mail address is:
16/783 Great King St.
Dunedin, New Zealand 9016
The mailbox is not especially protected from the elements so I don’t recommend sending anything valuable.
My Otago email account is: kerme352[at]student.otago.ac.nz
But again, I still check my old email address as well.
1) went caving at Waitomo (abseiled 60 meters, admired some damn fine speleothems (aka. cave formations), and ziplined across a cavern with all lights off),
2) ate kumara and lamb,
3) went for a walk in a very unique redwood forest,
4) learned the words and actions for the haka, and
5)was made uncomfortable by the romaticization and simplification of Maori creation myths at an “authentic” hangi feast at the Tamaki Village. Other parts though were amazing - the traditional songs and the atmosphere of the meal. Very not sure how I feel about that evening. How does tourism affect the preservation and presentation of Maori culture?
The New Zealand countryside on the North Island reminds me of a lot of things all at once. If you don’t look too closely at the trees, they seem vaguely the shape and thickness of Northern Minnesotan forests. But if you look slightly closer you realize that the underbrush includes a plant with leaves like a palm tree and that none of the trees look completely “right” It also looks like the Scottish countryside with patches of pasture and sheep, except that in that part of NZ there are more cows than sheep making it feel a bit like rural MN, except that the cows and pastures are set on very hilly topography and ridges. When you put this together with the driving on the left side of the road and the jet lag, it is surprisingly disconcerting.
After the Australearn orientation, we flew to Christchurch, then Dunedin. In contrast to the Auckland international airport which featured cute beagle airport security dogs smelling for fresh fruit and meats and a small army of people opening luggage to check any camping equipment for dirt, the Rotorua airport had no security. Having never flown domestically in any country besides the US, it was pretty weird.
We were greeted in Dunedin by one of the people working for the International Student office and brought directly to our flats. My current home away from home is a lot bigger than I expected. I share the third floor with two girls: a music major from Denmark and an economics major from Germany. Each of us has our own room and we share a bathroom. Below us is a floor of boys – two american boys and one kiwi fellow. On the ground floor, there is the kitchen, laundry, and living room. My flatmates are generally nice though we have yet to have a meeting to discuss cleaning tasks, groceries, etc. I am not sure I can distinguish Dave from the friends he always has over….
I registered for classes today – a process made absolutely mental by the number of students and lack of electronic registration. Lots of standing in queues. The timing of many of the classes I wanted to take conflicted. Right now I am enrolled in Human Geography, Geography of the South Pacific, Environmental Politics, and Maori Society…but I might try to switch things up during the first week.
Mostly, I’m still getting settled in. There are heaps of little connections to your surrounding community that you forget about until you move somewhere new and suddenly formerly familiar activities take twice as long to do. Acquiring public library cards, opening a bank account, finding the nearest and cheapest grocery store, buying shampoo and bulky warm $4 sweatshirts from second-hand shops, etc Exciting mundane little things.
Tomorrow I am going taking the Taieri Gorge Train into the foothills surrounding the Otago Peninsula.
Random tip (offered by a lady at the bank): when the sidewalk is particularly icy, wear socks over your shoes.
Currently excited about: the possibility of playing in a gamelan ensemble, learning how to find south based on the available constellations, the Dunedin botanical gardens, the geology museum, the Cadbury chocolate festival, classes starting up.
My snail mail address is:
16/783 Great King St.
Dunedin, New Zealand 9016
The mailbox is not especially protected from the elements so I don’t recommend sending anything valuable.
My Otago email account is: kerme352[at]student.otago.ac.nz
But again, I still check my old email address as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
