Northern Exposures

So I managed to convince my friend Rebecca that it would be a good idea to take a long weekend driving around Northland, despite our copious workloads. (I've been in a 3-month long denial about this work, so this trip fit nicely into my current mind-state).



Our first stop was Leigh, a small coastal town, home to a marine reserve and lab, for a party to celebrate Guy Fawkes day (a member of a group of English Roman Catholics which planned to blow up the English Parliament and kill King James, to destroy Protestant rule and kill the Protestant Aristocracy. They failed, hence the celebration). Yes, I know, this is New Zealand, not England, but these are the kinds of perks you get in the Commonwealth. Anyway, celebration in New Zealand and Australia is an excuse to have a bbq or hangi, get drunk, set off some fireworks (legal here), have a giant bonfire and burn an effigy of Mr. Fawkes. You know, the usual summer festivities. If only we Americans hadn't been so damn truculent, we could be burning a straw man too!



While we were blessed with blue skies on Guy Fawkes day, as soon as we left Leigh, it rained for 4 days straight. From the Bay of Islands to the Kauri Coast, we were perpetually wet. Apparently, the region--which is mostly farmland--hadn't had rain for many weeks and was desperate for a drop. Of course we picked the one weekend when the heavens opened. Despite the dampness, we were happy to be out of the city, exploring the beautiful northern coastlines, hanging out in quaint fishing towns, splashing around tide pools and surf beaches playing with starfish and crabs, binging on abundant and brilliant sea food, making the obligatory trip to Cape Reinga, and paying homage to the towering Kauri trees, monsters of the bush.



Of course as soon as we returned to Auckland, the skies parted, and we saw the sun for the first time in almost a week.



After scratching my Northland itch, I got back to work on applications. I'm almost done! But I can't believe that I'm already planning trips to New York and Chicago for interviews in 4-6 weeks! crazy. You see, those places don't exist here. For the past 10 months, NZ has been a reality--albeit surreal and fun-filled--and the U.S. has been the fantasy, an apparition conjured in television, radio, and movie theaters down-under. On Dec. 5, I'll enter liminal airspaces and airport lay-overs to gain the day i lost a year ago. When I emerge, groggy and stiff, NZ will be a misty fantasy again, and the reality of the Buffalo winter will hit me like a lake-effect snow ball.





cheers,
d

The Latest, Rather Late

I moved to the North Island to continue my research and try to cram in as much "data collection" as possible. That being said, I've spent most of my time clawing my way through the labyrinth that is medical and grad school applications. I've been escaping this tedium by taking up Bikram Yoga. (You know, the one that's super hot--at least 98 degrees (F)/35 degrees (C)). The room is not only cozy warm, but also incredibly humid. It doesn't take much to sweat, just a breathing exercise to get your glands going. Maintaining your focus isn't too difficult either when the heat simultaneously launches your heart into a panic and your head into a ethereal state of meditation that only the amateur would mistake for exhaustion or a heart attack. At moments you feel on the edge, but you emerge so high, feeling purged of whatever toxins--thoughts of application morass or sweat--build up each day. I'm addicted. I guess I've discovered my masochistic side.

In a less selfish mode, I've been escaping my research, articles-in-progress, and apps through more productive indulgences. Some weekends I join a group of dedicated individuals who hop on a ferry at the Auckland docks every Saturday and every second Sunday and head for Motuihe Island in the Hauraki Gulf, just 30 minutes away from the CBD. With the Motuihe Project Trust I've spent days planting trees, doing nursery work, spraying weeds, and helping with other random tasks that are required to restore flora and fauna of the island. Throughout its history, the island has been a navy base, a German internment camp, a quarantine camp, a children's health camp, and a farm. Now, the trust--established around 7 years ago--is attempting to replant much of the cleared native bush in order to restore the biological diversity and create a haven for many of New Zealand's native birds, which are under threat from loss of habitat and introduced pests (such as rabbits, possums, stoats) on the mainland. At the outset, the huge population of rabbits was eradicated and weeds were removed. Now, many fields have been replanted with young saplings that were grown from seeds harvested from the little patches of bush that remained uncleared. Also, saddlebacks, a small dark bird with a reddish-brown saddle on its back, have been released and are flourishing. Rumor has it that they will release Kiwi in the coming weeks.

I haven't been for the past two weeks because of my travels, but I hope to get out there this Saturday for some conservation fun with the other botanical and eco-nerds.

I was out of town two weeks ago for the GREs, which were being held in Wellington, my favorite Kiwi city; its charm and life always cheers me. For three days I buried myself in practice tests at the public library. But the trip was not an entire waste. I was able to get some Bikram in at a local studio and visit another Fulbright, Willie, at his Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) exhibit at a Cuba St. Gallery. His installations were great and I felt so privileged to have the artist himself take me through the various meanings and intentions of his work. While I'm not from the southwest, or anywhere near Mexico (does Amsterdam ave count? what about Spanish Harlem?), it was good to get in touch with some North American culture around Halloween.

This past weekend, I traveled around Northland, exploring the various bays, beaches, and fishing and surfing outposts of the most northern region of New Zealand. In short: it rained. a lot.

more later . . . but hopefully not too late

Cheers,

D