New Zealand Universities take their time when it comes to exams – it’s a whole season, not just a week (and by season I mean 3 weeks). My classes ended on June 1st, and I had one exam on the 16th and a couple essays to write before then. This made me quite busy with really no schedule at all – a weird combination. I ended up spending many long days locked away in the library (library chair featured below), and other days outdoors not looking at my computer at all.
The first weekend of June, I went on an overnight tramp to Hawdon Hut with a group of 8 people. The hike in was only about 3 hours, but it was along a river which we had to cross many times, with water that reached just over my knees. Not only was it a beautiful hike, it was also one of my first hikes with an inhaler. It turns out, hiking is much easier than I thought it was, and I can go much faster for longer than I thought I could! I had some good conversations with people on the way in, and it was wonderful to get to a hut and be able to put on dry clothes and warm socks.
One of my favorite days I’ve had here was when Fiona and I decided to drive up to Castle Hill on a Tuesday instead of studying for finals. Castle Hill is a cool rock formation that’s about 1.5 hours drive away from Christchurch, with a yummy pie shop on the way. It was beautiful weather and good vibes all day – a great day all around.
On June 16th, I took my only timed final online for my carbon and environmental change class. It went reasonably well, and I was glad to be done with my study abroad classes at that point.
That evening, I had the surreal experience of attending my grandfather’s funeral via zoom. He had passed away on May 23, and my mom was on a plane there less than 6 hours after she found out. She spent several weeks there supporting my grandma. I considered going, but it just didn’t make sense for me to do so, as it would have been around $2000 round trip and upwards of 30 hours of travel time each way. Tovia went, however, and I’m glad she was able to be there. So, at 9pm (11am German time), I found myself on a zoom for a beautiful memorial of my grandfather. He was eulogized by a man who’s job it was to eulogize people, and by talking to people who had known him (and reading what my dad and I had written about him), he painted a picture of a man who could have been anyone to him but was Opapa to me. During the memorial, the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Major was played, and the eulogist read aloud a poem Opapa had loved and I had memorized and recited to him several times in the past couple years. All in all, it was a beautiful ceremony and although I wish I could have been there for it, I was thankful to be able to attend via zoom.
Throughout June, I continued to help with the fieldwork measuring kānuka trees on the Banks Peninsula. We went many cool places, saw many cool mushrooms, and were joined by two PhD students which made the work quite social.
I also went on several last excursions other friends I had made here.
At the end of June, I packed up and moved out of my room at Sonoda and left for my next big adventure – an 8 day tramp. It was weird to move out, but I was one of the last to leave so it felt like it was time to go. Next blog post coming soon!