The Real Story

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If you are wondering why I haven't updated until now, it's because my life for the last month can be summarized in the picture to your right....

...yes, believe it or not I have had my nose in the books, a surprise to you all i am sure, since my past blogs have been nothing but dancing and traveling. But the last month has been intense and the next 3 weeks are 'crunch time'.

I have been able to do some more local sight-seeing though. Some of the pictures below are of campus, my flat and some friends.

My flat is about a 3 minute walk to the University. The campus is small but very pretty, especially compared to the rest of Hamilton which is a flat suburb built around the Waikato River with one main street for shopping and night life- Victoria Street. It is known as a farming community and even has metal statues of 2 people standing with a cow and a sheep as you enter the town from the north. Haha
The good thing about this town is its location. You can take many day trips to local mountains, beaches, popular towns, or Auckland, which is under 2 hours away.

This last weekend I popped up to Auckland with Logan to check out a huge break-dancing competition. It's funny that although I was born and raised around NYC (where break-dancing began), it is not until I arrived here in New Zealand that it has begun to enter my life. ha

There was a lot of energy in the room as the teams 'faced-off'. Many heats or semi-finals take up most of the competition (of which our friends from Blackout Crew were in), but the final is where it gets crazy. One 19 year old took the stage with his crazy one arm press handstands and side twisting flips.
There was also a 'Bonnie and Clyde' competition, where a team of one male and one female face another team of the same. These routines were less talented but more creative. My break-dancing teacher from the classes I took at the University came in first, with his partner. It was so cool to watch him in real action.

Back in Hamilton it is warming up as we come in to summer. I have a few essays and presentations left before I finish, on the 27th of October. Then it is off to the south island.
Hope everyone is enjoying the fall and all its glory.
Cheers

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Photos

Isa in my flat
This is my girl Isa from Germany. She's standing in my kitchen and I am taking the picture from the living room...(it is all one room).

Some of the Crew
Chris, Geoff, Me, Isa and Chrissy at a party

Face Off
Bboy 'Blackout Crew' is on the left, in their second face-off of the afternoon.

Student Central
The main cafes, banks, and small student shops are on this lake.

The Top of Campus
So here we have the library on the right and classroom buildings surrounding. This is less than 5 minutes from my flat and is upper campus as it is built on a bit of a hill.

Maori Architecture on Campus
There is a lot of Maori sculpture and architecture around campus. The land the University is built on was recently re-designated ownership to the Maori people, along with a lot of other land that was taken from them when the British first colonized New Zealand.

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

For those of us who have just begun reading
What are you studying?

[ejoymoore]

Thanks for your comments. :) I was working on a graduate degree in Geography mostly focused on education. It was a great time all around.