i know i did a post like this last semester but here are a few pictures of new things i’ve found and places i’ve explored this semester. lately, i’ve been in love with one of the little islands on the lake near our dorms. there are goats and peacocks and chickens on the island but the silly ducks that run whenever i come near and seem to gather to make plans to avoid me are by far my favorite.
throughout the semester, we have the opportunity to help out with camps and retreats for local churches. this past weekend, i was part of a team that went to christchurch to help at their yearly family camp. the weekend was full of working in the kitchen, hanging out with the beyond adorable kids and utter exhaustion. it was a great weekend but i must admit it was also nice to come back to the ranch and get a good night sleep with a real pillow. oh the little luxuries we so easily take for granted. the highlight of the camp was a ‘hoedown’ we had the last night. from dressing up like cowboys (i was told i looked more like a horseback rider but close enough, right?) to accidentally exploding a huge bottle of ginger beer during the ginger beer taste tests, it was a night to remember and a great way to end such a memorable camp.
{hayley vs the evil ginger beer bottle}
christchurch is a beautiful city on the south island of new zealand. in 2011, the city was devastated by a 6.3 earthquake. even two years later, parts of the city are still vacant and in ruins and look straight out of the video game call of duty (yes, i am a nerd). driving through town was a bit eerie and it may be one of the saddest places i have ever visited. you can almost feel the devastation in the air. one area that escapes this feeling is castel street. the street is made up mostly of buildings made of shipping containers and the bright colors make it a really cheery place. the great coffee and restaurants aren’t too shabby either. another great experience was visiting the memorial for the 185 people who died in the quake. the memorial consists of 185 chairs of all different kinds painted white and lined up in rows. there are highchairs, wheel chairs, arm chairs, etc. it was really powerful and i’m so glad i got a chance to visit
on our first day in christchurch, our team decided to walk to the beach from the camp we’re staying at. seems simple enough. we heard the beach was a 15 minute walk away so we started off around 7 at night hoping to be home before nightfall. we ended up getting lost and walking parallel to the beach in a forest for 8 miles until we finally got to the beach through a sandy, overgrown horse trail. needless to say, it was a grand adventure. we found a hedgehog which we lovingly named kent, took tons of silly photos, stargazed on the beach, found a street called ‘stalker road’ and made up our own stupid jokes to keep us entertained on the long, dark walk back. needless to say, it was one of those nights even pictures, which supposedly say 1000 words, would never begin to describe. and we all know those are the best kind of nights
last weekend, a few people from my school and I took a day trip to tirau, which is a quaint little town a few hours away from school. i almost didnt go because of the huge load of homework i had but i glad i decided to throw caution to the wind because the homework eventually got done and i had a great time. the town is really cute and quirky and it reminded me a bit of the towns in norcal like carmel and cambria my family road trips to every year. i had a lovely time meandering through the shops, drinking awesome coffee, getting homework done in cute cafes and gawking at the huge sheet metal sculptures at every turn. it was a nice and much needed break from the daily grind of college life.
as i mentioned in my last post, i did the flowers and decorations for my schools thanksgiving feast last thursday. since we are on the southern hemisphere, we are going into summer so my choice of flora and fauna was vastly different than typical thanksgiving decor like berries and leaves. i used mostly wild flowers and grasses from the fields surrounding my college and bottles from the many ginger sodas we drink around here. i also made an homage to fall in one of the windows thanks to some decals and a leaf garland my mom sent me so i would still get a taste of fall. my favorite part of the whole project was creating the wonderful smelling jasmine garlands for the curtain rods and mantle. decorating reminded me how much i love working with flowers and of my job last summer interning for a wedding florist. i could definitely do this for the rest of my life.
