I Guess I Like Water Beds

This weekend Graham, Brian, Jacques, Chris and I loaded up in Party Pete (the affectionate nick-name of their all black Subaru with silver side view mirrors and an annoying muffler tip) and traveled South-West to Mt. Cook. The goal was to do Ball Pass (route seen below), a slightly glaciated high alpine pass with supposed incredible vistas of Mt Cook, but the weather had different ideas.


Upon arrival at the Department of Conservation offices we were told that the forecast was grim, but we retained hope, set up camp and began dreaming of the glories to follow the next day. Throughout the night a steady rainfall could be heard on the outside of our rain fly, washing some of our hope with each drop. Still, certain anticipation remained through the night, only to be more or less shattered by the discovery of a few inches of standing water underneath the tent. A grim forecast indeed. I guess before you get to go ijout on a trip like this one you have got to pay your dues.

Not wanting the money we spent renting gear to be entirely in vein we took this picture of Graham. He’s hoping to have scored a few more core (as in hardcore) points for this one.

Don't Be Fooled By the Rocks That I Got

I probably should be getting started on one of the two papers I still have left to do, but, well, I don’t want to. Take that school.

Music for me has been American rock covers in Irish bars, late 80’s and early 90’s hip-hop on the radio and jam sessions supplemented by the amazing voice of Amy Thompson.

However, below are some songs that frequent our kitchen, the speakers of the vista, and my ear-buds.


1) Amos Lee, Night Train
2) The Format, Inches and Falling
3) David Crowder Band, All That I Can Say
4) Shane and Shane, The Waiting Room
5) Derek Webb, The House Show (Has to be the whole album)
6) Jason Mraz and Tristan Prettyman, Shy that Way
7) Jonny Lang, Only a Man
8) Phil Wickham, Divine Romance
9) Jurassic 5, Work it Out
10) Del Amitri, Driving with the Brakes On
11) Kanye West, Family Business
12) Bjork Ostrom, Can’t Get You Off of My Mind

Bloggerisms

Most of my day has been spent writing. It has been a rainy day here, the first since our arrival in Christchurch. It was actually quite beautiful. It was one of those rains that creates a meditative splish-splash as it gracefully falls to the concrete. One of those rains that you want to be walking or running in, or if not, it is one of those rains that makes your indoor activities seem that much more cozy. As I said, I spent most of my day writing—today actually marking the first day of this semester where I did something you could actually categorize as substantial school work. Yes, midterm is next week and I have three papers and a test. Today I whipped out a paper on the origins of algebra, a very interesting subject that I would be more than happy to ponder with any of you mathematicians out there but will refrain discussing on my blog as to not send the rest of you to a teary want to want-to-hit-your-head-on-a-wallish state.

Most of you who read this blog also probably read the blog of one Bryce Perica and are therefore probably quite aware that he, in the last couple of weeks, has posted three blogs on blogging itself. If you haven’t seen these posts go check them out (Bryce’s blog is hyper-linked on the right hand column). I discussed some of his ideas on blogging with him and decided that it might be worthwhile to provide a different viewpoint on blogging.

Bryce’s main beefs seemed to be with poor writing, ill-thought out posts, and the issue of publication. Why I would agree that writing and lazy posts might be a problem (you might as well at least check your spelling by throwing it into a Word document) I do not consider myself a writer and therefore I am not going to point a finger at other peoples writing. About publication, I never really considered the idea of being ‘published’ when blogging and have always viewed it as more of a medium of communication instead of one for publication.

I started a blog a couple of months back mainly because I dreaded the idea of informal mass emails and because I really enjoyed both Bryce and Aaron’s blog. Thinking about it, I am not sure how a blog could really be much more formal than a mass email, but somehow it felt better. It has certainly allowed me to keep people updated, or at least give them an opportunity to update themselves, on what I am up to here in New Zealand. However, when Bryce started a conversation concerning the purpose of blogs are I was obliged to consider.

To me, this blog, in conjunction with the many other blogs listed in ‘blogs I can’t get enough of,’ has provided some sense of community. A sort of bloggermunity. This is at the same time awesome and scary. While I love being able to stay connected, read up on everyone’s thoughts, and be apart of this bloggermunity I sometimes worry that it creates community falsely. As technology allows for more ways of communication, they seem to be getting less and less formal. Why walk to their house when you can just call them? Why call them when you can just text them? Why text them if you could just read their blog? I started to talk to Chris about this and he began discussing the psychology of internet relationships (he’s a psych major), which led to the question: Is an internet community, or a bloggermunity, really community at all?

Well, yes and no. I could never equate reading everyone’s blog to actual community like can be experienced in an evening around a dinner table, or on a mission trip, or in years of walking through life together. However, I do see this as a way to make what is lost in distance less significant. Community is certainly not created on blogs, but I feel as though it can in some ways be sustained for a time. Sure there may be a danger of letting blogging feel like authentic community, which they are not, but there is also advantage to having a place where, in distance, ideas and experiences can be shared. And, of course, blogging and this little bloggermunity are certainly better than community at all.

I Once Got a Trespassing Ticket for Climbing on Things

I was born with a bit of an explorer’s zeal for the things around me. At age 4, finding myself utterly discontented with the somewhat boring and already discovered kitchen, I decided to make my way down the stairs in my baby walker. Those of you who have been in my house (yes the same one, I’ve lived there all my life) know that the stairs are split into two flights; one of four steps and one of about ten. I began my two stage journey with vigor in my young heart. Having successfully negotiated my baby walker down the first four steps, managing to keep it upright, I thought to myself: Alas! I had discovered some new territory, but soon found myself equally unimpressed with the eight square foot landing as I had been with the kitchen. So I pushed onward, not realizing what was awaiting my arrival at the bottom of the stairs. A metal step ladder and a good amount of tears. I still carry the scar on the top of my forehead today.



Many adventures and heaps of bumps and bruises later I have discovered a new venue for me to express my investigative side. Rock climbing. Thanks largely to Chris and his willingness to ‘show me the ropes’ (pun intended) I have found that climbing rocks can be quite exciting and draws on adrenaline, adventure, determination and discovery—all good things.



Last weekend we fed this long-standing need to climb things and my new need for those things to be boulders at Castle Hill. It was a weekend full of grunting, finesse (and not so much for some of us), good problems, chalk, sunshine, ‘hangers’, Czechs, big dynos, tape and as usual; good company. Chris has posted a few pictures in addition to the ones I put on here if you want to check them out. Brianne also wrote about her new discovery of climbing if you would like to check her blog out as well, there are links to both of their blogs on the right column.

Relationships are like peanuts, only saltier

Well, I now am 21 years of age. Do you know what was happening 21 years ago when I was born? Neither do I, I was only 0 years old. However, since lying in a baby incubator March 21, 1986, plenty has happened. I won the spell-a-thon and got a sweet Super Nintendo, graduated high school, broke my elbow bombing down a huge hill in Breckenridge, fell in love with sweatpants then quit wearing them sometime during my freshman year and now am quite fond of them again, got a trespassing ticket with the boys and developed a deep appreciation for the frisbee in all of its various forms. Somewhere along the line I also made incredible friends who have proven to be the foundation for me as I have weaved my way through the highs and lows of this life. I owe most of who I am to the persistence and patient love of those closest to me, without whom I am not sure where or who I would be.

Salt has changed the landscape of civilization by eliminating dependency on seasonal foods. Wars have even been fought over it and economies have been controlled by it for thousands of years. Salt is something which preserves as well as adds flavor. For me, my relationships with you all have proven to be the salt in my life. They have provided the strength to persevere as well as added ‘flavor’ to the dish of life. You guys have shown me, more than that you have lived what it means to love unconditionally, taking Christ’s call to love one another seriously. For those of who have seen me through the dark times and celebrated with me in victories: Thank you. I owe more to you all than can be repaid but look forward to discovering more and more the intimacy of our relationships and the beauty of community.

Queenstown has a population of somewhere in between ten and twenty thousand, depending on the season, and is one of the biggest tourist towns in New Zealand. The city basically subsists entirely off of revenue from such activities as bunjee jumping, sky diving, canyon swinging, rafting, mountain biking, sailing, speed boating, canyoneering, and it has more outdoor clothing stores than in Boulder. Really. The backdrop is lake Wakatipu—an ‘s’ shaped lake that is 900 feet deep in spots—and rugged mountains called the Remarkables. This environment certainly attracts tourists, but it also attracts young international people looking for a job, a new county, and an adventure. The result is an incredibly transient culture full of young adults ‘living the dream’.






We were fortunate enough to meet some Americans who had been living in Queenstown for the last six months or so and who showed us an incredible amount of Hospitality. Jacques, Frank, Chris and I slept on their living room floor all weekend while they were showing us their favorite spots in the area. They took us out on the town, they took us cliff jumping, they even took us cloofing—go ahead and look that one up. It was great to get to know them, hear their stories, and have some locals to show us the less touristy points of Queenstown. However, what was most incredible was their excitement for life and the willingness to open their incredibly crowded flat to us. They really taught me a lot about what it means to serve without expectations as they refused to let us repay them in any way and continually went to great lengths to ensure we had a great time. Thanks for a great weekend guys!


We also took a little late night detour North alongside lake Tekapo in search of a spot to camp. What we found was a New Zealand Alpine Club hut with no vacancy but an all too inviting living room. We proceeded to squat at the aforementioned club’s living room floor only to be awoken by 50 high school girls on a biology trip as well as some of the most incredible mountains illuminated by one of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever seen. Below are some pictures of the sunrise as well as Mt. Cook, New Zealand’s tallest peak and most sought after mountaineering adventure.

I Have Slept 2 of the Last 7 Nights in My Bed

Just wanted to send a little update before I left again to go to Queenstown for the weekend.

Tuesday I had a chance to get out backpacking on the Mt Somers track. I saw rain, hail, sleet, and even snow on my 25 kilometer trek. I did this one solo, which is something that I have never done before. Everything has a different feel when you are alone in the wilderness. Situations quickly become a bit more unnerving (like getting lost, which I only did once) when there is not another person along with you to help make decisions. But you do get a certain feeling of solitude unlike any other I have felt. I didn't see a single person for two days and this led me to pray, marvel at God's wilderness as I tramped though it, and think about all those that I love. It was really a great time, and I would recommend to anyone who wants to see what a bit of seclusion is like.



Last weekend a heap of us headed out to the West Coast for the Wild Foods Festival. It ended up being more of a midday getting sloshed festival, not exactly my style, so soon after arriving we decided to head north for Paparoa National park--a very good decision. Paparoa is a tropical rainforest with vibrant green vegetation, large meandering rivers and huge slabs of granite, sandstone, and rhyolite. Six of us took an overnighter through the main jog of the park. We wandered up streams beds, through prairies, and up mountain passes. We even got to sleep under a rock overhang, one of the coolest campsites I have ever had. I did the whole trip in my Chacos and my feet are still feeling the impact of that somewhat ill thought out decision. Despite a few blisters and some minor abrasions the trip was great.







Now, like I mentioned, we are off to Queenstown which is the southernmost large city in New Zealand and boasts the title of adventure capital of the world. I may wait to do the world's tallest bunjee jump until Keith and Ryan get here (gear up fellas!).

7665 Days Young...

Today, as some of you may know, is Chris' 21st birthday. That's right, the big 2-1. It seems to me that for a lot of people the 21st birthday is the big one, sort of last hurrah if you will. A chance for people to have another huge party and imbibe excessive amounts of alcohol, as if that isn't what they had been doing for at least the last 3 years. Even though the age at which one can legally buy alcohol in New Zealand is 18, the 21st birthday is still the biggest. This is because at 21 a person steps into adulthood, leaves adolescence and the teenage years behind, and in a way begins the rest of their life.

This troubles me to a certain extent because my 21st birthday is coming up in a mere 13 days and I am not sure if enough will change between now and then for me to jump off the proverbial springboard into adulthood. I think that it is the habit of some to overreact to an upcoming birthday milestone (16, 21, 30, 40, 50 ect) and to begin to worry about how old they are getting or already start fearing the future. This pattern of thought could sort of describe my reaction to turning 20 (along with a general fear of having to be more 'responsible'), but 352 after the fact I can say that not a lot changed. Sure I grew, became different, perhaps even may seem 'older', but that is a reflection of experiences and trials, not the date March 21st.

So as today is the birthday of one my greatest childhood friends and one of the most important people in my life today, I welcome it. I welcome 'growing up', new experiences, and new things to find and learn about life. I am grateful that this life changes, that with more days, weeks, months, and years come new things to be discovered around every corner. And, instead of reacting to growing up with fear and a longing to be young again, I’ll move towards age, maturity, new experiences, and new endeavors with excitement and gratefulness.

Now That is a Cross-Cultural Experience

Chris and I, always desiring new culinary experiences, have created the PBIC crumpet. Crumpets (like "let’s have some tea and crumpets") are a common breakfast carbohydrate which can be found and purchased at a fairly reasonable price from any local supermarket. Thanks to my father I have a keen eye for frugality so I picked up a pack one day as a replacement for the incredibly overpriced bagel. And, well the rest is history. If you put something before us I am likely to put peanut butter on it and Chris is likely to spoon some ice cream on it. We are also likely to eat aforementioned peanut butter and ice creamed creation in mass quantities and not because we are gluttons, but because we are culinary and flavor specialists. The PBIC crumpet was, is, and shall be.


Here is a picture from New Brighton Beach tonight as well.




Chris' birthday is Thursday so if you are in Christchurch, save the date. If you are not, send him an email or if you are feeling really personal leave him and f-book message. Wish that all of you could be here but those of us who are here will do our best do make it a great day.

Next Up on Blind Date...

Studying abroad is somewhat like a blind date but with insurance. The insurance is that the date is probably going to be pretty awesome, and very few people come out of the date with out at least appreciating that they went on it. But there still remains so much unknown about the whole ordeal. So much to be discovered, embraced, weirded out by, laughed about, learned, and so much to be personally changed by. It is a unique setting for anyone without many responsibilities and plenty of time to soak up to view the outside world as well as spend some time introspectively. So I guess really it is more like a 6 month blind date that has insurance, but you get my point.

If I was on one of those blind date shows where they take breaks to do camera interviews with the daters to see how each sees it going this is what I would say:

Really, New Zealand is beautiful. All that I heard about it is proving to have been understated. Adventure abounds, the people are great, and some great stories/memories have already been made.

Besides all that, I am really beginning to see how unique my time here is going to be. My responsibilities are pretty minimal and I have quite a lot of free time to do whatever I choose with. Free time for me inevitably means reflection, introspection and contemplation. Reluctantly I have already been pulled to face some of the less presentable sides of myself in order to confront the underlying issues and began moving towards reconciliation in redemption. One major theme which has arose from this is authenticity. I am finding that to be genuine or authentic is not always the easier thing. It is often much easier for me gloss over those little thorns in life in order to keep a presentable smile on. The issue really is trust. Do I trust that I can take the harder route, the possibly unforeseen, the scary or the intimidating and come out on the other side? When I think about the people in the Old and New Testament who are giants of the faith-Paul, Peter, Moses, Noah-I see people who chose what was true instead of what comforted or benefited them.

I had the opportunity to discuss this with Chris for a little while today and we came up with a fitting analogy. It is like building a house in Montana. Of course you start in the summer time because the conditions are ideal then for building (no snow and warm days). At the start of the build you are faced with a critical decision; do you want to build the smaller house which you could finish before the first snow, or do you choose to take the time to build an immaculate, detailed, well-loved house that you will have to fight through the winter to get done. Do you trust that you can make it through the winter and do you believe that it will be better to build for the rest of your life if you choose the harder build? It is of course not about having a huge home or 'owning' anything, it is about the build.

This time here feels new to me, a chance to see what it’s like to choose authenticity, the harder route, to face the winters. I don't know where this is going to take me but I am learning to trust.

Harmon/Waimakariri Passes 0, Team Sandfly 1

I am not a good blogger. I may have just started blogging recently, but I have started very poorly. I have had a complex about blogs being amazing or not doing any blogs at all. I am over that now. It is funny how sometimes we are afraid of being inadequate so we do nothing at all. Well, lets just pretend those last two blogless weeks never happened and get this party re-started.

Eight of us had an opportunity last weekend to travel into Arthur's Pass National Park for a 4 day backpacking trip--except they call it 'tramping' and not backpacking here and for good reason. None of us had ever seen country like this. We saw rugged ore peaks which seemed to have just shot up from valley floors, rivers so clear and blue you could count the gigantic trout in them, massive glaciers which still exist today below 10,000 feet, temperate rain forests, tundra, prairie...I wouldn't have imagined so much country to be in 44 kilometers. Below are some pictures from the trip.













This incredible setting and grand journey provided an awesome opportunity to get to know 7 people who I adore. I believe that there is no better place to do learn about people and from people than in the backcountry, and after this trip I couldn't be more thankful for the people surrounding me. So Graham, Brian, Jeremy, Pinecone, Annika, Jaucques, Chris--cheers to an amazing adventure!