Transition to a New University

So I have been here for almost two weeks now. After so many weeks of relaxing, I’ve finally started lectures. I feel like such a freshmen all over again-- I don’t know my way around campus, I don’t really know where my lecture halls are, and I don’t know very many people. It’s all good though because this first week has gone quite well so far. I have a fairly easy schedule because this week we only have lectures, no labs or tutorials. It’s been a while since I have felt so insecure about attending lectures, since Willamette is so small and it is guaranteed that I will know at least one person in all my classes. On that same note, my class on Monday had about 60 people in it, which may not sound like a lot but that is 3 times as many people as any class I’ve ever been in. I suspect 60 people will be the smallest class I have, especially because my lecture yesterday had at least 80, possibly more. It makes me appreciate Willamette so much, though this will be a nice contrast to what I am used to. One thing that I have noticed about University of Canterbury that differs from Willamette is how many things we have to pay for that I normally take for granted. I already mentioned the Internet situation (though the actual campus itself does have free wi-fi), but we also have to pay for a gym membership. The gym here is a lot bigger and has more classes offered than ours, but it just reminded me that one of the reasons our tuition is so high is that things such as internet, gym, printing, etc. are all included in our tuition. It's an interesting adjustment.

Last Thursday we went to the Botanic Gardens, which were absolutely gorgeous. I fell in love with the Central Rose Garden, which had the most beautiful array of roses. The variety of plants here in Christchurch is just amazing. When I go running, I see so many different types of trees that I've never seen before and it seems like every tree is a different kind. The cicadas here are out of control here... They are so loud!! On Friday, there was an orientation fair with loads of free stuff, and free food. The eco-house on campus had people over to the community garden for pizza making and beer, so it was a fun way to get to know more about the campus and different opportunities here. On Saturday, there was a carnival where different clubs on campus had booths and there was a jump castle obstacle course (Zoe and I have the burns on our elbows to prove we raced-- she won), sumo wrestling, free food and lots more. That night we went to a beer festival, complete with live music. It was a cute venue, though the beer tastings weren't free. 

Zoe and I racing

Beer Festival

Rustic Pizza Day, University of Canterbury style

Today we didn’t have lectures because it is the one year anniversary of the earthquakes that caused so much destruction to Christchurch, so the university canceled lectures so we could attend the memorial service. It was a lovely service, with beautifully selected prayers, readings, and music. They read the names of all those who died, and released 185 Monarch butterflies at the end for each of those people. They showed a video with clips of various people talking about what a wonderful community Christchurch is, how much they have overcome in the past year, and hopes for the future. At the end of the video, there were two children that sang a song about the devastation and how someday Christchurch will be like new. Even though, I haven't been here long, I've gotten to see a little bit of the damage. Driving to the beach, we were able to see houses falling off cliffs, and many of the shops and businesses around the city centre are closed. The service today reminded me so much of the importance of staying strong as a community to overcome a major tragedy, and it helped me remember and feel thankful for my wonderful network of family and friends. I miss my community at Willamette, but I feel that I have already made some truly wonderful friends.