The End of Week One

So Sarah showed up, the weather's been undeniably nicer, and everyone around me seems really, really pumped for the next four months in New Zealand. I'm kind of vacillating between immense elation and tremendous despair, and I have no idea why. These are the facts: I'm in Dunedin, I will be for at least 16 more weeks, and nothing I can do at this point is going to change this space-time coordinate of mine. Accordingly, I need to fucking make the most of it.

Yesterday I bought a bunch of groceries, hung out with Sarah, and then went to The Bowler (a local pub) for an incredibly professional (and incredibly difficult) trivia contest. My group ended up winning a $20 bar tab. Kickass. Today, I attended our three hour orientation, went to K-mart for a desk lamp, bought two bottles of wine, and am now waiting for some people to show up at our flat with a movie. All of Otago's international students were at the orientation today, and we filled a lecture hall. Everyone's really into talking up everyone else and making connections (networking, as I learned it's refered to on the East Coast), which is okay, but I can't get past the desire for something more substantial in a friendship. I suck, I know. Club-wise, I'm going to try and take a series of classes that help one become more knowledgable about beer, wine, and mixed drinks, in addition to "LitSoc", which bore the following description: "for English majors, minors, or those interested in the subject who would like to participate in literature-fueled wine and cheese-tasting afternoons, cinema/theatre outings, and the company of other avid literature enthusiasts." Does that sound like a complete riot or what?

Fun NZ factoid for the day: Their garbage cans here actually say "Rubbish" on the receptacle slot. I thought that was pretty hilarious.