Hello Everyone!

There hasn't been much interesting stuff to update you on, but I know some people want to stay informed on what's going on, so I will tell you!

Last week was pretty nice.  On Monday, there was a party for all of the residents of University Hall, and it was held in the Student Union.  I guess the only remarkable thing from this evening was the choice of beverage for students: beer, wine, or lemonade.  Try getting those free drinks at a university-sponsored event in the US!  Most people who know me well would guess correctly that I had the lemonade...

Had a pretty enjoyable weekend here.  But before that arrived, we had the craziest winds I've ever seen!  It was one of those times when you're walking outside and it's nice and sunny, you (thankfully) arrive home and get inside, and suddenly, it starts pouring!  Imagine looking out your living room window to see loads of rain pounding at your window, and then add onto that winds at over 115km/h!  That's about 72mph, for all you imperial system users.  I hear "that's Wellington for ya," and apparently that type of weather will return frequently, except with the addition of much colder temperatures as the seasons change.

On Saturday, I discovered a new market.  It's located inside a parking garage, and it showcases arts and crafts from local artists.  I bought some nice shell earrings, and scoped out the paintings, woodwork, and bought myself a yummy gourmet cupcake and orange juice squeezed right in front of me (at two different times--the OJ and cupcake wouldn't go well together, if you ask me). 

Later that day, Joey and I went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D.  I found it quite enjoyable and creative, but the neat thing about the movie theater here is how much more formal it is!  You must make a booking for your movie far in advance, and get this--you choose your exact seat, much like you would for an airplane!  Additionally, the seats here are much like the couches First Class flyers get on flights! 

Also in the past few days, I got caught up reading Jodi Piccoult's Handle With Care, which is nearly 600 pages.  In anticipation of the ending, I hurriedly finished the last 400 pages yesterday, only to discover that the ending sucks!  I wouldn't recommend the book, personally.

I joined an intramural indoor soccer league here, and had my first game on Sunday.  It was superfun, but it was easy for me to forget how incredibly exhausting it can be to play indoor soccer (5 people including the goalie), especially with boys!

One of the best experiences Joey and I had so far was on Sunday night.  Joey had been writing a paper for a few days (and those of you who know Joey well know that I mean that quite literally), so we decided it would be good for him to get a change of scenery by going into town.  We went cafe-hopping, and got some late-night milkshakes and coffee.  When we were leaving one of my new favorite places (Enigma Cafe) at around 11:30pm, a man saw my last name written on my soccer sweatshirt, and said "Niad--that's interesting. Did you know it means 'water goddess' in Greek?" And so began our stimulating and meaningful conversation with Ian and Elizabeth, a 60-somethings Auckland couple vacationing in Wellington.  Ian reminded us a lot of Joey's good friend Bernard.  This experience was so enjoyable because for Joey and me, meeting new and interesting people is what going to new places is all about. 

Joey and I (but mostly me) are really looking forward to a Food & Wine Festival this Saturday in Wairarapa.  Hopefully I will get some pictures of that to share with you next week!