This is not a post about Liverpool Hut
Dearest readers,
This is not a post about Liverpool Hut (copyright Mavis). It’s about people.
Here’s the sitch: some friends are over to help Rory dye their hair, and Savage is sat on the couch, and Wipe Out Australia is playing on the TV. I just finished up my last assignment of the semester! There’s still one week of school left, one week before exams, and then two weeks of finals, so it’s not over yet. I still have a quarter of my time left, but yet I fear the end every day, and so is everyone else. For almost everyone I know here, this has been the best year/semester of their lives.
It's nice in a way that the novelty of life has worn off. Exchange is so special because I get to be a part of something, even if it's just the exchange community. It's different from traveling in that we all have a 'home base'. Now I walk down the street and it feels normal. I don't need google maps to go anywhere I need. But for real, where am I and how did I end up here? Ah, the consequences of my own actions... .
Boy, am I going to miss driving down into Dunedin after dark, returning from a weekend backpacking trip. Two weekends ago (May 9th - 10th), we rented a car for a trip to Liverpool hut. Just that aspect (renting a car) contributed positively to feeling proud of the weekend, like, we made it happen, by ourselves! The gang was me, Emily, and two of my neighbours, Clara and Maddie (they've been around here and there all semester, but the trip idea stems from the Tramping Club trip to Brewster Hut when Maddie and I discussed 'favourite animals' (ex: favourite flying animal) for hours on the beach a.k.a. we got along really well). I knew we were going to have a good time, but I had SUCH a GOOD TIME EVER. You know that feeling when you don't want something to end? That's how I felt about the weekend. It was so special.
Because no one else in the group had done Roy's peak yet, I did it for a second time (see 'Wanaka' post). Honestly, I was happy to do it again, because, well, joy and company and moving my body and appreciating New Zealand beauty.
We then slept in a hostel with a resident kitty! We had a relaxing morning getting out of Wanaka, with still an hour to drive to the start of the hike (foreshadowing). The drive itself was an adventure. Instead of building bridges, apparently they've decided that you can just drive through the river? There were 9 of these so-called 'fords'. Hint hint, we realized it was a bad sign that we ate our lunch before even starting the hike -- it was 1:30 PM.
The first part of the tramp was a valley walk, with some more river crossings. Off and on our boots went. We made it to the first checkpoint hut, Aspiring hut, at 4 PM, and made the decision to stop there, because we were still hours away from Liverpool hut, and it was going to get dark at 6 PM, and the trails were washed out. One or two months ago, I would have been disappointed. I came to New Zealand with one goal: to see the beautiful landscapes. I appreciate a good challenge. Now, I've done that. And this weekend was different. For the first time since being here, I didn't care about making it up to Liverpool Hut, even though that was probably my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see it. I just wanted to hang out with my friends, and laugh. I wouldn't have expected that I would feel so satisfied with a valley walk. And Aspiring hut was a warm and luxurious place to spend the night. Once we got there, we played cards, made a scrumptious burrito dinner, and then played cards again and again until 11 PM. We almost certainly were disrupting the others in the hut. We joked that they couldn't be mad at us, because that means they hate fun. We were having so much fun I forgot to look at the stars. There is nothing I would have changed about this weekend. It was just the best. I also really enjoyed having some more time in the week after to reflect on and soak in this weekend (in other weeks, it was 'time to start immediately preparing for and planning the next trip').
At the end of this weekend I felt so close to these people, and like we had really 'seen' each other. I just love nice people. Maddie is one of the funniest people I've ever met, and Clara has a 'won't take any bullsh*t' exterior but cares so deeply for her people, and Maddie is one of those people. It is so beautiful seeing flatmates become close to one another. Maddie and Clara have only known each other for a few months, and yet their dynamic feels timeless.
The trip ended on a high note, listening to banging music the whole drive home. I mean, of course it was great, because I was queuing it (actually that scared me). I made a new New Zealand resolution after this weekend, but I can't tell you, because I really want to try and if I can do it, going to be epic.
Another change is that I love people here now. In particular, some friends and my flatmates. Our flat has a lot of fun together. And the dynamic in our flat is different from my friendships at home, but just as wonderful, I'm just learning to adjust >:D !!!!!!
I've been keeping myself very busy with cooking, in particular, inspired by Benjamin and Clara. Benjamin makes pies all the time and is the best trail chef (they cooked everything on the Mount Cook trip) and on the weekend trip Clara was telling me about how she made homemade pesto and gnocchi so you can only guess what I made the next week... (note: I bought a basil plant for the pesto and it died the next day). I have also made carrot cake muffins and homemade dumplings are on the roster for tomorrow! I'm realizing I actually enjoy cooking, I just don't have time for it in Montreal. I love being inspired by people :)
Last week I went to the student's production called the Capping Show which was entertaining and slightly offensive. But it was cool to understand some of the New Zealand, Dunedin, and University of Otago references! I also went to the butterfly exhibit at the Otago Museum with Lizzy recently and it was so much fun (better than the one at the museum I work at in Ottawa)! This museum is right next to the library and my plan is to go there as study breaks during finals.
Nothing much happened last weekend. Two of my flatmates were gone and I worked on my assignments and research from back home. Also don't forget that most of my Monday - Friday is spent in lecture or doing work or procrastinating to do so. This week I went out for dinner with Emily and Veronica again! We also got the Liverpool hut gang back together and had a great card games night. Last night we had flat dinner where we went grocery shopping together and made burritos and watched a movie and ran out of time to play Dunedin Monopoly (we've pushed it to Friday). Have also really been making an effort to climb three times a week.
It really is so special that I get to be here for over 4 months, and that fact is never going to wear off. Other small things I love about life here:
1. That I live in a complex with exchange students all around me. Some people are so close you don't even need to put on shoes to get to their flat. It really helps with community. Some of my favourite people I've met are my neighbours.
2. That the walk to campus is less than one song long, and the walk home from Rob Roy's ice cream is exactly one ice cream cone long (as I found out today).
