(The sunrise at the lodge)
(Breakfast under strikingly beautiful clouds)
The IFSA-Butler group began our day with a hearty breakfast (kai!) and then took part in a "pub-less quiz." In many parts of the world, including NZ, many bars and pubs are bringing in customers with hilarious game-show-like quizzes and games. We took part in something similar that morning, minus the actual pub. The 25 or so of us divided up into teams based on the puzzle pieces we pulled out of a bag. My team of 5 named ourselves "The Spuds," having only 15 second or so to name ourselves, we were inspired by the leading brand of potato chips in NZ. Points were given to the most creative named teams. We didn't receive any.
But fret not! Through our combined efforts, my team managed to come out on top after answering several questions about New Zealand, from categories ranging from travel safety to New Zealand academia. My contribution: Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand and it means "Land of the Long White Cloud." I also wrote the answers the rest of the team came up with on the answer sheet!
However, the game was not finished! The last round of the pub-less quiz was the ROGAINE round. Despite the name, it had nothing to do with hair growth. Instead it was an anagram standing for Rugby Outdoor something, something...see how closely I paid attention? Basically, we were given two copies of the same map, a piece of paper, and a pen. Our mission was to locate about 20 little plaques located around Shakespeare Park, record the shapes on them, and return to the lodge in 45 minutes. In order to protect our first place position, The Spuds decided to divide and concur, the faster members of the group deciding to run to the furthest plaques. I was not among them, but I did help find some of the closer ones.
After nearly an hour of tramping up and down hills, dodging sheep (or at least their "cowpies"), racing up uneven stairs, and with 20 seconds to spare, we ran through the finish line and won the grand prize! The grand prize was reaching into a bag and pulling out whatever we touched first. I got a tiki bottle opener!
(Taken by another IFSA student.)
(The sheep didn't really seem to mind our "adventuring" around them)
After a filling lunch, we divided once again into groups. Some people decided to go for a mountain bike ride. Others chose to do a climbing wall. I chose archery! I've never had a formal class and I'm pretty sure my aim proved it. But it was still a lot of fun and I gained a great deal of respect for the people who do archery as professionals. Like Legolas. Gained a lot of respect for the guy.
More kai! Then we headed down the hill to a flat piece of land to learn rugby! Unlike archery, after my first experience with rugby, I didn't gain respect. I lost it for American football players. What? You mean you have to stop and rest after every play? Wait, you pass the ball FORWARD towards the goal? Are you kidding? Seriously, though, rugby may be the most intense game I have ever played. We only played touch rugby, so I can hardly imagine what it's like with tackling. Non-stop tackling, that is. Not like in American football where you tackle, then have your mates help you up and catch your breath. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to watching my first professional match in a few months.
After our next batch of kai, we headed into the shade for our briefing on the marae visit the following night. We were going to spend the following night at a traditional Maori house and the people from Te Hana came by the lodge to explain what we should expect when turning up the next afternoon. One of our IFSA guides asked our group why IFSA thought it was important to learn about Maori culture. I'm not exactly sure why, but an answer to that question came to my mind almost like I had been asked why it's important for people to wear a raincoat when it's raining. My hand went straight into the air (I must have been channeling my inner Hermione) and I said "Because the Maori culture is such an integral part of New Zealand's culture." The staff member looked at me and asked, "Why do you say that? What makes it integral?" And I answered immediately, "Because it's the history of New Zealand; because one can't be without the other." The staff member looked around the room and asked, "Does anyone have anything to add to Rachel's answer?" No one responded. He then turned to the whiteboard, and said "Yeah, that was a good answer...a really good answer," while writing the word "integral" in red marker.
I'm pretty sure my sunburned blushed, just sayin'.
No comments:
Post a Comment