I've made it!

View from the plane before I landed in Dunedin.

I can't believe I'm actually here! I arrived on-time and in one piece at the Dunedin airport on Tuesday (27.01.2009), after having transferred through Auckland early that morning. As I stepped off the plane Fulbright alumna Lynley Hood was there to greet me. She said I looked dazed and tired (20+ hours of traveling will do that to you), but she recognized me instantly and promptly gave me a welcoming kiwi hug! With a little ingenuity we were able to fit all of my luggage into her car, and soon we were on our way. The Dunedin countryside is absolutely beautiful - so green and lush. I wish I had had my wits about me to try and take some pictures as we drove, but I'm sure there will be many more opportunites to come. I did almost get into the driver's seat when I first got to the car, but luckily Lynley wasn't looking at the time, so that saved me a bit of embarrassment. Apparently one professor in the Zoology department loves to poke fun at Americans when they do that. "So, you want to drive, eh?", he likes to say. I'm sure I'll do it more than once!

Lynley drove me to my flat in St. Kilda, and helped me unload my things. The house has a lot of old-time charm, and it is well lit and cozy. The neighborhood is quaint and quiet, and our home is surrounded by a beautiful English garden of wildflowers and herbs. My room is small, but it has a big window that frames a large flowering bush and lets in a lot of light. My flat is a bit far from Uni, but apparently it is in one of the few places in Dunedin that is flat and sunny - perfect for biking and walking to and from campus. All of my roommates were out at a Seminar (they are all in the Parasite Lab), but would be home later that evening.

My St. Kilda flat!

View of our backyard, complete with wildflowers, a pear and apple tree, and a vegetable garden.

My (messy) room...  I just arrived, what do you expect?

Later that day Lynley offered to drive me to campus, and I met up with my fellow Frog Lab-mate, Jen Germano. She is finishing up her PhD this year, and has been extremely helpful, answering all of my questions and making me feel welcome. She took me around the Zoology department, and then I walked around the campus a bit myself. The central campus consists of a mixture of beautiful old brick buildings and brand new architecture, and there are expansive greens and tall leafy trees. After Jen finished up some lab work, we went to a grocery store, Countdown, and also a discount 'everything' store, The Warehouse, so that I could get some essentials. I learned that skim milk is call 'trim' milk here, and that plain yogurt is 'natural'. Also, granola is muesli, and all mexican food is really expensive (sigh). The produce is very fresh and mostly local though, so I was happy.

That evening I finally met my flatmates: Kristin, Johan, and Anson. They are all very friendly and fun to talk to, and all seem very willing to help me settle in. Kristin and Anson are from the states, and Johan is from France. I've heard quite a bit about my advisor, Phil Bishop, from fellow lab members and my flatmates, but I have yet to meet him because he is on holiday until next week. From all of the stories, I am quite interested indeed to meet him, especially having conversed with him over email for so long!

On Wednesday morning I got a ride from Kristin to the Zoology building to see if I could begin to chip away at the administrative stuff all new students have to deal with. Kalinka, a kiwi in my lab, took it upon herself to show me around the Zoology department and meet as many people as possible. Everyone in the department is extremely friendly, and I felt welcomed by everyone I met. Unfortunately, I hit a few barriers trying to get keys to my office space (which I will be sharing with Kalinka, Sabine, and Sarah) and also getting access to internet on campus... but once Phil returns and he can sign the necessary forms, I'm sure things will be much easier.

That evening, we had a welcome potluck at Jen's beautiful home in the hills above Dunedin. I met almost everyone in the frog lab, and their partners, and had some quite delicious food! I tried a traditional Kiwi dessert, a light, airy cake called a Pavlova, and Kalinka made an upside-down Plum cake, both of which were delicious. Helen kindly drove me home (we needed to stare at some maps first because neither of us knew how to get there!) and I was glad to finally be home and rest.

All in all my first few days were full and tiring, but overall very enjoyable! I've met so many people my head is spinning, but everyone is so friendly that I'm sure they'll fill me in when I seem confused. I look forward to being able to explore the city more and settling into my flat - there's so many new things to experience!