i attend university in new zealand
so classes have started. i am now in the second week. i like my classes. nz & aussie theatre is the most challenging because there are lots of plays to read & i don't have them, and its at 10am, but it is really interesting. i always thought theatre could teach you lots of things that didnt necessarily have to do with theatre, and its true. i've been learning a lot about maori culture & the changing identities of australians and new zealanders. the film class is my favorite. i've just come from the first screening this evening, of smash palace. it was really good, from 1981, about a family in personal crisis. it was 35mm and turning pink, kinda scratchy, i liked it. i'm excited about the film line-up for the semester. & also as asides the prof mentions all these other films and i'm like oh man i need to just spend all my time here watching their movies! the development or historical lack of development of a substantial nz film industry is so interesting. my gender & the media class is pretty similar to other gender media studies i've done, & yesterday's lecture consisted pretty much of rephrasing the readings, but i am hopeful. it's always interesting to analyze different texts. one of the readings i've done was from australian perspective on violent media. and i'm really curious about the nz perspective of my classmates. its a fairly large class but there are several men and some "mature" students, so that's cool.
in flattie news, my flatmate colin is moving out and we're getting a new one, don't know who yet. a charming nz custom is that they seem to add "ie" to the end of things, like "chippies" "flatties" (i'm pretty sure that means flatmates, although it could simply denote a cute flat?) "throaties" (a brand of throat drops), etc.
in recent times i have done some of the following activites:
last week i worked at a performance of cat empire. there were other bands too but that was the only one i managed to see. they're from australia and they're really good! i talked to a few theatre kids there. it was a cold night, and as we were at the door, my co-volunteer kat pointed out a girl in a miniskirt and ugg boots. she was like, "if its cold enough for uggs, dont wear a miniskirt!" i thought that was so funny because in la we have the opposite problem! then i also went to the violent femmes show with colin (for free) and they put on a good show. i preferred the nz opening acts though, because of the cultural value experience of seeing nz punk and pop-punk.
i went to the dunedin public art gallery. its really big and spacious and clean. its located in the octagon, the centre of town. i had checked my skateboard at the front, and when i picked it up the lady said "its good to see a woman with a skateboard." there is kind of a surfie(!) and skate "scene" here, although i haven't been to the beach yet, and i've seen several guys skating, not a lot compared to la. but the kids seem to love brands like volcom, billabong, rusty & there's lots of shops selling these clothes.
i have a sore throat so i've been trying to take it easy. last night i made soup & watched a lot of tv. since i have to pay for it here i figured i should get my money's worth (yeah, that'll probably wear out soon). the best thing i watched was this movie from the early mid 90s which was nevertheless much like an 80s movie except for all the flannel shirts, called "the computer wore tennis shoes."
today i saw a theatre performance at the uni. every week they have lunchtime theatre on thursdays and fridays, short plays written, directed, performed by students. today's was really experiemental, based on little stories that the actors had written in "primary school." it was creative, funny, cute, abstract, i liked it.
next week i start having tutorials (discussion sections) & start my dance classes, so i'll be busier. plus i should planning for my essays and stuff. i've already been here almost a month, i can't believe it!
in flattie news, my flatmate colin is moving out and we're getting a new one, don't know who yet. a charming nz custom is that they seem to add "ie" to the end of things, like "chippies" "flatties" (i'm pretty sure that means flatmates, although it could simply denote a cute flat?) "throaties" (a brand of throat drops), etc.
in recent times i have done some of the following activites:
last week i worked at a performance of cat empire. there were other bands too but that was the only one i managed to see. they're from australia and they're really good! i talked to a few theatre kids there. it was a cold night, and as we were at the door, my co-volunteer kat pointed out a girl in a miniskirt and ugg boots. she was like, "if its cold enough for uggs, dont wear a miniskirt!" i thought that was so funny because in la we have the opposite problem! then i also went to the violent femmes show with colin (for free) and they put on a good show. i preferred the nz opening acts though, because of the cultural value experience of seeing nz punk and pop-punk.
i went to the dunedin public art gallery. its really big and spacious and clean. its located in the octagon, the centre of town. i had checked my skateboard at the front, and when i picked it up the lady said "its good to see a woman with a skateboard." there is kind of a surfie(!) and skate "scene" here, although i haven't been to the beach yet, and i've seen several guys skating, not a lot compared to la. but the kids seem to love brands like volcom, billabong, rusty & there's lots of shops selling these clothes.
i have a sore throat so i've been trying to take it easy. last night i made soup & watched a lot of tv. since i have to pay for it here i figured i should get my money's worth (yeah, that'll probably wear out soon). the best thing i watched was this movie from the early mid 90s which was nevertheless much like an 80s movie except for all the flannel shirts, called "the computer wore tennis shoes."
today i saw a theatre performance at the uni. every week they have lunchtime theatre on thursdays and fridays, short plays written, directed, performed by students. today's was really experiemental, based on little stories that the actors had written in "primary school." it was creative, funny, cute, abstract, i liked it.
next week i start having tutorials (discussion sections) & start my dance classes, so i'll be busier. plus i should planning for my essays and stuff. i've already been here almost a month, i can't believe it!