So, so… BIG news! :))) I’m so excited to tell you that I did my first ever FLASHMOB!!! :) For those of you who are not quite sure what that is – I know you know what it is, you just don’t know that it’s called flashmob :)
As Wiki explains it, it goes like this: “A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression.” Sounds legit :P
I have always seen videos of flashmobs and never really knew much about it but I loved the idea of it! People who have seen the movie “Step Up 4″ probably also know what I am talking about.
Well, my awesome Australian uni – Deakin University – made this possible :) The dance club (which I am a part of) gathered it’s members to create a flashmob which was there to attract people’s attention to an upcoming volunteer fair.
I readily volunteered to be a part of it, and I am extremely happy I did! What’s amazing about it is that when we gathered at first the dance was not created by the teacher- we only had the music. So what we did was to split into pairs and figure out a “cool, gangsta move” for a count of 4. Well, we all came up with our short little moves (mine was the corkscrew, butt slap and when Nicki Minaj sings about “eating cheesecake” we act as if we are stuffing ourselves cheesecake) :) What surprised me was that our teacher was so happy with our ideas that she included each and every one of them in the routine. She was open to what we have to say and what we think, so somehow when we put all the moves together – the flashmob was ready!
I have never seen this happen before! I couldn’t believe that all our moves worked out so well together and with the music AND lyrics :) It was so inspirational to see the process of creation and how everyone’s ideas were included.
By the end of it, I felt so closely connected to the routine since it was OUR flashmob, it was our very own creation. And I loved it!
Thank you, Deakin! :) Sooo, enough talking, let me show you what I mean :)
So ever since I learned about the amazing and simple creation of the Tim Tam Slam, I am always stocked with milk and Tim Tams. And I ask everyone if they know what it is. If they don’t, I treat their ignorance… with my treat :P
But it is more than a treat. It is something to calm us down during hard times. Like today, the boys (Piotr and Steve) passed by so we can all make Shani feel better about her crazy assignments… with a Tim Tam Slam break.
The result?
Happier Shani. Happier Steve. Happier Piotr. And a happy me, ready to go to bed.
So we have those rooms called Study Rooms on each floor of our building. Last night we decided to make a major study session, so 8 people gathered together to study.
Well, we did everything else but studying. I didn’t read a single line of what I was supposed to.
Steve was drawing Piotr but needed some help with drawing his nose, so I did that.
Jessica was coming up with a yoga lesson so I was there helping her with ideas such as tree pose, chair pose or the pigeon. A practical lesson followed. We then had some coffee and chocolates to wake up.
Later on Bogga was teaching us some Icelandic words, while I was teaching the boys some Burlesque moves. That was while I was doing my laundry.
Towards the end we decided to watch snails mating (which was going to take 24 hours) so we just decided to just go to bed instead.
I came to Australia to study and this is what my studying is consisted of. But I will be fine ;) No worries.
Hey, guys! I am finally back to Melbourne, rehabilitated after my crazy New Zealand experience and ready to tell you all about it. You will soon find out what was so crazy about it and why I needed rehabilitation.
Before I begin, I want to say that my decision to go to New Zealand during spring break was one of the best decisions I have made. I remember hesitating if I should leave a big and rich in nature country like Australia to go to another one when I haven’t even explored Australia to begin with. Well, I am very happy I did :) There is nothing like New Zealand I have ever seen so it was worth it. So on 29th March five adventurous souls were packed to go to the Kiwi country. My partners in crime were Shani, Lisa (on my left) and Emily and Steve (on my right).
The master plan was the following: We would jump on the Magic Bus for a Southern Discovery circle starting from Christchurch, then going to Greymouth, Franz Joseph (Glaciers), Wanaka, Queenstown, Lake Tekapo and back to Christchurch. There Shani, Steve and Emily would go back to Melbourne and Lisa and I would continue up to Wellington. From there, Lisa would take a plane back and I would make my way up the North Island with the Magic bus till I reach Auckland and go home from there.
We arrived late at night in Christchurch and headed straight to our accommodation which was reserved by the Magic Bus company. We had it all pre-reserved and pre-planned so we have no unpleasant surprises (anyone remembers Sydney? I do). So we showed up, right address, right hostel and no one at reception. We knocked and yelled and began mental preparations to sleep outside that night. I looked for rocks to break windows but as we walked around the place we found a great guy who was not sleeping and was near the window. First night sleeping in a hostel was successful!
Taking the KiwiRail train through the mountains was a great way of seeing the Southern Alps.
We made fun of signs…
…and had fun on board.
But the most fun I had was eating! It was cozy, comfy, beautiful and sunny! I couldn’t ask for more!
After a lot of NZ beauty and sleeping, we got to Greymouth. This was the highlight of our trip since we got to pet a pony and feed a cat.
Just kidding :) We laughed throughout the whole trip that when we come back we will brag how we went to New Zealand and we saw a pony :) But I liked Greymouth’s pebbled beach where we decided to leave our mark…
Rocks are always fun. And if you have no idea what I am talking about, you should travel with us :)
The next stop we had was in Franz Josef – a literally two street town. And if you don’t believe me, let Google be my witness:
But the next highlight of our trip was there so we loved it! (wasn’t as cool as the pony, but still).. We climbed a glacier! :)
And if you wonder what a glacier is let me tell you – it’s a HUGE piece of ice. And if you think you can imagine it, you should think twice. This is the tip of it here, creeping in between the two hills:
And to get there it takes a serious hike and some 30-40 minutes. I still can’t imagine how big of a piece of ice that was. It looked like a part of the mountain but it was also obviously something completely different.
It was rainy when we started the hike..
But it stopped in the middle and got nice and warm..
Until it got extremely hot (this is me, after hiking and thinking that I am close to the glacier)
And at some point you get bored hiking.. (Little did Steve know my facial expression :P)
And once we got really close to it after all that hiking, and sweating, and raining and changing clothes, we were ready to be equipped. We got to put spikes on our shoes so we stay on the glacier when we walk on it and not slide.
It was difficult in the beginning because you have to really make sure that your spikes stick into the ice every time you make a step but by the end of climbing the glacier, I felt like a pro.
And we were all… Like a boss ;)
This was a different experience for me. I have never even thought I will do an expedition like this. It was always people from the movies, or crazy travelers, or some other adventurers doing this. But this time, it was me :) I was in places I have never even dreamed of being. But I knew one thing – I deserved it! And I made it happen. So I really enjoyed it :)
Continuing south, I witnessed the most beautiful, bluest lake I have ever seen.
As we were driving around it with the bus, I could not stop looking at it. As if my eyes were hungry for an image like this, as if I needed to quench my thirst for colors and pureness like this. This is when I realized that what New Zealand has, is unique. In the course of 7 days I was able to enjoy the South Island, see so much ravishing wildness, all gathered in this little piece of heaven.
You can have your breath taken by things like the mirror lake..
…or just driving around seeing little waterfalls along the road…
Sorry for the blurry picture but we were driving really fast and I tried to take many pictures of these tiny, cute waterfalls and this is the best shot I’ve got. Oh, also this trip made me realize that my silly, little soap-case (as my mom calls point-and-shoot cameras) is totally not the right camera for nature like this. I wish I had a good, pro camera. Aaaanyway :)
Stopping at the Puzzling World made our day! Laughing, getting lost, confused, found, small or sideways, we enjoyed it to the max. It definitely messed up with our brains enough. Video should be very self-explanatory :P
We finished the night in my personal favorite hostel…
There where we had our own kitchen, own bathroom; made a big, rich dinner, inviting our new friend Pam,
had my very first tequila shots (what?) and laughed off Aprils Fools with a few good jokes. Shani believed me saying “Oh, my guys (meaning Oh, my God, guys!) we have service here (meaning in the rainforest)!” and Lisa believed that “gullible” is not in the dictionary :) We also had an extra roommate who we tried to chase away so Pam can sleep in our room before becoming friends with him as well. We also joined the fun, young group from the Magic bus in a club for some dancing, karaoke and games. We chucked our first woodies (cola and bourbon) and called it a night :)
Next morning we headed down to our most southern point – Queenstown. A beautiful town where I will go back one day and do bungee jumping and skydiving with my best friend Veselina :) Awesome view to jump to, don’t you think? :)
That’s also we had FergBurgers – burgers as big as your face! A must stop for everyone passing by :)
We ended the night with some more shots and the ultimate game of my friends in Australia – “Never Have I Ever” which eventually gets into “Don’t Judge Me But..” ;)
The extra day that we had in Queenstown, we decided to spend in Milford Sound – one of the most gorgeous, key sights of New Zealand.
It was extremely beautiful and extremely cold. Here we were with our new Brazilian friend Raphael, who we will go visit in Brazil one day :)
At some point of our cruise, I just sat back and looked. And again, I felt that internal need to satisfy my hunger for nature, for pureness, something I never experience back in New York City.
Steve and I danced away on our way to and from Milford Sound so the 4 hour drive did not seem as long. P.S 4 hours one way, meaning 8 hours for the whole day – sick, right?
After that we visited the famous Ice bar which was my first Ice bar ever! :) They equip you with huge, funny coats, gloves and sometimes fluffy boots before you walk in the -10 degrees ice cage. We were allowed to stay only for 30 minutes (not that we wanted more, we were freezing by the 20th minute) but it was enough to look around and enjoy the cool figures and drinks made into ice cups (so cool!)
I even tried to take one home…
…until I got too cold and got rid of it :P
Next day we headed back up North and stayed at Lake Tekapo for one night. The colors of this lake were unbelievable.
To our disappointment, we couldn’t do any of the activities we wanted that day. The Magic Bus driver burst our bubble twice – first, we couldn’t go horseback riding because the horses ran away (just kidding, they were fully booked :P); and then we couldn’t do star gazing because we weren’t Japanese (wtf?). Anyway, so we had to deal with that and we also had to brace ourselves up to spend the night in the cold, full of spiders and receptionists’ attitude Lakefront Lodge which was deep into the forest (which was probably Yeti’s home as well). But instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we took the initiative and had one of the best nights in New Zealand. We fed some hundreds of ducks…
We decided to do our own star gazing, where amazing pictures came into being…
Shani was also very creative to suggest the idea of writing in the air with a flashlight, and since I was a talented artist I wrote beautifully, while our new Brazilian friend Raphael was taking the pictures professionally, capturing my handwriting in the air.
Monika…
Show Me Some Love…
In New Zealand…
This is the first night I saw the Milky way so clearly and I felt so connected to the planet I live on. Thank you, guys, for an amazing experience, much better than the star gazing we were going to do.
The next day we headed back to Christchurch to actually have the chance to look around the city a bit. And this was the first time I witnessed a ghost town. I never knew those places actually existed. After a horrific earthquake two years ago, the whole city was under construction, wherever we turned. This panoramic picture shows it.
I saw a hair salon which was just left as it was, as people were working things were just thrown and left. It was a sad and scary picture.
This is where my friends Shani, Steve and Emily took off back to Melbourne. Lisa and I continued our journey up north. Our next stop was Kaikoura.
After a beautiful day walking along the coast, seeing some ducks, cows and seals,
…we had some traditional fish’n’chips as they call it here (fried fish and french fries). We then decided to call it a day and grabbed some woodies from the liqueur store.
Yes, but not everything went so smoothly that night. Lisa got very sick. She was pale, feverish, throwing up everything she had and just couldn’t fall asleep. I, on the other hand, was calling nurses, doctors, ambulances and any emergency number I could find. And in this nearly 4000 people-populated town, there was one doctor with an attitude. He was too busy to come, so no one could actually come and help my friend who was laying on the hostel’s, corridor’s floor, whispering “ambulance” with her white, trembling, exhausted lips. I was praying.
And I think my prayers were heard because towards the morning she felt much better. She was able to walk and hold herself, although we had quite a traveling to do that day. We had to get to the airport in Wellington so she can get back home.
Thankfully, in Wellington my mom has a long standing friendship with a great man, called Garry. I remember knowing about him since I was a baby, hearing about a remote country I’d never thought I’d visit. But here he was, waiting to save us on the ferry entrance – the ferry that connects the two islands.
While Lisa was sleeping on the ferry I was able to snap this photo:
Once we were in Wellington our souls were at ease. We had someone to take care of us. We were not alone in New Zealand! :) Lisa was going to spend a day in Garry’s lovely home and then be taken safely to the airport. Knowing that was soothing enough to make her feel better.
This is the only thing I was able to see from Wellington (on my way to the bus the next morning), so I have told Garry that I have a reason to come back to New Zealand. And yes, I definitely will.
Once I was on my own, I knew all I wanted to do – see the Maori cultural performance in Rotorua. This was basically the only reason I wanted to visit the North island. I was told by many people that it is very worth it. The Maori are the native Polynesian people of New Zealand. Their culture is preserved till today and this performance was a great way to learn about it. I knew I had to go.
So I made my way up to Rotorua. The performance was starting at 5:30pm and I had plenty of time. And I started feeling sick. But I ignored it. I was going to be fine.
So I boarded the bus which was going to take me to the Maori village. And it got worse. By the time I had to get off I was feeling very nauseous and had cold sweat covering my face.
I got off and everything seemed black. I was directed to go into the village but I was asking for a bathroom. The lady impatiently asked:”NOW you need the bathroom?”. I really needed to throw up. I whispered “I need to go NOW”. She offered to drive me back, around the village to go to the bathroom they had. As I was shaking I told her, “Listen, you don’t understand, I need to go NOW”. She showed me the appropriate bushes and I did my thing. I felt better and decided to clean myself and go see the freaking Maori show that I came for.
Well, I couldn’t focus on anything that was happening around me so I just took a video of basically everything so I could see what I have seen while I was there. Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy any of it.
I managed to ask some kind people to snap a photo of me, just so I register myself being there. My face looks kind of haggard.
There was a magnificent dinner following, made by the Maori people, which I was not able to enjoy. People working there came and ask me if I am feeling OK and when they figured that I am not, they found a way to bring me back home. Luckily, their boss was nice enough to drive me back to my hostel.
Once I got back, I was happy and extremely scared at the same time. This is the only hostel from my whole trip where I had not even one roommate. I was alone in the whole room. Usually that would make me happy but in this case I kind of hoped someone was there, just so I have someone, anyone.
I wrote my homework which was due that day on my phone and submitted it (don’t ask me how I managed) and after crying a bit and talking to my mom on the phone I fell asleep.
Here comes the interesting part. In the middle of the night, as I was shaking from the fever, feeling cold and nauseous, I woke up to go to the bathroom. I felt too sick to stay in bed. I got up, walked out of my room and while walking I passed out. I knew I have blacked out for that moment because the way I fell was not smart. I hit my chin right on the cement. The hit woke me up right that second. It was ok, shit happens, I’ll be fine. Let me just get to the freaking bathroom. Once I got there, I saw blood dripping from my face, realizing that the hit was bad. I started crying, bleeding and throwing up at the same time. Not a pretty picture.
What I experienced that night was painful. Not because of the wounds I got. Not because I was sick. But because the only bad thing that can happen to you while you are traveling alone happened. The one day I was alone, the one time I thought I will be alright, and that I can do it all by myself. I was so scared because there was no one I could turn to, no shoulder I could lean on in that moment. I had to pull myself together. Lesson was learned. Alone? Never again.
Next day, I was back on the bus, making my way up to Auckland where my return flight was from. On the way we stopped here and there and regardless the big bandage on my face I still took pictures of the beautiful places I was visiting.
But all I wanted was to get myself to the airport and back home. I slept at the airport like a baby until it was time for my flight. I had no desire to do any sightseeing in Auckland. This is why I am definite that I must come back to New Zealand to see the North Island. And after all, I still haven’t seen a kiwi and that is quite something for NewZealanders who in fact call themselves “kiwis”. Isn’t that cute? :)
So my adventure didn’t finish there. I was unlucky for quite some time afterwards since I had to check-in my carry-on bag for $80, was triple checked for bombs and drugs (I guess I looked suspicious with the bandage on my face) and I also was that random person who passes through quarantine and is smelled by dogs.
And I just wanted to go home! :P But that happened as well, and once I was back, I felt safe, cared for and back to normal. I was going to be ok :)
