You Can Find Me in the Club, Bottle Full of Bub

I'm spittin' this out to all my peeps. 50 Cent is throwin' down a live joint at the Westpac Center in The Garden City on Feb. 10th. I'll see yo' fools there! www.50cent.com

Could the Creepy, Rude American Will Please Step Forward?

So over the past week I've been so busy getting myself situated and learning my way around Kiwi style that I haven't really met anyone and on Saturday night I was quite distressed when I didn't have anything to do. My first Saturday in Christchurch and no where to go! I had to do something quick to remedy this problem.

Oh, but before I get to the dramatic conclusion, I have a little story. So on the aforementioned Saturday after I had spent a good deal of time in the sun watching the Busker Festival, I decided to come back home and rest my weary self. As I was laying down, I heard a knock on the door. I went to answer it and it was Sarah, a friend of Karen's, the Kiwi who lives in the house with me. She had some of Karen's stuff and was just dropping it off. As she was leaving she asked me if I was going to Karen's going away BBQ. BBQ? I had no idea there was a BBQ. I told her that I hadn't heard anything about it and she said that Karen probably hadn't thought about it but she would say something when she got home. Later that afternoon, Karen comes home talks to everyone she's ever met on the telephone telling this about this party and then procedes to ask me that if she didn't make it home in the morning, could I feed her cat. Ugh! I hate that cat. Oh, sure I'll feed your cat. So, that leads me to really needing something to do that particular night.

As a result of my lackluster encounter with a roomie, I change and go to the City Centre to find a pub. This is where desperate, rude American Will comes out. While in the pub I met a French businessman named Xavier. As I am desperate for friend, I talk to him for a while. He works for a company that sells humane pet collars that act as an invisible fence. He also speaks French, German, English, Spanish, and Japanese. CRAZY!!! Turns out he has car while in town and it going on a driving tour the next day. Being the rude American, I invite myself along. Here are the pictures from that journey and let me tell you, I don't regret my out of place invitation at all!

As we're leaving Christchurch our first stop is the sign of the Kiwi. Which is literally a sign of a Kiwi. These Kiwis are original.



Next we took a small hike around what used to be the edge of a volcano that over looks Lyttelton Harbour on one side and Christchurch on the other.








The trail had fences dividing everything up. They had these odd little bridges bulit to cross over them.


This is called Castle Rock. The Rock is a distinctive geological feature in that the rock is strongly magnetic and because of the many facets and aspects of the rock, a uniquely diverse range of plant species abound within a very small area.



This is the Bridle pat and Memorial to Pioneer Women. This hexagonal shaped stone memorial is to the courage of the European pioneer women who rested at teh top of the path that led from the Port of Lyttelton. They had disembarked after a four month journey by sea from England to Christchurch, and the arduous tamp over the Bridle Path, often carrying their children and possessions, was the only practicable route to Christchurch from Lyttelton. Side note, New Zealand was the country to give women the right to vote.



So they trekked up this...


and down this.

My First New Zealand SHEEP!!!


The area looks kind of brown, not what we typically think New Zealand looking like, but here's a little bit of New Zealand geography. On the South Island they have a mountain range called The Southern Alps. The mountains are big enough enough the actually stop rainfall from passing over from the west side of the island. Christchurch being on the east side of the island is quite a bit dryer. Also, remember that it's like their August right now. Their hottest and dryest month.

Next we went to Sumner. From Christchurch's earlys days, city residents have enjoyed coming to Sumner and neighboring Scarborough beaches for their summer fun.




While at the beach, I ordered an American Hot Dog. It was HUGE!!!! Notice the bun. It's like one long roll. They also put shredded cheese underneath the hot dog. That's a new one to me.

Well, hopefully my forwardness wasn't to creepy but if that's how I'm going to get to see New Zealand, then so be it.

World Buskers Festival!!!

So since my arrival in Christchurch I have been attending the World Buskers Festival. Which, for the uninformed, is simply a festival for street performers. After hearing that I was here to attend Circus School, Everyone told me that I had to go to this festival. I definitely was NOT dissappointed. The first day that I actually attended I was accompanied by Godfrey Sim. He's the Program Director at my school. He was wanting to tape some of the acts to use as teaching aids for first year students. I thougt it to be a good idea but one set of performers called Waldo and Woodhead, from the legalist US northeast, were very upset that he would tape them without prior consent. Being from the northeast, this behavior doesn't surprise me, but COME ON!!!! You're a street performer. People have to have prior consent before they can photograph and videotape you? Please. They really weren't even that original.

It kind of turned into a big deal. The director of the festival was called and basically it boiled down to Godfrey having to ask first so no one would get mad even though they had no legal feet to stand on. The excitement was definitely fun for me. Hee Hee.

Anyway some of the highlights included a duo calling themselves Popeyed. This group played to be Russian acrobats. Very entertaining!!!




Another performer Johan Welton, hailing from Sweden, was a juggler. He pulled a lovely volunteer from the audience and had a faux costume for her. He had an announcer that kept referring to this random assistant as his girlfriend. The awkwardness was really funny.




It was so much fun to actually see acts like that in person. However, it did make me realize that I'm not the wrangle your crowd beg for money street performing type. I'm more of a have them pay before and watch me in some big spectacle type. We'll see.

Culture Shock No. 1

Ok, I found the first thing that I HATE about New Zealand. Today, I decided to do laundry. Now, before you judge me and think that I'm a spoiled American, I've lived in Italy. I know what it's like to not have a dryer. I know what it's like to have not so soft clothes because the washer simply doesn't get all the soap out. But, honestly, if I were to live here permanently, I would definitely import my American washer and dryer.

So on to the experience....

I was pumped about doing laundry. I took my clothes to the washer put them in and let the washer fill with water. I added my detergent and left it to its magic. 45 minutes later, the first rinse cycle has just begun! Oh, it gets better! Look where the water drains. Into that little tub on the right. WHY?


What could take so long? I don't really know because when all was said and done my clothes were still sopping wet and there were still soap granules on my clothes. All that time and the soap hadn't even dissolved.

Now that my clothes are all wet, dripping wet. I have to dry them. I take my clothes that can be hung out to the line.


And maybe, I've just been raised in the wrong era but I'm so used to my clothes having shape that I didn't know what to do with my shirts and sweaters. Pinning them on the line would give them a weird shape, right? Well, i laid them out on my bed and quickly went to the store to buy contraptions to facilitate my future laundry endeavours.


Those contraptions are as seen here.


I opted for an indoor option because what am I going to do in winter?

If I can endure this I can endure anything, and I need a gold medal, maybe a Congressional Medal of Honor.

La Casa Mia

So, now comes the time to unveil my living conditions. A place where one resides is very important. If it stifles you it can affect everything. With that said, it's growing on me. The outside is a typical, charming, Christchurch house. On the inside, as I related to my family, reminds me of some of the places my friends called their college apartment. I don't think of myself to be Mr. Clean but I did spend 30 minutes cleaning up the cobwebs in my room. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have bugs everywhere. Christchurch is just very green and as a result has a lot of insects that love all the flowers. Also, the fact that they don't have A/C means to cool the house we open the windows for a breeze and allow a bit of those little critters in. Yeah, this definitely affects my American sentiment.

Anyway on to the tour! Here's my house!


Cute and Quaint, I know!

As you walk in the front door you would enter the living room.


Notice the nice sheets laid over all the furniture and the attractive centerpiece computer on the coffee table. Honestly, do I live a frat house? The room through the french doors at the back is the kitchen. Directly to the right of those doors in another door. That leads to my room. But first, let's visit the kitchen.


In this picture of the kitchen I am taking the pic from the bathroom. Which looks like...




Remember, that in New Zealand, bathroom means bath NOT toilet. Thus, there is no toilet in the bathroom.

Ok, Go back through the kitchen and you reach the back door.


Do you see that little building out there? That's the toilet!


Yes, I have a modern day outhouse complete with running water. I'm going to love those winter Christchurch days that I just need to go pee but I wouldn't dare step foot in the snow to actually do it.

Now that this particular trauma is over, let's go to my room.








I took four pictures so you can see how SMALL my room is. Good thing I did all my downsizing in the States because did you notice I have a clothes rack for a closet. That's so much fun. HAHA!!! It's really not too bad. I'm just living the college life I was intended to the first time through.

Well, I'm off to the World Busker Festival! Busker in New Zealand speak means Street Performer! My future awaits!

Across The Big Blue

I boarded the commuter plane in San Diego to take me to LAX. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been on a smaller plane.


I actually arrived early enough that they put me on a flight that left 30 minutes earlier. Aren’t I the lucky one, more time to wait in the city of angels. I arrived at LAX and sticking to my old tendencies I wanted to read a magazine and I found the new Details with Matthew McConaughey on the cover. Normally, I wouldn’t have been too excited but a few weeks before I left in Austin, Matt Mac did a little photo shoot at Zach Scott Theatre and I got to see him in person. So me having a little investment, I snagged that issue right then and there. I still haven’t read the article but it makes me really happy that the cover was shot at a place that has so many fond memories for me. This picture was taken in Shady Grove Trailer Park, just across the street from ZACH, outside his Airstream Trailer.


The flight to New Zealand was anything but exciting. Here I am excited before but in fact it was pretty boring.


I wanted to talk to the family next to me but they looked like this entire time.


Finally, in the last hour of my flight I had reason to talk to the girl. I found out that she wasn’t with the old couple at all. She is part of a mission project and they are based in Oxford, New Zealand. Her grandmother had died and she flew home. She made that awfully long flight 3 times in 11 days. I don’t call that being a missionary; I call that being a martyr.

As I was gathering all of my things I look up and I see those three crazy British ladies that I rode the Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios three days earlier! I did some covert ops and got these pics. A little stalker I know, but hey, that’s how I roll.




I finally land at 5:45 in the morning and the sun has already risen.


They are having about 15 hours of daylight right now. I couldn’t believe but once I stepped outside the airport the weather was incredible! So cool and fresh! Maybe I was just excited to not be breathing recycled air anymore. As my luck would have it I just missed the bus and so I decided to take a taxi. I really welcomed the chance at not having to think and being dropped of at the front door to my new home. This is me in the cab.


And then me and the driver!


So far, so good!

Three Days in SoCal

So before I could allow myself to go to circus school I had to complete my Cirque du Soleil experience. Up until this weekend I have seen 19 Cirque du Soleil performances including every show except Quidam. Quidam has been touring Asia for the past several years and while I’ve done some crazy things to see a Cirque going to Asia has not been one of them. As luck would it though, Quidam began it’s North American Tour on Jan. 19 in San Diego. Logically, San Diego is on the way to New Zealand and so I just had to stop.

Lucky, I did because I absolutely loved it. I had prepped myself to hate it. Why? I don’t really know. I guess I’ve had friends talk a lot of crap about it and so if they didn’t like it why should I. Well, I guess I’ve never followed anyone because I couldn’t get enough of it. I saw San Diego drove to LA and went to Universal Studios, met Dora The Explorer and rode in a Dolorean with three crazy British ladies (more on them later).


Finally, on my last night I made the trek to Del Mar Fairgrounds to see Quidam. I was so excited I got lost and managed to forget that the show I bought the ticket for was at 4 that day and not 8. YIKES!!! Fortunately, Cirque has great customer service and they quickly found alternate seats. Thank you God for loving me and Cirque du Soleil!!!