A few days ago, I was right in the thick of that part of the semester where all the major projects in all your classes are due all at once.  So, of course, I have been swamped with writing and procrastinating.  And what better way to spend the latter than a trip to Christchurch!  Some friends of mine were selling cheap bus tickets, so I planned a weekend excursion that would give me time away from Dunedin and maybe give me inspiration for my many papers.  Through all the carsickness from reading and typing on the bus, early morning explorations, amazing city and museum sights, I managed to have a good time and finish an assignment!
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The Cardboard Cathedral, set up for the Noah's Ark children's show.

 
Volunteering is a wonderful thing to do.  Back in the States, I didn't always have the time in my schedule to help out around town.  Sure, I did things for the school, but it isn't the same.  Giving back to the community is a nice way to say "thanks."  It's even nicer if you love what you are volunteering to do.  I've helped out in a kindergarten classroom, back at home, which was incredible.  Here, I get to walk dogs. Once a week, for 2 hours, I volunteer at the Dunedin SPCA.  All I have to do is come in, grab a lead, poo bag, collar or harness, and excited dog!   
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Boi, a staffy and black lab mix.

 
The Aotearoa Animal Rights Conference was the reason I came to Wellington.  And, wow!  It was incredible.  The actual conference was Friday and Saturday.  I attended a debate on Friday night and the entire event on Saturday.  
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The conference venue.
To start off, I went to the Friday night debate.  The topic was, "Is Animal Rights a Waste of Time?"  Now, to put it in context, most of the attendees were vegan activists for animal rights.  So, the people on the affirmative didn't have much of a chance of changing opinions.  They did, however, get to play devil's advocate and make some great points.  Of course, at the end, the negative side won by a landslide of cheers.  But, I personally thought the affirmative side made the better argument.  For example, going vegan for animal rights is a waste of time because you fight against a huge industry and many people may not agree.  If you take a health perspective, though, you have a much better chance of possibly turning someone vegan.  Essentially, they appealed to the audience the best they could by saying animal rights was a waste of time but veganism was not (for either environmental or heath benefits).  It was relaxed and fun to watch.

 
Saturday is one of my favorite days here in Dunedin.  It's not just because it's the weekend, but it is also when the Farmer's Market is held.  And two Saturdays ago in particular was extra special, because it was also the Cadbury Chocolate Carnival.  Almost everything around me was edible, and there was so much chocolately goodness!  

 
This post doesn't have any photos, but it has the best recipe ever: Crêpes.  
Ingredients:
  • 250 g flour
  • 4 eggs
  • dash of salt
  • 1/2 L milk
  • Splash of rum (optional, to give it some taste)

Some people add sugar and oil to the batter...but Emilie doesn't.  She's French, so trust her.  Also, you will be adding plenty of sugar later, so it really isn't necessary.  

 
PictureHow did I not know these existed?
So, here at the University of Otago I live in a Uniflat, which is where many international students stay.  Our flat is a big one floor apartment with 6 big bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small laundry room, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen.  The rooms are much bigger than I expected!  The ceilings are pretty high, which means all the heat rises, so it's pretty cold.  Plus, it's winter and the flats aren't heated.  Usually, it is about 40 outside (5 in celcius) and about 30 (0 in celcius) inside.  It takes some getting used to (especially when you can see your breath) but there are a few essentials that make the cold bearable: fingerless gloves, slippers, a throw blanket, and a hot water bottle.  Add some warm meals, great conversation, and hot tea, and you have a cozy little abode that quickly warms up.  


 
"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper."  
          -Adelle Davis
I really love this quote, and I try to live by it.  Basically, it means to eat a big breakfast, a decent-sized lunch, and a small dinner.  I highly encourage snacking in between, especially between lunch and dinner.  If you are anything like me or if you are some of the lucky people that I have lived, you know what it's like to have a fast metabolism.  Eat dinner at 6...come 11:00, you're starving.  Many of my friends have heard my rather angry rants at midnight when I am in desperate need of food.  

 
Hey!  I'm Enjolie, as you probably know.  Well, this semester, I'm going to be going abroad and studying in New Zealand.  For those of you who have never heard of New Zealand or aren't sure where that is, here:

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That purple circle on the bottom right is New Zealand.  I'll be going to university at the bottom of the South Island.  To get an idea of what New Zealand looks like, just watch the Lord of the Rings movies, The Hobbit, or the old tv shows Hercules: the Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.  The entire country is gorgeous, so you can expect plenty of unbelievable landscape shots.

I'm planning on travelling as much as I can, and with each adventure, you can expect a wonderful blog post about each one - maybe I'll even throw in a few posts about my time in France a few years ago (that's what the wonderful cover photos are from).  And you can probably expect an excursion or two to Australia!  

This blog isn't just about my travels, though.  It's also about food.  Wonderful vegetarian food: that I cook, that someone cooked for me, or that I order.  Plus, if I cooked it, I'll be sure to put up the recipe!

My summer usually consists of one thing: camp.  My study plans, unfortunately, made that impossible, so instead I have spent my time cooking, organizing, packing, and yoga-ing.  I set out with the goal this summer to be able to do a headstand before I left for New Zealand.  My wonderful friend taught me the pose the day before I left school.  I have worked on it everyday since, and got it about 3 weeks ago.  So, every time I accomplish one difficult pose, I will attempt another.  Right now, I am working on - through a series of other poses - a split.  Its not technically a yoga pose, but I am using poses like pigeon and forward folds to increase my flexibility.  

Finally, this is a place for me to be me.  I might nerd out, talk yoga, obsess over food, or completely brag about my travels (let's be honest, New Zealand is pretty brag worthy)...but this is just a way to share, besides on Facebook, what I'm up to down there!