I tried to be as thorough as possible...but, as you will see some days just weren't as exciting as others.
ENJOY!
Week of January 10
Sunday 10 January
Today was the first day of church with the Henderson Valley Ward. They were all really nice, and welcomed the 4 BYU girls that were visiting. Then It
Week of January 10
Sunday 10 January
Today was the first day of church with the Henderson Valley Ward. They were all really nice, and welcomed the 4 BYU girls that were visiting. Then It
was a pretty awesome day. This was the first day that we made the trek up to Nga’s house to use the internet. We have to walk up a steep hill, and I mean STEEP HILL. But, it is worth it as we check our e-mail on this glorious wireless internet connection.
Monday 11 January
Today we were sitting in our literacy class and then the Bishop of the Samoan ward came in and invited us a funeral they were having. As a class, we decided to go. It was a funeral or a baby that died. It was a solemn funeral, but you could still feel the spirit as the family talked about eternal families and how they will meet that baby again in t
Monday 11 January
Today we were sitting in our literacy class and then the Bishop of the Samoan ward came in and invited us a funeral they were having. As a class, we decided to go. It was a funeral or a baby that died. It was a solemn funeral, but you could still feel the spirit as the family talked about eternal families and how they will meet that baby again in t
he eternities. After the sweet service, they invited us in for refreshments. While we were eating the delicious food, the heads of each of the families starting saying something to each other in Samoan. We were thanking each other for the support each of the families had given. It was pretty cool. That evening all of the host families and BYU study aborad-ers got together for a bit of dinner in the Western Springs park by the Auckland Zoo. Then Megan’s cousin came to pick her up and take her to into Auckland. She invited me to come! We ate some Chinese food, and went to Hulu Cat Tea House. I used a mango slushie with Passion Fruit Jelly bits in it. It was pretty good. Megan’s cousin and her boyfriend shouted (paid for) us that evening! It was pretty fun!
Tuesday 12 JanuaryToday I made chocolate chip cookies with Cooper (Paea’s 10 year old grandson). He was pretty amazed by the ginormous bag of chocolate chips that I brought (thanks Mom). As we made the cookies he had a blast mixing up the ingredients, and tasting the dough. It was pretty fun. The biscuits/cookies here are pretty solid, not doughy like the cookies we made. I think he liked them.
Wednesday 13 JanuaryI took the cookies bars I made with Cooper into class to supplement the devotional I gave. Class was pretty interesting. At the end of the day, we were waiting for Nga to come pick us up, and Tiago, from the Fruit stand/van (named Bernie, yes, the van's name was Bernie) that was across the street from the church came over and gave us a note. He said that he wanted us to e-mail him the pictures that we took when we met him the first time. We said ok, and said goodbye to Bernie and Taigo. Then Nga came to pick us up and took us to Paea’s house. It was just a chill night of homework and chocolate cake mix cookies (made by Amanda). Then we went up to Nga’s with Cooper while Nga and Paea had a business meeting.
Thursday 14 January
Today was the day of eternal walking to find a bus after class. Here is what happened. One day, Lauren, Amanda, Megan and I needed to take the bus home. By the time we found the correct bus stop, we had missed the bus. The sign said that it would be a 40-minute wait. So, we decided to just keep on walking. Then we got the to the next stop, and we had JUST missed that bus. So we kept on walking. Eventually we came to the warehouse stationary store, and decided to do a bit of shopping since we had 35 minutes until the next bus. We got kind of carried away while we were shopping at the stores in the shopping center, and missed that bus. We decided that we should probably just walk to the mall and save $1.40 since we were over halfway there. Then we walked, and walked and walked…and eventually found the mall. We took a quick break in the mall, and the got on the bus that would take us up by Nga’s house. We used her internet. It was again, glorious.
Friday 15 January
Today was the last day of the Assesment and Literacy Classes, we still have some assignments left to do, but they aren’t due until Monday. So, we basically crammed a semester’s worth of information into a week. I bought some postcards and some stamps for the postcards today. (It was about $9.00 for a packet with 5 stamps).
Saturday 16 January
Today was a pretty chill Saturday filled with Laundry (I guess dryer’s aren’t very common here, so I got to hang my laundry up on the line…I felt pretty accomplished. Megan and I also moved our beds around in the room; it was quite exciting. For lunch we fended for ourselves because Nga was at a class to become a Zumba Instructor...yeah Zumba…this lady has got some moves going on. We made pizzas made from frozen pizza crusts we found in the freezer…it was quite the experience. At about 6 pm Paea returned and got some KFC for us for dinner.
Week of January 17
Sunday 17 January
So church was pretty awesome today…provident living, God’s love for us and our families. In Relief Society the lady welcomed the BYU Girl’s and the Sister Missionaries and pointed to Megan (my roommate) and I. We must have looked a but confused and puzzled, because the other counselor gently interrupted her and corrected her…it was just funny. After Church I got to SKYPE with my parents in AZ and my Niece and Nephew that were visiting (with my sister and her husband). Those kids are so freaking cute. I am not even embellishing one bit…they really are brilliant, happy, smiley kiddos. That night we listened to Neil L Anderson’s CES fireside online that was presented at BYU the week before.
Monday 18 January
Today we started the maths class. No, I did not just mistype they say maths, not math to describe a class one might teach…it took some getting used to. After class, Nga picked us up and took us to Pak N’ Save, and then Nga took us to Paea’s. We gave Cooper some American coins, and a dollar bill, he thought it was pretty cool. Then we all went up to Nga’s for FHE. Nga invited Sankita, a lady from the ward, and her 2 sons. It was a cool lesson about the creation and the plan of salvation. Then we had dinner, and played UNO for the activity. Let me just tell you Cooper is a pretty competitive kid…at least he is funny.
Tuesday 19 January
8 hours of Maths. YES!! (and by YES!! I mean maybe). After class we walked up to the Church by Opanaku stream for FHE with the YSA. They had a lot of fun games to play. We played a game that was like rock, paper, scissors, but it was Man, gun, rabbit. Man controls the gun, The gun kills the rabbit, the rabbit escapes the man. You stood in two lines facing each other, and the people on your side were your teammates and you all had to decide what you were going to choose. After we played this game we all introduced ourselves.
Then we put a bunch of chairs in a circle and people were assigned to be an apple, a pear, peach, or a banana. There was a person that would stand in the middle and shout out the fruits, or say fruit salad, and everyone would have to switch seats. The last person standing would be “it”. Then we played a game similar to that, where the person that was it would say, I have never…and if you have done what was said, you had to switch seats. It was pretty fun. Then we had some refreshments and chatted. After that, we played another game. They had an almost empty L&P bottle (a fizzy drink, like Lemonade and ginger ale). They split up the boys from the girls and gave each corresponding numbers. When she called certain numbers you had to run into the middle and grab the bottle. If the other person tagged you, you lost, but if you could outrun the person, you would get a point for your team. The girls made a landslide comeback and won. The boys said, they were just being nice and let us win…haha…Then we watched UP. Megan and I left a bit early because we needed to get to bed earlier…
Wednesday 20 January
8 hours of Maths. After class, we went to Nga’s to use the wireless internet. On our way home, Megan and I decided to try to find a path that would take us to Paea’s house faster. We had heard of this magical path, but we were unable to find it. We decided to just take the long way home, When we arrived home, Paea had dinner ready for us. Yum-o. Lamb, string beans, Kumara (like a sweet potato) and potatoes. Then Cooper taught us how to play cricket…I even hit the ball and scored 6 points!! Then we came inside and had cookies and Hokey Pokey Ice cream. Then we played UNO. It was pretty fun. Then they taught us how to play “last card” (it is like UNO with face cards). If someone puts down a 2 or a 5 you have to draw either 2 or 5 cards. If a 10 is put down, it is like a skip. An Ace with change the suite. You can use the same number/color/suite to change the suite. It was pretty fun.
Thursday 21 January
Today was the last day of the Math class! The teacher is just really interesting….and by interesting I mean eccentric…and by eccentric I mean different. After class we were going to go to Breanna’s house to plan our trip to Australia, but not enough people could go. So, we went with Nga. She took us to a fruit store called SilverBelles. Then we went to the Westfield Mall. After that we went to Nga’s house and used the internet. After that, we decided to try to find the shortcut home. After looking up a possible path from Nga’s house to Border road (which would take us to Paea’s) we decided to head out. We ended up walking through a foresty type of area. It was like hiking…with a heavy backpack…and I didn’t have proper hiking shoes, and there was not a path.
After traipsing through the forests of Waitakere, we eventually found our way to the main road after about 25 minutes. Then, we saw this path like thing. Well, it was more of a path then what we had just walked through. So, we walked up the path, and found that it led to the place that we had walked to the day before, and then just turned around. So, now we know which way to go. Megan and I felt pretty epic and empowered after our adventure. When we got back to Paea’s we told her about our adventure, and she just kind of laughed at us. At least she thought it was funny. After dinner (pizza), Paea had a meeting to go to, so we hung out with Cooper. We played UNO and then we played cricket, and then soccer. Cooper is pretty competitive, and he ended up winning the Cricket game. Overall, today was a pretty good day.
Friday 22 January
Today we started the Science and Social studies classes. It rained a bit today. Megan and I went to Sam and Jill’s host house for a SLEEPOVER! Yep. We watched hairspray, it was pretty fun. Then at 6:30 we went to a swim party at the High School. It was kid of raining, but they barbequed some sausages and we had a great time with the YSA.
Saturday 23 January
Today we went to the Otara Market with Rosie (Sam and Jill’s host mom). It was pretty sweet as. They had a lot of stuff. I bought a lava lava, ate a lamb kebab, and some banana flavored poke (pronounced pokey) in cream. It was a mixture of bread pudding/jello. It was also mighty tasty. After that we went to Crystal Mountain. It is a museum/gift shop in a big rock. It was pretty cool. We took the lift down to the museum, and say some mighty geodes and other rocks from around the world. It was sweet as. Then we went back to Rosie’s. I tried a mussel (seafood). It was interesting…and by interesting, I mean kind of gross. But I ate it. Then we watched Project Runway, and Rosie’s friend came over and visited with her. Then Roise drove us home.
Week of January 24th
Sunday 24 January
Learning about the Fall of Adam and Eve. Sizzlers (hot dogs/sausages with cheese in the middle). Chocolate chip cookies. Uno. Reading the Book of Mormon with Cooper. Good day.
Monday 25 January
School. In science class we learned why popcorn pops. In Social Stuides we learn about the Influenza Epidemic in 1918 in New Zealand. That night we had FHE with Amanda and Lauren.
Tuesday 26 January
Science: We mixed citric acid and baking soda with water. Then we mixed it in a soda bottle, and put a balloon over it, and it inflated the balloon.
Social Studies: Current events. 1080 poison and possums.
FHE at the church: we played basketball and Mafia. One person is the narrator, and other people are either the doctor, detective, and 2 people are mafia members, and the rest are citizens. Everyone closes their eyes except for the mafia members. They chose to “kill” someone and then the mafia members close their eyes. Then the doctor chooses one person to “save” in hopes of saving a random person they thought might be “killed”. The detective chooses one person they want to investigate as a mafia member. Then everyone opens their eyes and the narrator tells the story of how the person was killed, and if they were saved or not. Then the group elects a person that they think are a mafia member. That person is “killed’. And the game continues on. It was a pretty fun game.
Wednesday 27 January
Social Studies: Social Activism, children can change the world.
Science. Density tests…what floats your boat? Less dense water.
Uploaded pictures to facebook (check them out).
Thursday 28 January
Science: Talked about classifying things. During science, Megan and I went to the doctor to investigate the atrocious spots that were appearing on our legs, arms, backs…etc. We went to the Medical clinic. The doctor decided we just had some gnarly bug bites (my terminology, not his). He gave a prescription for some Hydrocortisone cream in an industrial grade size tube. Then we went back to class. In Social studies we talked about diversity and global citizenship.
Friday 29 January
Today was the last day of classes! In social studies we learned about the 1981 Springbok Rugby tour controversy. In the science class, we made rockets with film canisters. It was sweet as. That evening Megan and I took the bus from the Mall to the Sam and Jill’s. Most of the group got together and watched the movie Mean Girls. We made s’mores with wine crackers/biscuits, Cadbury chocolate, and tropical marshmallows. It was pretty fun.
Saturday 30 January
Cooper and I did some science experiments with baking soda and vinegar. It was awesome.
Today Chris (from our ward) took Megan and I too the Auckland Seafood Festival. Yes. I ate seafood…despite my initial aversion to it. Megan and I got in for free, because some random guy handed us some tickets for the festival. It was pretty cool. Once we got into the festival I ate Salmon, Prawns, mussels, part of a seafood fritter. I also tried some maple Syrup and Walnut Ice Cream and Swiss Chocolate Ice Cream. We also tried the fizzy drinks (soda) from Mac’s Brewery: black currant, Green apple, and Ginger beer. After the festival, we walked down Queens street, and stopped at Giapo and got some gelato. Megan and I shared a hazelnut and Nutella, and a black forest cherry gelato. Delish. Then Christ took us to a Marai (marae?). It was closed, but the structures were pretty cool. We also saw the Auckland skyline just as the sun was setting. B-E-A-U-TIFUL!
Week of January 31
Sunday 31 January
Church was pretty sublime today. We had a combined meeting in the last hour, as it was the 5th Sunday. That evening we went to a musical fireside. We got the times a bit mixed up, and were late for the English version. So we stayed for the Samoan Fireside. They talked about the plan of salvation. They had prompts that were read in Samoan and English, and then members of the ward would sing a musical number that coincided with a different part in the plan of salvation. It was pretty awesome. As people were leaving they shook our hands (we were sitting on the back row), and I felt like a celebrity. I think that they thought we were investigators (since we were obviously not Samoan), or they knew we were the “BYU girls”.
Monday 1 February
Today we packed our stuff for the South Island. It was a nice and chillaxin’ day. We were supposed to go the beach, but it was cancelled because it was raining in the morning. So I did homework. On the random, Paea brought home 2 HUGE rolls of carpet. They were kind of nasty and first, but then she cleaned them up, and cut them up, and we have a new pale pink area rug in the living, room, and under the dining room table. It is pretty nice!
That evening, Megan and I taught the FHE lesson about the Vision of the tree of life. I had a YOUtube video that had pictures, and a guy reading the verses from 1 Nephi Chapter 8 from the Book of Mormon. Then we talked about what they things in the vision meant. It was a pretty good lesson. Then we watched random YOUtube videos, The Nga had us play this game where we had to pass a piece…of something through our legs (while sitting down, with our legs like an upside down V). You had to rotate through the people on your team until the first person was the at the beginning of the line. It was pretty fun. Then we played Bum Charades, where you have to form the letters in the air, with your bum and spell out the word…it was pretty funny to watch…and embarrassing to perform. Then we played the game where you write down a question, and put you paper in the middle. Someone else answers your question. Then everybody switches up their papers. You then go around the circle and read your question, the person next to you reads their answer…and so on until you go around the circle. It is pretty funny.
Tuesday 12 JanuaryToday I made chocolate chip cookies with Cooper (Paea’s 10 year old grandson). He was pretty amazed by the ginormous bag of chocolate chips that I brought (thanks Mom). As we made the cookies he had a blast mixing up the ingredients, and tasting the dough. It was pretty fun. The biscuits/cookies here are pretty solid, not doughy like the cookies we made. I think he liked them.
Wednesday 13 JanuaryI took the cookies bars I made with Cooper into class to supplement the devotional I gave. Class was pretty interesting. At the end of the day, we were waiting for Nga to come pick us up, and Tiago, from the Fruit stand/van (named Bernie, yes, the van's name was Bernie) that was across the street from the church came over and gave us a note. He said that he wanted us to e-mail him the pictures that we took when we met him the first time. We said ok, and said goodbye to Bernie and Taigo. Then Nga came to pick us up and took us to Paea’s house. It was just a chill night of homework and chocolate cake mix cookies (made by Amanda). Then we went up to Nga’s with Cooper while Nga and Paea had a business meeting.
Thursday 14 JanuaryToday was the day of eternal walking to find a bus after class. Here is what happened. One day, Lauren, Amanda, Megan and I needed to take the bus home. By the time we found the correct bus stop, we had missed the bus. The sign said that it would be a 40-minute wait. So, we decided to just keep on walking. Then we got the to the next stop, and we had JUST missed that bus. So we kept on walking. Eventually we came to the warehouse stationary store, and decided to do a bit of shopping since we had 35 minutes until the next bus. We got kind of carried away while we were shopping at the stores in the shopping center, and missed that bus. We decided that we should probably just walk to the mall and save $1.40 since we were over halfway there. Then we walked, and walked and walked…and eventually found the mall. We took a quick break in the mall, and the got on the bus that would take us up by Nga’s house. We used her internet. It was again, glorious.
Friday 15 January
Today was the last day of the Assesment and Literacy Classes, we still have some assignments left to do, but they aren’t due until Monday. So, we basically crammed a semester’s worth of information into a week. I bought some postcards and some stamps for the postcards today. (It was about $9.00 for a packet with 5 stamps).
Saturday 16 January
Today was a pretty chill Saturday filled with Laundry (I guess dryer’s aren’t very common here, so I got to hang my laundry up on the line…I felt pretty accomplished. Megan and I also moved our beds around in the room; it was quite exciting. For lunch we fended for ourselves because Nga was at a class to become a Zumba Instructor...yeah Zumba…this lady has got some moves going on. We made pizzas made from frozen pizza crusts we found in the freezer…it was quite the experience. At about 6 pm Paea returned and got some KFC for us for dinner.
Week of January 17
Sunday 17 January
So church was pretty awesome today…provident living, God’s love for us and our families. In Relief Society the lady welcomed the BYU Girl’s and the Sister Missionaries and pointed to Megan (my roommate) and I. We must have looked a but confused and puzzled, because the other counselor gently interrupted her and corrected her…it was just funny. After Church I got to SKYPE with my parents in AZ and my Niece and Nephew that were visiting (with my sister and her husband). Those kids are so freaking cute. I am not even embellishing one bit…they really are brilliant, happy, smiley kiddos. That night we listened to Neil L Anderson’s CES fireside online that was presented at BYU the week before.
Monday 18 January
Today we started the maths class. No, I did not just mistype they say maths, not math to describe a class one might teach…it took some getting used to. After class, Nga picked us up and took us to Pak N’ Save, and then Nga took us to Paea’s. We gave Cooper some American coins, and a dollar bill, he thought it was pretty cool. Then we all went up to Nga’s for FHE. Nga invited Sankita, a lady from the ward, and her 2 sons. It was a cool lesson about the creation and the plan of salvation. Then we had dinner, and played UNO for the activity. Let me just tell you Cooper is a pretty competitive kid…at least he is funny.
Tuesday 19 January
8 hours of Maths. YES!! (and by YES!! I mean maybe). After class we walked up to the Church by Opanaku stream for FHE with the YSA. They had a lot of fun games to play. We played a game that was like rock, paper, scissors, but it was Man, gun, rabbit. Man controls the gun, The gun kills the rabbit, the rabbit escapes the man. You stood in two lines facing each other, and the people on your side were your teammates and you all had to decide what you were going to choose. After we played this game we all introduced ourselves.
Then we put a bunch of chairs in a circle and people were assigned to be an apple, a pear, peach, or a banana. There was a person that would stand in the middle and shout out the fruits, or say fruit salad, and everyone would have to switch seats. The last person standing would be “it”. Then we played a game similar to that, where the person that was it would say, I have never…and if you have done what was said, you had to switch seats. It was pretty fun. Then we had some refreshments and chatted. After that, we played another game. They had an almost empty L&P bottle (a fizzy drink, like Lemonade and ginger ale). They split up the boys from the girls and gave each corresponding numbers. When she called certain numbers you had to run into the middle and grab the bottle. If the other person tagged you, you lost, but if you could outrun the person, you would get a point for your team. The girls made a landslide comeback and won. The boys said, they were just being nice and let us win…haha…Then we watched UP. Megan and I left a bit early because we needed to get to bed earlier…
Wednesday 20 January
8 hours of Maths. After class, we went to Nga’s to use the wireless internet. On our way home, Megan and I decided to try to find a path that would take us to Paea’s house faster. We had heard of this magical path, but we were unable to find it. We decided to just take the long way home, When we arrived home, Paea had dinner ready for us. Yum-o. Lamb, string beans, Kumara (like a sweet potato) and potatoes. Then Cooper taught us how to play cricket…I even hit the ball and scored 6 points!! Then we came inside and had cookies and Hokey Pokey Ice cream. Then we played UNO. It was pretty fun. Then they taught us how to play “last card” (it is like UNO with face cards). If someone puts down a 2 or a 5 you have to draw either 2 or 5 cards. If a 10 is put down, it is like a skip. An Ace with change the suite. You can use the same number/color/suite to change the suite. It was pretty fun.
Thursday 21 January
Today was the last day of the Math class! The teacher is just really interesting….and by interesting I mean eccentric…and by eccentric I mean different. After class we were going to go to Breanna’s house to plan our trip to Australia, but not enough people could go. So, we went with Nga. She took us to a fruit store called SilverBelles. Then we went to the Westfield Mall. After that we went to Nga’s house and used the internet. After that, we decided to try to find the shortcut home. After looking up a possible path from Nga’s house to Border road (which would take us to Paea’s) we decided to head out. We ended up walking through a foresty type of area. It was like hiking…with a heavy backpack…and I didn’t have proper hiking shoes, and there was not a path.
After traipsing through the forests of Waitakere, we eventually found our way to the main road after about 25 minutes. Then, we saw this path like thing. Well, it was more of a path then what we had just walked through. So, we walked up the path, and found that it led to the place that we had walked to the day before, and then just turned around. So, now we know which way to go. Megan and I felt pretty epic and empowered after our adventure. When we got back to Paea’s we told her about our adventure, and she just kind of laughed at us. At least she thought it was funny. After dinner (pizza), Paea had a meeting to go to, so we hung out with Cooper. We played UNO and then we played cricket, and then soccer. Cooper is pretty competitive, and he ended up winning the Cricket game. Overall, today was a pretty good day.
Friday 22 January
Today we started the Science and Social studies classes. It rained a bit today. Megan and I went to Sam and Jill’s host house for a SLEEPOVER! Yep. We watched hairspray, it was pretty fun. Then at 6:30 we went to a swim party at the High School. It was kid of raining, but they barbequed some sausages and we had a great time with the YSA.
Saturday 23 January
Today we went to the Otara Market with Rosie (Sam and Jill’s host mom). It was pretty sweet as. They had a lot of stuff. I bought a lava lava, ate a lamb kebab, and some banana flavored poke (pronounced pokey) in cream. It was a mixture of bread pudding/jello. It was also mighty tasty. After that we went to Crystal Mountain. It is a museum/gift shop in a big rock. It was pretty cool. We took the lift down to the museum, and say some mighty geodes and other rocks from around the world. It was sweet as. Then we went back to Rosie’s. I tried a mussel (seafood). It was interesting…and by interesting, I mean kind of gross. But I ate it. Then we watched Project Runway, and Rosie’s friend came over and visited with her. Then Roise drove us home.
Week of January 24th
Sunday 24 January
Learning about the Fall of Adam and Eve. Sizzlers (hot dogs/sausages with cheese in the middle). Chocolate chip cookies. Uno. Reading the Book of Mormon with Cooper. Good day.
Monday 25 January
School. In science class we learned why popcorn pops. In Social Stuides we learn about the Influenza Epidemic in 1918 in New Zealand. That night we had FHE with Amanda and Lauren.
Tuesday 26 January
Science: We mixed citric acid and baking soda with water. Then we mixed it in a soda bottle, and put a balloon over it, and it inflated the balloon.
Social Studies: Current events. 1080 poison and possums.
FHE at the church: we played basketball and Mafia. One person is the narrator, and other people are either the doctor, detective, and 2 people are mafia members, and the rest are citizens. Everyone closes their eyes except for the mafia members. They chose to “kill” someone and then the mafia members close their eyes. Then the doctor chooses one person to “save” in hopes of saving a random person they thought might be “killed”. The detective chooses one person they want to investigate as a mafia member. Then everyone opens their eyes and the narrator tells the story of how the person was killed, and if they were saved or not. Then the group elects a person that they think are a mafia member. That person is “killed’. And the game continues on. It was a pretty fun game.
Wednesday 27 January
Social Studies: Social Activism, children can change the world.
Science. Density tests…what floats your boat? Less dense water.
Uploaded pictures to facebook (check them out).
Thursday 28 January
Science: Talked about classifying things. During science, Megan and I went to the doctor to investigate the atrocious spots that were appearing on our legs, arms, backs…etc. We went to the Medical clinic. The doctor decided we just had some gnarly bug bites (my terminology, not his). He gave a prescription for some Hydrocortisone cream in an industrial grade size tube. Then we went back to class. In Social studies we talked about diversity and global citizenship.
Friday 29 January
Today was the last day of classes! In social studies we learned about the 1981 Springbok Rugby tour controversy. In the science class, we made rockets with film canisters. It was sweet as. That evening Megan and I took the bus from the Mall to the Sam and Jill’s. Most of the group got together and watched the movie Mean Girls. We made s’mores with wine crackers/biscuits, Cadbury chocolate, and tropical marshmallows. It was pretty fun.
Saturday 30 January
Cooper and I did some science experiments with baking soda and vinegar. It was awesome.
Today Chris (from our ward) took Megan and I too the Auckland Seafood Festival. Yes. I ate seafood…despite my initial aversion to it. Megan and I got in for free, because some random guy handed us some tickets for the festival. It was pretty cool. Once we got into the festival I ate Salmon, Prawns, mussels, part of a seafood fritter. I also tried some maple Syrup and Walnut Ice Cream and Swiss Chocolate Ice Cream. We also tried the fizzy drinks (soda) from Mac’s Brewery: black currant, Green apple, and Ginger beer. After the festival, we walked down Queens street, and stopped at Giapo and got some gelato. Megan and I shared a hazelnut and Nutella, and a black forest cherry gelato. Delish. Then Christ took us to a Marai (marae?). It was closed, but the structures were pretty cool. We also saw the Auckland skyline just as the sun was setting. B-E-A-U-TIFUL!
Week of January 31
Sunday 31 January
Church was pretty sublime today. We had a combined meeting in the last hour, as it was the 5th Sunday. That evening we went to a musical fireside. We got the times a bit mixed up, and were late for the English version. So we stayed for the Samoan Fireside. They talked about the plan of salvation. They had prompts that were read in Samoan and English, and then members of the ward would sing a musical number that coincided with a different part in the plan of salvation. It was pretty awesome. As people were leaving they shook our hands (we were sitting on the back row), and I felt like a celebrity. I think that they thought we were investigators (since we were obviously not Samoan), or they knew we were the “BYU girls”.
Monday 1 February
Today we packed our stuff for the South Island. It was a nice and chillaxin’ day. We were supposed to go the beach, but it was cancelled because it was raining in the morning. So I did homework. On the random, Paea brought home 2 HUGE rolls of carpet. They were kind of nasty and first, but then she cleaned them up, and cut them up, and we have a new pale pink area rug in the living, room, and under the dining room table. It is pretty nice!
That evening, Megan and I taught the FHE lesson about the Vision of the tree of life. I had a YOUtube video that had pictures, and a guy reading the verses from 1 Nephi Chapter 8 from the Book of Mormon. Then we talked about what they things in the vision meant. It was a pretty good lesson. Then we watched random YOUtube videos, The Nga had us play this game where we had to pass a piece…of something through our legs (while sitting down, with our legs like an upside down V). You had to rotate through the people on your team until the first person was the at the beginning of the line. It was pretty fun. Then we played Bum Charades, where you have to form the letters in the air, with your bum and spell out the word…it was pretty funny to watch…and embarrassing to perform. Then we played the game where you write down a question, and put you paper in the middle. Someone else answers your question. Then everybody switches up their papers. You then go around the circle and read your question, the person next to you reads their answer…and so on until you go around the circle. It is pretty funny.
