So during our orientation for australearn and through the University of Iowa TIPS program, they told us we would be experiencing many things, probably a lot of great things(trips, new clubs and friends!) and some not so great things like homesickness and personal illness. But with all the sessions that I have been through, we werent told how to deal with death of a fellow student while abroad. But that is what happened to me and a whole bunch of my friends this past weekend.
Last week, I joined the Alpine Club with the greatest hopes to conquer fear and have fun while camping, bungee jumping, kayaking, rock climbing, caving and horse trekking. About 100 of us in the alpine club were doing a introductory course of bungee/bridge jumping. I was number 9/100, so I was very early in the day.
However, later in the day, it was another student's turn to go, and she did her jump, but instead of swinging back and forth before reaching the ground, she fell 25 metres into the rocks. The police are still investigating what and why it happened. But after she fell she was rushed to the Palmerston North Hospital, than a few hours later she died of most likely severe head injuries. All of us cant comprehend why it was then, why did we land safely and not her? The group that was there will probably never forget the sounds they heard and what they saw. For me, whenever I go to sleep, I play that image in my head which is why I wake up and cant sleep.
Before coming to New Zealand, I could tell you a million things that would happen, like going to the beach, the south island, learning the haka and meeting a bunch a great people, but a student dying that was in the same group that I was in, wasn't going to be one of them. Nothing prepares you for a freak accident. Now I'm looking forward to more bonding with the Alpine Club and my friends, because nothing will ever be the same.
Ok, sorry I'll hopefully have more happy post later, like when I go down to wellington!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Alpine Club Outing- Freshers
So, I joined the alpine club which is everything outdoors and is the longest running club on campus, also it is it's 80th birthday this year, so it's supposed to be a year to remember. The first outing we had was bridge/bungee jumping, we had harnesses on our shoulders and hips so we were sure to be strapped in. It was probably one of the scariest and most rewarding thing I did(besides alyssa in marching band draggin us onto shreika in Tampa during the bowl trip). It was so much fun, I'll post a video of it here. I did a handstand on the ledge and then got pushed off, Alastair the instructor guy said at the first initial drop we were going 80 mph!
http://www.facebook.com/video/videos.php?of=14827687#/video/video.php?v=661558274813&subj=14827687 Here is the link for my video, or you can just facebook me and search under my videos...It was a lot of fun, well until the afternoon, but I will write about that in another blog post.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
My Classes/O-Week!!
I am taking 4 classes and they are:
Blockbusters and Biopics: A history at the movies, basically a movie class, where we watch and write about historical movies. We just watched Mississippi Burning about the 1964 freedom summer. Next up is the Cold war and Mcarthyism where we will watch the oscar nominee Good Night and Good Luck. Later we will doing the victorian era and finish with Saving Private Ryan.
Earth Science: I learn about rocks and minerals and mostly about the Grand Canyon.
Society, Environment and Place: a course about human geographies its for my International Studies/Human rights major.
Making New Zealand: A Survey to 1914 is a new zealand course, we mainly study the maori who landed here in 1350 and then european colonization.
BUT, there is also O-WEEK!!!
Its a crazy week at the beginning of the school year, there is a FOGA party, Comedians, Concerts, traditional Hangi maori meal, Bizarre Ball and lots of drinking which the university sponsers.
It was so much fun, but nothing like down in the south island, in the college town of dunedin, during the FOGA party there was riots, flipped cars, drugs and lots of drinking. This was probably the equivalent to Madison Halloween State Street 2002.
Blockbusters and Biopics: A history at the movies, basically a movie class, where we watch and write about historical movies. We just watched Mississippi Burning about the 1964 freedom summer. Next up is the Cold war and Mcarthyism where we will watch the oscar nominee Good Night and Good Luck. Later we will doing the victorian era and finish with Saving Private Ryan.
Earth Science: I learn about rocks and minerals and mostly about the Grand Canyon.
Society, Environment and Place: a course about human geographies its for my International Studies/Human rights major.
Making New Zealand: A Survey to 1914 is a new zealand course, we mainly study the maori who landed here in 1350 and then european colonization.
BUT, there is also O-WEEK!!!
Its a crazy week at the beginning of the school year, there is a FOGA party, Comedians, Concerts, traditional Hangi maori meal, Bizarre Ball and lots of drinking which the university sponsers.
It was so much fun, but nothing like down in the south island, in the college town of dunedin, during the FOGA party there was riots, flipped cars, drugs and lots of drinking. This was probably the equivalent to Madison Halloween State Street 2002.
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