1. I have a job! I just found out I will be the new Open Borders Cultural Assistant. Sounds important, eh? Basically, Open Borders is a new program - just opened this year - where one floor of one hall is devoted to international students. The floor houses both international and American students - as room-mates. They learn about each other's cultures and countries. My position involves helping people to adjust to their new environment, a bit of programming (planning fun activities), and possibly a bit of web design. I'm REALLY EXCITED to be returning to my RA family!
2. I just received my grade in Standards of Effective Practice - the class where I've been writing papers related to what I've learne during my student teaching - and I got an A.
3. Dare I say it? I'm feeling a bit better today!
4. DOLPHINS! Bottle-nose to be exact, about 20 of them in Doubtful Sound. The trip was good, different from the Milford one. For Milford they drive you two hours, with a few sight-seeing stops, over a mountain pass to the boat and then you go for a cruise. The Doubtful Sound trip you start on a boat - get a tour as you cross Lake Manapouri. When you get to the other side they take you 2000 metres beneath a mountain for a look at the Manapouri Power Station. Then you go an hour over a mountain pass to another boat and this is the one which you cruise on through Doubtful Sounds. Doubtful Sounds is much bigger than Milford - so you can't see the entire thing - and it was really rainy and windy and the water was choppy so they didn't take us all the way out to the Tasman Sea this time - but we got to see it. We also saw some Fiordland Crested Penguins (same as I saw in Milford - the rarest penguins in the world) and my love of loves DOLPHINS! They were so much bigger than the Dusky one's I saw up in Kaikoura. The skipper started the boat and ran for about 30 seconds then stopped and the dolphins road the waves - jumping all around! AMAZING - I got one ok pic and one that could have been great if I had pointed the camera a bit to the left! DARN! I'm debating which is harder - taking pictures of bouncing kangaroos as you drift silently through the air in a hot air balloon - or - taking pictures of leaping dolphins as you bounce about the water in a boat.