Internship Beginings

I am on day 2! Im having internet access issues, so Im writing this from work, and haven't had a chance to upload any pictures. I have about an hour total commute from downtown Wellington to my little lab on the coast. My bus takes about 30 minutes, and the walk another 30. The walk is the best part- well, once I get over the hill/mountain it is! The view is amazing. Think blue green water, rocky shores and a windy road. I will post pictures when I am able.

Yesterday I got a tour of the whole facility. 8 scientists/technicians work here, so its tiny. I saw tanks of sea cucumbers (so ugly they're almost cute!), abalone that run from baby larvae that have settled (about the size of the o in dot) to adult, about the size of a tennis ball. They can evidently get bigger. Theyre in the process of setting up an ocean acidification study/lab which I will hopefully get to work on! Seems like a good chunk of my work is going to be continuing a study on the bioenergetics of a specific fish species that is extremely valuable. I dont want to bore you with science-y specifics, but it will involve monitoring oxygen use by the fish while changing variables (temperature, time of feeding/digestion, and water velocity) all with the aim to understand what conditions it thrives in best. Should be interesting. I got to go out in a boat yesterday and help with the feeding of the fish that are out in the bay, held in nets. My boss also gave me a tour of the area, and I got to see a Little Blue Penguin! It was just bobbing in the water, not a care in the world. Definitely a highlight! Not sure what today has in store, but the people here are really nice. Still awkward to come into such an established place and be the newbie, especially when everyone has PhD's! We do have bells that ring at 10 for tea, 12 for lunch, and 3 for tea which I find quite amusing. They might turn me into a tea drinker yet!

I have a sunburn. Go figure. Evidently theres a very thin ozone layer here. Here's hoping its my base layer for a tan!

More kiwi words!
sparky- electrician (i like this one)
tramping-hiking (i might have already done this, I dont remember)
choice- good
rubbish bin- trash can

I'm thinking of joining a local 'tramping club' to do some hikes while I'm around. Seems like a good way to meet some locals! Is definitely not second nature to say "i'm going tramping"...

Wellington is a really pretty city. Very walkable. There are some gorgeous houses on the hills and sea-sides- I believe I've found about 10 I want to move in to. Speaking of houses- my boss lives really close to Peter Jackson's house. My bus goes right past Weta Studios where all the Lord of the Rings movies were produced, and where the Hobbit is being produced. I've been told that they're filming The Hobbit quite close to here which is very exciting!! Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get to see where.

Duty calls. Of course there's so much more that I will remember after I post. Hope everyone is great!

Greetings from New Zealand!

I arrived here on Wednesday, your Tuesday in fine spirits! Have been staying at a hostel until I settle into my apt with 3 others tomorrow. Wellington is fantastic. My love of the new Zealand accent has been confirmed. Fur seals have been sighted, cliff views have been seen, a hike up mt Victoria to view Wellington from above has been accomplished and I'm already planning more adventures. Internship starts on Monday -yikes- but I'm very excited. More posts to come soon as Internet now is sketchy and expensive. I will leave you with some kiwi lingo... Jandals - sandals Togs-swimsuit Sweet as-awesome

Where I will be

Wellington!