Living in Auckland

Kia Ora everyone!

It's been quite awhile since my last post! Things have been going really well in Auckland; I've been settled in the city since my big fall break adventures. It has also reached the point in the semester where I actually have assignments! The Uni system here is similar to many other countries around the world but not at all like undergraduate colleges in the United States. Courses, known as papers, typically only have one or two midterm assignments, no homework or regular reading, and then the final exam. This means that all of my grade is wrapped up into two or three big assignments, but in between them I have lots of free time! I have presently been finishing up large essays in all of my classes, on modern sculpture in Art History, local stream quality in Environmental Management, and an exercise on geothermal energy in New Zealand Geology. I have also recently finished up the rough draft of my independent research project.

This project actually began on Field Camp all those weeks ago; on the final week we visited a Pulp and Paper Mill in the Bay of Plenty region to analyze the water quality of the Tarawera River which ran near the plant. Previous Frontiers Abroad students have examined the water from various points on the river for its cation concentrations-potassium, sodium, calcium, zinc and magnesium. Adjacent to the river in one location is a landfill site that the Pulp and Paper Mill dumps its solid waste. Though not classified as toxic, the topography of the land suggests that contaminants from this site may be leaching into the surrounding environment and consequently the Tarawera River. In my project, the Frontiers Abroad crew and I collected a large sample of this solid waste and brought it back to the lab at the University of Auckland. Designing my own experiments, I wanted to see under what pH conditions concentrations of these cations were leaching from the solid waste to the surrounding environment. My experiments suggest that in the case of potassium, magnesium and calcium more cations leach from the solid waste under more acidic conditions. This is actually good news; the pH of rainwater is typically between 5-6 and the largest cation concentrations I found were under lower pHs at about 2-3. New Zealand typically does not experience acid rain. However under conditions 5-6 significant concentrations of cations were still released into the surrounding environment.

I also tested a few additional parameters, specifically, if the cation concentration emitted increased over time and whether if the amount of solid waste used in my sample was increased would the cation concentration in the extracted liquid increase as well. I found both of these to be true in my experiments. These both have negative implications for the landfill site near the Tarawera River. There are large amounts of solid waste at these locations and it sits for a very long time. It was a very fulfilling project to complete and I hope that in the future another Frontiers Abroad student will continue the work I began here. I was interested in potentially continuing this line of research for my thesis but have found another opportunity.

But onto the actual purpose of this post-I wanted to talk about living in Auckland and how in many ways, I think it is probably just like being in a city in the United States. I think this may be the case in many cities around the world, you of course have your chain fast food restaurants, your diverse populations and people surprisingly just like you.

This is of course not my picture but Twilight has become an bestseller in the United States-the movie adaptations raking in billions of dollars. This phenomenon is not limited to the United States. I want to tell you about my best friend here, a girl for convenience I will call Ana. I met Ana in my Art History Tutorial, we sat next to each other, after after laughing through the period together, became fast friends. The most remarkable thing about our friendship is that we come from entirely different countries and educational backgrounds but our interests have much overlap. We're always eager to talk about the newest episodes of our favorite shows, from How I Met Your Mother to the Big Bang Theory to discussing what new shows we should be watching together. We both love Twilight, have guiltily read fan-fiction, and are big Harry Potter enthusiasts. Pretty much the only difference we've nailed down is her appreciation of Penelope Cruz while I was pretty upset that Keira Knightley wasn't in the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie! We often finish each other's sentences and can frequently be found thinking the same things. I think it is a testament to how people all over the world are pretty much the same everywhere. Not in the sense of unoriginality, but in the overwhelming presence of commonality. I was very lucky to find such good friends here in Auckland and I will be very sad to leave them in just over a month. I can only know that someday I will come back to New Zealand and hopefully Ana and some of my other friends here can come visit in the US someday.

One thing that reminded me more of being home than virtually anything was going to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides last night! Though I wanted to see it a day earlier, to see it earlier than anyone in the United States, I went and saw it yesterday with my friend Jean from France who I met on my Hobbiton trip. I had a great time at the movie and actually really enjoyed it (though I really enjoy all of the Pirates movies, I thought this one really brought back the spirit of the first movie AND had an awesome girl pirate)! At home I always go to the movie near opening day-even for the second one my parents and I were traveling in Ashville Oregon and found a theater to go see it in! Here the movies are just as big of a phenomenon and Johnny Depp just as loved. All of these things make me feel a lot less far from home; people are pretty similar everywhere. I think with all of the conflicts in the news we forget that people around the world are just that-people, like us. Twilight loving, Pirates of the Caribbean watching, Subway going (though they don't have $5 foot longs!) people just like us.
Also Colbert loving! Though perhaps this was an American's mug. A flatmate of mine actually found it walking back from a party one night but I've found that Colbert is pretty popular here. Obama likewise is treated rather as a celebrity. Walking down some of the main roads you are sure to see Obama on t-shirts or people talking about him in political discussions. He has a very good reputation from what I can tell, as a highly intelligent good leader. Despite the fact Obama's polls have been suffering at home, he appears to be well-respected here and really turning around the United States' image abroad.

In fact, in my Environmental Effects and Management paper we were discussing mining around the world and mining policy. In the United States before Bush it was illegal to table-top mine in Virgina and West-Virigina-basically exactly what it sounds like, cutting of the top of the mountain to look for coal. My professor actually said "But during Bush's...reign" this ban was lifted via an executive order. Obama during his campaign, he told us, promised to lift this ban, but in order to overturn and order has to have Congress approval which hasn't happened yet. Our lecturer was very sympathetic to Obama, telling us that he tried but was unable to get it through. Obama has a very good image and is seen on the news quite frequently now. Since the killing of Bin Laden Obama has been on the news numerous times. He is perceived well, as were his comments about not celebrating the death of an individual but the abolishment of terror in the Middle East. However even on this topic I have heard mixed reviews. My friend Ana really respected his remarks and thought that his response was appropriate and the United States had justice on their side in killing the head of a terror organization. However another friend mentioned how "she just didn't like the United States" and the way we practice our politics. Unfortunately I see the merit of that remark as well. The United States is very much in the news here in both positive and negative lights.

I do think it warrants a mention that in my Environmental Management class the US has been continuously reported as a world leader in research and in many environmental protection actions. Though certainly not perfect, the US pioneered many methods and standards. Even the procedure I adapted to do my own individual research was first used by the US EPA and has been used all over the world since.
I thought this was a good summation of what I've mentioned in this post-US influence is very much alive here in Auckland. I think it is somewhat different in feel perhaps but maybe there is a "world culture" on the rise. A culture perhaps different from just the US but experiencing influences from around the world. It's a small world after all. I may be more than 8,000 miles from home but a lot of the time, you wouldn't notice. This pizza for example, New York style and some of the best I've ever had. Going into the store, eating the pizza and catching the Yankees game? You might as well be in New York City.

That's it for now, I'll hopefully post again soon. 36 days and I'll be on my way home!