Off again

"No great leap for a man, but a leap in the dark. Straight over Gollum's head he jumped, seven feet forward and three in the air; indeed, had he known it, he only just missed cracking his skull on the low arch of the passage."

Tomorrow I leave for the west coast of New Zealand for my ecology class. During that time I will again be without internet or access to a phone. This program is certainly keeping all of us on our toes with all of this traveling. I anticipate lots of long car rides, rain-filled plant filled identification, glacier exploration, and very little sleep.

This past week marked the week of marine ecology. Each day we had class in the morning and then spent from after lunch until dinner observing marine life on the coast of the Kaikoura Peninsula. We some sweet stuff: anenomes, sea stars, hermit crabs, brittle stars, decorator crabs, and white bate. We even got to go snorkeling and spear fishing! Get this-I saw a real live, ginormous (it's a word) octopus! That was the coolest thing ever. I really do enjoy snorkeling. I was having so much fun I didn't quite realise how cold it was (we had wetsuites on). By the time i got out of the water my entire body was shivering. It's alright, group hugs help.

This week also includes my absolute worst case of senior-itis to date. I realized that this is more or less my last class of undergrad and somehow that greatly prohibited me from doing work (or maybe it was the sunny 75 degree weather, not sure). Either way, I probably could have done better in class this week :) But hey, life isn't all about getting 100% on every exam. Sometimes life is about throwing a roll of masking tape into a toaster or planning the making of a documentary about documentaries or sleeping on the grass or almost dislocating your shoulder trying to catch a frisbee while doing a handstand. Life is about a lot of wonderful things.

I think the biggest thing of all is that I have left than a month left in this amazing place. Perspective certainly changes when you realize time is not infinite. Sleep is suddenly less important. Watching the sunrise and the moonset is suddently more important. There is a lot left to do here and not nearly enough time (I don't think there would be enough time if i spent my whole life here)

What I learned this week was really just one thing: I really like people. I like talking to them, getting to know them, being around them. I actually enjoy becoming attached to people even though it is scary. Life is so much better when you take the risk and put yourself out there.