The Countdown Is On

In exactly one month I will be flying out of Wellington, headed for Norway and three weeks of summer and seeing family and friends.

At the moment I’m trying to finish (lies – start) my final assignments for this trimester. I’ve got three essays due to be handed in on the 13th, 14th, and 16th of June. They all have to be between 2000 and 3000 words.

As for what I’ve been doing lately, I’ve got three words to sum it up: uni, boyfriend, parties. I’ve spent far too many days (and nights) in the library so far this year, writing essay after essay, doing research and drinking coffee. When I’ve had a day or two off I’ve escaped to Christchurch to be with Nathan, or he has come to Wellington for the weekend to see me. This long-distance thing is really working quite well (apart from the economical side of it, naturally. But it’s all worth it). Thursday last week I jumped on a plane and flew down to spend the weekend (as well as Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) with my man, because he got some days off work due to a back injury, so I wanted to be there for him and keep him company. Plus it was his birthday last Monday (he turned 22), so of course I wanted to be there for that.

Nathan and me at my flatmate's 21st

I had just come home from university last Thursday and looked up flights to Christchurch, and there happened to be a really cheap flight that afternoon, and a cheap return flight for Wednesday (yesterday), so I quickly threw some things into my suitcase and got a taxi out to the airport, and an hour or so later I was in his arms at Chch airport.

For once I was a bad student (but a good girlfriend); I missed out on all my lectures this week as well as two out of my three tutorials. Oh dear. Thank god for Blackboard.

I took Nathan out for dinner on Sunday night because he had to go to work on Monday, but on Monday night we went to the movies, so at least he got to do something fun on his birthday. Then on Tuesday night we went to his auntie and uncle’s place for dinner, which was great, and on Wednesday night (our 5-month anniversary, incidentally), I flew back to Wellington.

This Sunday he will fly to Wellington to do a course just outside the city, so he will (hopefully) get a chance to come and visit me every weekend. After his course is finished he has a week off work, and that’s the week before I fly back to Norway (and the week when all my assignments are due), so it’ll be great to have him around then.

As for the parties I’ve been to lately… Well, most of them have been held at the house where I live. We had our awesome flat warming, and so far we’ve had two 21sts, and the party for the second one is actually tomorrow. It’s got a 1950s theme, so I went and bought a dress for that today.

My flatmate's 21st (Hollywood themed)

So much is happening right now, and I love it. This year has been amazing in almost every aspect so far, and when I get back from Norway I will seriously start looking for a part-time job. Also, in one month’s time, when I’ve handed in my three assignments, I’m halfway through my bachelor’s degree. Fancy that, huh.

Me dressed up as a gypsy at our flat warming (circus themed)

All shook up!

 

That was quite some news I woke up to this morning. The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was the sunlight shining on my window, which was a pleasant surprise after the horrible weather that arrived last night, with thunder and lightning, even hail! But you know what they say: After rain comes sun…

But the stark contrast between the sunny weather in Wellington and what actually goes on out there was pointed out to me the second I went on facebook and noticed several mentionings of an earthquake by my friends in the South Island. So I went to Stuff.co.nz to see what it was all about. I instantly found that there had been a major earthquake at 4.35 am right outside of Christchurch, magnitude 7.1 (initial reports said 7.4, but it was later downgraded). Several buildings were destroyed, and roads, power lines, sewage systems, water pipes etc suffered severe damage in many parts of the region. Luckily no deaths had been reported. The quake was strong enough to be felt over most parts of the South Island, and reports also claim that it was felt by some as far north as Wellington and Palmerston North. Personally, I don’t think I felt anything, although I did have a very uneasy sleep and woke up several times during the night. One of those times it may have been due to the earthquake, but I don’t know. If you’re interested in seeing photos of the destruction, this is a good site: Quake photos – they are constantly updated, as well.

 

I was supposed to spend as much time as possible today writing a philosophy essay which is due in next Friday, so that I can go out tonight feeling that I’ve done something productive, but I’ve just wasted away 4 hours keeping up to date with what’s happening down in the South Island, instead. The fact that it’s a beautiful day in Wellington doesn’t make it any easier to stay inside, either. I actually turned my desk away from the window so I won’t have to look at the perfect, blue sky while I’m trying to study… Desperate times calls for desperate measures.

I’m craving lollies/chips/chocolate. And I don’t have any. Aaaaah.