Term Break

Everyone is back at the Old Convent from their term breaks. As a group, we covered a lot of ground! Most of us explored Aotearoa, while 4 travelled to Australia. Here's an inside look at two amazing trips the students embarked on!

Jacob (Messiah) out for a surf

Team Snorkel!

Tyler Burns, Jacob Reisler, Kris Kline, Betsy Seigendall (All from Messiah College)

"For term break, we first headed south to head north. After a freezing, sleepless night in Christchurch airport, we flew to Auckland and drove way up to the top of the north island to the town of Whangerei. We stayed with the most accommodating, kind family in New Zealand as they housed, fed, shuttled, and gave us plenty of ideas on how to spend our week. After catching up on sleep, we explored the town and did some souvenir shopping. After dropping by the huge Kauri trees, we spent a day learning to surf on homemade boards (by a family friend of our hosts)–we even all stood up by the end of the day! The next day we caught a boat and snorkeled in the Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand's first marine reserve. We also stopped by The Kiwi House where we spotted New Zealand's most famous bird, and took pictures at the beautiful Whangerei Falls. Finally, we started the long trek home, which included a night of card games and way too much Dominos Pizza. It was a great week for sure!"

-Kris Kline, Messiah '13

  

Top Left: Team Snorkel! Jacob, Tyler, Betsy, and Kris (Messiah)
Bottom Left: Betsy and Jacob spend a day at work with their ophthalmologist host

Right: Betsy, Jacob, Tyler, and Kris at Whangerei Falls 

Party wave! The whole gang hangs 10!

Matt (Messiah) and AJ (Messiah) decided to spend their term break in Australia. They headed to Sydney and got to see the sights. From there, they left for Cairns to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef and zip line through the Daintree Rain Forest.

Top Left: Matt and AJ standing in front of the Sydney harbor bridge.

Top Right: The Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera house at night.

Bottom Left: Sydney Opera House

Bottom Center: Matt and AJ visit the Opera house at night.

Bottom Right: Matt feeding a kangaroo at the Kola Zoo in Kuranda.

We are happy to have everyone back with us and to hear about all of their memory-making adventures!

Ra Whanau Ki A Koe

We have had wave after wave of birthdays rolling in on the calendar! Since the start of the semester, we have already celebrated 5 brilliant birthdays. Here's a recap of the shenanigans that have ensued.

First up, our beloved Program Director Courtnay! We celebrated her birthday with an evening of world trivia. Students and staff were divided into four teams, representing 4 countries that Courtnay has lived and worked in: Canada, Japan, Belize, and New Zealand. CCSP alum Scott and Robin joined in too. Teams got very creative in dressing according to their country of origin!

Top Left: Team Japan, including sumo wrestlers, bonsai, sushi, and a Japanese tourist.
Top Right: Team Canada! Lumberjacks, mounties, hockey players, and bears! Oh my!
Bottom Left: Team New Zealand, complete with a birder, rugby player, sheep farmer, Legolas, and sheep.
Bottom Right: Team Belize contestants dressed as an orange, jaguar, tourist, and toucan, proudly displaying their flag.

The following day, we celebrated Kris's 21st birthday. Kris (Messiah) loves The Princess Bride, so we planned a party accordingly. After ice cream pie, 21 shots of milk (Kris LOVES milk), and a short game, we watched The Princess Bride...audience involvement style! Everyone got a list of things to do when prompted by the movie, like yelling, "Aaaaaaas youuuuu wiiiiiiish!" whenever Westley says it, booing Prince Humperdinck as he enters a scene, and throwing paper "boulders" at one another when Fezzik throws them at Westley.

Kris conquers her 21 shots of milk

Next up, Toni! Toni (Westmont) absolutely adores the color pink. We threw her a dance party, where everyone had to dress in as much pink as possible. We started off with a game of limbo and then danced the night away with DJ Scott. Caleb even taught us all to Dougie.

Toni and her 3 delicious cheesecakes

We all donned our cloaks, wizard hats, wings, other wear in celebration of Melissa's Lord of the Rings themed birthday. Melissa (Westmont) is a big Lord of the Rings fan. Split into two teams, students and staff competed for the glory of victory...and ginger beer! Teams versed one other in battles of wit and athleticism. The first challenge was a series of riddles from The Hobbit. Sam (Eastern), with her extensive Lord of the Rings knowledge, posed some tough competition for Melissa's team. Allie (staff) put up a good fight, and it ended up being pretty close! Melissa's team was victorious overall, winning the next two challenges. The second challenge was archery. Each team member had one shot to land their arrow in one of three rings of varying points. Last, teams had to embark on a quest to find and destroy the Ring of Power. They were given Lord of the Rings themed clues to go from station to station, find the "ring," and burn it in the flames of Mount Doom (a fire in the yard). Following the games were a pretty sweet as photo shoot, some hobbit dancing, and making a Middle Earth themed commercial for Bundaberg.

Top Left: Hobbitses Sarah (Biola), Matt (Messiah), and Kristen (Staff)
Bottom Left: Shelob (Kris, Messiah) attacks Frodo (Matt, Messiah)!
Right: Our birthday girl, dressed as her favorite character Legolas

A good-looking bunch if I ever saw one! 

Members of the Fellowship traveled far and wide especially for Melissa's birthday!
Jacob (Messiah), Melissa (Westmont), Matt (Messiah), and Tyler (Messiah)

Jacob's birthday was next (Messiah). We had carrot cake and played "pin the skis on the Jacob" before he and the other men headed off for a weekend hiking trip; All favorites of this Vermonter!

Jacob (Messiah) poses with "himself" after our game of "pin the skis on the Jacob." Jacob's hand-decorated birthday cakes, made by Caleb.

All of the men at Kevin Topps' hut during their hiking trip

Interested in learning how to sing "Happy Birthday to You" in Maori? Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3p9vhe_Xbo

"Enter the Duckness"

We enjoyed having John Dennison with us this past week for Environmental Literature. He encouraged us to try to interpret nature, rather than to simply describe it. Students worked in groups to write poems, focusing on this goal. Rather than coming across as a human trapped in a chicken's body, Melissa (Westmont), Betsy (Messiah), and Sarah (Biola) wrote the following poem to embrace and convey the chickenness of the chicken:

The Convent Chickens

The warm light ball is here

We sit and wait

Done

head….foot…head…foot

head, he, heaaaaad. foot.

Here come the freedom stealers

Like a tree, with naked wings, and the inner beat.

head. foot. head. foot!

What will it be?

Nibbles or taking my shelled chicks?

Peck, Peck. Head…foot. oh! a squirmy…peck. mmm. peck

We'll give the odd one a bad time

Peck…Peck…peck, peck, peck.

head…foot…head…foot…head…foot

For homemaking this week, Courtnay taught us some crocheting techniques. Some (including myself) were learning for the first time, while others took on the challenge of learning more advanced "granny squares." You will find a flurry of yarn and hooks at the Old Convent if you take a look around.

Allie (Wheaton) volunteered to cook us an amazing Moroccan stew for dinner on Wednesday. Everyone, including the Chirnsides, Allie's homestay family and guests of the evening, enjoyed the meal.

John has had a part in helping to organize a Christian environmental conference called "Lament, Hope, Action" held in Wellington this past weekend. Courtnay was able to attend the conference, hosted by A Rocha, the Otago University Centre for Theology and Public Issues, and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand (the Catholic social justice agency). Towards the end of the week, John organized a service of lament for us to take part in. It was a time to reflect on the harm we've caused the environment, realizing the consequences of our actions, and inviting God to work in restoring the creation.

On Friday afternoon, the CureKids challenge stopped in Kaikoura. Sam (Eastern), the Tui, and I (Kristen, Staff), the kiwi, welcomed and assisted 35 teams of competitors dressed as such ridiculous things as smurfs, inmates, Shrek, cows, and superheroes. The participants were all part of a three-day contest to raise money for children with life-threatening illnesses, traveling from Auckland to Queenstown on $10 and completing challenges along the way. Sam and I instructed the teams how to complete the craft challenge and ended up judging who the winners were. It was a lot of fun and heartening to see those involved to support the cause.  The Flight of the Conchords conducted interviews with children about how we can raise money for the sick children, and arranged their responses into a kiwi star-studded fund-raising song. Check it out!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca4ty7tz9x0

Kristen (Staff) and Sam (Eastern) pose with competitors in the CureKids challenge dressed as nuns. The closest we've seen to real nuns since we started living in an old convent!

We ended the week with a night of poetry and prose readings and charades! The room was filled with an air of mirth as we watched one another act out the mannerisms of scorpions and snails. John put on a good show for everyone, including a particularly exquisite impersonation of a prairie dog.

We welcome Pauline Stevick to Kaikoura for next week's Environmental Lit II course. While we muse about Dickinson, Wordsworth, and Thoreau, we'll also be getting ready for to depart for our adventures during the close and coming Term Break!

Baking and Breaking Bread

If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.

                

-Robert Browning

This week's homemaking session: Breads and Spreads. The kitchen was filled to the brim with bakers. Emma supplied everyone with ingredients and recipes for cornbread, pretzels, cheesy garlic bread, and any other carbohydrate-filled dream our hearts desired. Compensating for a portion of the calorie intake, we shook up some cream into butter. Courtnay also whipped up a sweet and delicious lemon curd. There was more than enough to go around at dinner!

The bustling kitchen during our "Breads & Spreads" homemaking session

Top Left: Courtnay (Staff) and Allie (Wheaton) present their completed loaf of bread. Top Right: Mieke (Calvin) and Sylvia (Calvin) present their finished batch of butter. Bottom Left: Tyler (Messiah) and Kris (Messiah) with their cheesy garlic bread fresh out of the oven. Bottom Right: Betsy (Messiah) with her finished cornbread, perfect to accompany our chili at dinner.

We had Mick Duncan back this week for the second half of Sustainable Communitiy Development. Mick focused more on application and "take home strategies" for students as they return to their school and home communities in December. Students found his message convicting and empowering. 

Matt Hui (Messiah, '13) described his experience as follows:

“Mick was an inspiring professor. His stories challenged, but also encouraged, me in my walk with God. He taught me that sustainable community development is a lifestyle that anyone can and should participate in. After taking his class, I am more aware of Jesus' heart for the poor and inclined to come alongside those who need love most.”

There and Back Again

The journey to Wellington began bright and early on Sunday morning. We packed our belongings, lunches, and bodies into the vans, and headed to Picton for the ferry. Everyone got creative with keeping themselves busy during our 3-4 hour ferry ride to Wellington. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Many of us were able to see lots of new species of birds, including a white capped mollymawk (type of medium-sized albatross).

Top left: Students doing the "cool guy stretch" after our 2 hour car ride to Picton. Bottom left and right: Students and staff invented games to pass the time, including the exciting "hop on the yellow markers" game.

Upon arriving in Wellington, we were welcomed to the marae named Te Kakano o Te Aroha. We split up into two groups to attend two different church services that evening. Everyone thought the worship and sermons were great from the services they attended and were delighted to see how many young adults were in attendance. 

We had speakers come to the marae and also traveled into Wellington and around Lower Hutt to hear from individuals involved in local community development efforts. Everyone enjoyed visiting Billy Graham's boxing gym, where local boys are able to have free boxing lessons, form relationships, and build character. A few other noteworthy visits were with Ray Wallace, the mayor of Lower Hutt, to Te Papa, the national museum, and a tour of parliament, known as "The Beehive." Students also had time to explore the city of Wellington in smaller groups.

Midway through the week, students had an overnight experience with Urban Vision. They were split into smaller groups and distributed amongst various houses and flats that are part of the order. The community living experience and mission of this group left them all wanting more, and really left an impression on the students.

Top Left: Our group at Billy Graham's boxing gym in Naenae. Top Right: We visited the roastery for the fair trade coffee company named Peoples Coffee. Bottom Left: Tea time with Lower Hutt City mayor Ray Wallace. Bottom Right: While exploring Wellington, students were drawn in to the action of the Rugby World Cup sculpture.

On Thursday morning, we all headed off to Ngatiawa, the retreat center for Urban Vision. Before lunch, we all took part in various service projects in the gardens. From turning over soil, to running new irrigation lines, our small group made a big difference which was much appreciated. We also took part in community prayer, meals, and even a tea party. It was great to learn more about their community style of living and be part of it, if only for a short time.

Everyone got their hands dirty and broke a sweat helping out in the gardens at Ngatiawa .

Friday was a free day, and most students opted to travel into Wellington for the day. Despite a trip planned to spend the day on Kapiti Island for some being cancelled, 7 of us were able to see some really amazing birds at Zealandia. This mazing refuge tucked right in to the city of Wellington houses some birds extinct to the mainland. You couldn't take 5 steps without seeing a tui and we were even lucky enough to see a saddleback!

Students enjoying the sights and sounds of Zealandia. Top right: Saddleback, extinct to the mainland. Middle right: Tui. Bottom right: Takahe.

We made it back to Kaikoura just in time for the welcome home street party for the Huttons Shearwater. Kaikoura is this bird's last nesting site in the world. A large part of our group even walked in the parade. Welcome home birds!

Students and staff welcome home the Huttons Shearwater to Kaikoura.

Titiro Pukapuka

Titiro pukapuka translates from Maori to English as 'to look at the book.' There was a lot of "looking at books" this past Reading Week. This week is designed to give our students time outside of the one or two weeks that they see their professor for class to complete their work. Students delved into poetry, scientific articles, and various novels. A favorite amongst students was Against the Tide, Towards the Kingdom, a story of the Urban Vision community in New Zealand. Students will have the opportunity to serve with Urban Vision for a day next week during our Wellington trip.

A handful of staff members went diving with New Life Pastor Brent Fearnley last Sunday. We all enjoyed the tasty treasures that were brought back!

We were all excited by the sight of a New Zealand Reef Octopus

Paua, a large sea snail, also known as abalone, makes some tasty patties.

Pastor Brent (pictured left) and Caleb (staff) harvested a few crayfish, which made a delicious addition to lunch. Kaikoura actually means 'meal of crayfish.'

Caleb (staff, left and top right) and Daniel (staff, top right) cooked some fish using a traditional Maori method: make a pocket in a piece of bull kelp and cook over a fire. The bull kelp adds a unique flavor.

We had a homemaking session on plant propagation, where Emma taught us how to properly start seeds, separate plants for repotting, and make cuttings for rooting. We also tied some fragrant herbs and hung them to air dry for later use.

Emma (staff, top right) gives instructions for potting plants (top right) and drying herbs (bottom).

Mid-week, we broke out the mattresses and watched Boy. This quirky, New Zealand-made movie is about Boy, an 11-year-old kid and devout Michael Jackson fan who gets a chance to know his father, who has returned to find a bag of money he buried years ago. There was plenty of popcorn and laughs to go around, and maybe even a few tears.

We were all reminded that despite the recent warm weather, it's still winter here in New Zealand. We had some flurries, which got everyone outside, yelling, "SNOW!" According to Emma, it was the first snowfall that reached the Old Convent since August of last year.

Sarah (Biola),  Jacob (Messiah), Kris (Messiah), and Tyler (Messiah)
celebrating outside in the excitement of some snow.
If you squint your eyes, you can see it; we promise!

Needless to say, we did more than "look at books" this week. And the grand finale? Two birthdays in a row! More on that to come.

Cheers!

Trips, Treats, & Teaching

Between hiking, sea kayaking with seals, trips to the aquarium, and breathtaking beach sunrises, everyone had a great time during their weekend trips! Some students even mastered the art of driving on the left side of the road. Here are some shots from students' travels:

AJ (Messiah), Sam (Eastern), Sarah (Biola), and Allie (Wheaton) at Abel Tasman National Park 

Sarah (Biola), Matt (Messiah), and Sam (Eastern) on a hike in Abel Tasman National Park

Back at the convent, we've been served up lots of great meals. Everyone enjoyed a sweet hot breakfast of cinnamon rolls. 

Emma (Staff), Brian (Staff), and Betsy (Messiah) busy making icing for the cinnamon rolls

A small group activity favorite of the week was a visit to see the baby fur seals at Ohau Falls. The pool beneath this waterfall acts as a nursery for the seal pups. It's impossible not to smile when you see the joyful pups splashing and porpoising about in the water.

Matt (Messiah) posing with a fur seal pup at Ohau Falls

Last but not least, this week marked the beginning of class! We had Mick Duncan here for Sustainable Community Development. Through eye-opening statistics, compelling personal stories, and hands-on activities (including a lively debate), students took away new insight on this course topic.

Reading Week, here we come!