Fun with Photobooth!

As promised, here are some of the pictures that Grace and I took at the coffee shop on Tuesday. She's got more funny ones too, that I haven't saved on my computer yet - in one of them I look like Quagmire from Family Guy (I will DEFINITELY post that one once she gets it onto Facebook so I can steal it!). Anyway, I think these pictures almost defy explanation, so I will just leave it to you to add your own captions in your mind! Haha.

(And in case you were curious, my Year 9 guitar class went extremely well! No behaviour problems whatsoever! It was amazing. I'm not sure if it was because I went to extra lengths to make sure that everything was orderly in the classroom, i.e. they were lined up outside the door and told the expectations before they ever entered the room, etc., but I was pleasantly surprised! It was awesome. And it's fun to think that I'm a guitar teacher! Cool beans.)

Tomorrow Grace and I are getting together at Te Papa museum in Wellington, where we will be meeting a guy named Paul from Wisconsin. He just got to New Zealand yesterday morning, and will be starting his internship on Monday. Jill, our supervisor, e-mailed us his phone number and suggested that we get together with him for coffee or something so that he's not alone all weekend in a new city, in a new country, anticipating his internship with nobody to talk to. I called him tonight, and he seems a little overwhelmed but quite nice, and easy to talk to. It will be nice to have another person in our age range to hang out with while we're here. And another visit to Te Papa never hurt anyone! :o)

Amazing Grace!

So I have finally met my dear Internet friend Grace! Haha. We've been talking online for about 5 months, since we found each other on the Global Student Teaching website. We were (are) the only 2 music education interns in New Zealand from North America in the Summer 2007 placements from GST, so naturally we contacted each other before we left. She's been here since May, and we've been excitedly anticipating our meeting in person for months now. On Friday night we finally got together in Wellington to hit up a karaoke bar and strut our stuff on the dance floor! I tell ya, Grace has got moves like no other. Sometimes they embarrass her friends, but when she's got friends like me the embarrassment factor is really irrelevant. In fact, I just join right in and get my groove on with her, a la "the running man," "the shopping cart," "starting the lawnmower," etc. (For those of you who may not know what I'm talking about, I'll just have to show you sometime.... really, these moves defy explanation).

The above picture was taken just a few hours ago at a coffee shop in Wellington that is about a 25 minute walk from the train station. Grace and I have gone here twice now, and will be making a habit of getting together on Tuesdays before I head off to Wellington Youth Choir rehearsal. Today we took a ton of ridiculous pictures on her I-Book using Photobooth. If you haven't seen this program, you need to... you don't know what you're missing. Basically you can skew the images that your computer camera is seeing in various ways (bulge, light tunnel, pop art, sepia, stretch, mirror, etc.), resulting in the most ridiculously hideous pictures you've ever seen of yourself. Some are pretty neat though, like the pop art ones - they look almost like Andy Warhol pictures. Grace is going to post hers on Facebook, and once she does I will steal them and post a few on here.

WYC rehearsal tonight was interesting... our director and accompanist were both missing, so we did some sectional work. We had altos and sopranos together, and the group nominated me to lead the sectional because I apparently seemed the most confident with the pronunciations and the notes, rhythms, etc. So I led sectional, and then when the rest of the group came back, they nominated me again to conduct the choir. So in my 2nd ever rehearsal, I conducted the Wellington Youth Choir singing the Credo of Schubert's Mass in C! It was pretty darn cool. When we finished, one of the guys called out from the back row, "Good conducting!" and the whole choir gave me a round of applause. It was a pretty neat experience! :o)

Mom, you'll be happy to know that I gave everyone in WYC Canadian pencils today (which got another round of applause, haha), and I've also given them out to my Year 13 and Year 11 music classes. They're very popular around here - too bad I didn't have room for more! Anyway they're going to good use... my Year 11s are using them for score analysis. Our last score analysis class will be coming up shortly, and I have an activity planned for them where I've cut out descriptions of various sections of the music (based on the themes and development of those themes, etc.), and they have to put them in order as they appear in the score. The team who gets it all correct first will win homemade chocolate chip cookies with Canadian flag toothpicks in them (thanks Karyn!). Fun stuff!

I should get to bed now - tomorrow will be busy. I'm teaching my first class of Year 9 guitar, and apparently this group is VERY difficult. We'll see what tomorrow brings - it will be interesting, regardless. Hopefully I can handle it.

Hope everyone at home is doing well. Leave me comments, people! I want to know if you're reading this! Haha. Love you!

3 weeks down, 11 to go!

My 3rd week of teaching at HVHS has been a growth experience for me. I had a mini-meltdown on Thursday when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed with lesson planning, adjusting to a new culture, climate, new geographical surroundings, being away from my friends and family, etc. and I let it all out through my eyeballs. My co-op teacher was fantastically supportive and understanding, and my little cry lasted only about 5 minutes. I took a breath of fresh air outside, then went in to teach my next lesson on Louis Armstrong and "West End Blues" (what a great tune!). It went really well, and I think I just needed to have that little moment of overwhelmth (which isn't a word but I will choose to use it anyway). So, all is still well with the Kiwinadian in Lower Hutt!

I finally met Grace on Friday night! We had SO much fun in Wellington - we met at the train station, and walked to a restaurant called Calzone for lattes and garlic bread (mmm!), and her friend Brett met us there. We then walked to a karaoke bar called Club K, and Grace and I busted out an amazing duet of "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by Culture Club, complete with fabulous dance moves during every instrumental break. The audience was getting a kick out of us too, which made it even more fun. Then we went to a dance club called The Establishment, which we quickly learned was more geared towards 30-somethings, so we didn't stay long. We ended the night at Subway restaurant, where Sam met us for a visit and then drove me back to the Hutt. All in all it was a fabulous night! Grace and I are planning on meeting up in Wellington every Tuesday now, as I will be there anyway for WYC rehearsal. Yay! :o)

Thanks to mom and dad for the card - I got it in the mail a few days ago. Karyn, I still haven't received your package, but I'm super excited! I didn't realize how much I would miss my headbands until I forgot to pack even one of them. Haha. I also have received a card from Bronwyn, so I am feeling loved here in NZ. :o) It's so nice to get mail! I promise if anyone writes to me, I will write back! Promise, promise!

So now I will post some more pics of our weekend in Ohakune and Mt. Ruapehu - you can click on any of them to view full-size. Sam and Cassie have also posted some pics, and they are linked on the right-hand side of my blog if you'd like to check it out.

(This one was too funny NOT to post. I bought these purple pants when I first got here because I was always cold, but they're quite long on me. So we were outside looking at Mt. Ruapehu from our hotel in Ohakune, and the grass was wet. I needed to lift my pant legs up, but instead of using 2 hands, I just pulled them both up with 1 hand. Sam snapped a picture. I realize that it looks like I'm grabbing my crotch. I am also making a stupid face and eating a piece of toast, just to top it all off. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.)

(This was in Waiouru, on the way to Ohakune - I am quite proud of the fact that Sam and I managed to pack his tiny 2-seater Miata convertable so efficiently! I am also looking quite tired, as I had just woken up from an hour-long nap about 5 minutes before this pic was taken.)

(Sam and me on the chairlift up Mt. Ruapehu)

(Waitonga Falls walk)

(Mt. Ruapehu)

(Mt. Ruapehu from Ohakune)

(Believe it or not, I'm actually HAPPY about winter in July!)

(On the way back down the chairlift)

(Beautiful sunrise in Ohakune)

(Ohakune sunset - this one reminds me of one of Bobby's paintings or something! Beautiful.)

(The stream at the base of Waitonga Falls)

(Tahurangi from Turoa)

(This one's for Karyn - here's the completed engagement proposal in the snow!..... SHE SAID YES!)

Mt. Ruapehu / Ohakune picture post!

Another picture post for my friends and family back home! My weekend at Mt. Ruapehu and Ohakune was awesome -beautiful scenery, and lots of fun with great people. Here are some photo highlights:

(Our first glimpse of Mt. Ruapehu on our way up the mountain)

(Just outside the cafe at the top of the first chairlift)

(Sam and me on the way up Mt. Ruapehu)

(Sam sliding on a big plastic bag)

(Me getting ready to do a headfirst dive onto the plastic sheet)

(Sam and me on the Waitonga Falls walk - Tongariro National Park)

(This waterfall was filmed in one of the "Lord of the Rings" movies)

(Group shot at Powderkeg restaurant in Ohakune - I'm holding my $13 paralyzer!)

(Mangawhero Forest walk)

(Monument honouring the 151 lives lost in the Christmas Eve 1953 lahar train bridge disaster)

(Kiwi sign! I really AM in New Zealand!)

(Thermal area just outside the hot pools near Lake Taupo)

(Hot pool near Lake Taupo)

(Just outside the hot pool area)

(Winding road sign)

I had a fantastic weekend - beautiful, exciting, relaxing, scenic, reflective, memorable, and exhausting!!!! I didn't end up skiing (by our Canadian standards, the snow conditions were not great), but as you can see by a few of these pictures, I did a lot of hiking. Tongariro National Park has some beautiful walking trails, so we did a couple of those - 2 were an hour or longer, and then a few were just tiny little short walks, like the one to the Lord of the Rings waterfall. I would have loved to have skiied, but I had a fantastic weekend nonetheless!

Things at school are still just peachy. I have my first Wellington Youth Choir rehearsal tomorrow evening, so I'm pretty excited about that. I'll be taking the train into Wellington, which could potentially be quite the adventure, but I'm arranging to take it with one of my students who sings in the choir as well. He knows his way around, so that's good - I would hate to get lost and arrive late (or not at all!) to my first rehearsal with WYC!

And as a follow-up to my post about the first blues lesson, the second lesson was a blast too! We had 2 groups composing their own original 12-bar blues, and they performed them at the end of the class. Both of them chose humorous lyrics (one group sang about how Penny, who wasn't in their group, was sad because she didn't get to be in the group with Andrew and Hannah: "I got Andrew and Hannah, and Penny, she be sad. Ohhhh I got Andrew and Hannah, and Penny she be sad. And because of this.... your blues might sound real bad!" The other group sang about Barbie losing her cell phone, and thus her ability to text Ken. It was inspired by Penny's pencil case, which featured Barbie talking on her cell phone. These are the things you come up with when you're lacking inspiration. Hahaha). I'll be following up with this class later in the week, teaching a lesson that will likely include B.B. King and Louis Armstrong, and the progression of blues, jazz styles, etc. Should be a good time!

It's now after 11pm and I really need to get to bed. I hope you're enjoying the pictures and updates - I'm trying to keep up! I know you're curious at home. Until next time!

I'm home!

Back from a beautiful weekend in Ohakune and Mt. Ruapehu with staff (and friends) from Upper Hutt College. It was an absolute blast! The scenery was gorgeous, the weather was nice, the 2-hour spa pool stint made me nice and wrinkly, and the $13 paralyzer (which I had to describe to the bartender... can you believe they've never heard of a paralyzer here?!) at the Powderkeg restaurant last night was well worth it! Haha. Highlights to come in picture form soon. :o)

Off I go!

I'm heading out the door in about 5 minutes to go on a weekend ski trip to Mt. Ruapehu with Sam. Bring on the beautiful New Zealand slopes!!! Back on Sunday. :o)

First lesson = SUCCESS!!!

My first lesson went smashingly! I taught a lesson to the Year 13s (grade 12) on the roots of blues music today, and although I was a bit nervous for it, it went over REALLY well. I couldn't have asked for a better first lesson, really. I had a very small group today - the year 13 class is only 10 people, and of those 10 people, only 6 were there today. I had planned a lesson that could have gone one of two ways, depending on the enthusiasm of the students: it could have been amazing, or it could have fallen flat on its face. We were studying 2 pre-blues songs - one was a work song or field holler (actually sung by a group of prisoners) called "Berta, Berta," and the other one was a spiritual called "Sheep, Sheep, Don'tcha Know the Road." We did some discussion and a question sheet about the historical context of those songs and how they relate to a unit on the blues, the characteristics of the music, the significance of the lyrics, etc. Then I had the students stand up and stomp their feet on beats 1 and 3, and clap on 2 and 4, just like in the recording of "Sheep, Sheep." The piece was call-and-response, so I sang the lead part and I had the students sing the chorus part. When we got to the last verse I had them improvise a clapping rhythm while the rest of us sang and kept time. It was actually really fun - "Sheep, sheep, don'tcha know the road?" "Yes my Lord, I know the road!" "Don'tcha know the road by the clappin' of his hands?" "Yes my Lord, I know the road!" "Don'tcha know the road by the prayin' of the prayer?" "Yes my Lord, I know the road!" We actually had so much fun with it that when I thanked the students for being such good sports, they were all asking if we could do it again. I am going to have them compose their own 12-bar blues tomorrow though, so they will definitely be getting more performance opportunities. :o)

I'm going to be conducting the orchestra tomorrow morning, so I'd better go do some score study. I also have to finish a lesson plan on New Zealand composer John Psathas' piano solo called "Waiting for the Aeroplane." It's a BEAUTIFUL work, and it makes me wish I played the piano. Actually, I love it so much that I've decided to learn it. There's lots of rhythmic counterpoint between the right hand and the left hand, which makes it kind of difficult to play accurately (especially for a non-pianist like myself), but it's absolutely beautiful. The left hand plays a C-G ostinato in 16th notes for pretty much ever, while the right hand comes in with a melody in Bb minor, in dotted 16th notes. (Sorry for those of you who aren't musicians and don't know what I'm talking about!) I can play the first few pages, and actually would love to buy a copy of the piece and perform it for Disrobed (Greystones talent show fundraiser) or something when I get home to Saskatoon, just so I can say that I performed on the piano. Haha.

I think I forgot to mention this last time, but I will be singing with the Wellington Youth Choir starting next week!!!! They are AMAZING, and they (we!) are doing a concert in Auckland in the first 2 days of September. I am so excited to be a part of this group! It will be great to meet new people, and to keep my singing chops up for my return to Greystones in term 2!!!!

With that, I'll leave you with some pictures of my bedroom in Fiona and Sam's house. Amazingly enough, my room WAS clean last Saturday morning. I'm pretty sure it was messy again by Sunday, but I managed to take a picture of it in its tidy phase. Haha.

If there was a prize for keeping up with blogging....

..... I certainly would not win it. Sorry about the big gaps in blog entries - I've been busy with internship stuff, and just generally doing some relaxing, sight-seeing, and wandering around Kelson taking pictures (that will eventually go on this blog!). So mom, don't worry, I'm safe and sound, and although I'm FREEEEEZING, I'm doing quite alright. :o)

Anyway, I'm going to go hole up in my toasty warm bedroom with the heater and electric blanket, where I shall remain for the night until having to get up for school tomorrow morning. So, I shall leave you with a few pictures of my kiwi adventure thus far. I will post more later, when I have some time and the patience to sit and wait for pics to load.

Fiona and me on my first night in New Zealand (at a going-away party at a pub in Wellington)

Me having fun with my camera and timer on Friday - I found a little mini playground only a couple blocks from my house on Major Drive, so I spent a bit of time there before heading home for the afternoon.

Lauren Campbell from Canada? That's me! Haha. This is the whiteboard in the music office at Hutt Valley High School.

This is the view from my driveway, looking slightly left. It looks warm, but I promise you that looks can be deceiving. At any rate, it's beautiful, and so unlike the flat landscape of home (which I miss, by the way!).

That's all for now. Good night everyone! I'll try to post sooner than a week from now, promise! (Oh, and you can check out Fiona's blog to see a few more pics of my first night in Wellington!)

Updates from the newest HVHS music intern

Hey everyone! Things are still awesome in New Zealand. I started my internship at Hutt Valley High School yesterday, and as it turns out I have 3 co-op teachers. The HOD (head of department) Stephen Lange just welcomed a new baby boy to the world, so he's off all week. Things are a bit disorganized at the moment, but it's ok - I'm still settling in just fine. I'm adjusting to the weather now... it's winter here of course, being in the southern hemisphere and all, and the houses and other buildings are not equipped with central heating, so often it's colder inside than it is outside. Fortunately I have a heater and electric blanket in my bedroom at Fiona and Sam's house, so I'm sleeping well. Nice and toasty!

I got to New Zealand on Friday morning (which was Thursday afternoon back home in Saskatchewan), and I wasted no time before socializing with the kiwis. I went out on Friday night to 3 parties, which was totally a blast - Fi and Sam and I went to 2 going-away parties, one in Wellington and one in Lower Hutt, then Fi and I went to Upper Hutt to a house party with staff from her school. It was a party in a garage, which was all heated up nice and toasty, and there was lots of karaoke and drunk, happy kiwis and Maori people. The Maori men were especially friendly, kissing all the ladies on the cheek. It was fun though, because it wasn't creepy - it was just a cultural custom. One of them was eating a sandwich as Fiona and I left, and he kissed me on the cheek with a mouthful of food. GROSS. Hahaha. It was funny though. The people here are so friendly. :o)

On Saturday morning I went to a netball game (a sport kind of like basketball, but you can't dribble the ball and the nets have no backboards) to watch Fiona play. It was fun, but SO cold - they play outdoors, and Saturday am was one of the coldest mornings of the winter. I was all bundled up in a t-shirt, hoodie, fleece, winter jacket, 2 hoods, mitts, another jacket over my legs, and 2 blankets. I looked ridiculous, especially next to the netball players who were playing outside in skirts and t-shirts. People were looking at me like I was insane. I was like, "Oh come on, July is supposed to be summer!!!"

Fiona took me shopping for warm clothes (or "warmies") on Sunday, which I found rather funny. It's not as though I don't have an entire closet full of warm clothes at home... I just neglected to bring most of them. See, mom, I told you I should bring another bunnyhug! Haha. Fi and Sam and I went out for supper with their friends Kirsten and Richard on Sunday (or was it Saturday?), which was really nice - they're very friendly, and very easy to talk to. Kirsten is the niece of my GST supervisor Jill. It's been really nice to meet all these new people - everyone here is awesome so far.

My first day at HVHS was a good one, albeit an overwhelming one. I can't quite describe to you with any accuracy what it feels like to be on the other side of the world, by yourself in a new country, and every single face you see in a day is new to you. It's pretty overwhelming. Everyone has been so friendly though, so I am having very little problem adjusting and settling in. There are a few things to get used to though, like driving on the other side of the road and the car (although Fi and Sam are driving me everywhere, thankfully), the kiwi vocabulary and accent, new brand names for practically everything at the grocery store, the weather, school in July, etc. But, like I said, so far so good!

Funny random story from yesterday: So all the Hutt Valley High School students wear all-black as part of their uniform. I happened to be wearing black pants and shoes yesterday, and I was cold so I kept my black jacket on most of the time. I went to buy a banana during my morning break, since lunch doesn't start until 1:30. So I went to the counter and paid for a banana, then the lady came back and leaned over to me and said "We don't always sell fruit to all the students. Some of the younger ones just throw it around. I trust that you'll be eating this banana." I just about laughed out loud. It was hilarious! I suppose being 5'2 (and a half!) and wearing all black kind of invites comments like that. I got a kick out of it anyway.

And now I shall leave you with a funny random story from today: So this morning I get to school around 8:20am - not too early on the scale of things. I go to the music building and it's locked. That's ok, I've got a key! So I open the door, walk through the corridor, and head into the music office to drop my stuff off at my desk. I unlock the music office, head inside, shut the door, and drop my stuff off. Then comes the absolutely piercing sirens from the corridor. Fabulous! I've set off the alarm. So I locked up and then walked back to the main office, making sure to avoid eye contact with anyone as I snicker to myself all the way back to the admin building. "Hello," I say to the secretary. "I think I just set off the alarm in the music building." What a way to start my 2nd day at HVHS! Hahaha.

I hope everything is going well for you, my family back home in SK and MB, and my friends at IMC, in Saskatoon, and elsewhere. Feel free to write me anytime, or comment on this blog - I've allowed anonymous commenting, so please just leave your name so I know who it came from. :o) My mailing address, in case you're interested, is:

140 Major Drive
Kelson 5010
Lower Hutt, New Zealand

Until next time, cheers!

(PS - I promise to post pictures soon!)

Kia Ora!!!!

Hello from Fiona and Sam's house in Lower Hutt, New Zealand!!!! 35 hours and 6 airports later, I'm here safely. What a trip! It was long, but now that I'm here it's totally worth every penny, and every bit of planning that went into the past 5-ish months. I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M HERE!!!!

We're going out grocery shopping sometime soon, so I should run and shower. I tell you, 35 hours on planes and in airports doesn't really leave you feeling your freshest. I'll get on that soon. Hahaha.

Until next time!

Almost there.

Well I'm back from IMC and I'm getting really excited for New Zealand! In only 1.5 days I will be boarding my flight to kiwi land! I've got lots to do between now and then, but in the meantime here are some pics from IMC (in no particular order, except for the last one, which shows just how I felt leaving my friends!):

Sporting "the bling" with Jeff

Modeling the Haugland/Solberg dorm sign with Nancy and Kelsey

Hanging out on the boat at Lake Metigoshe with Hannah (and Dan, who was driving the boat) on my day off - July 4th

Tim, Ginger, and Christine attacking each other after playing their trio at the staff recital

African drumming ensemble "Batuque" from Winnipeg - Festival of the Arts

Hanging out with Kendall

Some deans on Jeff and Evan's last day at IMC

Teresa and I perfecting the cheesy pose

Ginger and me - Deans in green!

Cory and I are excited to be drinking fabulous Canadian iced capps on our day off!

Teresa, Cory, and me at Student Talent Night

And yes, I was sad to leave Ginger. I miss her already!

So there's the brief update. I had an amazing month at IMC, and I met lots of new friends and caught up with lots of old ones. All in all, it was totally worth it. Now I'm onto my next adventure.

Speaking of which, I'm going to go call Fiona and Sam right now - it's 7:30am in New Zealand and I bet they're up getting ready for work. Cheerio then!

DONE!

Ladies and gentlemen, today was my last official day as an employee of the International Music Camp, summer 2007. I plan to come back next summer, but for now I'm finished and will soon be moving (quite literally) onto bigger and better things! I leave for New Zealand in about 3 1/2 days, which absolutely blows my mind - from the initial idea in October, the application in December, the approval from U of S in January, the acceptance in February, the placement in March, to all the planning through April and May, I am finally almost ready to head out on my kiwi adventure. Amazing!!!!

- Lauren