Well the title says it all. I'm finally getting into the workload for my classes and it's starting to add up. I have a lab report for my Animal Behavior class due on Monday and a couple of papers for my other classes coming up in the next two weeks. I also have a TON of reading for my Maori class. I have to read well over a hundred pages for class next Tuesday!
I had my first Equine Reproduction practical yesterday and I got there at least 45 minutes late because I couldn't find the freakin' place! I assumed that a lab having to do with horses was going to take place at the Equine Center, which happens to be on the same road as the Veterinary Large Animal Teaching Unit. You can guess what happened. But once I get there we take a look at a reproductive tract of a mare and go outside to watch a stallion attempt to get a mare to tease him. For all those that don't know, when a mare teases a stallion it means that she is sexually receptive to him, or in other words, she is in heat. I think Equine Reproduction and Breeding is my favorite class right now because we talk a lot about the differences in Equine management between the US and New Zealand. For example, New Zealand has a huge Thoroughbred (racing horse) industry, whereas the US deals a lot with more working class horses such as Quarter horses.
This past weekend we had an international dinner and everyone brought a dish from their country which meant a lot of food and great company. I brought American burgers (you know the kind with way too much meat), but they were sort of undercooked, so most people stayed away from them. After that we watched the All Blacks of New Zealand beat the Wallaby's of Australia in a classic rugby match. I also had an interesting conversation with one of the older Atawhai residents, who happens to be a rugby referee as well as a war history buff. I actually ended up learning a great deal about the Civil War from him!
Yesterday I tried handball for the first time and it was fairly intense. I was the keeper for most of the game and got hammered quite a bit by tiny soccer balls. Handball is structured similarly to soccer but you don't use your feet (hence the name) and you are allowed to wrap you arms around the other person to prevent them from shooting at the goal. There is also a ring around the goal where only the goalie can reside, which is good news for me. I'm looking to make this a regular occurrence on Wednesday night and tomorrow morning one of my friends here is going to attempt to teach me Tai Chi. Wish me luck!
Above are some pictures from around the Atawhai Village area.
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