Kelsey Mok's Blog
Program: Victoria University of Wellington (Arcadia)
Major: Linguistics
Class: WCAS 2010
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- August 2008
- September 2008
- October 2008, Part I
- October 2008, Part II
- November/December 2008
- March 2009
- June 2009
June 2009
It's been a couple of months since I've written but there's good reason for it -- I've been keeping quite busy. Being a returning student at Vic as a study abroad student has been absolutely fantastic for a great number of reasons. One of the best parts of returning this semester has been getting back to those friendships that I developed during my first semester in Wellington. Getting to know people for 4 months is great - getting to know them for an extra 6 months is fantastic. I hardly walk down the street alone these days since I normally encounter a couple friends on my way to my destination. It's amazing how well-connected Wellington is!
As I mentioned in my last blog entry, the semester started. I've had quite a full-load ranging from my classes, working as a TA (called "tutor" here), and continuing my Linguistics research. I've managed to keep quite busy often staying at the Linguistics building until 7 or 8pm but it's been equally advantageous in a sense that I've gotten to know nearly the entirety of the staff at the School of Linguistics. Coffee break or "morning tea" as they call it happens regularly at 11am is definitely a highlight of my day with everyone dropping their work for a 45-minute chat with others in the School. Everyone is on a first-name basis with everyone else; quite possibly the friendliest lot I've ever met.
Being a student most of my time has revolved around my classes. This semester, I've taken LING223 Language Learning Processes, LING 323 Psycholinguistics, and LING 489 Research Essay which is an honors class that I would have needed a BA for but convinced the faculty of humanities that I had the pre-requisites for -- which I did. As nerdy as it sounds, I seem to have a bit of a love affair with my LING 489 class, the equivalent of an Independent Study at the 400-level. Why on earth? After 2 years of intense Linguistics input, I had finally gotten the chance to work on something of my own choosing, my own interest; not to mention, work on my own deadlines, background, etc, meeting with my supervisor weekly, and coming up with 10,000 words at the end of the semester, which actually isn't a lot considering how much research I've put into it. My topic looks at potential differences in articulation rate in cities in 2 of the 3 linguistic regions in NZ: Hamilton and Wellington, and determining their usefulness in Forensic Linguistics in New Zealand.
Tutoring (TAing) has also been a brand new experience for me. It took immigration AGES to process my application but in the end, it worked out completely. I remember my first day as a tutor (TA) for the 200-level introductory Linguistics class where I was so nervous, even shaking as I made my introductions and led the class through the morphology discussion. How on earth could I be a teacher after only a year and a half of Linguistics training? It turned out to be absolutely fantastic. The tutorials (discussion sections) were optional for the students to attend but I had a core group of students who would show up regardless. All of us became quite close and there was definitely a sense of free-discussion without criticism. I taught my last tutorial section today and the comparison between today and the first day is huge. The one thing I'll definitely remember about this experience is the set of phonetics and phonology tutorials: the way we poked fun at each others accents and how my students taught me how to speak with a Kiwi accent. The normal procession of things went something like:
Me: "Bird, the thing that flies. Let's see. Buuuurrrddd?"
*stifled sniggers from students*
Students: "Bird. Like work or burn"
Unknowingly, they solved my 6-month long problem of not being able to master what NZ English linguists refer to as the NURSE vowel. The THOUGHT, BATH, and TRAP vowels were soon to follow. See http://www.victoria.ac.nz/llc/edith_dev/phoNZE/mono/monotable.swf for more information regarding these "lexical sets". I still, however, entertain more of a British or Australian twinge (hence my students and all my Kiwi-mates taking the mickey out of me). Ah, my future phoneticians. I awkwardly hope that they'll remember me a few years down the line as one of the reasons why they are studying Linguistics and have the utmost love for the topic. *fingers crossed* Haha.
Besides classes and TAing, the research I brought from the US is going well. Slowly, but well. I was officially accepted into the BA/MA Linguistics program at Northwestern and I am completely stoked! It meant that I was officially collecting data for my Master's thesis. A summary of my research question can be found on Arcadia's new magazine: IMPACT which was published in February: http://gargoyle.arcadia.edu/abroad/impact/impact.html
Classes, TAing, and research. Do I possibly have any fun at all? Of course! But it's truly a different kind of "fun" now that this is my second semester. I did most of my traveling during my first semester here so traveling was not on my list of priorities this semester. For some reason, my "fun" revolves mostly around food (what's Food Network's motto again?) which is great. A few friends and I traditionally swap the role of being hostess/host and have dinner parties weekly (or biweekly) at each other's flats. Massive roast birds, veggies, salad, sausages, and scrumptious deserts including cakes, brownies, and sangria. On the off chance, we might even have a game of volleyball in the yard or play Pictionary or Twister like when we were kids. A reminder that "we can still be young despite the gray hairs we acquire in our early-mid twenties". The novelty of going out to bars and clubs or "town" as the Kiwis call it, has worn off spectacularly and I'm preferring more and more just settling down with a glass of wine and a movie with a few friends. Low key (and low nausea).
We have less than two weeks left of class and I can't be more excited to be done. It's moreso a bittersweet feeling because the semester has gone so fast and the end of the semester means that my visa expires soon. I've decided to stay for an extra two months until my visa expires at the end of August to finish collecting data for my MA thesis. The whole ordeal is quite exciting! I'm moving into a flat in Island Bay -- absolutely beautiful house with sunroom and a view of the sea.
Ah, so much more to do, so little time!
August 2008
It was about 6pm on a Wednesday night at Victoria University of Wellington's Central Library on the Kelburn Campus, 6th floor, in the "large book section" by the windows overlooking the business district of Wellington, the shimmering harbor, the hillsides dotted with lights from the houses. The business district on the left of my peripheral view was lit by hundreds of beams of light emulating from the high-rise buildings. The moving bits of lights -- the headlights of the cars -- coming down the motorway reminded me of a vein with gleaming blood cells twinkling as they hurtled in my direction. My mind jumped to the tasty grilled teriyaki salmon dinner I had planned on preparing for tea, complete with a cut of steaming Cadbury hot chocolate. As I sat dreaming, it hit me: I feel right at home.
As I think about the past 8 weeks that I've been here, it all seems like such a blur -- it's gone by so fast. I distinctly remember packing the night before I left, struggling to keep my luggage under the weight limit. The flight to LAX feels like yesterday and I swear that I can still hear the warm, friendly voices from the flight attendants on 13-hour Air New Zealand flight, which I must note was the best, most comfortable plane ride I have ever taken, hands down.
I am writing this entry while I am on holiday in Hawkes Bay and my mind marvels at the fact that I've already finished half of a semester. Life at Victoria -- life in Wellington -- seems common and everyday even though I consciously point out how the US differs...mostly on the grounds of how clean, environmentally friendly, and amiable the people are. All of these are completely reflected in the lifestyle of the Kiwis. Wellington is practically spotless, the food is amazing, the skies are stunning (except when it rains), and the harbor is a marvel to see from waterside and from hillside. Additionally, there are 4 million people in NZ, 8 million cows, and 40 million sheep. That's a 10:1 sheep to human ratio and a 2:1 cow to human ratio. NZ loves energy conservation - a ton of the electricity in NZ (I think 80%) comes from wind farms where each windmill (positioned at the top of a hill) is larger than an airplane.
New Zealand is also the home of extreme sports: skydiving, bungee jumping, zorbing, etc. The only one out of those three that should sound foreign should be "zorbing". Basically, it involves you and a large plastic hamster ball. Now, imagine this hamster ball has a supported inside ball and a tube connecting the two together. Picture this apparatus being pushed to the top of a hill. This is a zorb and basic physics tells us that what goes up must go down. What makes this particular noun a verb is when three people, clad in togs (bathing suits), take a running start and hurtle through the tube into the inner sphere wherein they are joined by a bucket of hot water and pushed down the hill to have 20 seconds of screaming glory.
Everyone back home asks about the weather since "New Zealand is an island". Don't let the concept of an "island" fool you into thinking that it's automatically tropical; "temperate" fits the climate better. Temperatures in the wintertime range between the high 40s and low 50's (essentially Evanston spring time temperatures) and I have heard that it doesn't get hotter than 80 degrees F. Also, where Evanston gets lots and lots of snow in the cold months, Wellington gets lots of rain. While raincoats may not be entirely stylish, invest in a good one (otherwise the rain will soak through) and a warm one (you won't regret it). This applies to all students embarking to NZ, even those coming at beginning of 2009 because while you get to catch the end of the nice summer here (while everyone in Evanston in freezing), it will get a bit chilly around late May as NZ transitions into winter. Being in the outdoors is something you'll end up doing, especially if you're into hiking; if not, most of where you will need to get to will be via a short walk. The rugby season starts up again in winter so you will more than likely find yourself at the stadium (called "the cake tin" and now transitioning into "the chilly bin" after a cold game against South Africa) watching the All Blacks play -- and because it is a winter sport, chances are you might find yourself in the elements bracing yourself for torrential downpour, unmerciful hail, blowing snow, biting winds, and a temperature drop of 12 degrees...like I did a couple of weeks ago. Lesson learned. Dress warm. New Zealand has most of the comforts of home and the people here really do make an effort to welcome you with open arms. As my holiday ends, I'm excited to see what else I can discover about New Zealand before I head back to the US in November. But for now, home sweet home Wellington.
September 2008
My dorm ("hostel" as the Kiwis call it) is called The Stafford house which was an high rise government building before it was turned into a housing arrangement for the local students at Victoria University of Wellington. It is definitely by far the best school-provided accommodation I have ever stayed in. Each flat has three single rooms with a desk, bed, IKEA-style bureau with shelves and a bar for your hangers, and a desk/reading lamp. You and your two other flatties (flatmates) share the fully-furnished kitchen, bathroom, washer/dryer, and common area. The contemporary quality of the apartment is what sets it apart from other Vic or student flats. It might not seem like a lot but once you actually set foot into another flat, you start to realize how well endowed The Stafford House is. Besides what I have mentioned, The Stafford House has central heating while other flats have space heaters scattered around. While it is one of the farthest hostels from Vic's Kelburn campus -- a 15-minute walk uphill or a 5-minute bus ride if you're a little lazy -- the location relative to town and the quality of the accommodation definitely makes up for it."Uni," if you're in Wellington, refers to Vic. I've gotten my first taste of Kiwi education and I was really excited to find out how well Northwestern prepared me in general for a sudden change of environment. For example, my 200-level linguistics course (Sociolinguistics) spent a little time on "how to write an effective research paper" and "how to cite your references" which I thought was odd (maybe I'm just pretentious when I say "how can a college student not already have a handle on this?"). Also, the essays for both of my linguistics classes were to be presented in a very, very formal manner
(cover page and all) which jolted me a little because it seemed a bit of an overkill for...you know...a 600-word essay. Being a student, at least at Vic, is much less stressful than being a student at Northwestern. I'm very much appreciating the semester system and the fact that things are much more spread out as opposed to the crunched and hurried life that the quarter system at Northwestern calls for. Don't start thinking that you can put off studying until the day before you exams because the emphasis on the final is harsh. Many courses ("papers" to the Kiwis) distribute 35-45% of your final grade to the 3-hour final exam. It's a little disconcerting because most of my NU courses simply had final essays and not exams so I definitely need to brush up on those test-taking skills.When you're not in school or doing coursework, you're out and about enjoying the delights of Wellington. Wellington is a city, small and compact but buzzing with life. It's known for its vibrant cafe and bar culture and everything is accessible by walking or bus. Lambton Quay has all of your major shops (clothes, shoes, music, DVDS, etc) and cafes and Cuba Street and Courtenay Place is where all of the bars and dance clubs are located. Its worth saying that you're responsible for paying for your living costs. All hostels (exception: first-year hostels) here are self-service meaning that in most instances you are on your own paying for groceries, toilet paper, utilities, internet, and cell phone bills on your own. Coming from Northwestern's dorms, you get a little used to being provided for and having an unlimited number of resources at your hand; New Zealand is big on "flatting" so students are expected to be able to care of themselves. I've been keeping a detailed record of expenses since I arrived and I am averaging around $90-100 NZ per week for food and things like soap and toilet paper, internet (1000MB) is $12 NZ per week, and electricity ranges between $90-130 NZ per month (if you are with Arcadia, they will send you a check to pay for this). Not to mention bedding (sheets, pillows, duvet, duvet cover) which you should expect to cost between $100-150 NZ, or books and course packets which cost me personally close to $200 for the semester (of course, there's the option of buying used books and selling back your books at the end of the semester). A little shocking, eh? But don't let this scare you off because the experience in New Zealand, particularly Wellington, is well worth it. These prices are all in New Zealand Dollars and if the US dollar stays strong, it should cost you less in your familiar currency. The most beautiful thing is that, it's technically less expensive than living costs at Northwestern. Who would have guessed?
Cell phone service is something else that concerns all students coming to New Zealand. You have two choices: Vodafone or Telecom. Regardless of which you get, come ready to text because it is the main method of communication between students (and even families). Both services offer very good texting deals for $10 per month. Can you bring a phone from the US? The answer is yes so long as your phone has a SIM card slot and is unlocked -- this way, you can buy a SIM card from Vodafone (GSM) for $35 instead of buying a whole new phone AND a texting deal. Telecom runs on CDMA technology so there is no SIM card involved so if you don't have a GSM phone (SIM card), you will need to buy a whole new phone. Calling, at least for Vodafone, is 89 cents per minute but offer unlimited texts/calls to another Vodafone customer of your choice for $6. You might ask, how can I place calls then? There isn't a cheap solution to call outside of your city's area code besides getting a phone card which will charge you much less than your mobile service provider. You can probably see why most people text each other since calling is so confusing and expensive. Calling internationally, surprisingly, is much more straightforward: buy a subscription to call the US (from NZ) through Skype for $3 USD per month and activate your SkypeToGo number (your access number to your account). The way it works is that you call your SkypeToGo number from your landline phone in your flat (will be free of charge) and you can call any landline or mobile in the US and talk for 10,000 minutes. SWEET. I've tried to buy the same subscription to call NZ phones but because Skype hasn't struck a deal with NZ mobile service carriers, you can only call landlines. Again, texting is the way to go. Brush up on the short-hand!
October 2008, Part I
It's a Saturday afternoon and I'm taking a short break from writing my essay on the final 'th' sound in the word with for LING322: New Zealand English. Hard to believe, but Monday starts the final week of classes before the one-week study break and the three-week exam period. We just had our end-of-the-year dinner for Stafford on Thursday and this Wednesday, Jane and Kate, our Arcadia "mommies", are flying into Wellington to have a farewell dinner with us "Vic-possums". I can't quite put my finger on where the time went.
