Miscellaneous observations

In no particular order:

1) One of the phrases used during orientation was “Four seasons in one day.” It fits. Yesterday I walked to class in the morning in a sweater; went back to the room during a break in the afternoon (I needed a new pencil) in a T-shirt, and was sweltering; and went home after class in the sweater again, because it had gotten dark and chilly and the wind was nearly making it hard to walk.

2) We were also told that New Zealanders don’t do umbrellas, so I haven’t bought one. All the rain until today has been very light: so far, so good. This afternoon, though, it started pouring. Glad I didn’t have to go out.

3) The world is flat. NZ does not do hills. My mental map of the half-hour walk to the mall puts it on a slope, probably because similar walks in MD are up-and-down all the way, but this is nonsense. It’s board-flat all the way.

4) On a probably related note, I’ve noticed more people in wheelchairs, wearing leg braces, and using canes or other similar methods of support here than anywhere else I’ve ever been.

5) …darnit, the US changed the clocks, didn’t it? Just when I was getting the hang of counting by sixes to calculate the time difference, too.