"Malasis." Hm. no, it must be "malasys." Hm, still no good spelling suggestions. Well, let's try "mole asses." Theerreee. THat worked.h

Sunday, 22 March 8:33 pm

We have to leave tomorrow.
Tomorrow. As in the day after today, as in the morning will be the last time I am going to wake up in this bed. It’s hard to imagine, it felt as if we just got here.

We have had fun the last week. On Wednesday we took a trip to the International Antarctic Center, which is a tourist science museum/zoo about Antarctica attached to a number of buildings that are various countries’ bases for Antarctica trips. We saw little blue penguins being fed (the same type we say wild), and many exhibits. The best part of it though was at the end, when we got to take a ride in a “haglann,” a type of vehicle scientists use to get around in Antarctica. They had set up a course behind the building, with giant hills to drive over with slopes of 45 degrees, over a meter of water to drive through. The hills were terrifying but exhilarating—we only had small seat belts (and mine didn’t want to stay taught), and hooks from the ceiling to hold on to like a subway car. The water was scary because it came over the window of the car. M and I commented on how useful the vehicle would have been in Fiji.

This weekend we had fun also. Yesterday morning we drove out to Sumner, a neighborhood with a large beach about 30 minutes from our house. It was raining, but I was actually glad of it because it meant the beach wasn’t crowded (besides, a beach isn’t a beach without cold rain). We then took a long drive along the summit of a hill range by the city, with offered amazing views of the whole town (that is, when we weren’t inside a very thick cloud—as I said, it was a little stormy that day). We got lunch at a vaguely strange little restaurant/tea room, but it was nice anyways. When we got home we started packing.
I don’t like packing. Well, that isn’t quite true. Packing can be fun and satisfying, but not when I don’t want to leave and the objects we have to put in the suitcases don’t fit. The main problem is I have piles and piles of books, most of which are textbooks. We have a weight limit of 23 kilos per bag, which means we have to distribute the books among our four suitcases (two giant black ones and two duffels). Living here we have spread objects around every single room of the house, which makes the job of finding everything a little difficult.

Today we went back into the city to do some gift shopping. That was nice, although again it was very cold and rainy. I got a jade necklace from one of the booths at the art center, which I love. For lunch we met M’s host at the University and his family at a vaguely famous restaurant at a corner of the arts center. Last time we were in Christchurch, seven years ago, we asked for soy sauce (I think T had rice or something). A while later they brought us a little bottle of molasses. I think by now there are enough Asian and American immigrants to know what soy sauce is, but apparently not back then.
This afternoon we again were packing. It’s a little depressing—I can’t believe we have to get on a plane tomorrow. Tomorrow (well, that depends on how the word is defined. I actually think ‘tomorrow’ is a relative term, which would mean my using it here would not be correct as we will all experience 45 hours before then—but perhaps the word means a comparison in the date. Anyways, Monday) night we will be in Eugene. All the clothes are gone from my drawers, and all that is left to pack is the toothpaste, computer, and other various things we will need tomorrow.

Well, I’m going to stop writing now. I just don’t understand what happened to the time—it really does feel like we just left Eugene. There will be so much work when we get home—a huge amount of unpacking, then organizing pictures and whatnot.

I am excited to get home for many reasons. I’m really excited to see my dad again, and the cats. Hopefully they haven’t forgotten us! We’ve never been gone from them for more than two weeks—we got them right after our last trip to the South Pacific. I’m excited for my room, my computer, my memory foam mattress. And to see all my brothers, whom I will over spring break. I’m excited for my painting supplies, the sewing machine, all my little knickknacks, and to play tennis again. I am also excited for school, even a little bit for the social-ness—I’m not a big fan of high school, especially the social wrestling arena, but I am excited to see my friends again.

I feel a little better now.

Just a little, though.

p.s. The BBC Pride and Prejudice mini-series is AMAZING. We only had time to watch four out of six, and although I know the story very well I am very anxious that Elizabeth will never forgive or understand Mr. Darcy…