Wednesday, March 3, 2010

A day for sports... and Shakespear

Sports day was pretty crazy. I woke up and found my younger host brother in the bathroom with his face covered a tribal-like black paint design. I asked uncertainly "umm... so are we going on the bus like this?" I got a simple "duh." So I did up my whole face in black, found my shortest black running shorts and long running socks, and then just got on the bus. I was so worried to find people in regular clothes on it but I was pleasantly surprised to find the whole bus a mess of orange, blue, red, black, and green. Even the seats were found to be covered in paint. A very fun bus ride I must say. The beginning of sports day started out with each house gathering all their members together and march on to the main field doing chants. I am proud to say that I came up with our house's main chant of "we are Pearce and we are black! we have balls which the other houses lack!" Our house leader was going around with ideas the week before and I said this as a joke and what do you know, it becomes our main one. Coldstream was painted orange and wore kilts and freshly skinned sheep skin from the day before (some had maggots in them). They were the best looking because they all looked like characters from braveheart and a guy even came out onto the field galloping on a horse! The rest of the day was spent doing athletics (track and field). I qualified in all the running events and Pearce came in fourth out of the five houses. it was the first time in 19 years that we did not come in last. We all cheered like crazy.


This next bit is an e-mail to my sister discussing my school's Shakespeare day where the year 12 and 13s dressed up as shakespearean characters and recited lines as a monologue from the play. Note: only a minority dressed up and a minority of that minority recited lines. ok:

Shakespeare day was fun, and I totally forgot my lines. A lot of people dressed up but not a lot had a speech. So anyway my house was the first to go and this one kid (the freaking best actor in the world who the fundraiser was actually for, to send him to london to go to the globe theatre) was first and did amazing. O yea, all the year 12 and 13 came to watch, about 200 people plus. They all sat in a huge circle around the hall with the judges table about 1/3 of the way from the end in the middle. And then the judges say "anymore from pearce? anyone at all? no one?" I could not remember my speech for the life of me so I just sat there thinking to myself "well F that shit." But then all of a sudden some random guys that I had told earlier I might do it but I did not really think I had the guts said "hey trenor, its trenor, hes doing one." Then a kid next to me pushed me in to the middle of the hall. Since i could not remember any of my caesar speech I immediatly thought of the romeo one that says "but soft, what light through yonder window breaks" cause I remembered that I knew a little bit of that. The good actor recited his acts and scenes and shizz before he started but I said "well I have no idea what scene or act it is or whatever and im not exactly dressed the part either (i was dressed as caesar) but here it goes." So I did this damn romeo speech and messed up like 3 times even though I only knew a few lines and then after I said one line I forgot those words so I said "for it is sick and pale with grief... eh.. (que long silence)..." and then I just bowed. It was a very abrupt ending and no one thought it would end there. it was pretty lame but also pretty funny. Everyone elses were all also relatively stupid so i did not look bad or anything so it was just kinda fun. Our house came in second for shakespear day! A complete success id say. Im in the paper today for it along with everyone else who dressed up. We had to parade the streets in our outfits. It was a very weird day but im glad i did it. I dont want to just be the random foreign exchange kid. I was pretty much smiling the whole day from the stupidity of it all. I bid good morrow to you Lauren. 

I am to tired to write about my weekend and championship day but Ill get that in very soon, both were pretty interesting. Here are a few more differences I have noticed:

It is was easier to make a conversation or meet someone in America, but it is also harder to make friends. You have to make an effort in NZ for them to talk to you/like you but thats pretty much it. If you give effort, they recognize it. Whether it be not knowing how to play rugby but just jumping in (even though you may mess up a lot) or just talking to someone about the farm their family owns or an upcoming sports even, kiwis will almost automatically accept you. I had about two conversations with this one kid and the next day he invited me to go out his farm to four wheel. With my experiences in America you can meet someone really easily but it takes awhile to actually become friends with them and it is often, dare I say it... awkward for awhile. Here there is now awkwardness with people. You don't walk down the hallway and see someone you kind of know and whip out your cell phone to act like your texting to avoid their gaze or something stupid like that. When you have met someone your pretty much golden. Another thing I have noticed is the accent thing is still weird. I desperately want to get the accent but whenever I talk or say something to a kiwi in their accent, they always say "that sounds weird, dont say it like that." For example: the name Becca  here is pronounce like bEAcca like ea at the beginning of eagle, whereas americans pronounce the vowel e like "Eh." I ask my host brother Liam how to say the name slowly and he says bEEEAAAca. I repeat back exactly bEEAAca. He responds "why do you say it like that like the first part is a birds 'beak'" I say thats because thats how you says it. I say it again like him to which he says it still sounds wrong, and then he tells me to say it like americans say it and then I do. I say Becca like with no ea sound at all in the middle then he says "NOW you said it right, its just like that, bEEAAca."    Me- "wtf"

host moms explanation is that when they hear an american talk they already know from tv what its going to sound like therefore whenever I say something how they say it even if its exactly like them it will sound wrong because it will just sound different coming from an american. Then how am I supposed to get an accent??? this may not make any sense at all even though it does to me, its just hard to explain via typing. 

another different thing here is that if someone says they are going to drink piss, that means that they are going to drink alcohol.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Trenor! So I'm 16, from Wisconsin, ya dee da. Anyways, I've been reading your blog because I'm going to new zealand 2nd semester of my junior year next year! Anyways I'm hoping that reading about it through an American's eyes will help ease my transition and I have learned some helpful stuff from you. Especially that whole drinkin piss part. Yeah, that would have been awkward. Anyways, you're really funny. And it sounds like you're having a crazy good time in NZ
    -Sarah

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  2. Haha thanks sarah. Well I have only been here a little over a month now so I am still experiencing all the new stuff. I can tell you that you will have an amazing time and that what you really need to do most of all is just try stuff. dont sit on the sidelines if you are feeling uncomfortable or awkward just go out and be apart of everything. people here really arent awkward so you dont really have to worry about it. It is easier said than done though. I still find myself afraid to go jump out on to the rugby field sometimes but whenever I do it im so glad I did. Also dont be afraid to mess with people a little bit and dont take things so seriously. you may think someone is taking the piss (making fun of you) but they are really just joking around and being friendly. And if someone asks you if you knew tupac personally or some celebrity say yes and go with it, its freakin hillarious. I also had some kid convinced today that I was from new zealand but I just had a farming person's accent. whatever the hell that is. you can ask any questions you want or just add me on facebook

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