Winter has arrived!

Yes--winter has definitely arrived in New Zealand! The other day we even had snow falling. I've been told this doesn't happen much here in Masterton---must be all of the global warming! It was pretty though to see it falling--unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me at the time. In planning my trip here I never gave any thought to what the winter might be like here. I just pictured what paradise would be like in January. When you look at the map though you realize that we are quite close to Antarctica--so you can imagine how cold it gets during the winter! :) And to top it off many New Zealanders don't have good heating in their homes. I have been getting to work on my fire starting skills as most homes have a wood stove--which are quite nice--but can be a lot of work to keep up with all the firewood. I miss my gas fireplace at home!

My flat I live in is quite cold, but thankfully I have a small heater I plant myself in front of every night! I also bought an electric blanket which has been a lifesaver! I have even learned about inventions such as a hot water bottle! Speaking of the cold, I got to enjoy New Zealand's number one sport last weekend in the cold and the rain. Growing up in Portland my parents were told to get their kids into soccer since this was Soccer City, USA. Here in the country of NZ most of the kids grow up playing rugby. This is a sport which I am not very familar with. I have seen one game when I was up in Canada looking into a nursing school up in BC. To me it just looked pretty brutal. Last Saturday I traveled to Wellington (the capital of NZ) to witness the All Blacks (NZ's national rugby team) play France. They were playing in what is known as a test match. Which is like a preseason game. The week before they had played France in the South Island and had lost which was a huge disappointment to the nation. So the game I got to watch was a big deal in that the All Blacks were now playing for national pride. And thankfully the people weren't disappointed---they won! I still didn't fully understand what was going on in the game, but am glad I got to experience a bit of Kiwi culture!
Here in Masterton I have been able to join a men's soccer team which has been a lot of fun. I had wanted to play on a women's team, but unfortunately they don't have any teams organized. Soccer is a winter sport here--along with rugby---so needless to say some of our games have been quite cold. Another winter sport here is netball which is like basketball, but without the dribbling and the backboard. I got to play a couple of games with one of my co-workers, but wasn't very good at following all of the rules! Another big sport here is cricket which is quite foreign to me. It is like baseball---but then again---very unlike baseball. I would say that rugby and cricket are probably the 2 national sports here. I think I will stick to soccer--something I can understand! By the way---I have to mention here that the US men just pulled off an upset by beating Spain 2-0 in the South African Fifa Cup. Very exciting stuff! Maybe the men are finally going to make us proud like the women!
Well there isn't else to report here in Masterton. My contract finishes in a month and I am definitely ready to do some more traveling. I think that has been on the negative aspects of my traveling assignment here. I wish I could have done more traveling in the midst of my hours at the hospital. I am pretty sure I am going to come back here next January so hopefully I will get the chance to travel when the weather is a bit warmer!