Gondola and other news

Last Saturday I went with Nathan and the Missou girls to the Gondola just outside of Christchurch. As soon as we arrived it started to drizzle and I have now become convinced that whenever I go on a hike or any other outdoor activity outside of rugby the weather has to be overcast, foggy, and rainy. We decided to walk up the mountain side and take the gondola down. The walk was very steep and picturesque even in the poorer weather and gave us an incredable view of Christchurch and Littleton when we were about half way there. There were a number of memorials along the way in rememberance of the first pioneers (women and children of Littleton) who climbed the moutain and looked down in awe and courage of making their future in NZ. Unfortunately we did not walk behind the memorial and continue on the trail to the gondola but walked along the road hoping it would wind up, it didn't, so we turned back, corrected our mistake and reached the gondola just when the weather turned really bad. At the top we were supposed to see a wonderful 360 degrees of the surronding area but thanks to the fog visibility was 0. After a nice and deserved hot chocolate we made our way down via the gondola, which was a little eerie since you couldn't see anything, and made our way home. On the way back we realised we would not be able to make dinner in time so we ate at a nice Italian restaurant and came back to the dorms wet but satisfied.
Sunday: Rugby Trials! They went well as the post before mentioned, practice has continued and I do think that Colts is the right place for me. We haven't done so much tackling or game situations, rather we have focused more on fitness, but I think that in a week or two it will get a little more intense and more demanding.
Tuesday: Field Trip day. At Lincoln every two weeks the tuesday is a field trip day for the whole school. Therefore if you do not have a field trip then you do not have class. I had a field trip out to a sheep farm but I later realised that it was optional and I didn't really need to be there. Regardless it was interesting to hear the farmer speak and tour his farm looking at the pastures, soils, management systems etc. Unfortunately the weather again was against me and I think I am going to invest in a pair of Gum Boots so that my socks can stay dry and I don't risk getting foot rot.
On other news I have been learning a couple of NZ slang words. First off we have "Mint" this is the equivelant of "cool" or "awesome" in the US. So someone can reply "that's mint" or just "mint". Another saying which I enjoy more is "Sweet As." this can also be used in replacement of cool, awesome, sure, etc. So when someone says something and you agree you can just say Sweet As. Other observations are that the door knobs are really low in NZ, between your knee and your fingers when you straighten your hand. I've gotten used to it but it was pretty annoying in the beginning since you had to awkwardly bend to open the door.
Otherwise feel free to write and stay in touch. Cheers.