Caving, but then earthquake, power outage, and snow... oh my!

This weekend I went on the Alpine club trip to Piripiri cave. I have never been caving before, so I was not really sure what to expect. The trip leader said there would be waist-deep water at parts and that it was going to be cold. Because this was the only information I was given, I figured it could not require too much physical activity or experience. Mostly, my friends all really wanted to go and I did not want to miss out, so I tagged along.
We got up bright and early with thermals on and headlamps ready.
To get to the cave, we had to go over this bridge

And abseil down into this

This is my "holy cow what am I getting myself into, but still trying to look brave" face

After the abseil, the cave entrance was really beautiful

Also, see that waterfall on the left? Yeah, we had to climb up that just to get into the cave. It was probably 30 feet up or so. 

We then hoisted ourselves through small cracks and up waterfalls for several hours through freezing shoulder-deep (the guide was 6'4" so that water was waist deep on him) waters. I definitely had a hard time. I would not say my upper body strength is my specialty, but that is what this trip required, so my body did its best. There was one point, however, where I legitimately thought I was going to die. We had climbed up a waterfall on the way into the cave and after turning around, we had to go across the waterfall gap to a smaller gap and shimmy our way to dry land. I wish I could draw a diagram, but basically I had to rely on 3 foot moves to get me across a 20 foot drop and shimmy my way across 10 feet of equal death. Let's just say I was not super happy about that. Praise Jesus, because I made it out alive! My body is pretty bruised and sore, but I did it! Overall, I am glad I went so that I can say I have gone caving, but I will never go again. 

The last few days I have been resting and working on papers, so I have been feeling more in my element. Yesterday, though, was somewhat strange. One of my professors sent out an email and said, "in all my 38 years here in Palmerston North, I have never seen such an event". First, we had an earthquake. Apparently being raised in Colorado has made me completely obviously to earthquakes. We have had 2 since I have been here and I have not felt either of them. This one was pretty small (4.1 I think), so no worries, Mom. Everything is fine! Secondly, we had snow in Palmy for the first time in 10 years. Many of the students here have never even seen snow fall from the sky. There was a snow craze and snowball fights were breaking out all over campus. Because of the snow, we had an all-campus power outage for a few hours. Luckily, I had my brand new headlamp, so I was wearing it around the house. Trust me. I looked cool, especially after the power turned back on and I forgot I was wearing it. It got pretty cold in our house without the heat (we could see our breath), but the power eventually turned back on. The snow is already gone less than 24 hours later, but it was fun while it lasted. Now, I am frantically working on my first real paper that is due on Friday. Thank goodness for ISEP pass-fail!

All Blacks Fever!

I am finally feeling back on the up and up! I still have a lil mustache from blowing my nose all the time, but it is less frequent which is nice for me and my classmates. I was originally going to go to Wellington this weekend with some friends, but because of my illness I stayed in Palmy.
I got to Skype with some good friends on Saturday, which was really encouraging. I was having a rough time because of being sick and having to stay in Palmy and a little bit of homesickness. They cheered me up and I have a new outlook on life.
My friends and I also decided to watch the All Blacks and Australia game at a bar in town because we are not able to get it on our TVs. I had never watched a rugby game before and I was not sure what to expect, especially because New Zealand is so passionate about their rugby. Luckily we got to the bar pretty early, because it was overflowing by the time the game started. It was really interesting to watch the cultural differences compared to US sporting events. When the national anthem was being sung on TV, everyone in the bar stood up and sang along. That does not typically happen for a football or baseball game in the States. The game in general is more fluid and by the end, I had the general concepts. Luckily, one of the American girls with me is a rugby player, so she filled us in on basic rules and what not. After the All Blacks won, the mood was so light and cheerful. The entire city was joyful! I cannot imagine what this place will be like for the World Cup, but I am so excited to experience it!
Today, I went to church again and I am still not sure how I feel about it, but I am glad I have somewhere to go. I am still having a difficult time breaking into the "Christian circle", but I am confident it will happen eventually.