That's a Wrap

The final two weeks of the semester, known as integration and debrief weeks, served as a way to reflect on and celebrate our time together and prepare for what lay ahead – home. We grew even closer the final weeks with activities like a white possum gift exchange, lavender and paua shell candle making, hosting a hangi and hiking Sawcut Gorge.

Students left their mark on the Old Convent by completing betterment projects for future students to enjoy. Led by master craftsman Josh (Eastern ’11), the chicken coop that began during the God and Nature course was finished and painted by resident artists Adam and Perry (both Messiah ’13). Betterment projects certainly don’t have to be as labor intensive as a chicken coop. Some of the other projects that future CCSPers will benefit from were a few constructed bird houses made from scrap wood, a forgotten garden cleared of weeds, rose bushes pruned, and even the installment of an outdoor checkerboard using stones from the beach.

Graduation is cause for celebration and so we did just that for Allie (Eastern ’10), who shared with us her final semester of undergraduate studies. We held a graduation ceremony with the highly distinguished keynote speaker, Courtnay (Program Director). She reminded Allie how odd she is and challenged her to never lose her oddness.

And then celebration night came. A night that we prepared for yet dreaded its arrival because we all knew that it signified the final evening together. Our final meal together was just like our first, fish and chips on the beach. We came back to the Convent and shared stories, songs, artwork, baked goods, hugs, tears and so much more. In the morning, everything changed. The Old Convent was left quiet and empty. The airplanes that took off for North America that day took with them some incredible students. Students who left an impression on Kaikoura and vice versa.

Trash Fashion turned into a battle scene with Cowboy Ben (Messiah '12) and Spartan Adam (Messiah '13)

A time to celebrate.

The West Coast by the Numbers

11 days

2,500 kilometers traveled

2 tremendous professors, Dr. Erik Lindquist and Dr. Joe Sheldon

3 great accommodations allowing us to see diverse forests, caves, glacial valleys and so much more

30 native plant species to identify

Several day hikes (some included Mt. Cheeseman, Inland Pack Track in Paparoa National Park and Franz Josef Glacier)

20 minutes (or 2.5 hours) it took to summit Mt. Cheeseman

3,000 times we heard Kooba (Calvin ’11) exclaim, “Hey, check this out! It’s so cool!”

5:45 a.m. The time needed to wake up in order to see magnificent bird life

4 or 5 wrong turns before we reached the place to hear rowi, (Apteryx rowi) New Zealand’s rarest kiwi bird. Oops.

300 rowi left in the wild and we heard at least one of them.

ONE BIG ADVENTURE.

Doing our best haka faces

Inland Pack Track in Paparoa National Park

Franz Josef Glacier

Term Break Adventures, Courtesy of Erica

Erica (Dordt '12) writes;

Road Tripping the South Island!

It all started Saturday at 7.30 in the morning. Four girls and one guy all squished into a white Honda Accord, affectionately known as Parnassus. Parnassus is the name of a town we went through and it became the car’s name. That first day we drove about 8 hours down to Dunedin. Dunedin is a really old city with lots of big old Cathedrals and stone buildings. We walked around and then went out for supper. We started the routine of having bed time stories read by Lauren! She is an epic story teller and we were all excited for bed time to keep reading. Of course, we decided Lord of the Rings would be appropriate reading as we were seeing so many of the film sites.

The next morning we woke up early to try and catch a glimpse of the spotted blue penguins that are supposed to be along the coast. Alas, we did not get to see them. We also were going to go see a castle but we found out at the gate that it was going to cost significantly more than we were willing to pay. We didn’t even get to catch a glimpse of it. They kept the gate far enough back that you couldn’t see anything. Sad Day! So our morning started a little bit down, but never fear, that day we started our trek through middle earth. We drove through the country where they filmed Rohan in Lord of the Rings. It was beautiful country and I took far too many pictures. That night we stayed in Queenstown. Queenstown is a gorgeous spot. The city is cute and probably slightly touristy but I liked it. The town is right on a lake with mountains surrounding it. We walked around the city and did some touristy shopping. Did you know you can actually buy the one ring from Lord of the Rings? I thought that it was slightly ridiculous to call it the one ring when you can buy a whole handful. Seriously! You can also buy any other Lord of the Rings trinket that you could ever dream up.

We only stayed there one night and then we headed to a little place called the Kinloch lodge. Courtnay recommended the spot to us. It was quite back-woodsy but very nice. The only downside was there were LOTS of black flies. We got to see some of the big old forests where they did more filming for Lord of the Rings. We re-enacted some epic battles just to get the true feel of it. We also got to hike the first day of the Routeburn track. It is a famous backpacking track that is ranked as one of the top ten trails in the world!!!!

After the Kinloch we drove to an area called Milford Sound. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. There were massive rocks that jutted way, way up into the air. They are so rocky that trees can’t really grow on them. There is just moss and sometimes trees grow on the moss but they don’t last very long. Once they get too big they tumble down the mountain. There are millions of waterfalls cascading down the rocks. Milford Sound is also on the coast and we took a cruise of the sound and got to see a Yellow Crested penguin!!!! These are REALLY rare, we found out. They don’t even know where the penguins go after they leave the sound, but WE SAW ONE! I had never seen a penguin before so that was pretty cool. We also got to hike the other end of the Routeburn track. I was very excited about that too. The view at the top was fantastic! The Milford Sound area was definitely my favorite area. Krista, Jada and I also got in some banana grams which was good fun!

After that we headed back out to a place called Lake Tekapo. It was cool and rainy which was too bad because we didn’t get to see some more Lord of the rings scenery. We saw bits that we thought may have been from the movies but mostly we saw clouds. Lake Tekapo was nice but cold and rainy. After that we had to head back. We spent a night in Christchurch because we weren’t able to come back to the Convent until Sunday.

All in all, the trip was great! I got to spend quality time with my friends and we got to see some awesome scenery! I don’t think you could ask for a better way to spend your week break!

God and Nature

What are some of the first wildflowers to bloom in your area?
When you walk out your front door, what direction do you face?
How many days until the next full moon?

As a way to begin thinking about our place, both here in New Zealand and back in North America, we started our two-week God and Nature course answering questions like these with our professors Loren and Mary Ruth Wilkinson from Regent College. To understand our interactions with and our place in creation we first had to learn about the Creator.

What is our understanding of well being? How about shalom?
Were there predator/prey relationships in the Garden of Eden?
Do we have a clear understanding of life after death? Immortal souls? Bodily resurrection?

We looked at Scriptures that revealed to us God’s care for our realtionship with him and our relationship with the whole of creation. One of the most common ways we have a relationship with the rest of creation is when we sit down to eat.

How can we assess the hidden costs of the food we buy?
What is the difference between waste and trash?
Why does food taste so good?

Of course, we couldn’t talk about food without making some of our own. Loren and Mary Ruth taught us how to make pasta from scratch and treated us to homemade waffles. Ashley (Messiah ’12), Kendra (Biola ’12), Lauren (Bethel ’12), Jada and Katie (both Messiah ’13) were assigned to cook a dinner for 30 people only using ingredients harvested within a 100-mile radius of the Old Convent. From the taste of things, they passed with flying colors. For dinner we had fresh salad, roasted pumpkin, vegetable fritata and venison (thanks to Ben, Messiah ’12). Dessert, which had everyone finding room deep in their stomachs for, was homemade lavender honey ice cream and a lemon sorbet. Lauren proved to us how fresh the milk was when she came back from the farm with a wet shirt. Getting sprayed by milking machines - all in the name of fresh ice cream.

Other group projects consisted of researching the health of the ocean in and around Kaikoura, conducting a bio-blitz of the Old Convent and the nearby Hinau Track, tracking our garbage from where our stuff comes and where it goes after we dispose of it and building a chicken coop as a way to be homemakers.

A Chill Coffee House

We have a wonderful friend here at the Convent this semester whom many of us would describe as “chill.” She hails from a cool California school, and despite originally being from Cleveland (shmeveland?) seems like she could surf at the drop of a hat. Her name is Danielle (Westmont, ’12), and in recognition of her birthday we decided to throw her a super chill coffee house.

In true coffee house fashion, the night included food, hot drinks, music, poetry, artwork, and even comic impersonations (Ben, Messiah ’13).

As we found seats on couches and around cozy tables, with puppy chow, compliments of Kayla (Biola ’12), and mugs of chai made by Tyler, (SLC), some took the opportunity to admire artwork by Perry (Messiah ’13), Adam (Messiah ’13), Jess (SLC) and Allie L. (Program Admin).

We were all blown away by Allie’s (Eastern ’10), epic poem which made mention of everyone by name, and songs written specially for Danielle by Kendra (Biola ’12), and Perry and Adam. Josh (Eastern ’11) played a beautiful guitar tune for us that left everyone wishing for more.

After eating some delectable chocolate cake specially made by Lisa (Resident Kiwi Extraordinaire), we left feeling full of sweets, and glad to have the opportunity to live with and love Danielle this semester.

Happy Birthday Kooba! We're Glad You Like Lemurs and Coffee

Kooba likes Lemurs.

Correction: Kooba likes pretty much every living creature that crawls, swims, or flies on, over, or through God’s good earth.

Kooba likes coffee.

Correction: Kooba is a seasoned connoisseur of hot drinks and enjoys them on a level that some of us will certainly never experience.

On October 16^th we celebrated Kooba’s 22^nd birthday.

Actually celebration is the perfect word to describe the events that unfolded in recognition of that notable occasion. Although we were not able to incorporate all the creatures that Kooba loves into the festivities, lemurs did take on an important roll. A “Hot Drink Creation” contest was held in the dining with Kooba presiding. Each team designed a hot drink based on an assigned lemur species. The results were truly spectacular. With groups coming up with delectable mocha cream creations, zesty lime and spice drinks, and lemur faces made of flower petals.

We appreciate Kooba greatly and are thankful for both his excitement for hot drinks, and his love for the incredible creatures we share this earth with.

Environmental Lit: The Doorway Into Thanks, And Silence in Which Another Voice May Speak

We are here to witness the creation and to abet it. –Annie Dillard

In our Environmental Literature course, we studied and mused over works and authors concerned with the natural world. Although these authors had very different ideas about the “nature of nature” and not all would agree with Annie Dillard’s motto of nature writing, they all contributed to the evolution of environmental literature and we certainly learned from all of them.

Environmental Literature can be a cumbersome topic to handle within only a week’s time; Pauline Stevick, our professor hailing from Messiah College in Pennsylvania, wielded works and literary movements and theories spanning 200 years and multiple cultural boundaries. Her survey was an excellent cross-section ranging from Wordsworth to E. E. Cummings to Wendell Berry.

Needless to say, as Pauline guided us along the literary landscape of delight, students discovered some really wonderful poetry. One of the favorites was Robert Frost’s “Dust of Snow”:

The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

So often we found our heads covered with snow this week as a phrase, idea, word or poem would strike us in a way to change our moods or save the day, so to speak.

Just a few of these “dust of snow” moments:

Re-reading the first chapters of Genesis and considering the literary features of this Hebraic poem made us appreciate humanity as a part of creation, endowed with the task of cultivating and protecting the rest of it.

We were often startled and delighted by the beautiful and different language used to describe both the natural world itself and the relationship humanity has with it. But this delight was deepened upon understanding the benefit or harm that can come along with using certain metaphors for the environment, whether they are the overly-euphemistic perceptions of Thoreau and the Transcendentalists or the bare-bones indifference or even antagonizing character of nature according to Jack London.

For a while, one night in our cozy upstairs classroom with the fire glowing, we simply studied a poem impromptu that Pauline observed written on a chalkboard in the Convent. Even for those who were wary of poetry, Mary Oliver’s “Prayer” drew us in and made us rediscover the beauty in simplicity. This poem was a doorway into thanksgiving for many of us.

It doesn't have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try

to make them elaborate, this isn't

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak