And thats it!

SoPac:

Well friends, here's to three and a half months together. 

Treasure your memories, stick to your convictions, live well.

All the best,

Caleb, Court, Jess, Emma, Sam, John, Allie, Lisa

Trash Fashion

Sopac:

Well, we're rounding out the semester here in Kaikoura. We've just finished integration week, a week intended to help pull together everything we've experienced and learned, inside and outside of the classroom these past months.

Among the most practical ways to recycle, we've found, is to make clothes out of junk. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure.  So here are some pictures from our trash fashion show.  Presenting... Derelicte. 

Randi (Biola) in her favorite newspaper dress. 

Kristen (Wheaton) and Gabe (Messiah), better known as the "Breakfast Crew"

Terrestrial Ecosystems

SoPac:

We're back! After ten days on the South Island's west coast, we have learned much, seen much, and have much to tell. Joe Sheldon (Eastern, Messiah) has been our fearless leader as we studied the various ecosystems on the west coast. Here's a glimpse...

Walking to the foot of the Franz Josef glacier.

Joe Sheldon talking about the glacial landscape.

Emma (kitchen manager and botanist extraordinaire) imparting knowledge regarding New Zealand forests plants.

Darin (Messiah) soaking it all in.

Allie (Program Administrator) and Emma.

Now students are working away compiling their ecosystems research projects, using the data gathered on the last two days of our trip. Our semester is quickly coming to a close, as only two weeks remain.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Marine Ecology

SoPac:

This week was spent exploring the remarkable diversity of marine life here in Kaikoura with Professor Beth Horvath (Westmont). Limpets, algae, chitin, starfish, paua, sperm whales, fur seals, to name a few. What an incredible opportunity to be able to actually get out into the tidepools and study them firsthand instead of just talking about them in the classroom.

Jonny (Eastern), Kathleen (Messiah) and Laura (Waynesburg) seeing what they can see.

Oh yea, and did I mention we got to swim with Dusky Dolphins, widely considered the most acrobatic dolphin in the world? Because we did.

It's been a while..

SoPac:

And we're back! To all our faithful followers, apologies for the brief blog hiatus. Much has happened since we last connected, namely, Environmental Lit II with Susan Felch (Calvin) God and Nature II with Rolf Bouma (UMich) Spring (Fall) Break. So there is much to tell, but we'll just share some pictures from Spring/Fall Break.

After some weeks in the Convent together, everyone was given a week-long break to scatter about the country and go off on their own adventures. Some went to Queenstown, some went to the sandy beaches of Abel Tasman, some went to All Blacks crazed Auckland, some road tripped the South Island, and some hike the Heaphy Track. Here are some photos to give you a small taste.

The beautiful South Island

An unbelievable sunset on the West Coast at the end of the Heaphy Track.

A familiar sight in Kiwi-country

Crossing a swing bridge on the Heaphy Track.

Literature, Lawn Games, and Laughs

SoPac:

Happy Birthday to John (Property Manager) and Kaitlyn (Wheaton)! If you follow this blog, I realize that it may seem that all we do here at CCSP is have costumed birthday parties, go to class, and sit on the beach.  While somewhat accurate, know that much more goes on around here, we just chose to report these particular events. 

With that said, John is a fan of lawn games and Kaitlyn loves dressing up. Kaitlyn also enjoys improv. So we smashed them all together for a fantastic party.  We created and played some lawn games, then sat down for a dinner theater of raucous improv games. Oh, and everyone had to dress as their favorite literary character. See for yourself...

Kristen (Wheaton) dressed as, well, I think you can figure this one out.  Bingo. Voldemort. 

The honored guests: John (Captain Ahab from Moby Dick) and Kaitlyn (Rosie Cotton from the Shire). Aragorn, Huck Finn, and Legolas look on as Kaitlyn takes her horseshoes throw. 

Other notable characters included Penelope from the Odyssey, the Cheshire Cat, Frankenstein, and, my personal favorite, Fantastic Mr. Fox. 

God and Nature 1

SoPac: 

This past week Eric Steinkamp from Northwest University came and taught God and Nature 1 in which we explored the biblical vision for man and the earth.  Topics ranged from the hope of heaven to the pleasures of eating as we attempted to understand what it means to be human here on God's good earth.

Wednesday afternoon was spent helping out Mark at Stony Creek Fruits and Veggies, a small farm where we get most of our fruits and veggies.  The goal of the field trip was to get outside, have fun, and participate in some way in the food production process. We were able to plant beans, weed flower gardens, cook potatoes in a fire, and plant lettuce in a greenhouse.  

Planting lettuce in a hydroponic greenhouse.

Enjoying the sunshine at Stony Creek Farm.