Ilam Gardens

Hey everyone, just giving you all a short update.  Classes have started here at UC, which have been keeping me busy so far.  I'd like to share a picture with you of the cat that has been living around the Ilam Apartments.

He's a very friendly cat and he enjoys coming into my flat to get petted and fed.

When I went shopping earlier in the week I found the most adorable chocolate, a chocolate Kiwi!

While shopping I also picked up a deck of cards.  However I was surprised with what "extra" cards there were.  I wonder if its for a special game?  Or maybe they just have different cards in a deck here in New Zealand.

Also, I have a ton of picture of the Ilam gardens, located very close to my flat.  There were quite a few beautiful flowers there and I'd thought you would all like to see the pictures I took!  There's also a bird or two mixed in with the plants.  New Zealand is filled with them!

The Shaky City

Greetings everyone!  Christchurch was struck with a 5.7 earthquake today.  I was sitting at my desk when it occurred.  It was a very interesting experience, nothing in my room fell down and everything seems to be okay at the apartments. This was my first experience with earthquakes, and it was a big one.  Throughout the day there have been aftershocks, most of which you can't feel.  However I've felt a few of them while out and about.  Just about everything was evacuated, including my apartment building, and we were ushered around to the Foundry.  It seems, thankfully, to have not caused to much damage.  There was some damage closer to the center of the quake, which was out into the sea near Christchurch.  Now I know why Christchurch is called the shaky city.

Anyway, I have a lot of pictures of the campus to show off, keep in mind a lot of it is under construction because of the devastating quakes that struck five years ago (almost to the day).

Buildings/General Campus:

Pretty Scenery/Plant Life:

Interesting Wildlife:

My Room: