With the holidays over and school officially back in session, I got back down to studies and worked my ass off these last two weeks. Knowing what lay ahead, I of course went to the beach.
John and Sehui's friends Daniel and Gia (another Colombian/Korean couple) picked the three of us up at our flat on Saturday and drove us back out to Muriwai for my second trip there. We stopped along the way to pick up snacks, and then spent the afternoon playing with a frisbee (which was very ineffective in high winds) and body surfing in the narrow zone of waves actually covered by lifeguards. On the way back we stopped for strawberry ice cream at a rural farm. I really didn't like the look of the line, so I hopped over to a gelato shop next door that had some really creative flavors, as you can see in the photo. I decided to get a double scoop of caramel corn, and passion fruit cheese cake, which was far too much but also far too delicious for that to matter.
We also went out to our friend Carlos' flat again for a little drinking, talking, and dancing. We were having fun and maybe being a little loud when a security guard came out of nowhere to charge the renters with a $150 fee for violating building rules that they had never heard of or agreed to. Carlos managed to talk him out of charging the fee, and we all left quickly after that before any more trouble could get started.
Once the work week started, I started scraping a bunch of fishbone data out of archaeological reports, learning the dark arts of Microsoft Access, and building a pilot database for me to use while I develop my thesis proposal. I stayed late on campus pretty much every single night, but by the end of the week, I managed to produce a decent map of all the fishbone assemblages in the northern North Island. I also ended up saying goodbye to our friend Steven who returned to Korea, went out for parkour, and went to a delicious ramen shop. I'm now resolved to go out to try some new food in Auckland once every week to make sure I still go exploring the city and don't get too overwhelmed with school.On the next weekend I went out for coffee with another person who's working on fish for her PhD, though she's more interested in the fish that are actually still alive. It was really fun to nerd out about taxonomy and find another person excited about marine sciences, and I'm hoping we can hang out more and become good friends.
Then on Sunday I went to Rangitoto Island again with Julie from grad school for a hike and picnic. I made orange rolls again in the morning (I didn't burn them this time!) and then rushed out to catch a ferry that ended up being full. So instead I met up with Julie's friends Clare and Alex at a cafe and got to know them while the rest of our group came across the harbour. We eventually got on a ferry that wasn't full and rode out to the island, where we climbed straight up to the lava caves, took a tour through them, and then hiked the rest of the way to the summit where we ate a lovely picnic.
This past working week I tried to get back to finishing up a journal article-length version of my Master's thesis, but I had lots of trouble figuring out how to write the conclusion. Fortunately I got sidetracked when Melinda asked me to start checking in with New Zealand archaeologists to find collections I might study for my PhD, and to do a bunch of reading ahead of a meeting next week so I can develop my research question a bit further.
I kept working on my readings late into Friday evening, but when I left I went out to join my flatmates at Latin Fest, a weekend long celebration of Latin American food, music, and culture. We tried to see a samba demonstration over the heads of a tightly packed crowed, thought about dancing salsa, and watched human foosball. There were also some great empanadas and alfajores, a delicious Argentinian cookie sandwich treat. When the fest started winding down for the night we went back to our flat, where an Argentinian couple gave us a lesson on Shakira's professional career and I bonded with Miguel from Colombia over Jethro Tull.
And then I woke up on Inauguration Day. I was not prepared for how angry I felt when I woke up today. I've been trying to maintain as much optimism as possible that US citizens remain good people who will fight to protect everyone's freedoms and work to make the world a better place for the next generation, despite the new administration's immediate motions to make sure that privileges and power remain in the hands of only the few. But this morning all of my optimism was gone, replaced by a figurative and literal hangover. I found myself in a foreign country with sleeping flatmates and no one to immediately turn to and talk about my frustrations with. I felt isolated and powerless, and too emotional to even contemplate how many other people are even more strongly affected by this inauguration than I am.
Fortunately, I already had plans to attend the Women's March in Auckland, which provided a perfect emotional outlet and a truly uplifting experience. I've written up a brief description of my experience in a Facebook note, but I can't emphasize enough how loving and powerful the atmosphere was at the demonstration. This was an event that people brought their family dogs to, while 90 year old feminists rode in wheel chairs alongside toddlers in strollers in the streets of Auckland's business center without any police presence whatsoever. In general people did not really pick up any chants - it was not a protest (though there were a couple people shouting "Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Donald Trump has got to go!" at the beginning, which is pretty weird to hear half-way around the world only 5 hours after he was sworn in) - but we did clap in rhythms as we walked and occasionally a cheer rolled through the crowd.
Aside: We were told that the police chose not to have a strong presence on the ground because 'women are safe.' This is, on one hand, both true and positive. The majority of the marchers presented as women, and I truly believe that destruction and violence are never useful tools in a democratic society. It's also much nicer demonstrating for human rights without having to face down people in riot gear. On the other hand, the idea that women are 'safe' is incredibly paternalistic, demeaning, and untrue. Women are powerful people who will upend the world with sufficient organization and motivation. Never doubt that.
In the end, the restrained character of the demonstration only underscored the people's power all the more. Everyone was absolutely self-assured in their righteous purpose, and united in the conviction that people of all genders, able-bodiedness, ethnicities, orientations, cultures, and religions should have equal rights, equal pay, and safety in their lives. After marching from the US consulate to Myer's Park and listening to four amazing women speakers, the demonstration ended on a very high note when Lizzy Marvelly, editor for the young feminist website The Villainesse, told us that "The future will be hard won. But the future is bright, and it is feminist." Then all 2000 people gathered together for a selfie, and we dispersed.
Afterwards, I was still feeling tightly wound and unable to deal with my frustrations over the new administration. So I did what I always do in such situations and took a walk. I went out to the harbour and stared at boats for a while, then walked back towards the city center to try out some other foods at the Latin Fest's second night of celebrations. This ended up being a very lucky choice. First I got Colombian empanadas, with a free one included because they wanted to get rid of the less-presentable ones. Then while I was eating the delicious empanadas my grad school friend Olivia who had been demonstrating capoeira earlier ran into me and introduced me to her friends. Third, her friends gave me free beer. And finally, I got to do some bad salsa dancing to live music.
I have a suspicion that dance will be a powerful form of resistance over the next four years. There is also something brilliant about having such a joyful time celebrating Latin American culture with immigrants and visitors to New Zealand on this US Inauguration Day that dissipated all remaining ill feelings I had from the beginning of the morning. I know we still face terrifying threats to social justice and peace, but I am also happy knowing that so many people in the new administration would hate how much fun I was having tonight.
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