Germany and France

Finally I have gotten to the point in the exchange that I get to live in Germany for 3 weeks! Its been 1 week so far and I have had a wonderful time. Germany is so beautiful, though it is a little bit cold ( I soon realized after pulling 3 pairs of shorts out from my suitcase ) and its been rainy as well. On the first day we came back to Svenjas house, where we took a long nap after staying up on the airplane for so long. Then we went with her parents to a town about 15 minutes away called Limburg. It is a very old town, mostly made out of the original material it had been in when it was built. There are now laws against altering it's appearance, to maintain the historic image. While in the town we visited a very large, beautiful church and we went on a long walk through the town. The town is on the edge of a river, where we took a paddle boat out for a while. Svenja and I paddeled, but we were falling asleep half the time due to the time difference. When we got back to the house, we went to bed at 7:00 pm, than woke up at 3:00 am. Until today, we haven't been on German time. The next day we went on another day trip to the Rhine Valley. While there we walked through another old, beautiful town before taking a ski lift up over the mountain. It was an amazing view of the river, and a big, green vineyard that stretched over the mountains. From the top, you could see the rooftops of the town, and towns miles (in Germany kilometers) away. We walked down through the vineyard, eating tons and tons of blackberries. After we got back, we again went to bed very early. Recently, we took a trip to and Amusment park about 3 hours away from the house, we slept most of the way there and than spent the day (mostly standing in lines) on roller coasters! It was so fun! When we ate lunch we went to the park's restraunt where you type what you want into a computer than it is brought to you on a roller coaster track. It was amazing, there were tracks everywhere looping around and going really high up to the ceiling. After our day at the amusment park, we went to an apartment to sleep for the night. The next day, we went to France! In France we went to a city called Strabßorg a beautiful city about 30 minutes from the apartment. We walked to a huge cathedral in the center of the city, and to a part of it called Petite France. It was nice to be able to know a few french words after knowing absolutely no German. For example when I got my sandwich at a bakery I got to say "Merci" It was beautiful and we took a boat tour in the river. Whe drove 3 hours back to the house than ate pizza and went to bed. Great week in Germany and France!

My Mom and Dad ~ <3

2011 Summer

"Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself"

~Unknown

Carpe Diem

Picture of words

Unfortunately I have to say, I broke my beloved camera. I don't know what happened, the lens just won't close. A very sad day. :( I did realize something though! Writing is an art, just like pictures and photographs are a form of art. I can write a picture. A description of my day. Here it goes....

A day of rain and shimmering dew. A day of gray clouds and blue skies. What a day! A mix of days before. The good and the bad, the sad and the happy. Clearing away the broken and rusty, creating something more beautiful. Flashes of green grass and tips of swaying pine trees. The damp smell of a short sprinkle, the ferocious booms of distant thunder. Adjusting, adapting, accepting, accelerating, arguing, and admiring. Feeling fresh new air as I catch a gust of wind. Circling tires, blowing hair in the sharp yet gentle wind. Frigid grass and barefeet after being touched by a light shower. What a lovely day.

A day of Bunnies and Jelly Beans

Fantastic Day at The Works

I had a wonderful time today volunteering at The Works. My little sister Isabel went for a homeschool class as well so it was fun spending some time with her. I got to help a bunch of little kids make this simple machine. Each of the gears actually turns when you pull a string. In my opinion this is one of the best ways to spend a rainy day!

Amazing Vegan Dinner

What an amazing night! So tonight for our vegan dinner, we had a lot of really yummy food. Isabel and I cooked fettuccine with salt, basil and peas and placed on top some asparagus with lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. It was pretty delicious. The next dish we made ended up being a kind of soup. (but we put it over the fettuccine too) It had potatoes, carrots, garlic, fake sausage, veggie broth, and some crushed red pepper. The best part, none of these items were cooked with oil! Except for a little olive oil in the fettuccine to keep it from sticking. After dinner, we had some vegan peanut butter cookies that Isabel made. They were so good! you could not tell they were vegan. I would say Day one has been a huge success. Can't wait to cook again tomorrow!

Piano Swap

We had to say goodbye to our beloved piano today. It was replaced with a little upright which fits better in our house. The new piano is lovely and has a new and very different sound.

Going Cold Tofu :D

Tonight we attended a seminar in Columbus about eating healthier. We heard a speaker talk about a three week vegan trial. Apparently, this magnificent trial will show you that veganism is the way to go. Weight loss, diabetes vanish, higher energy levels. Everything he said made sense! In Japan they use to eat a lot of rice, and they lived very long healthy lives. But when McDonald's moved in, the number of obese people grew from 2-3% to 11-12%. Also how now we go through one million chickens per hour! I had no idea! The amount of obese children has been drastically growing throughout the years. We decided it was definitely worth a three week trial. (if I cook most of the time of course) Not only for health reasons but to no longer support animal cruelty. So after we left we got this vegan cook book and headed to the store to pick up food for a lot of recipes. We got veggies galore, fake meat, even soy yogurt. We're all so excited for the change, and anxious to see how we feel at the end of three weeks!

"Music is the poetry of the air." ~ Richter

"Every Spring is the only Spring-a perpetual astonishment." ~ Ellis Peters

Many things come to mind when I hear the word "Spring" but of all the enchanting treasures it holds, the spectacular colors fill my mind up the most.

"If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it." ~Mark Twain

Isabel

Isabel. Silly, goergous, smart, and talented my little sister is the ultimate companion. For roughly eight years now she's been both my roomate and my best friend. We've been through everything together, hardships, laughter, pain, trouble and i wouldn't trade the memories we've made for anything in the world. All the time people are telling me how much i've grown up and changed, but when your watching someone your constantly with grow up it really shows. Almost twelve now, she's still the fun loving little girl that used to make fairy houses with me and play in the trees. She's the one I know I can always confide in, and sometimes I seem to take our sisterhood for granted. I realize how lucky I am to have her, and cherish the time I spend with her. How truly amazing it is to be able to have someone who will always be there no matter what for the rest of your life. I love you with all my heart and more. <3

"I don't know what you say about a day where you've seen four sunsets."

~John Glenn

Things I've learned about Dragons 1. Dragons, although large and scary are very beautiful creatures. 2. If you go chasing after a dragon, there is a 76% chance you will be eaten. 3. people can turn into dragons, all it takes is lots of spinach and some pixie dust. 4. At one point in your life, you will become a dragon. 5.You may or may not be awake to experience this drastic transformation. 6.Dinosaurs are NOT Dragons!!! 7. Dragons are reptiles, despite the constant rumor of them being mythical creatures. 8. To a Dragon, you taste like a piece of celery with ranch dressing. 9. If you ever go to the middle of the Pacific ocean, you will probably see a dragon. 10. If you ever find and successfully capture a dragon, call me! p.s this information did come from a reliable source.....maybe;)

Robert Frost has taught me a very valuable lesson, taking the road less travelled by does make all the difference. :)

"Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it a meaning."

~anonymous

After three years, no more braces for Amelia!

Spring in California

What an absolutely wonderful vacation to California! Hiking, meeting hippies, Berkley, Japan town, it was all around another wonderful experience. After we arrived, we drove for about an hour on the curviest road known to man. It very much resembled the Hana highway in Hawaii. It was terrible! I don't know how many times I had to get out and sit outside because of motion sickness. The worst part was, it was hard to enjoy the spectacular view when all we were thinking was, "When is this going to be over!" It was fantastic. :/ Finally we arrived a little town about thirty minutes out of San Fransisco called Bolinas. Bolinas was a very small town, less than one thousand inhabitants and apparently they don't like tourists. Luckily we blended in extremely well, we were very subtle about taking pictures. ;) Our cottage there was small, but like all the other places we have stayed it definitely grew on us. We had a large porch where a couple nights we had cook outs and a small path leading up to a beautiful patio. On the patio you could see the ocean and all of the surfers. We were about a five minute walk away from the town, so often we would walk to the beach, smoothie shop, or book store. The first day, we took two small hikes. The first was to the bird observatory where we had quite a muddy experience. Up until the mud river it was beautiful. We weren't so happy when our shoes were soaked through and pants completely filthy. Lets just say, we didn't see any birds... The next hike was much better, we walked on this zig zag path down to a bunch of tide pools and cliffs. We had a lot of fun looking in all the pools at starfish, sea urchins, and snails. (of course Gabe had to poke each and every one of them) Belle and I climbed on what looked like sand cliffs, but they were really pieces of rock. It as a lot of fun! The hike back up was just as spectacular as coming down, even though it was tiring the view made up for it. Went to bed early that very early that night. Our next hike was eight miles. We were pumped! It had been a long time since we had done a big hike together. It was on the coast and every step lead to yet another beautiful view. we went around curves and up hills and soon we came to a really steep cliff that lead to a waterfall. There was a path leading down and we were all attempting to climb down it and not fall in to the river. It was worth it when we got down. We right next to a big rushing river, which lead over the cliff into a miraculous waterfall that was streaming into the ocean. Then we found out there was a path down to the beach. If you went down to the beach you could go right up next to the waterfall. It wasn't so much a path as it was a giant cliff that you had to climb down. Dad and I decided we would go down. It was actually easier than I expected, we had to slide on our butts down because it was very slippery. When we got down we stood at the base of the waterfall and took massive amounts of pictures. The hike back, was lets just say really really really tiring!!! Again another night of eating and going straight to bed. The next day we just took it easy, belle and I went to the beach and relaxed and mom and dad stayed home. (mostly napping) Gabe, being Gabe went for another run. (he's crazy) One of my favorite days we spent in California was the day we went into San Fransisco. We all got to pick one thing we really wanted to see while we were there, we started with Gabe. Gabe decided he wanted to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was amazing, you could see Alcatraz prison in the middle of the bay, as well as Angel island where immigrants from Asia passed through to get to the United States. (Like Ellis Island in New York) It was amazing, it was unbelievable that the gigantic bridge was being held up by wires. The next stop was Isabel's choice, Japan town. Japan town is located in the center of the city and it is a huge area where there are Japanese restaurants and stores. We had gigantic bowls of Ramen Noodles, which we ate with chopsticks. (We were professionals with chopsticks :) We also went into many shops that had a lot of anime and manga. We were also there when they were celebrating their cherry blossom festival. They had beautiful cherry blossom trees inside and out. I got to choose our last stop on our trip in the city, so we visited UC Berkley. We had a great time! We walked all over the gorgeous campus, and had frozen yogurt inside the town. We even went up to the Science center where we had a view of Berkley, we also tried getting into the space building but it was closed. :( Overall, that was a highlight for me. The last day we went on another eight mile hike. It was a pretty hike through the woods, it lead to a big rock arch that we sat on top of. Dad, Gabe, Isabel, and I went down to the river where the water was rushing into the arch. The last night there, we built a fire on the patio and roasted marshmallows. This was a spectacular trip, and I will definitely be returning to California!

My mom

Yesterday afternoon I had an amazing time walking through the bio reserve with my mom. I learned things about her I hadn't known and we had a great chance to talk. I feel so fortunate to have even met her and so extremely lucky to call her my mom. Not only does she have an eye for nature and the world around her, but she can capture and document it forever. I tried to use her camera and learned, it's much much harder then it looks. It takes an extraordinary amount of talent to be able to see the world and turn it into something beautiful, forever. I always knew her photographs were gorgeous, but never how much heart and joy goes into each image. Along with photos, she has an amazing way with words. Sometimes I feel like trying to get a point across while sounding like a good writer is very challenging, but it comes so naturally to my mom. I truly love her so much, and am so happy she's apart of my life. <3

Happy Birthday Mom :)

Squirrel in Nicaragua

Japanese Dolphin Slaughter
By Amelia Staats
For years now, in a little Japanese fishing town called Taiji, a truly treacherous and immoral tragedy has been occurring. The annual dolphin slaughter continues to be the primary source of profit for the town, but the price that is paid in return is truly horrific. With an average on 1500 dolphins, porpoises and whales slaughtered per season, the people involved in this grim business have attempted to keep their cruelty a secret. If more people in Japan and the rest of the world knew what was happening, their murderous business would be over before the next season.
A long time has passed since people began the attempt to reveal what is occurring in this cove, but the fishermen have continued to obstruct the truth. They break cameras; try to provoke people into hitting them in order to get them arrested. Activists have obtained graphic footage of the slaughter, but not enough people have learned about it. If the world knew the truth, this practice could not survive.
The process of getting the dolphin, whale, and porpoise meat is very brutal. Dolphins use sound waves and echoes to navigate underwater. The fishermen make loud sounds that echo under the water making the dolphins think there is something blocking their way out. They believe they are trapped in with no way out because they hear what they think are echoes. This upsetting sound drives them into the cove, and the dolphins are then really trapped in with a net. The fishermen then come into the cove with long, sharp spears and begin the slaughter. They often miss and the dolphins are not killed instantly. Red water can be seen drifting out of the cove, as the cries of the dolphins vanish into a solemn silence. The bodies are then taken to be slaughtered and sold.
After the fishermen finish the cruel slaughter the meat from the dolphins is then sold to grocery stores around Japan as fish meat. Mislabeling is not only illegal, but very dangerous because dolphins have extremely high mercury levels. Different groups have done studies on this “fish” and found unusually high amounts of mercury. Large amounts of mercury can be very hazardous when consumed by a human. The people living in Taiji have mercury levels that are way above average.
This meat gathered from dolphins, porpoises, and whales is also used in school systems. The schools can purchase it for much less, so millions have children have been consuming it as well. An average adult human being can get severely sick if they consume too much mercury. Imagine what it is doing to children. The director of The Cove said “If you’re eating dolphin meat, you’re eating poison.” To a newborn, dolphin meat can cause sensory loss, limb malformation, and it can also be fatal.
There are many organizations attempting to put this cruelty to rest. These efforts will not only save many dolphins and whales, but also help citizens in Japan live longer, healthier lives. Today people are still trying to get the word around in Japan by writing to government officials and the public. It is also important to persuade places that capture and train dolphins for amusement to stop purchasing dolphins from Taiji. If nothing is done this slaughter will again start next season. To help end this tragedy once and for all, the links below contain great ways to get involved.
Resources
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090923f2.html
http://savejapandolphins.blogspot.com/2009/09/taiji-dolphin-slaughter-suspended.html

ROMEO AND JULIET ESSAYS

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
By Amelia Staats
The play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare is a tragedy about a young couple whose death is caused by the fact that they couldn’t be together. But who really was responsible for their death? The guilt could be blamed on numerous people like Lord Capulet, for insisting that his daughter marry against her will. Or the Friar, for coming up with the plan of fake death without having a perfect way to notify all that was involved. It could simply be put on the young couple by defying their parent’s feelings about their families. One thing is for certain, a lot of pain and sorrow was caused as a result of these complications.
The Montague’s and Capulet’s had been feuding for a very long time and all of the servants and children of the houses were affected by it. Romeo and Juliet defied their parents, secretly saw each other and were married. Because of their family’s disagreement, they could never be open to their parents about their relationship. Gradually tension grew after Romeo’s involvement in Tybalt’s death and Lord and Lady Capulet wanting him dead. Even Juliet had something to worry about, her father forcing her to marry Paris.
Overall, Lord and lady Montague, and Lord and Lady Capulet were the ones that caused the death of their loved ones. There long feud had gone on too long, yet they kept it going by not ending it. People were dying in fights on the streets, the prince was getting mad, and their own children were disobeying their wishes. If they had ended this fight long ago and permitted Romeo and Juliet to be together, then the tragedy would not have occurred. It was their fault the Romeo and Juliet didn’t approach them in the first place with their relationship, because they were scared that they would be separated. This feud caused a lot of deaths, grief, and wasted time so Lord and Lady Montague and Capulet were responsible.

Mercutio and Tybalt
By Amelia Staats
For centuries the beloved plays of William Shakespeare have be adored by many people. There are many mysteries, secrets, and questions people have been wondering for years. In one of the most famous performances “Romeo and Juliet” the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt have been debated. Who started the fight, and who inflamed the fight? Who was ultimately responsible? Was it really fair that Romeo be banished? There are many different ways and views of looking at this tragedy, but overall there is in my opinion only one culprit.
The fight between the two began like any other fight, between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. It started as just a small argument, but soon Tybalt pushed Mercutio to a point where he couldn’t control his outrage. When they began to fight, Mercutio was stabbed and died very slowly. At this point Romeo didn’t just grief over his friend; he wanted revenge against Tybalt, his wife’s cousin. He approached Tybalt from behind and they fought a very long, unpleasant fight. Tybalt was killed and Romeo responsible. The Capulet’s and the Montague’s were all called to the prince where a punishment would be decided. Romeo was the one standing over the Capulet’s body, and he was the one banished from the city.
I believe that overall Romeo was the cause of both Tybalt and Mercutio’s death. It was him that provoked Tybalt to say outrageous things to him. Standing up for Romeo, Mercutio was drawn into a fight against Tybalt and killed. He was also the one that later killed Tybalt as revenge, he should have just taken time to grieve over his lost friend. If he would have not killed Tybalt he would not have been held responsible. Romeo brought his banishment on himself and was the main cause of Mercutio and Tybalt’s death.

Lord Capulet
By Amelia Staats
In the play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare, Lord Capulet is a character that has a truly inexplicable mind. In one of the first scenes of the play he is telling his daughter’s suitor Paris, that Juliet is too young to marry him. He is insisting to Paris, that he wants his only daughter to marry for love and that she should not be forced to. In one of the last scenes he seems determined for her to be married to him, unaware she is already married to Romeo. He was going to force her to marry against her will at the end. This act of injustice unintentionally caused her pain, and possibly his determination partially caused her fate.
In the beginning of the play, Lord Capulet was portrayed as a concerned father the deeply cared about his daughter’s happiness. First, he told Paris he wanted his daughter to marry for love even though he knew she would be taken care of. Then he hosted a party so that Juliet could get to know Paris and have the chance of falling in love with him. He so quickly changes his mind when he wants to force Juliet to marry Paris, and is then exposed as a monster. Juliet is then so upset that she agrees to the friar’s plan which begins the tragic ending for the young man and women.
I believe that even in the end Lord Capulet’s actions were all out of love for his daughter. Certainly in the beginning he was only thinking about her happiness, and in the end it seemed like he just wanted Juliet to marry someone that would take care of her. He thought Paris, being a respected member of the community and wealthy was best for her. Unfortunately, he wasn’t taking her age into account or the fact that he truly didn’t know a lot about her life. If he knew about her love for Romeo he might have accepted it. There was also the extremely likely possibility that he would have discouraged it because Romeo was a Montague. Lord Capulet’s mind changed very quickly and might have resulted in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

Nicaragua

Finally I have returned from my ten day trip to Nicaragua. I'm so glad I went even though it was a somewhat last minute decision. I was nervous and excited when I found out I would be going by myself, but after I met other people there I found I was worrying for nothing. The night before the big trip, my sister, dad and I stayed at a hotel in Washington D.C. because I was flying on a different airline. Saying goodbye was hard and sitting in the airplane alone made me miss them already. I fell asleep for the flight to Houston then I struggled to meet up with the rest of the group. A few minutes before the gate was closed I made it and met up with the rest of the group heading to Nicaragua. After arriving burst of warm air swarmed around us. It felt so nice but like in Ghana we were all wearing out coats and long pants so we were practically roasting. We made our way through customs and the people at the airport searched through all of our bags. After what seemed like and hour we finally made it out of the airport and onto the bus. It was a tight fit on the bus and about and hour drive to the ranch so I spent most of my time looking out the window. It was very similar to Ghana but I liked it more because unlike Ghana even the city had quite a bit of green. Being in Ghana definitely helped me in this situation because I was use to this sort of atmosphere. After a very bumpy ride on a dirt road we finally made it to Rancho Ebenezer. I stayed in a room with two other girls, a Denison student named Zara and another girl named Rachael. The other kids were Zach and Seth Dobbalaer. We all stayed in very ugly dorm rooms with bunk beds. The colors in the room alone were pretty bright in obnoxious (although I shouldn't be talking giving that I live in a bright pink and green bedroom.) We had our first meal which tasted very good, then I found out it was Rabbit. After this, beans and rice became my permanent meal. After eating we went around to explore the farm. Everyone was so kind and the workers let us see the pigs, rabbits, goats, and gardens. It was so beautiful at the ranch and it made me never want to leave. That night I took the coldest shower I have ever taken then slept better then I had slept in a long time. The next morning we woke up super early at the sound of the breakfast bell, at 6:30. Guess what I had for breakfast...beans and rice. After breakfast we had devotions which I found very interesting before we began farm work. The first experience I had with farm work was shoveling goat poop into bags, then transporting the bags to the worms who turned it into rich soil. Let me just clarify, this was not my favorite task. Often the person shoveling would miss the bag and poor goat poop on the person holding the bag. I was usually the person holding the bag. A few days later the translator, Farrin, and all the kids walked to a town that was about and hour away from the ranch. It was very hot but the walk was absolutely beautiful. We saw ox carts and from a distance the volcano, we also passed many kids who would run out saying, "Hola, Hola, photo?" The walk was very fun and we finally got to a grocery story called, Pali. We soon found out that this store was a Nicaraguan Walmart. At the store I decided to get peanut butter so that a few days I could have something other than beans and rice. We were way too tired to walk back so we got a taxi, because it was so cheap we only had to pay a dollar each. Another day one of our tasks was to paint a dorm room. It turns out that the paint was oil based paint and it smelled more disgusting than the goat poop. It made us very light headed and we would ocasionally have to walk outside and sit on the porch for a while. Another perk about oil based paint is that the only way to get it off is with paint thinner, another very toxic substance. That night we all went up on the roof for about two hours and stared up at the stars. We went through the same process for many days after eat, work, paint, stargaze, eat, and sleep. When Tuesday came along we were all so thrilled. On Tuesday was our trip to the Pacific Ocean and we had all been looking forward to it for a whole week now. We had the best time ever that day! All of us ran straight into the water from the bus and were greeted by a series of chilly waves. It was impossible to get warm so for a while we walked around the town and went shopping. Then one of the highlights of my trip, we ate Pizza! Even though compared to pizza in the U.S it would have been bad, it tasted like a piece of heaven the form of bread, sauce, and cheese. We ended up watching the sunset then I took a walk on the beach with Zack, and Seth. To top off our amazing day we saw fire dancers on the beach. The whole way back to the ranch I slept. Throughout the whole week we had been spending the afternoons with the kids of the women in the sewing group. They were very shy at first but after they got to know us we had a very fun time. All of them loved to get their picture taken and they would come up to you and blow bubbles in your face. One little girl, Hazel even tried to teach me some Spanish with sidewalk chalk. The next day at the fiesta we all had an amazing time, we danced with the little kids and with each other. We all tried the pinata (mostly missing) and played Limbo. We were up very late that night helping to clean up and saying goodbye to all the kids. The next day was our final day to we finished up some of the dorm rooms we were painting and said goodbye to all our new friends. The hardest goodbye for me were all the little kids that we had spent to much time with. I will never forget there sweetness and patience with us as we tried to understand them. We stayed up late that night packing and stargazing, we saw six shooting stars that night. Going to bed was sad because I knew it was my last night in Nicaragua but I was also so excited to get home. We left very early and stopped at Farrin's house before going to the airport and heading home. The security on the way back was absolutely horrible. We must have looked pretty suspicious because the drug sniffing dogs came over and they had them smell our bags. The stupid(but cute) dog almost ate my bread that I had been dieing to bring back! It was even worse when we got to Houston and barely made it to our next gate. I was so excited to see my dad there and finally when we got home I was so excited to see the rest of my family. Nicaragua was an amazing experience that I will never forget and next year I can't wait to return.

Home at Last

Were finally home from Africa! I definitely had an amazing time, and am very glad that I went. Experiences like this are really special and I'm so fortunate that I get to have them. I think what I learned the most from this trip was that, you never truly know how lucky you are until you see how part of the world lives. Living in America, we don't really see or think about people living in shacks and sleeping on the streets. The reality is that we really need to be more informed because when we jump to conclusions about the rest of the world, were the ones that need to be pitied. Thank you to my parents for a wonderful adventure, and a spectacular experience. :)

swing bridges, and a sad castle

What a long, long day. :) I am slightly relieved it's over, but also sad because we had such wonderful and unbelievable experiences! We woke up slightly earlier then usual this morning to meet a van that would drive us and four other people. It was very hot in the van and most of our ride was full of bumps and queasiness. For two and a half hours we sat in that van taking pictures of different settings. One minute we would be out on a dusty road looking at green vegetation, the next we would be dodging people in a crowded town. Overall, it was very fascinating to see all the different homes. When we finally arrived at the park, we found out that it would be thirty Cidis each for adults! My parents made the decision it would be best if just my sister and I went, we were only fifteen Cidis each. So we began to hike up the trail with the others. It was a fairly short trail and every so often we stopped to take pictures, and then we came to the swing bridges.We had a fantastic time walking accross the loosely swinging bridges. Taking videos, and pictures we were quite terrified that our cameras were going to fall down into the rain forest below. The bridges were soaring up above the treetops between many gigantic trunks. A few times we felt like we were going to fall, even though we were assured before we got on that it could hold two African elephants. By the time we went on the last bridge, I finally began to trust it. After our adventures at the rain forest, we got back in the car and drove to the castle. On the way we went through the busiest town, I have know idea how anyone drives through. It was one of the most beautiful sights. All of the colorful food, and dresses, and babies strapped to their mothers backs. Of course we wanted to walk around, but we got a little "chicken" after people swarmed around us at the castle wanting us to purchase items. The castle was a place where slaves were held until they were shipped across the ocean. The whole tour was very sad and depressing, all of these years after the fact and everyone still feels great sorrow as they walk through the castle. We walked through the female slaves cell, where we saw they had barely any room to breathe! up to four hundred women were crammed into a tiny space at once and up to six hundred men! It was heartbreaking that anyone could do such a thing to these innocent people. We saw the governors rooms, and walked around the top where we saw an amazing view of the ocean. There were colorful fishing boats that were along the shore and in the water. Finally, we ended the tour and I'll never forget what the tour guide said (not exact words) "This castle is not so that we can remember and feel bad about what happened, but it's for us to learn from it and understand it so it will never happen again." The castle was and experience I will always remember. As we began to drive back to the hotel I was asked the question, after seeing Ghana how does this make you feel. It makes me feel fortunate, and thankful for the life that I have. Compared to the people here living in little shacks with trash covering the roads, I have a life that should never be taken for granted.

Africa-first day-and the market

We have arrived in Accra, Ghana! It has been an amazing experience so far. There are so many unfamiliar sight, smells, and people but overall its been amazing. The first day we arrived on the plane we walked off to have a rush of humidity and warmth hit us. Wearing our long pants, and coats I have to say it was pretty nauseating. When we walked into the airport there was a faint smell of a porta potty and Christmas decorations were placed all over the place. Finally we all crammed into the van that would take us to the airport and that was when we truly got our first glimpse of Accra. It was very filthy, with an open sewer and people walking in the road trying to sell you things. It was very displeasing to experience all the poverty in the city, but at the same time I feel it was something everyone must eventually know about. The hotel was really nice with a pool and amazing food. This is where we spent the rest of our first day.

We walked on the beach that eventing and it was quite a sight. There were people riding horses and restaurants all over the beach. There was quite a bit a trash on the shore, but still many people were swimming. Up and down the beach people were trying to sell things, somebody offered my mom a horse ride. We also saw somebody making a sand sculpture and a group of people playing drums. You would definitely not see anything like it back in the states. We ate dinner and then went to bed fairly early that night. Our second day in Ghana was a lot of fun! We had a wonderful breakfast and then we went with another pilot to a local market in Accra. The minute we stepped out of the car, people came up and tried to get us over to their shops. The shops consisted of jewelery, clothes, and wooden items in little shacks. We ended us getting lots of jewelery because it is was so cheap. One pair of earrings were 2 cidis which is equivilant to about one dollar and fifty cents. I also got to watch my dad attempt to haggle. After looking around/ being dragged into more shops, we headed back to the hotel. It was still extremely hot out so we hung out by the pool for a while swimming and reading. The rest of the night we relaxed at the hotel. I can't wait until tomorrow!!!!

Hands :)

The pictures below show that something as simple as a pair of hands can tell alot about a person when you document where they've been.

homeschooled again

Soon I will be traveling again! I've decided that homeschooling is the right decision and I can't wait to go and see the world. There are so many places I would love to see. My first will be Africa. In Ghana we will be the minority which will be very different then usual. I'm hoping the people there will be nice like my dad describes. It will nice to get some warmth and out of the cold.

A Lovely Winter Break

I have decided to once again begin to Blog. My life has been very fascinating since I have been back to public school. It seems so long ago I was writing my first post about my first day of homeschooling. At school i've learned that people have changed, and stayed the same. I've learned that it's scary how the kids I once new are now freshmen. It's hard to believe that I will be graduating in less then four short years. Public school has been hard, interesting, and stressful and still I'm not sure if it was the right decision.
I haven't had a true adventure in about a year when I travelled to Amsterdam but in a few weeks I will embark on a journey to Ghana, Africa. I'm so excited! This will be a spectacular experience and something to look forward to in the middle of January. I often feel sad when the sky is grey, and the trees bare. In Africa it will be warm. A the very least i'll enjoy the warmth for a week. I hope everyone is well and continues to read my blog! I hope to blog at least three times a week. love, amelia

dolphin slaughter in japan

In japan, there is a beautiful cove. Within this cove dolphins are being brutally slaughtered. There meet which is full of mercury (highly toxic) is being sold to the people of japan with a false label. "Whale meat" We need to inform citizens and sign a petition. To get the word out go to Takepart.com/TheCove. You can also get informed by watching the documentary "The Cove"

Without the color
Amelia Staats

Red as in a ruby
blue in the waves so high
yellow in the shining sun
that sparkles in the sky

Green like trees that stand so proud
white in the twirling snow
silver in the steel rain
black in the fiery coal

pink, the love in all our hearts
orange in the fire of our souls
what we'd do without the colors
I never wish to know.

The sun and the moon

The Sun and the Moon
By Amelia Staats

"Fast asleep" the moon calls out
Go to bed don't yell or shout
Run So fast inside your dreams
If you don't you'll surely scream

Sleep until the mourning rays
When your in a spinning daze
"Come get up" cries out the sun
The day had just yet begun

You've been sleeping all the night
Wake up I say! It's nice and bright
Feel the breeze it's all awake
Take a look at the sparkeling lake

Dawn has come look at the stars
Watch the planets, up so far
"Go to sleep" calls out the moon
The sun will wake you up so soon.

Sunny Spring Days

Sunny Spring Days
by Amelia Staats

Sunshine streams through my window
Lightly shines on my clothes
Sparkling rays that dance on my wall
Feeling the heat on my toes

Miraculous, splendid sensation
As warm as a scorching fire
Like swirling in a sunny frenzy
Or rollin in a golden spiral

Delightfully, staring at the sunlit lake
And holding the sun in my hand
Brightly the sunlight curls around
Awakening our beautiful land.

Amsterdam....The Venice of the north

My dream city has always been Venice. I loved the idea of the canals and the city on water, I thought it was the most magnificent picture in the world. I haven't been there but now I think I have a pretty good idea of what it would be like. Amsterdam, Holland seems to have many similarities. We arrived in Amsterdam 11:00 in the mourning we were all so drowsy as we went through customs and got on the bus with the rest of the United employees. The bus went to a hotel where we wondered down the street until we convinced my dad to go back and ask for directions to our apartment. It took about 20 minutes until we got to the apartment. We saw all the amazing canals, house boats, and gorgeous buildings. We walked over a bunch of bridges until we came to a small street where bikes were everywhere! There wasn't a clear spot on any of the bike racks or buildings or railings. We went in and the owner of the apartment, Vladimir (also the name of my Halloween bouncy ball) gave us a tour of the small house. There was the living room where Isabel and I would be sleeping, there was my mom and dads' bedroom, a kitchen (which my mom loved!"), and an outdoor patio that was enclosed by the other 3 walls of the apartment building. We were so exhausted but my mom and dad insisted on us going for a walk to stay awake and get used to the time so we walked around for about 2 hours. While we were out we decided to find the famous pancake bakery. There we had the most amazing pancakes in the world!!! Isabel had an animal one, which is pretty much a bunch of candy and a stuffed animal, my mom and I split a Thai pancake. It was so good it had chicken, vegetables on a crepe like pancake. Finally, we headed back pretty much right when we sat down we all fell asleep, we slept for an hour then we got up and my mom, dad, and I had tea. Isabel was still asleep when we decided to go out walking again so we woke her up, then headed out. (Let me just say Isabel was not the happiest person in the world.) On top of trudging around half asleep, it started to rain. I actually enjoyed it, we searched for the 9 streets where we ate burgers at a restaurant nearby. We walked down some streets and saw a bunch of cute little shops including a toothbrush shop. It was so funny it even had a toothbrush Farris wheel with toothbrushes in the seats. It reminded us of Gabe who brushes his teeth like crazy. When we headed back I wrote in my journal, then went to sleep. The next mourning we woke up fairly early because it was not only our second day, but our last. We first walked to the Anne Frank House. It was the most sorrowful moment in our trip, we saw Anne Franks' room and her mom and dads, people that new her talking about her. I had a lot to think about in that museum. After we left we headed to the flower market, it was gorgeous we saw all kinds of flowers, and souvenir shops (I'm sure they make a lot of money off tourists). Finally, we just walked around until we went back to the apartment. Isabel and I found our souvenirs at a local shop, Isabel got a singing bird and I got a paper mushroom to hang on the ceiling. It took a while to get home, but when we did we were both sad and happy, but mostly sad. I think I can say I had a wonderful time in the Venice of the north!

Beginning another year of homeschooling

Finally, another school year! I hate to disagree with my peers, but I must admit I am beyond ecstatic that school has begun. For the first few weeks summer vacation is fun, Lake Hudson, trips downtown, sleepovers, seeing friends again. Then it turns to just plain, nothing to do. Technically, I don't start school until my things get here, but my time is mostly filled with reading books, then writing reports about the books, and drawing/painting. Right now my mom is in New Hampshire visiting my Aunt Tricia, she comes back tomarrow. While she was gone, and my dad was at work, my grandparents stayed with us. The first night Isabel and I kind of had a sleepover in the basement. My dad was sleeping in my bed (he was leaving for work in the mourning) so we slept on the basement couches. We watched "Blades of glory" then "Gilmore Girls, then we recited Bruce Lansky poetry to each other while we acted it out and wrote in our journals. Finally, we went to bed. The next mourning we slept in late, then had waffles. It was hot outside so I read on the trampoline, then went and read in my room. That night Isabel and I played night tennis. By night tennis I mean, the lights were out so I stuck my racket out and guessed where the ball was, it was fun though. When we got home we went to bed at maybe 10:00 after having taco scoops, which are everything you would find in a taco on a tortilla chip in cup form. The next day was filled with reading again, as well as New Albany tennis with Charlotte and John, recently they have not gotten along! Charlotte then had a private lesson so John and I just hit for a little while. When I got home I had Chinese food from early that day. That night I finished my book "Bronx Masquerade" the next day we went to the library and I got a new book called "Angel Isle". Now, I'm exhausted...Goodnight to all!

Final Farewell

In 2 days now we will be heading back to the United States. I'm both happy and sad. Sad to leave the beautiful, serene, islands of New Zealand, but also happy to see friends, family again. (also my bed) The think that I will miss most about New Zealand is the scenic views over the estuary of mountains and grassy hills. My favorite memory was the time our family spent at Rabbit island, sand castles, cartwheels, tepees, and daring my sister to lay down in the freezing water. Also hikes at Abel Tasman, farewell spit, and many others. On one of our last days we went to Rabbit island and my sister and I built faerie houses, another day we went swimming, or just drew pictures in the wet sand. Today we stayed at the house most of the day, built a fire, and played outside, then in the afternoon we went to Rabbit island and played in the sand. Overall, New Zealand has been one of the best experiences of my life and I think it has brought our family a whole lot closer.  

Trip to Golden bay

The following days we took an overnight trip to Golden bay about two hours from where we are staying in Mapua. We started off at about 11:00 and started driving on the windy roads up the mountainside. It was a spectacular view of blue mountains, treetops, and the wide valley below. We drove until we got to a little town called Takaka. We ate at a cafe, than we walked around the town for a little while before continuing. Soon we came to Golden bay where we stopped at a little shop for chocolate, after that we drove around the town a bit. It was getting late so we found a campground that rented cabins so we got a seaside cabin for the night. (later found out BIG MISTAKE!) We got in the cabin and it was awful. The floor was cement with chipped paint and there were spots of mold on the wall. There were two sets of bunk beds, with no blankets and a big bed. Since my dad had been snoring he and my sister slept together in the big bed. I got top bunk and my mom and brother took the other two bottom bunks. Might I add that it was FREEZING. Just to warm it up we had to turn on the stove burners and a tiny little heater which we all gathered around. The gas station store was closed so we walked over to a little cafe across the street. It was just what we needed, it had a warm fire place and sofas with books. We got hot chocolate and after we ate, Gabe played with a cat that was sitting on a chair and I read about the titanic. After we left we started walking back to the cabin. My dad, Isabel, and Gabe went for a walk on the beach while my mom and I read our books. When we woke up Isabel and I took a walk on the beach and than went to go get snacks at the gas station. When we came back we found that my mom caught a cockroach under a cup. (she left it where the owners could see it) I also left them a note, which mom made me throw away, but I put it face up in the trash. ha ha ha. After we left we headed up the road to a cafe to get breakfast. Then we went up to a trail where we would hike to a lighthouse. It was a beautiful trail with grassy hills and great scenery, the lighthouse was a bit of a disappointment considering it was no more then a piece of medal attached to a light bulb. The next hike we went on was one of the best hikes ever! It went into different pens like for sheep, and cows but then it came to a beach, the beach was amazing there were pretty big sand dunes (not as big as the ones in Colorado) and a little pool with baby seals playing in it. they were adorable like little puppies with fins. They would dive and jump and play with each other and they would waddle across the sand to get to a little cove. A few times they came up and touched you. one also chased Gabe because he got in the way when it was trying to get to the cove. They would inch there way up to you and sniff you toes. They were very cute. once we left Isabel, Gabe, and I went to the top of a sand dune and started jumping off them. We didn't get very far but we had competitions to see who could jump the farthest. Finally, we had to go we started hiking back in our bare feet since some of the path was sand. Once we got back we started to drive back to Mapua. On the way back we stopped at a little pathway which led to different cave like paths, my brother and I climbed up into some. It lead to a big 30ft rock which Gabe, my dad, and I rock climbed up. it was really tough getting down mostly because Gabe kept trying to get us to go down a steep edge onto a post, soon my dad found a different way. on the way back we made our last hiking stop we went up a hill to see the Abel Tasman memorial. It was not very impressive except for the spectacular scenery of the ocean, mountains, and a sunset. overall it was worth it. Our last stop was at a restaurant on the way back where we got food and ice cream. Then we headed back to our cottage in the orchard, there we made a fire and went to bed. 

Swing bridge, pancake rock on the drive to Greymouth

Two days ago we left for Greymouth. Near Greymouth are the glow worm caves, and the glacier. As we drove we looked at the scenery on the windy road, as we twisted and turned around the mountains we considered the thought that maybe the builders tried to make the roads as sickly as possible. Finally, we pulled over into a parking lot and we visited the largest swing bridge in New Zealand. The first few steps across it were Ok, but then we got to the center then my dad started swinging it, and then there was the fact that we were walking across over an 100 ft. bridge. once we got to the other side we went on a short hike and then Gabe, Isabel, and I went on a zip line beside the swing bridge. It wasn't actually that scary, more slow and scenic. Once we left we kept driving for a while until we came to the glow worm caves. The last tour had already left for the day so we just decided to eat there and Gabe and I played pool. He beat me. (just like chess) After we left we went to a bed and breakfast that we were staying at, it was in the middle of a farm. It had sheep, horses, cows and the owners had a pet pig, his name was piggy. He was kind of cute, I felt bad for him though because he had no company. When ever he hear someone coming he would start snorting and become very ecstatic. After we brought our stuff inside my brother and I played tennis at the lit tennis court. Pretty soon I got to tired and went to bed. The next day we woke up and we ate at the cottage and then started to drive to the glacier. Once we got to the glacier it took us a while to find out if we wanted to take a helicopter up or to the heli hike, which was where we went up in a helicopter and hiked down. It was pretty expensive to do the heli hike so we were going to go up in the helicopter, walk around on the top of the glacier then ride the helicopter back down. Finally, after waiting a while we got up in the helicopter put on headphones because of the noise and than we were off. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen, there was snow and ice everywhere yet it was still kind of warm and below there was an ice river slowly moving about 4 meters per day. At  the top we walked around on the solid ice that was a lot layers thick. After we got back down we ate lunch and than we went on a hike to where you could see the bottom of the glacier. My sister and I made a giant S in the sand out of rocks and than while Gabe and dad went to get a closer look at the glacier, Isabel, mom, and I went back to wit in the car because it was to cold. Once we left we went by a store to get flashlights  because on the way home, we were going to see glow worms. We got to the path and it was pitch dark. We turned on the flashlights but kept them down so we wouldn't disturb the worms. Finally we got to the end of the path and  we turned off the flashlights. There were a bunch of little dots that looked lie stars. They were so pretty and they just hung there all peaceful. After we got back to the cottage we all went to bed. 

Sunday market, jester house and tennis at last

Today we got up pretty early to go to the Sunday market in the town of Motueka. We arrived there and we saw tents up in the town, we finally found a place to park and then went to look around. My sister and I went off on our own to look at jewelry, clothes, and other stuff. We found bracelets, a necklace and my sister and I both got my mom a gift. My sister got her a green necklace (with a ton of bribing it will soon be mine!) and I got her green earrings to match it. We also bought some licorice that was in tiny cubes and a lot of different flavors like raspberry and kiwi. We also got soap that was shaped and designed to look like cake, cupcakes and fudge. If you just picked one up you would try to eat it, trust me. (I didn't try to eat it) Once we left the sunday market we went by the Jester house which has tame eel, and a live sized chess board. When we got in we got to feed the eel bits of raw meat. The eel literally got out of the water to try to eat the meat. They were kinda cute. We also ate at the cafe there and my brother and I played life size chess. He beat me. It was kind of a work out carrying the big wooden pieces over the board. Once we left we headed back to the house to put away the food that we got at the market then my brother, sister, dad and I went to play tennis. My brother and I started to hit on a blacktop court and my sister and dad went and played on the playground. My brother and I hit for a long time then I went to get water at a nearby store, then we started hitting again. Not to long after to men started hitting on the court over and they asked Gabe and I if we wanted to play doubles with them. It sounded like a good idea so we started to warm up with them and we took some serves. We lost the first set 6,0 and then in the second set we started to make a come back we were up 3,0. We ended up losing 6,0 3,6. We played pretty good though. After we left as we were driving home we saw the most beautiful, glorious sunset with pink, orange, and yellow spread across the sky. We ate dinner and built a fire before going to bed. 

Hiking, swimming, and fish and chips!

Today was both planned and unplanned. It started out with us driving on the windy road to the place my brother, dad, Isabel, and I went the other day to try to hike, but it rained. This time, unlike last time my mom came this time the road wasn't as windy because we went a different way so no side stops. When we got there we started walking on the path, there was a lot of mud where the tide came in. In the mud lots of people had put rocks that said in giant letters, so and so was here. We kept walking until we got to the forest, the trees were pretty dense and we started walking by the ocean. We stopped at the sights along the way, and also a really nice beach with really soft yellow sand, and the best part of it was it was deserted. My brother immediately decided he wanted to go swimming, i immediately decided I did not. We still had a long hike ahead of us and I didn't want to go walking on the trail sopping wet, and the water was crazy cold. My brother got in and then was soon out, he said it was freezing and he wouldn't go in again unless either me or my sister got in. I went over to explore the rocks that went out into the ocean a ways. We explored some of the tide pools by the rocks and my dad and I discovered a little cave like crevice in the rock and a lot of snails. My mom and dad started to walk down the beach and I started to look for shells in the sand. Gabe, kept begging us to go in the water, I continued to say no! Then out of nowhere, my brother said and I quote "chicken, why don't you get in and become a man". That was it I flipped off my shoes and sprinted towards the water, what the heck was I doing, dooming myself to a whole lot of COLD! Oops, to late I was up to my waist in water. My shorts were soaked and half of my shirt but guess what Gabe kept yelling. "Chicken, chicken I'll only go in if you go under water. I thought about it, I was already cold now, freezing, or just cold. OK, one, two, three and I went under. It was a mixture of two thoughts, oh crap it's cold and wow long time since I've been in the ocean. But then I started to get used to the water. My brother ran in and under water then we played Marco polo and we raced in the water and ran as far out as we could without tripping in the water. I can honestly say that this was one of the happiest moments with my brother. After my sister finally got persuaded to come in but she was wearing long black cotton pants so she took her pants off and went in her underwear, ha ha ha. But she only went in for two seconds before my brother splashed her and she ran out. Then after five minutes she ran in again but then my brother splashed her and she ran out again never to return. Last my brother, sister, dad, mom, and I played spiders and flies. If my brother and I made it past the spiders we had to dive in the water and go under. After we started to get bit by sand flies so we started to leave. I was sandy and wet so I put my socks on over my disgusting sandy, dirty feet and then put my shoes on. My brother let me use his sweatshirt so I wasn't that cold. Once we got back to the car we went into the cafe and my mom, dad, and brother got coffee and my sister and I got hot chocolate. Then we went to get fish and chips. (chips=fries). We got home and ate tons of fish and chips and then my sister blogged and listened to Grease songs. Goodnight!

Making friends, aquarium, and Rabbit Island

Today we didn't have big plans. We woke up, ate breakfast, then my mom and dad went out on a date leaving us to do our work and just hang out. We were out on the porch when we saw two other kids playing at the other house. our conversation went something like this.
Gabe: you go meet them
Amelia:your always saying you have social skills, you go meet them.
Isabel: I'll do it.......... never mind
Amelia:common, I'll give you 5 kiwi dollars.
Isabel:no
Amelia:ten
Isabel:no, I want someone to go with me.
Gabe: Stop being chickens.
walks up to them, Amelia follows, then Isabel
AND SCENE.
After we went up and Gabe helped them build there bike ramp, and then went off it. After that we went and had an acorn fight and went up on a barn roof.
Finally, we went back to the cottage for lunch and after we ate a sandwich we got these weird marshmellow things that were in the shape of a bird. After that we went in the hammock and swung for a while. When we got in we were going to go to an Aquarium and then to play tennis and then to Rabbit island, which is an island that is on the other side of the estuary. When we got to the aquarium we went in and started looking at all of the fish. It was a touch aquarium so anything you could reach you could touch. We got to touch and eel, turtle, starfish, and even a stingray. The stingray kept following people, it was like he wanted to get touched. He was very slimy, he was a very social stingray. We also got to touch a shark, he was a very small shark so he wasn't dangerous. Beside the eel tank there was a sign that said "When you touch the eel use your fist because they can bite." After we left the aquarium, we went over to the tennis courts, we couldn't find any store that had tennis balls that were decent so we just wnet straight to rabbit island. When we got to Rabbit island, my Gabe and dad went running. Me and Isabel went looking for shells and my mom read on the blanket. then Isabel and I built a sand castle. Before we left all of us were doing carwheels. Even my mom. Once we got home, we had dinner and then Gabe and mom played scrabble, and isabel and dad played astroids, and old arcade game. I just sat knitted, and now i'm blogging.

2 things
Mom is finally done with her work
Happy belated birthday Grandpa

Hike, fly swat, and 100% new zealand yarn

Today we woke up to a horrible buzzing sound. We walked into the kitchen, looked up at the ceiling, and there they were. Lots and lots and lots and lots..... of flies! They were everywhere on the counter on the ceiling and in our food. Also we found ants in the honey and peanut butter. ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Once everyone woke up and ate we decided to go on a hike at a park by we I mean everyone but mom, she had to work again. We drove for a while on a really twisty road that was very similar to the Hana highway in Hawaii. We had to stop on the way because I got dizzy on the plus side the stop we made was a beach and I found a cool shell. Once we got there it started raining, instead of hiking we went to the cafe and had a panini and green mussels. Green mussels are a specialty to this part of New Zealand we agreed that we had to at least try one. When the got there, they looked disgusting, they had a green outer side but a silver in the middle. Gabe went first, and he liked them, then dad and he liked them to. I  then put the little chewy mussel in my mouth cringing. It was actually kind of good. Last belle, she took the clam and held it in her fork for a while examining it. Finally, very slowly she put it in her mouth, squinted her eyes. SHE HATED IT! She later talked about how much she hated it all day. We all laughed and I snapped a picture. After we left we decided even though it was sprinkling to walk up the trail a little. We walked along the path, it was a really pretty view of the coast and a lot of multi colored grass. After we got back we started along the windy road again. We passed a stand that looked like kiwi but it was pear so we got a bag of pears for two kiwi dollars. After we got back we swung in the hammock for a while and then my mom and I raveled up yarn from the sheep show. After that my dad went in a fly killing phase. He smacked one on the ceiling then laughed. We then went to bed. 

museum, ferry, and new house

Finally we made it to Wellington after driving 8 hours. on the way we ran my mom just happened to be reading about a geyser that we were passing at the very moment and how in fifteen minutes it was going to blow up. we decided to stop, and when we got there we had to move quickly  because it was erupting in 10 minutes we walked over to the geyser and there was already a huge  crowd so we just kind of stood in the back finally it was time and after the person explaining what would happen dropped some soap into the geyser it started bubbling. Gradually it started bubbling more and more until it was shooting out and into the air. We watched it for a while and pretty soon we decided to leave. At the same park there were paths where you could see sulfurous pits that contained boiling mud. There were also a lot of thermal pools, and creeks. After we left we started our drive to Wellington. Finally, after lots of sleeping, fighting, complaining, and playing video games we arrived, and went to bed. In the mourning we walked over to the museum across the street. We waited until 10:00, when the museum opened and then went in. First we went into and exhibit about mostly the earth's core, tectonic plates, and Pangaea. I found out that dinosaurs Jurassic age, also gigantic shellfish. We also saw the sea life which included a giant squid. (kinda gross.) After the squid we went in a simulator where you would get in a chair and it would shake you around and twist you as you did different New Zealand activities, like bungee jumping, and swimming with dolphins. After we left the museum we went to catch the ferry. Once we got onto the ferry we ate at the cafe and then spent most of the time on the deck watch in the water and the North Island land pass. (and played d.s) When the ferry docked we drove off and then drove for like 2 hours to a little village outside Nelson where we would be staying. We were staying in a place surrounded by orchards. There is A LOT of mud here when the tide is down but it's still really pretty. Today we played outside a lot and swung in the hammock. Goodnight!

A day at the farm, and lots of hiking

Today we got up early to go to the farm. We were going to see a sheep show at a world famous farm. After we got there we sat into a giant barn sort of room and waited. There were different kinds of sheep names like the marino which was a giant sheep that was had a lot of wool and  had giant horns. As the show went on we saw sheep sheering and sheep dogs rounding up ducks, then sheep. After the show was over we saw a performance with one sheep dog and three sheep. The sheep dog listened to the whistle that the farmer had and his voice. When the farmer said go right the dog went right or go left, or walk. The dog had to get the sheep over a through two posts over a bridge and into a pen. Once the performance was over, the sheep were in the pen and we went over to a tour tractor for the farm tour. As the tractor started we saw lots of different animals. First we saw cows, then pigs, then deer, then alpacas, sheep, and lama. We got out for a while to feed the alpacas, sheep, and lama. At first they were scared but then when they saw we had food the started coming closer and eating out of our hands. After we got back to the barn we went into a little shop that had gifts and wool. I picked out a ball of yarn and some needles so I could knit a scarf out of 100% real New Zealand wool. We also got a giant bag of wool for Ginises. After we left the farm we went home and my mom had to work again. The rest of us went looking for a place to hike. First we went to a place that had a geyser. We were going to see it but then we saw the admission prices and the were lets just say A LOT! Instead we looked for another place but when we couldn't find it we found another trail and we started hiking to it. It lead to the green lake, after taking pictures we walked back up a little and up some stairs. It lead to a real pretty trail and we kept hiking it until it lead back to the parking lot. Then we kept riding until we came to the blue lake. Around the blue lake was a 6 mile walk, we all started walking on it, it went on, and on, and on, and on. Until we finally came to a road we started walking along the road and then down another path. That path lead down to another beach that was across from the beach we had started at. We kept walking through a jungle type path until we got to another road. We had been walking for about a hour and a half and then we finally got back to the parking lot. We got in the car but then we  also wanted to see the green lake, (we didn't know we had already seen it) in between the green lake and the blue lake was a little hill which from the top you could see the green lake and the blue lake. The blue lake was actually really blue and the green lake was actually really green. As we came back to the motel my brother and sister went swimming at the pool and my dad went and got pizza. My mom and I stayed and watched "Over the hedge" and "Lord of the rings" because tomorrow we would be going to where Mordor was filmed. Then we went to bed. 

Zorbing and stinky springs

Today was one of the best days in New Zealand. First it started out with us driving to Roturua. We then found out that Roturua contains lots and lots of thermal pools and steam vents so that makes it very very stinky. As we entered we found a zorbing place and we just wanted to watch. We saw someone go down the hill strapped in and another two people go down not strapped in but with tons of water in it. We instantly decided that we wanted to do the water one so we went to the car, changed into clothes that could get wet, and then waited in line to zorb. When we got to the top of the hill, there was a little line and people were going down together and alone. How you got in to a zorb was dive into the little tunnel and in. When it was our turn my sister dove in first. I expected it to be freezing cold since there was a little cannel near by that was freezing, but the man said it was warm water. Once we dove in we had to sit there for a little while and then we took off down the hill. It was so fun the water was falling and we were tumbling all around and spinning and doing somersaults, I wasn't panicking just screaming "were gonna die!". As we got near the bottom I noticed we weren't slowing down but then we went up a little tiny hill and then went back down. Before we got someone was leaning in the zorb to take our picture, then outside the zorb. We were drenched and cold but it was all worth it just for the 50 seconds inside the giant ball rolling down a hill. After my brother went we found are motel and then we went to see the hot spring. my mom had to work again so we drove for a while and saw steam vents that were very very very "smelly", "stinky," disgusting odor". Finally we came to a thermal heated little pool where people were dipping there legs in. After we sat there for a little while my brother and I climbed a giant jungle gym. It had little tunnel looking ropes that you could go through and the highest one was about 20 ft. After we left we got groceries and had spam (yummy) and then we watched shrek 3 and went to bed. 

NEW ZEALAND, WERE IN NEW ZEALAND AHHHHHHHHHHH

Today, we the Staats family had our second day in New Zealand. First of all the plane ride, was soooooooo long. I'm sorry, I mean the plane rides. First from columbus to chicago, then from chicago to Sanfrancisco, then from Sanfrancisco to Australia, and just when you think it's over NO! Then three more hours to New Zealand. a grand total of........20 hours of flying. Ok, finally we landed in Aukland, New Zealand. Once we got our car and rode to our house it was very dark so we pretty much, went to bed. The next day we all got up really early, I know what your thinking, WOW! but we wern't very tired because we went to bed so early. We ate breakfast and then my sister and I went to explore outside. It was beautiful, there was tons of ferns everywhere and lots of trees. We took tons of pictures and also found a path with really steep dropoffs. We went down it a little and passed a waterfall, and a wierd picture of a tiger on a little fence. Then we headed back. Once we got back, my mom, dad, sister, brother, and I walked downtown and found the library. It was a really pretty town and a really pretty library. We didn't have internet connection at the house so we used the library computers. When we left the library we went to a little coffee shop and got hot chocolate. it was goooooooooood. After we got back to the house my mom had to work so the rest of us went back to the path my sister and i had found and we took a picnic. We hiked for so long in the rainforest then finally we came to a rode. we followed the rode to the BEACH! where we found shells and lots of birds and ducks and a giant swing made out of a log. We ate lunch and ducks came up to us and ate bread out of our hands. Then we rode on the giant swing. then it started raining. We ran under a shelter and waited for it to calm down but finally we made a run for the forest path again. in the path the trees were so dense that barely any rain hit us. Finally we got back and my brother, sister and I walked downtown together and went to the library and read for and hour, then went and got pastries at the bakery. another suprising detail-(my dad now has a new favorite dessert, it's not donuts. it's pastries!) After we ate we went to bed. The next day we got up early again. Today we were going to see the aquarium. We drove for about 45 minutes into Aukland (on the left side of the rode) and finally found the aquarium/Antarctica museum. Inside there were stingrays, and turtles, and lots and lots of penguin. we took a little cart around the penguins and saw them eating and even a baby penguin. Then we walked through a giant tube that had fish and sharks and stingrays. We also saw sea horses, moray eel, and giant lobster. After we left the aquarium we drove around for a really long time looking for a way out of Aukland and food. Finally we found our way back, then decided to visit a beach where the movie "The piano" was filmed. It was the most beautiful beach in the world. It had sand slopes, a river leading to the ocean (that was freezing and we had to walk through) and huge cliffs that we ended up climbing. After we left we were freezing. it was pretty cold outside, and because we had taken a wrong path we had to walk through knee deep ice cold water. (i would have swam in it) Then we got pizza when we went back into town, now i'm blogging and gabe is asking if we want to watch t.v. C YA!!!!!!!!!