A night climb up Mt. Victoria

EDITOR'S NOTE: Throughout the summer, ASU students studying abroad will be writing back to the states about their overseas adventures. Fostering international student experiences is just one part of ASU's commitment to making a global impact.

Marie's blog:
We have moved from New Zealand’s South Island to the North Island. This crossing involved a ferry trip through Cook Strait which, apparently, is notorious for huge swells and difficult crossings. Even with Dramamine, my stomach protested heavily.

Since I last checked in, I have seen even more of the natural beauty New Zealand is famous for. Last night, a few of my fellow students and I hiked up to the top of Wellington’s Mt. Victoria. The hike up is, even in the dark, pretty amazing. The trees are huge, and we saw a monster fern. Apparently, it was somewhere on this mountain that a select few scenes were filmed for the first "Lord of the Rings." From the top, you can see the city – sky rises and houses lighting up the hills – and the ocean, with ferries still crossing. We enjoyed the view and snapped plenty of fabulous photos.

Today, I will be attending a few lectures. These will be on health disparities and obesegenic environments, which are environments said to contribute to an individual’s obesity. With the information gathered from these individuals, we will brainstorm and complete a small group research project on obesegenic neighborhoods in Wellington. Specifically, we will be looking to see if significant differences exist in the obesegenic qualities of areas that are predominately Pacific Islander or European.

Speaking of research projects, guess what? Before the nausea hit me, I managed to secure a subject for the previously mentioned ethnohydrology project. Add that to the fact that we are now only required to complete two surveys, and I’m halfway done!

Marie Manning, a global health major, will be a senior this fall. She is studying abroad in New Zealand, Fiji and London this summer.