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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Recap

Hi everyone back home. It is getting chilly here at night and rainy during the day. We are keeping busy with school and work. Thought we would re post some of our favorite photos till we get some new ones this weekend. Talk to you soon. Love, Lauren and Matthew

Monday, April 21, 2008

Happy Birthday Ryan! (And Happy Earth Day)

Just a quick 28th Birthday to my brother Ryan! I love you like a brother!

Happy Earth Day to all... I have attached a link of the best (and worst) fish to order when you go out to the market or order a restraunt.

Please print it out, Thanks!

http://www.edf.org/documents/1980_pocket_seafood_selector.pdf

Friday, April 11, 2008

Hey everyone, Matt here...figured I'd do a blog entry to see if anyone is still checking in with us on this page. Things have been going really well for us here in NZ...Lauren's getting on with her work and in her spare time is turning out some really nice pieces of art, Jude has a girlfriend (a little jack russel from nextdoor), and my masters program is really taking off!
Life is good here, its a healthy lifestyle, with plenty of sunshine and outdoor stuff lauren and I like doing (ocean/beach, bike trails, hikes). I get to do field work in some amazing locations; last month I spent 10 days on a volcanic island doing scientific research scuba dives at a marine reserve. A marine reserve is like a National Park, but most of it is underwater. NZ has led the world in establishing these reserves, and they tie into global warming and the depletion of fishing stocks worldwide. If a local government sections off a peice of water and says no fishing (commercial or recreational) the marine community that was once depleted in that area comes bursting back to life. The reserve I did my field work at is one of the oldest in the world, and its only been around for 10 yrs! The ocean has been abused for so long people's perception of "healthy" isn't what it should be, the source of a lot of the worlds problems (climate change, cures for disease) can be resolved with healthier oceans.
NZ is on the forefront of the "green" movement, they live it. Unfortunately, the ozone is so depleted here it is not safe to be outside on a hot summers day, and this little country has the highest incident of skin cancer in the world. The CFC output of the rest of the world has caused this mess, and they are doing their best to lead healthy eco-concious lives. It's quite inspiring!

Enough of this talk, on to more serious matters...we got a TV!!! It can pick up 5 channels, one is all in Maori (can't understad it), an all rugby/cricket channel (boring), and the last 3 are made up of English and American sitcoms (they even show American Idol). This is the life, I hope my grades don't suffer (I'm kidding!). Needless to say we barely watch it, but it does have a built in DVD.

Till next time, enjoy the pics and your spring weather
Matt, Lauren & Jude