Posted on 7:35 PM | By Wallace | In Baldwin Street , Beach , Longboard , St. Clair
It's been a week since I landed in Dunedin, and I'm beginning to find my groove. Much to my surprise I have felt little to no jet lag, I think this is because Stacy packed the first day with lots of activities which didn't give me a chance to slow down enough for my body to crash. That allowed me to stay on Dunedin time right from the start.
My first week was spent getting my work stations and computers in order. I've got quite the learning curve ahead of me, but it's doable. Day 2 was mostly spent learning Dental terminology, mainly the anatomy of a tooth. The rest of the week was spent learning techniques for modeling different parts of a tooth. The days fly by as there is so much to do but the days in the office are often long, only because I haven't have a chance to break into any social circles yet, so I tend to stay longer at work as there isn't much happening at home.
My first week was spent getting my work stations and computers in order. I've got quite the learning curve ahead of me, but it's doable. Day 2 was mostly spent learning Dental terminology, mainly the anatomy of a tooth. The rest of the week was spent learning techniques for modeling different parts of a tooth. The days fly by as there is so much to do but the days in the office are often long, only because I haven't have a chance to break into any social circles yet, so I tend to stay longer at work as there isn't much happening at home.
When I do get out I have been exploring Dunedin on my longboard. It's downhill both ways here in NZ as the streets are paved using asphalt, it's like riding on silk. You rarely have to push, and it seems like the board just goes forever! The topography of Dunedin is really something that I've never experienced before. Think of Dunedin city center, with the harbor being on relatively a flat plane, the outer suburbs surrounding the city center are built into massive hills.. The key word here, is massive.. Nothing in Calgary can even compare to how big and steep the hills/streets are. There seems to be no order as to how the streets are constructed either, roads suddenly end at the bottom of a stair cases and start back again at the top. I haven't seen any cars attempt the stair cases yet. The thing with these hills is that my longboard would be useless on the way up, and unfortunately just as useless on the way down as I would certainly reach terminal velocity within 15 feet of the start. Dunedin is home to the world's steepest street, Baldwin Street, I would probably give most streets in Dunedin the same title..
Here are a few photos I found online of Baldwin Street.
Saturday I decided I'd venture out a bit further and try to longboard to St. Clair Beach. I can't say the journey to the beach was all that exciting. Google maps had me going in all directions but once I got there, there was lots of things to explore. Dunedin is like Lethbridge, It's like 5 minutes to get anywhere in the city by car, but easily over an hour is you tried to walk.. Anyway, I've put together another mini video of St. Clair.
Here's a few photos from Saturday:
Here are a few photos I found online of Baldwin Street.
Saturday I decided I'd venture out a bit further and try to longboard to St. Clair Beach. I can't say the journey to the beach was all that exciting. Google maps had me going in all directions but once I got there, there was lots of things to explore. Dunedin is like Lethbridge, It's like 5 minutes to get anywhere in the city by car, but easily over an hour is you tried to walk.. Anyway, I've put together another mini video of St. Clair.
Here's a few photos from Saturday:
Devon, Great video of St. Clair. Very creative and I appreciate the music. What a great exercise plan! Do people pick you out as a foreigner? Kim
Thanks! Yea, not having motorized transportation is doing wonders for me! I think my ignorance in some issues makes me stand out as a foreigner.. For example it took me waiting 20 minutes at a table in a local pub to realize that no one was going to serve me.. Over here you order your drinks and food from the bar. As far as my accent goes, I don't get asked anything mainly because I think I'm in a University town. There are lots of other foreigners with accents so the locals I think are just used to it.
Hey Devon! Love the video...love the small waves...you are going to have to try using my version of a longboard...surfing dude... it looks great, I love the pictures and Bria giggled at you not knowing how long it took you! - Nikki
Nikki - Hehe, yea Stacy and I made it out to Sandfly Beach on Monday night (Feb 1), the waves there were twice if not three times bigger than the ones in St. Clair.. It's just crazy! I'll have another blog post about Sandfly Beach as soon as I get a chance to go through the photos! Tell Bria the clocks down here are upside down, that's why I was having such a problem..