Getting my feet wet

Since my romp in the woods with the wise, I've been getting a touch of the younger lifestyle of Wellington. One afternoon I opened my door to two American guys playing a bluegrass song for me in the hallway. It was so neat, they were playing a guitar and the mandalin. That was their way of saying 'hey we're from the same place, great to meet ya!'
My other roommates moved in and I met a lot of international students this week. I went out one night to an Irish pub then to a disco. It was right out of the 70's. The floor was lit up squares that changed colors and disco balls were hung from the ceiling. I also attended a Lutheran church on Sunday. I had one my best New Zealand experiences there (so far). The people were so nice and came right up and talked to me. One couple even invited me to dinner!
That same day I took a group of new friends with me to the Island Bay Festival that I read about. A short bus ride around the bay brought us to a small festival with a market, music and food. I thought it was pretty interesting that the fair food was Asian style, rice and meat. The festival was right on the beach and one of my friends was able to experience the ocean for the first time in his life! It took me a while to realize that the tire-like rubber stuff on the beach was actual washed up seaweed. It was in very long and thick peices.
Orientation for school started yesterday were I met people from all over the states, Germany, India, and a lot of other places. We spent the day touring the campus and the city and ended with dinner and a movie, Whale Rider.
I was told that Wellington works it's magic on you and I am feeling that now. It took me a while to get here but I am loving the city and the people here. Today I was able to walk down to the beach and sunbath for about two hours. It's nice being in the mountains and on the water at the same time! Also, I DID get into the freezing water at the beach. The water temperature is 60 degrees. That doesn't sound bad, but my legs went numb.