Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh, my!

I didn't buy a zoo but I did go to one on Wednesday. How cute is this little fellow?

The Auckland Zoo is pretty sweet I gotta say. As is finding different ways to stay connected to life back home.

In honor of the Masters this past weekend, we went to the driving range. Since we are in New Zealand, shoes of course, were optional:

In honor of Passover and Easter, we went to a Seder Saturday night and church and brunch on Sunday. Adam, to my shock and delight, wore seersucker pants on Easter. This will probably mean nothing to those of you that don't know Adam, but for those of you that do, it's worth mentioning. As for for my 1% readership in Latvia who probably don't even know what seersucker is, well then just skip to the next paragraph. For everyone else, this clothing choice is notable because this is the same guy who goes to Costco to pick up dinner and a few new work shirts in the same trip.

And in honor of myself, I took a trip to the spa for a little Milford Track recovery session. Spa Di Vine was such a treat. It's out in the country and is really top notch. This is where morning tea was served:

It was lovely. Overall, it was a great long weekend, including dinner out at Monsoon Poon (love you long time) and a BBQ with friends. The only bummer was that because of the holiday I didn't have improv class. I mean c'mon when was the last time YOU got to fake die? It is so fun. Every week I get to play lots of silly games, learn the rules of narrative, sharpen my wit, and push myself to think outside the box. We do everything from get in partners and make up stories about chasing monsters to making human sound machines.

Speaking of monsters, it reminds me of when I was teaching a Kids Turn divorce workshop in Berkeley. Part of the curriculum with my group of 5 year-olds was to go on a hunt for the "divorce monster." Well I got so into it. I made the kids put on their coats and hats, had a stratgeic plan of attack huddle, turned chairs into tunnels, tables into mountains, setting the scene for the monster we were about to discover.

The "monster" in this case was my workshop assistant who I forced to hide in a storage closet in the classroom I was attempting to turn into a magical forest. I guess I got too into it because moments before we were about to face the divorce monster, one of the kids burst into tears saying that he didn't want to find the monster and that he was scared. Thank goodness for another kid,  the one black child in the group, who was quick to deliver the important message of "it's not real sucka."

But I digress, point is I'll miss improv class when it is over in a couple weeks. For that reason, I am turning my attention towards a new and completely different endeavour. Starting next month, I will begin a volunteer training program to work with a refugee services organization. I will be put on a team and matched with a family who is seeking asylum in New Zealand.

Families come from all over but lately I've been told they are mostly from Burma, Africa, and Iraq. I am looking forward to this challenging but hopefully rewarding experience. Since I am having trouble finding a job and I would prefer to not have my brain rot while living here, I think it will be a good thing.

And just in case you were still thinking about all those beautiful vistas from our recent South Island trip, like I still am, here's one more for the road: