Submitted by Ilana Shmukler on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering…
I am currently at the greatest playground I have ever seen and probably ever will see. The first time I came to this playground it was nighttime, and while it was fun to have the playground mostly to ourselves, to be here in the light of day is a whole new adventure. The playground is very crowded with lots of children laughing and playing, along with 11 overgrown kids racing on the zip line and lounging on the ropes course (that’s us). At 5:00 pm in Delaware it would be sundown, but here it is sunny and bright as day. The sun doesn’t seem to set in Christchurch, it simply disappears behind the buildings and mountains.
The first week of classes I had not a care in the world, but now week two has begun, and with it, a looming test and quiz. This morning, I worked on the week’s homework to alleviate some of the pressure later in the week. It looked like it was shaping up to be a miserable day, as it was cold and rainy. I almost considered staying in, but around 2:00 pm the sky started to clear, and Sophia and I took a trip to the art museum. I am a fan of contemporary art, and this museum did not disappoint.
Afterwards, we met up with the larger group and did a little shopping at some open air shops. One shop had many kinds of 3D wooden puzzles. The engineer in many of us took over and soon we were all working together to solve them. After we did our shopping, we took a walk to the playground, which is where I am now, the only one of our group left lounging on the ropes, a cool breeze on the horizon. At the art museum, I came across a quote by Colin McCahon that I resonate with at this moment. “Tomorrow will be the same, but not as this is.”