Life in LaLa Land

Will someone please wake me up?! I have attempted to write this entry multiple times now and couldn't quite figure out a way to describe what I am experiencing. Then it hit me when I was walking around with friends. I live in a strange horror movie. Now you have to keep reading before you get the wrong impression. I don't mean horror movie in the sense that I hate it here, because that is 100%ly not true at all. It's just what life is like here. Let me explain...

Daytime: (option 1): It is BEAUTIFUL and sunny and everything appears to be perfect. Everyone is friendly and smiling. There is so much to do. An average day can include anything from attending a lecture then going to the beach for the afternoon or exploring the HUGE botanical gardens which are a block away from my house. 

(option 2): It is cold and rainy yet still amazing. Time is passed hanging out with friends, talking, and watching movies. Though it is cold there is still some exploring done. And even through all of the rain everyone has a smile and are beyond friendly (even if they don't know you).

but then...

Nighttime: It is eerily quiet out. There is no one around. The neighbors aren't playing music and the streets are empty. Everyone is inside somewhere. Dunedin appears to be dead. Where is everyone?! Then the "zombies" come out!! (Once again, keep reading to understand) As you walk down the deserted streets to get a friend home you notice people off in the distance. They start stumbling closer and closer. As you turn a corner you see another crowd headed your way. As they get closer you realize they are coming from all directions. They are stumbling and slurring. They are everywhere!! As they yell toward you, you realize you are completely surrounded by them. You have to be careful and just keep walking, act like one of them and yell back if it makes you feel safer, or avoid eye contact and turn down a different street to avoid interaction. There appear to be no rules in the town you are in. There are couches burning in the streets, glass broken everywhere, and "zombies" galore. Then you see a police officer and expect things to settle down. Wrong! They just stand around and watch, make sure the fires die down and no one gets too loud. The "zombies" continue to walk around with their open containers, which appear to keep them going (yes, open containers on sidewalks/streets/etc. are allowed in some parts of this town, aka lots of campus) . They are everywhere. Where have they all come from?! A house party must have ended, or a bars may have closed. Who knows, all you care about is just making it through the night. If they catch you, you may very well get caught up and follow them and soon become just as stumbly and slurring as they are. When you finally get home and into your bed you close your eyes and drift into sleep.

When you wake in the morning, you slowly open your eyes thinking everything must be a dream, you are back in your bed in the US, ready to head off to New Zealand. But no, you pull back the curtains and see beautiful green landscapes and realize this is somehow real life. 

How is this place possible?! Just my way of trying to describe what life is like here in Dunedin. My own little LaLa Land!!