Greetings to the RSU family from Down Under. We've been in Christchurch, New Zealand for five days now, getting settled and learning about this amazing country. I write to you from the future. We're 19 hours ahead so for you it's midnight and for me it's tomorrow evening :)

We came at a perfect time. Tomorrow, February 6, is Waitangi day. This is New Zealand's national holiday, commemorating the Treaty of Waitangi, which established the British colony here and promised to protect the rights of the indigenous Maori peoples. Like U.S.-Tribal treaties, there have been big problems living up to it on the European side, but this bi-cultural nation strives to be a just and peaceful society.

Our hosts at University of Canterbury have been fantastic. I have a fine office on the 6th floor of the Locke Building, which houses not only Media & Communication but (as the name hints) Political Science and Philosophy. We live on-campus and right next door to my daughter's school. I've met several departmental and other campus colleagues, and look forward to guest-lecturing for Department Head Linda Jean Kenix in her advertising class. I'm also excited about my plans for research and creative works.

This note is just a starter. I promise good stuff as the start of the first semester of 2013 soon approaches. You'll learn about New Zealand media, higher education, and culture. Have a great semester and go Hillcats! -

-Jeff, Cindy, and Kyra Gentry
Posted 4 February 2013.