doing things I normally wouldn't do

Sometimes when I'm on vacation I feel like I should do things that maybe I normally wouldn't do. I mean, you guys know that I am not a huge animal lover. I will admire them from a far, but I do not feel the need to get close to any animal or even to really learn about them, because honestly, I could care less. But you know, I'm IN New Zealand, and if fluffy sheeps and rabbits are like a big deal to them and a part of their culture or whatever, then I felt like I should probably check it out. And um... LOL @ the experiences.

Apparently there are like millions of fluffy sheeps in New Zealand and like 19 different varieties or breeds or whatever you call it, and I got to meet all of them.

Then we watched a sheep get sheared and a cow get milked and what was even better than all that was watching the South Korean tour group next to me watch all this.

My favorite sheep was the Merino because A) it's hella fluffy and B) I got a really nice Merino wool hoodie to keep me warm when I went to DC so I felt a special sort of bond with this sheep. (btw, when they sort of part the wool on this sheep it's like super clean and nice, but the outside you see here is all dirty and gross.) Some of the sheeps had dreads too. And there was also a black fluffy one. That was my number two favorite. They were all really funny looking.

I was so afraid that being around all this fur or wool or whatever was going to give me a huge allergy attack, so I didn't touch anything.

I'd much rather take a stuffed animal over the real deal, like any day.
But what was even crazier than visiting the Agrodome, was visiting the old ladies who raise and shear German Angora Rabbits.

They have like 300 of them or something. And each rabbit costs over $2500. They are not pet-type rabbits. These fur balls live for about 8 years, which is way way longer than other commercial rabbits that get used for things like lab testing and/or food. One lady really wanted me to get close to the bunny, but this was as close as I could stand to get.

These giant fluff balls were the cutest things. And I loved watching them hop around. It really was adorable. But then they shear them, which involves tying them up and stretching them and shaving them.

It was freakin' traumatic. One girl walked out cause she couldn't take it. The fluff ball didn't seem to mind, but it was still... just... weird. I don't know. You feel bad for the bunny, but I guess their fur grows back in about 3 months. I'd say that was definitely the most random thing I've seen so far in NZ.