And it's been one hell of a great week at that! You know, as nervous as I was for this whole experience, I am delighted to say this transition has been incredibly smooth! I was worried about meeting new people, gaining new friends, figuring out where everything is, etc. But I've honestly surprised myself! I can't believe it's already been one week in New Zealand. Hey, it's just like I said earlier, the busier I am, the faster time will go. However, I'm not sure when that newness will wear off and culture shock will set in...
Anyways, the farmers market this morning was pretty good! I enjoyed a crepe (thought of you, Mom! No Nutella though...) with lemon curd as I wandered through the market, surveying what each tent had to offer. In the end, I ended up purchasing some eggs. Exciting I know. I figure I love breakfast food, so might as well have plenty of options to choose from at home! Actually ended up making eggs and potatoes for lunch. Like I actually cooked something...and it actually tasted good...and it was kind of healthy...and I'm still alive...not sure what that is all about. Maybe I am finally growing up! ;) If I gain nothing else here, at least I will be a decent cook come time to live in the sorority house winter quarter. Last year it seemed like I didn't know a thing about cooking. My roomie Megan definitely showed me up in that department! Except I was a pro and making mac and cheese and ramen noodles. Although I think that is a talent that every college student gains sooner or later. I'm pretty sure everyone in the house (~30 girls) saw me make ramen noodles at least one time throughout the year. So we will see what kind of new recipes and cooking skills I come home with. Maybe then I can actually cook a meal for you guys, Libby!
Don't judge me for the scarf and baseball cap combo...again...it's kind of my thing.
As a little 4th of July celebration (even though it was actually the 5th of July here) as well as a little celebration of the one week milestone, I purchased my first legal alcoholic beverage. My kiwi host Kim decided to have a pizza party with our flat and her friend Megan's flat so beforehand,.we drove over to the liquor store. I walked inside with some feeling of freedom, excitement and a little bit of puzzlement. I mean it's my first legal alcohol purchase, what do I even buy?! But as soon as I saw it, I knew. Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey and coke, all in one bottle! I'm sure my choice only surprises like 1% of you reading this post. But right away I thought of Dacia! I know she would have been all over those babies! So that one was for you girl! :) I also learned that drinking games are a big thing here. So it looks like I have a few more fun games to teach you all when I get home. Luckily those Jack and Coke drinks weren't too powerful, because those games could easily do you in for the night! My tolerance from drinking at 5,280 feet kept me fine through just over 2 of those Jack and cokes. The only thing I noticed was my body temperature rose, which in this weather was perfect. I wasn't miserably cold sitting around the flat tonight. I had a great night full of laughs with some wonderful people. But now it is time for me to catch some z's. I have a 9:30am train to catch in the morning! Here's to more adventures!
I will write again soon! Get ready for some beautiful pictures from the train ride!
No, your eyes do not deceive you! I am enjoying ice cream in winter. I know my mom won't have a problem understanding this concept! Am I right?! ;) Apparently Hokey Pokey ice cream is a New Zealand only flavor. It's basically a plain vanilla ice cream with honeycomb toffee pieces. Which after a salty meal of fish and chips at Fish Hook, it was just perfect. While I am not a huge fan of seafood, I figured fish and chips would be better here near the coast than back at home in landlocked Colorado. And let me say, it was pretty darn good. And being the 4th of July (my camo baseball cap was about as patriotic as I got today), that was as un-American of a meal as I could get. Since it is that special day at home, I had originally planned on going to a bar or something and have a celebratory beer. It's not like I'd be the only American in town doing that. But by the time we had finished dinner, I was fairly full and content. I figured I am here until November. It's not like I won't have time to go out. I gain a few more friends whom I can trust and then go out in a big group instead. I've learned I need to have a decent amount of trust in a person before I can go out drinking with them. I guess it's not a bad trait to have. So if I ever go out drinking with you, you know I can trust you!
In other news, today Hira, Alyssa and I officially booked our first New Zealand trip. This Sunday, we are taking the Taieri Gorge Railway that will take us an hour inland to Middlemarch with a few stops along the way. Apparently the mountain range located in Middlemarch was featured in the film The Hobbit. So I can only imagine how gorgeous it will be. But don't worry, I will definitely be posting pictures of that! Hira and I are going to try to watch as much Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films as we can before exploring places featured in them (You're welcome Cory!) We both have not seen any of them. However, that is a lot of movie watching to do in just a few days, so we will see how far we actually get. Even though I am not terribly interested in the films, I figure it would gives us at least a better appreciation of the sites when we do go visit them. But either way, I am excited to leave Dunedin and explore other parts of New Zealand! Classes start Monday so it's one last summer hoorah!
Oh and Happy Fourth of July to all my favorite people back in the good ole US of A! I will write again soon!
So I saw this food truck walking around town today. Underneath reads "Dallas. Denver. Dunedin." Not exactly sure what that is about but I thought it was worth sharing. Also, I don't know if it is just because I drive a Mazda or what, but there are so many Mazdas around here! Makes me really miss driving. Especially since I only got to drive it for a few weeks after I got my new transmission. However driving here would be terrifying. You know, that whole left side of the road right side of the car thing. Humph, but yeah I'm kinda missin' home <3
On another note, walking around town with a few girls made me super excited for traveling. Hira, one of my flat mates, and Alyssa, a friend of Hira's from the University of Richmond, seem to be interested in taking the same trips as I am. So it looks like I will have some traveling buddies! We sat here in the living room this afternoon and tried to plan out a few trips. Can't wait!
Unfortunately, today has been a chilly and gloomy day. Clouds rolled in around 1pm and have decided to stay. Which means our flat is just that much colder. I learned that even though this is a newer flat, it was not built with insulation. Someone please explain that one to me! I mean I am sitting her in my winter coat typing this in my living room. I mean do Kiwis have an extra layer of skin or something?! Because I am from Colorado and I find it cold here. I guess I am not used to if feeling like winter both inside and outside. And no, our heater isn't broken. That's just how it works down here. I mean I am sleeping with a sheet, a blanket, a duvet and a sleeping bag to keep me warm. Which thankfully it does the trick. Hopefully my body will switch out of summer mode and man up a bit. But yeah it's definitely going to take some getting used to. Limited heat (meaning it's always cold in our flat until the sun shines in. At this point I'm like why even shave my legs? That extra layer will just keep me warmer!), limited wifi (our flat gets 200GB of data per month, meaning Skyping you all as much as I wanted to might not happen...), and limited data (my cell phone data plan has 500MB. Yeah I have unlimited at home). It's going to be an adjustment but I guess it's all part of the experience!
Well I think that is all I have for now. I will write again soon! I have international student orientation tomorrow morning at 9am so wish me luck! :)
Alright I am going to warn you now, this may be a long post. I wanted to write one when I got to Auckland because I had a pretty long layover, but they only allow you 30 minutes of free wifi...if you wanted more you had to pay for it. Talk about strange.
Anyways, let me start from my flight out of LA to Auckland. First of all, I was nervous enough about flying so far...out of the country...over the ocean...to somewhere I've never been. I was bummed to discover that I didn't have a window seat. And the only window I could see out of just gave me a view of the wing...sweet. But it was dark for the majority of the trip so I guess it wasn't that big of a deal. So because I was in economy, I didn't get a fancy chair for sleeping. I just got a regular airplane chair that I was suppose to endure for the 12 hour flight. Awesome. Next to that, I had a fairly large women next to me who took up my entire arm rest. And on top of that, she spoke no English. So whenever she tried to order something, it was a guessing game the stewardess and I had to play. I also remember her stroking my leg when I was asleep because she needed to get up and use the restroom. So yeah it was a little strange. But before we took off, we were watching the safety video they present to us, which was narrated by Sport Illustrated swimsuit models, no lie! But right in the middle of it, the power went out. Which inevitably shut the engine off. So we had to get towed to a remote gate because all the other gates were full. So while they worked on fixing that...FOR THREE HOURS...we just had to sit there. Now this flight finally took off at about 1:30am from LA. And not gonna lie, I was a little nervous about it. But I was just ready to finally be moving. They served us dinner at around 3. I had chicken in this marinara sauce and something else with it. Not sure what it was but it tasted pretty good. Once they dimmed the lights allowing us to sleep, I could only get 2 to 3 hours of sleep at a time. But I remember waking up one time right when the sun was coming up. It made the left side of the cabin glow such a beautiful orange. I still had a long ways to go though.
Once I finally landed and departed the plane, on my way to customs Auckland airport greeted me with 2 liquor stores and just some general beauty supply stores. I thought it strange but then it hit me - I can actually purchase liquor here. No matter how old I am I just never feel old enough. You know? I don't feel old enough to be a junior in college traveling to New Zealand for a semester abroad. I feel like I have lived a solid 10 year of life, maybe. But 20, almost 21 years? Nah. I'm sure my parents can attest to that same feeling though. And I mean I just mention the fact that we are juniors in college and Cory just cringes. Crazy how time flies. I can't imagine how quickly this trip will go. At this point it's kinda what keeps me positive.
After my quick 30 minute chat with my closest friends and family on Facebook, I was left to watch the clouds roll on by as I stared out the window at my gate in Auckland. I could see the ocean and boy did it look chilly! I thought at first how nice it would be to go hang out on a warm beach and enjoy the ocean. But then I remembered it's winter here. And that wouldn't be too fun.
The flight to Dunedin seemed like nothing compared to the flight I just experienced. I even got the window seat so it made it even more enjoyable. At baggage claim, I was ecstatic to see both of my bags had made it. That was a big fear I had had the entire trip. But me rolling through the airport with 2 giant suitcases wasn't exactly my idea of fun. Luckily there was a kiosk near by that gave me all the info I needed about the University of Otago. They even directed me to a shuttle that would take me right to the building that would issue me a key to the flat I am staying in. Perfect. And I must say, the drive from the airport in Dunedin was absolutely gorgeous. We went through the cutest little country side full of sheep and cows and a few horses. It was right at sundown, too, which just made it that much more beautiful! By the time I was at my flat however, it was dark. Yes, 6:30pm and it was pitch black ouside. Gotta love winter.
My first night here was good. When I first arrived, all the lights were out and no one was home. It was strange. I was worried I was the first one here. But luckily one of my roommates showed up a few hours later. She is from Virginia. She informed me that one of the girls is out of town for the weekend and the other girls are supposed to arrive on the 30th. I spent the majority of my time last night setting up my bed and trying to stay warm! I don't know what it is but it is absolutely freezing in my flat! Even this morning as I type this in my sweats, long sleeve tee and a hoodie I'm cold. It's like I'm camping or something!
Well I think it is about time I start to get myself ready for the day! I have a lot to do! And it looks like I will be navigating by map considering I don't have a phone yet. Talk about rockin' it old school. I'll be sure to take photos while I'm out today!
It's so hard to believe that this day has finally come. I feel like I just applied to study abroad a few weeks ago. Now here I am people watching in LAX before my flight to Auckland. Which is...I don't even know how long. All I know is that I'm missing an entire day because of this flight. Which is totally weird to think about. That's definitely going to throw me off for a little while. But I'm not going to lie, today has been rough. Saying goodbye to my two best friends and my mom at the airport was definitely not a highlight I'd like to replay anytime soon. Dacia held it together much better than I thought she would. Honestly she was the one I thought was going to make me lose it. Even though we don't see each other near as often as we want to, that doesn't make saying goodbye any easier. And I don't think I have ever seen such a sad look on Cory's face before. Seeing him almost daily definitely is going to make this transition pretty tough...on the both of us. And my mom gave me the biggest hug that made it so hard to leave. But I know she has never been so proud of me, which keeps me going. But I mean don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to go study abroad! It's the fear of the unknown that is hiding the excitement. I felt the same way before I began my college career at DU. But that was 5 minutes from my house. This...well this is a little different...and a lot farther! I know once I get all settled in I will be fine. It's just going to be a big adjustment - one that I hope I am ready for.
On a side note, there seems to be a lot of people my age waiting in the same gate as me. Makes me wonder if anyone goes to DU, too. But unlike me, they are traveling in groups. Which actually makes them more annoying. As much as I love my alone time, a traveling buddy would be cool right about now though...considering I still have another 3 hours before I get on the plane. All I gotta say is thank goodness I am a patient person! I think with 2 books, 20 movies, a tablet, and the fact that I'm running on about 4 hours of sleep will hopefully make this flight a little more bearable.
Well that's all I got for now. Make sure to check back here every once and a while! Thanks guys :) love you all!