Kia Ora! I write this on the Monday post-break and it has been wonderful to sit and regroup from a long week. I started my break by going up to Oamaru (a little over an hour north of Dunedin) to see the Blue Penguin Colony. These little guys are the smallest types of penguins in…
Category: New Zealand: TEAN at Otago
In New Zealand
Kia ora!* I have spent an incredible two months in New Zealand so far. It honestly doesn’t feel like it’s been two months and I do miss home, but not as much as I thought I would. It’s mid-semester break right now, and still cold for a FL girl. So let’s catch up shall we?…
Pre Departure Thoughts
While preparing for New Zealand I find myself trying to research what I will actually need for cold weather. Being that I finished growing up in the Florida I have not had to deal with layers, wool socks, thermo-rain jackets etc. I am so nervous/excited to embark in this new adventure/chapter of my life and…
25% Complete
It’s strange to think that 25% feels like so much, yet I so little that I still have 3 months left here in New Zealand. This first quarter being in this country have been an absolute rollercoaster (as cliché as that is). First few weeks flew by – between orientation in Queenstown and arriving in…
Just a Few Hours away from New Zealand!
I write today from the international Terminal of LAX, where I have been for the past few hours and will be for at least another 7 due to a wonderful 12 hour layover between my arrival from MCO and departure for Auckland. Now that I have finally eaten and found a spot to settle for…
Before New Zealand
Kia ora!* It’s only a few days until I depart for New Zealand and I cannot express my excitement enough! I have been out of the county before, to Costa Rica and France, but this will be the longest flight I’ve been on (19 hours total!) and the farthest I’ve traveled. It will also be…
New Zealand Bound
In just two days I will be starting a 5+ month adventure to New Zealand while studying at the University of Otago… and of course I waited until the last minute to start packing (which is what I will be doing when I finish this blog post). I have never really traveled for an extended…
12,000 Minutes and Counting…
I have been tracking the minutes until my arrival in Queenstown, New Zealand since the count has been well over 100,000 and the amount of nerves that reside in me are countless. The information we have received so far has left my head reeling and launching it into spirals of imagination, wondering who the rest…
And Away I Go…
Pre-Departure Blog I cannot believe that I am finally 9 days away from embarking on my journey around the world from New Jersey to New Zealand. (I guess I like the whole “New” thing). I feel like I have been waiting for this day for so long. I recently got an email explaining that I…
Back state side
After a long day of travel I am finally back in the states! I miss New Zealand and all of my friends so much already but I know that I will see them all again one day and I will hopefully go back to visit. The best thing about making friends with other kids that…