Well, I've reached the less than a week mark and this is starting to get very real. A couple days ago my mom said, "So when should you start packing? Probably this week right?"..."Well I would hope so" I replied. We just looked at each other and laughed because I think we both keep forgetting how fast the days are going by. As of 2:38pm next Saturday I will be leaving little Connecticut behind.
So this is what my room looks like.....
My current job is to pack my life into one(1) 50 pound suitcase to last me 5 months.
I also have gotten more details on what my first few days will be like. I land in Auckland at 6:30am Monday, July 8th (For everyone on the east coast that would be 2:30pm on Sunday, July 7th). Here I will call my parents, and then NO communication for 4 days! (this freaks me out a tad but it's probably for the better). There is no service or internet or phone access during orientation, so my last call will be that I survived (or did not survive) the plane ride to Auckland. From the airport, I will be going to the Shakespear Lodge where I will be staying for the first 2 nights of orientation, on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula!
This is the Shakespear Regional Park, where I'll be staying.
Here is a website for more about where I'm staying.
http://www.ymcaauckland.org.nz/find-your-ymca/shakespear-lodge/Pages/default.aspx
The last night of orientation I will be spending on a Maori Marae (meeting place), Te Hana Ao Marama. http://www.tehana.co.nz Here I will get to experience a night walk through a traditional Maori Village! After that, the next day I will be flying down to Wellington (July 11th) and I will arrive there at 2:30pm (10:30pm July 10th east-coast USA time). That night, the program director will take us out to dinner for the first night in Wellington.
There are also 4 events planned throughout the semester through IFSA-Butler. One is New Zealand Experience Weekend, which is Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th of September. On Saturday, we set sail on the Bluebridge ferry to the top of the South Island and through scenic Marlborough Sounds. That day we will either kayak the Marlborough Sounds or mountain bike the Sounds. That night we will have a 3 course dinner at Herzog Winery and have a wine tasting! On Sunday we will be cruising around Marlborough Sounds in search of dolphins! If we see them, we get to go swimming with them.
Marlborough Sounds
Another event is the Cultural and Volunteering event that will take place Saturday, August 17th (my birthday!) and Sunday the 18th. We will be cooking our very own ethnic lunch at the Asiana cooking school. We also will be attending a show, movie, or sports match (still to be confirmed). Sunday morning we will catch a ferry out to Matiu/Somes Island in the Wellington Harbor. Here we will get in some volunteer work and take a walk around the island...I hear there are little blue penguins here (Connor will be jealous)!
Matiu/Somes Island
On Sunday, October 15th, we will travel to Otaki and go rafting down Otaki Gorge. There also might be some rock jumping and rapid swimming and a nice hot meal at the end of the day.
Soon these Google Image photos will be replaced with my own! I'm getting more and more nervous, and every time I imagine going to the airport with my parents, brother, and Connor I start to freak out. I've been planning this for so long, it's almost like I was planning for this other person and I can't believe it is actually me. I officially am the owner of an iPad Mini since most of my friends have iPhones, I can easily iMessage and FaceTime in place of texts and calls. For those without iPhones I've downloaded Skype. Well, this is probably my last post written in America, unless I get bored on the plane. So the next entries will for sure be more exciting! Stay tuned.
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