made it here!

Hi everyone!

I’ve made it to New Zealand! It took a very long time to get here (27-ish hours, I think), but it has been definitely worth it! I’m in Rotorua on the North Island right now for the AustraLearn group orientation before I fly down to Dunedin on Sunday for another week of the University of Otago international student orientation. Lots of orienting!

I’ve pretty much hit the ground running. We landed at 5:30 AM New Zealand time, made it through customs, and drove down to Rotorua. First day here, we learned the Haka (check out the All Blacks rugby team on YouTube if you want to see it). We, meaning around 130 AustraLearn students, about 60 of which are going to Otago, are staying at the Kiwi Paka, a sort of huge hostel. There is a very warm pool and a lounge/bar to hang out in, which is really nice. Quarters are pretty tight, but everyone seems to get along very well. After dinner, talking for a bit, and finally the long-anticipated shower (oooh it was nice to shower!!), I’ll admit to going to bed around 10:30. ;)

Today has been a very busy day as well. We saw the live sheep show at the Agrodome. That was a lot of fun. New Zealand actually has about 19 different breeds of sheep. I’ll post pictures later. (There is a bandwidth limit as well as a time limit for the internet I am paying for here, and I think pictures would put it over.) After the show, we came back for lunch. Then it was a choice of hiking, street luging, or Zorbing. I went with Zorbing. There is nothing quite like rolling down a hill in a giant ball and sloshing around in water as you tumble down the hill in a downpour of rain. It was AWESOME.

Tonight we are supposed to go to the Tamaki Village for a Maori cultural experience and a hangi dinner, where the food is roasted in a pit in the ground. The rain hasn’t stopped, but that doesn’t seem to slow things down in New Zealand!

So the abbreviated version is: I made it, my luggage made it (crossing my fingers that it makes it to Dunedin), and I’m having an amazing time! Without a doubt, New Zealand is one of the most gorgeous and amazing places in the world.

I’ll try to fix my online Skype number. I know there was a problem dialing in, but I think I’ve got it fixed. Give it a call and leave me a message if you want! I’m not sure if I will be back online before I get to Dunedin on Sunday, but I’ll get to it eventually.

Right, this entry is getting long! Thinking of you all, and talk to you later.

-Kelsey