One More Week

I have been very bored lately. My days have consisted of sleeping, eating, going to the gym, and more recently walking my neighbors dog.

I have only one more week until my flights will take me to the opposite side of the country (Boston to LA) and then across the Pacific Ocean until I land in Auckland.  Oh joy! That is about 20 hours total in an airplane, not looking forward to that part.  But, I am ready to leave home, I've been here way too long at this point. Of course I have yet to start packing, but have bought just about everything I will need.  I just hope once I do pack that I don't exceed the 50lb limit.

Currently, I am watching Jeopardy with my parents. Oh yeah, I'm living it up on my long vacation.

One more week!







P.S. I may be going to Hobbiton on my program orientation! That is one thing I might be able to cross off my NZ bucket list.

Waiting with anticipation

My friends are all ready to return to school or are about to go abroad themselves, while I am sitting and waiting for February to come. There are a few or many things that I need and want to do before leaving. I want to go skiing, but I need to go to the bank, doctors and dentist appointments, search and apply for summer internships (slim pickings since I don't get home until the end of June), make a packing list, shop for what I don't have, and learn to cook some recipes.  And of course I procrastinate it all!

I am most nervous about cooking while in New Zealand, I have not had the best cooking experiences and I really do not like it.  I hope that I have a flatmate that enjoys cooking and can teach me a few things.  However, this will be very good experience for my senior year at Denison.

I also need to find one more course to take at the University of Otago as I was not pre-approved for one. So far the courses I am taking are: Music in Popular Culture, Environmental History of New Zealand, and Sensation and Perception.  I am hoping to find a biology or neuroscience related course that I meet all the prerequisites for.

I hope time passes quickly! (I'm sure I will want time to slow down the night before departure)

One of the main buildings at the University of Otago. I can't wait to post my own picture of this!

What to do in Dunedin

I saw that a few of my friends were making lists of fun activities to do while studying abroad, so I thought I should do some research to see what I can explore while in New Zealand.

For orientation here are some of the activity highlights:
1. Zorbing!
2. Sheering a Sheep
3. Lady Knox geyser
4. Maori Food
5. Making new friends

While searching this great site (http://www.newzealand.com/int/ ) I found many great things I want to experience in New Zealand

1. Wildlife:

• Yellow-eyed penguins and Little Blue Penguins
• Swimming with the dolphins
• Seals!
• Kiwi Bird

2. Bike along the Otago Peninsula
3. Cadbury World (Pretty close to my apartment)
4. Larnach Castle
5. Walk up the steepest street in the world: Baldwin Street
6. To learn to surf without drowning
7. Zip Line! (I refuse to bungy jump or skydive)
8. Learn Rudby and watch an All Blacks game
9. Skiing and Heliskiing in Queenstown
10. Hiking
11. Visit as many different beaches as possible
12. HOBBITON!!!
13. Maybe visiting Australia if time and money permits.

I must remember that I am going abroad to study at the University of Otago and not for a vacation.

 Zorbing

 Hobbiton 

Getting Excited

My flights to and from New Zealand are all booked and my student visa arrived only a couple of days ago! I am very excited and somewhat scared to be leaving home and traveling half-way around the world in just one month. I have about a 12hour layover in the LA airport, and have booked a day-room at a close-by hotel so I can shower and nap. Between this layover and the total of 20hrs spent on planes I will be very happy with the Kindle paperwhite I got for Christmas.

I got my housing assignment about one week ago and am living in a six-person university flat (apartment) which includes two Kiwi host students.  I believe it is co-ed and is also pretty close to campus, only about a 10min walk. 

And this is the building where the apartment is.

Tonight I am going to see The Hobbit to get myself excited for the beautiful landscapes I will encounter abroad and because I am obsessed with these movies.