Wow! So much has happened over the last 3 weeks- lots of travels, funny stories, and personal growth. There is a lot to cover, so I decided to separate this blog into categories to make it a little easier to handle:
Finance:
I spent the entire week studying at Esquires [coffee house], but all my efforts couldn’t help the test from approaching. On Friday I turned in my other two assignments, and then found a little cubby in the Law Library until my 6 o’clock pm exam. The test was taken in a different lecture hall than normal, and I found myself being forced into a line of about 115 people [ok, I counted] in alphabetical order. No, I wasn’t last- I was second to last. I didn’t know anyone, so I tried to make a friend with Mr. Yu behind me. He was really nice, and he tried to understand my jumbled explanation of a Liberal Arts degree at a US university. Anyway, I soon found out that Mr. Yu already had 3 degrees, and a MBA. Seriously?!? I secretly wanted to tell him to get out of my finance class so he wouldn’t break the curve, but I didn’t, I just smiled and tried to find out how hard he found the material. I went into the hall, put down my bag in the front of the room, and then found myself in a ten minute “reading” period, where I was not allowed to touch the test. The test wasn’t easy, it actually falls under the category of utterly impossible. But, I couldn't wait to hop into our manual car named Malachi to head out to the Bay of Islands with a Red Bull Sugar Free in hand. Oh ya- I can’t forget the chocolate fish, a miracle of New Zealand.
Bay of Islands Weekend
My travel partner-in-crime, Helen, and I made our way north to Whangarei, which flew by due to the sweet mix Helen made for us, and we woke up to a beautiful morning. Our hostel, due to great planning by Helen, was right next to the “Most photographed waterfall in NZ.” After a homemade breakfast, we tackled that bad boy. This waterfall was massively beautiful- and we walked around the park and through the canopy walk to discover how awe inspiring the forest can be. NZ is crazy in the way that it can change climates in about 2 seconds. We can be walking in rolling hills, and then stumble on a forest, which leads into wetlands, and then ends up at a beach. Crazy, but I love it. We then headed up to Russell, a historic little town you have to take a car ferry to reach. Oh, and I almost forgot we saw the World’ Largest Sundial on the way. In true NZ fashion, it rained, but it was peaceful. I found a Cameo in one of the antique stores, and Helen and I enjoyed a lovely lunch on the port. One of my goals of studying abroad has been to find out what I truly like, and this break helped me recognize what actually makes me happy- not complacent, since I’m easy to please- but what truly gives me joy. I’m not expecting my life to go exactly how I want it, but I do have to confront the reality that I am graduating in about 6 months, where I will have to make some life- changing decisions. If you want me to continue more in depth, shoot me an email. I would love to hear what you enjoy too!
So, we travelled to the west coast, and stayed the night at a lovely hostel- where we had the place to ourselves. We woke up to a clear morning, and took a quick drive to the beach, but also found out that Vanessa missed her bus to come meet us in Paihia. Luckily, she found a later bus, so Helen and I found a scenic highway to enjoy the aqua blue Tazman tea. The next stop was Waitangi for another bush walk, and we found it to be a lovely walk that travelled through clay hills, wetlands, waterfalls, and forest. We travelled to the next town over for Fish and Chips , then met up with Vanessa. We had some time to kill, so I learned how to drive a manual. Yes, on the right side of the car, driving on the left side of the road. Malachi was on the road to Dargaville when we hit some bumps in the road- literally. The road was basically a mirror image of the crazy curvy roads in the “Zoom Zoom” commercials, and we found Malachi got a flat tire right in the center of a 'hairpin' curve. Vaness and I whipped out flashlights, only to discover that the hubcap was zip-tied to the wheel. Two guys drove by before two men- very large men- stopped to help us. We tried to explain the zip-tie, but the man grabbed the hubcap and ripped it off. I tried not to laugh when Vaness said, “Wow, Um, that’s one way…Wow”. After the men changed the tire in 2 seconds, we jumped in the car too eager to get to our hostel. What I completely and utterly forgot was my cell phone on the top of the car. Nevertheless, my phone became phonekill on the middle of the road. The vacation wrapped up by Vanessa getting confronted at the hostel due to Helen and I’s snoring, fixing the flat tire, and stopping by Helensville so Helen could enjoy the town that has one of the coolest names out there. Back in Auckland, I got my phone sorted and life semi-organized before the morning flight to Christchurch.
Christchurch
I woke up to my Mom’s lovely voice, and she called to catch up before the next round of adventures. My two roommates, Sarah and Kaitlyn, and then Vaness and I all headed to the airport for the quick flight to Christchurch. Kaitlyn, Vaness, and I still had to sort some stuff out with out Tonga flight, so we headed over to the Pacific Blue counter for some “customer service”. After explaining the details of our problem, the service rep looked back at us and said, “Ya.. um…. I don’t know.” I asked if we could get on the line with the International unit and got the response, “Ya, I don’t know the number.” Me; “To the international terminal?” Her: “There is a shuttle out of gate 4.” Me: “Okay. Um, do you know the international code for Tonga?” Her: “I would check the phonebook at the payphone over there.” [Yes, flashback to the episode in Marsh in Jeff] So, we didn’t get any questions answered, but we did get safely to Christchurch, where we were greeted by some awesome friends in Lucille, the camper van that they lived in for the last 12 days on the South Island. It was great to see the girls again from orientation, and hear all their stories. Christchurch was a historical European city with an awesome art culture. The four of us went around town, and that night we had way too much fun with the sleep-deprived Vanessa at an Irish bar. It was sing-along night, and although our group was the youngest and most sober, you would have guessed we had already gone through a couple rounds. I can’t sing, and I understand that- but I don’t think I’ve grasped the idea that other people don’t want to hear my singing. Oh! And I almost forgot- I had my first drink in a bar! A Bailey’s and coffee- yummy! The next morning I got a tour of the Canterbury campus from Dana, and we then headed into town to Kayak down the river in the botanical gardens. It turned out to be a sunny, beautiful day, and the daffodils were stunning. Being adventurous, the girls and I headed up a vertical slant called a “hill” to the Christchurch lookout. After being passed up by people three times our age, we reached the top. NZ hills may all look similar, but they never cease to amaze me. It took equally as long to get down the hill, and we ended the night with fish and chips, a visit to see my other roommate- Jasmine- in town, and the movie “You Just Got Served.” That movie was so bad it was funny, yet the title is way too easy to quote at random moments. The next morning we headed to the airport, and Vaness and I went to Wellington, while Kaitlyn headed home for some studytime.
Wellington
It felt so good to be back in Wellington. I surprisingly remembered where everything was, and Vaness and I went to my favourite café for lunch. We were also staying in the same hostel as I had a year and a half ago, so that really helped the navigation. Te Papa, the national museum, provided the entertainment for the afternoon and shelter from the miserable rain. For dinner, Vaness and I opted to use the coupon at the bar next door for dinner, where we ran into one of the most entertaining situations ever. We sat down, not hoping to meet anyone, but backpackers always want to talk, so we were cornered by two guys that were rated 15% on the man scale. Some of my favourite lines from the night were;
“You’ve got to try the pickles, they’ll knock your socks off.”- multiple times Me:"I really don't want to try the pickles." Him: "Aw come on, you've never had these pickles before."
“Those Dutch [talking about himself], they can swing their child bearing hips.”- while trying to dance/seduce us; followed by my comment “I have never been so disappointed of my heritage”.
“You must be from a rural town” Me: “Not exactly.” Him: “Where are you from?” Vaness: “New York. Its as big as they get.” Him: “Oh, wow.”
Vaness and I noticed people around us laughing, and soon I couldn’t help myself… I just cracked up. They asked us repeatedly to join their ‘Bar hopping’ but Vaness and I gratefully declined. We planned to hit the town, but found out that we were more tired than planned.
The next morning, we visited Ernesto’s, the IFSA Butler staff, and shopped up and down Cuba Street. The night brought about clear skies, and Vaness and I attempted to roller skate the harbour- attempt being the key word. We then took the trolley up to the top of the hill, and then to ‘The Lanes’ for dinner. The Lanes were described as “sophisticated bowling” and Vaness and I soon found out that it was basically a club with bowling lanes. But- we found real ketchup! The NZ version is pretty sugary, and really not enjoyable. But, Vaness and I asked for two serving of it and I think I texted everyone in my phonebook.
Vaness left the next morning for home, but I stayed on to spend some time with Kara, my friend/Bible study leader from Butler. I spent the morning in the Art Gallery and the Library, and before I knew it- sunshine!! Kara and I caught up over hot chocolate, and it was so encouraging to chat with her! Not only was I able to catch her up on Butler life, but we were able to talk about things that had really been on my heart. It was one of their roommate's last nights, but I was welcomed into the house for a goodbye dinner and the gripping movie 'La Vie en Rose'. On Sunday, it was refreshing to go to Church with the girls and to a great lunch before heading back to Auckland in the evening.
Tonga
Arriving in Auckland was exciting, but the sleepless night that followed made travel a little more difficult. We had an early morning flight to the capital city in Tonga, and then a domestic flight to Vava'u. We found that our names had been changed to the correct spelling... from Vaneffa Yu to Vanessa Yu and Kaitlyn Shacklepon to Kaitlyn Shackleton.
Finance:
I spent the entire week studying at Esquires [coffee house], but all my efforts couldn’t help the test from approaching. On Friday I turned in my other two assignments, and then found a little cubby in the Law Library until my 6 o’clock pm exam. The test was taken in a different lecture hall than normal, and I found myself being forced into a line of about 115 people [ok, I counted] in alphabetical order. No, I wasn’t last- I was second to last. I didn’t know anyone, so I tried to make a friend with Mr. Yu behind me. He was really nice, and he tried to understand my jumbled explanation of a Liberal Arts degree at a US university. Anyway, I soon found out that Mr. Yu already had 3 degrees, and a MBA. Seriously?!? I secretly wanted to tell him to get out of my finance class so he wouldn’t break the curve, but I didn’t, I just smiled and tried to find out how hard he found the material. I went into the hall, put down my bag in the front of the room, and then found myself in a ten minute “reading” period, where I was not allowed to touch the test. The test wasn’t easy, it actually falls under the category of utterly impossible. But, I couldn't wait to hop into our manual car named Malachi to head out to the Bay of Islands with a Red Bull Sugar Free in hand. Oh ya- I can’t forget the chocolate fish, a miracle of New Zealand.
Bay of Islands Weekend
My travel partner-in-crime, Helen, and I made our way north to Whangarei, which flew by due to the sweet mix Helen made for us, and we woke up to a beautiful morning. Our hostel, due to great planning by Helen, was right next to the “Most photographed waterfall in NZ.” After a homemade breakfast, we tackled that bad boy. This waterfall was massively beautiful- and we walked around the park and through the canopy walk to discover how awe inspiring the forest can be. NZ is crazy in the way that it can change climates in about 2 seconds. We can be walking in rolling hills, and then stumble on a forest, which leads into wetlands, and then ends up at a beach. Crazy, but I love it. We then headed up to Russell, a historic little town you have to take a car ferry to reach. Oh, and I almost forgot we saw the World’ Largest Sundial on the way. In true NZ fashion, it rained, but it was peaceful. I found a Cameo in one of the antique stores, and Helen and I enjoyed a lovely lunch on the port. One of my goals of studying abroad has been to find out what I truly like, and this break helped me recognize what actually makes me happy- not complacent, since I’m easy to please- but what truly gives me joy. I’m not expecting my life to go exactly how I want it, but I do have to confront the reality that I am graduating in about 6 months, where I will have to make some life- changing decisions. If you want me to continue more in depth, shoot me an email. I would love to hear what you enjoy too!
So, we travelled to the west coast, and stayed the night at a lovely hostel- where we had the place to ourselves. We woke up to a clear morning, and took a quick drive to the beach, but also found out that Vanessa missed her bus to come meet us in Paihia. Luckily, she found a later bus, so Helen and I found a scenic highway to enjoy the aqua blue Tazman tea. The next stop was Waitangi for another bush walk, and we found it to be a lovely walk that travelled through clay hills, wetlands, waterfalls, and forest. We travelled to the next town over for Fish and Chips , then met up with Vanessa. We had some time to kill, so I learned how to drive a manual. Yes, on the right side of the car, driving on the left side of the road. Malachi was on the road to Dargaville when we hit some bumps in the road- literally. The road was basically a mirror image of the crazy curvy roads in the “Zoom Zoom” commercials, and we found Malachi got a flat tire right in the center of a 'hairpin' curve. Vaness and I whipped out flashlights, only to discover that the hubcap was zip-tied to the wheel. Two guys drove by before two men- very large men- stopped to help us. We tried to explain the zip-tie, but the man grabbed the hubcap and ripped it off. I tried not to laugh when Vaness said, “Wow, Um, that’s one way…Wow”. After the men changed the tire in 2 seconds, we jumped in the car too eager to get to our hostel. What I completely and utterly forgot was my cell phone on the top of the car. Nevertheless, my phone became phonekill on the middle of the road. The vacation wrapped up by Vanessa getting confronted at the hostel due to Helen and I’s snoring, fixing the flat tire, and stopping by Helensville so Helen could enjoy the town that has one of the coolest names out there. Back in Auckland, I got my phone sorted and life semi-organized before the morning flight to Christchurch.
Christchurch
I woke up to my Mom’s lovely voice, and she called to catch up before the next round of adventures. My two roommates, Sarah and Kaitlyn, and then Vaness and I all headed to the airport for the quick flight to Christchurch. Kaitlyn, Vaness, and I still had to sort some stuff out with out Tonga flight, so we headed over to the Pacific Blue counter for some “customer service”. After explaining the details of our problem, the service rep looked back at us and said, “Ya.. um…. I don’t know.” I asked if we could get on the line with the International unit and got the response, “Ya, I don’t know the number.” Me; “To the international terminal?” Her: “There is a shuttle out of gate 4.” Me: “Okay. Um, do you know the international code for Tonga?” Her: “I would check the phonebook at the payphone over there.” [Yes, flashback to the episode in Marsh in Jeff] So, we didn’t get any questions answered, but we did get safely to Christchurch, where we were greeted by some awesome friends in Lucille, the camper van that they lived in for the last 12 days on the South Island. It was great to see the girls again from orientation, and hear all their stories. Christchurch was a historical European city with an awesome art culture. The four of us went around town, and that night we had way too much fun with the sleep-deprived Vanessa at an Irish bar. It was sing-along night, and although our group was the youngest and most sober, you would have guessed we had already gone through a couple rounds. I can’t sing, and I understand that- but I don’t think I’ve grasped the idea that other people don’t want to hear my singing. Oh! And I almost forgot- I had my first drink in a bar! A Bailey’s and coffee- yummy! The next morning I got a tour of the Canterbury campus from Dana, and we then headed into town to Kayak down the river in the botanical gardens. It turned out to be a sunny, beautiful day, and the daffodils were stunning. Being adventurous, the girls and I headed up a vertical slant called a “hill” to the Christchurch lookout. After being passed up by people three times our age, we reached the top. NZ hills may all look similar, but they never cease to amaze me. It took equally as long to get down the hill, and we ended the night with fish and chips, a visit to see my other roommate- Jasmine- in town, and the movie “You Just Got Served.” That movie was so bad it was funny, yet the title is way too easy to quote at random moments. The next morning we headed to the airport, and Vaness and I went to Wellington, while Kaitlyn headed home for some studytime.
Wellington
It felt so good to be back in Wellington. I surprisingly remembered where everything was, and Vaness and I went to my favourite café for lunch. We were also staying in the same hostel as I had a year and a half ago, so that really helped the navigation. Te Papa, the national museum, provided the entertainment for the afternoon and shelter from the miserable rain. For dinner, Vaness and I opted to use the coupon at the bar next door for dinner, where we ran into one of the most entertaining situations ever. We sat down, not hoping to meet anyone, but backpackers always want to talk, so we were cornered by two guys that were rated 15% on the man scale. Some of my favourite lines from the night were;
“You’ve got to try the pickles, they’ll knock your socks off.”- multiple times Me:"I really don't want to try the pickles." Him: "Aw come on, you've never had these pickles before."
“Those Dutch [talking about himself], they can swing their child bearing hips.”- while trying to dance/seduce us; followed by my comment “I have never been so disappointed of my heritage”.
“You must be from a rural town” Me: “Not exactly.” Him: “Where are you from?” Vaness: “New York. Its as big as they get.” Him: “Oh, wow.”
Vaness and I noticed people around us laughing, and soon I couldn’t help myself… I just cracked up. They asked us repeatedly to join their ‘Bar hopping’ but Vaness and I gratefully declined. We planned to hit the town, but found out that we were more tired than planned.
The next morning, we visited Ernesto’s, the IFSA Butler staff, and shopped up and down Cuba Street. The night brought about clear skies, and Vaness and I attempted to roller skate the harbour- attempt being the key word. We then took the trolley up to the top of the hill, and then to ‘The Lanes’ for dinner. The Lanes were described as “sophisticated bowling” and Vaness and I soon found out that it was basically a club with bowling lanes. But- we found real ketchup! The NZ version is pretty sugary, and really not enjoyable. But, Vaness and I asked for two serving of it and I think I texted everyone in my phonebook.
Vaness left the next morning for home, but I stayed on to spend some time with Kara, my friend/Bible study leader from Butler. I spent the morning in the Art Gallery and the Library, and before I knew it- sunshine!! Kara and I caught up over hot chocolate, and it was so encouraging to chat with her! Not only was I able to catch her up on Butler life, but we were able to talk about things that had really been on my heart. It was one of their roommate's last nights, but I was welcomed into the house for a goodbye dinner and the gripping movie 'La Vie en Rose'. On Sunday, it was refreshing to go to Church with the girls and to a great lunch before heading back to Auckland in the evening.
Tonga
Arriving in Auckland was exciting, but the sleepless night that followed made travel a little more difficult. We had an early morning flight to the capital city in Tonga, and then a domestic flight to Vava'u. We found that our names had been changed to the correct spelling... from Vaneffa Yu to Vanessa Yu and Kaitlyn Shacklepon to Kaitlyn Shackleton.
