On my final morning in Auckland I decided to just do a little more wandering over to the Sky Tower just to take a look around. It looked pretty incredible from the ground and there was a group that seemed to be getting ready to do the sky jump (bungy from the top of the tower) which looked like it would be a lot of fun, a bit scary heading straight for the pavement, though. I still had some time to kill before catching the bus back to the airport so I found a reasonably priced coffee shop and got a delicious banana chocolate chip muffin, complete with chunk of banana in the middle and a “Long Black” coffee because it was the first thing on the menu and I was under pressure to make a decision. Apparently, it’s like an Americano and comes with its own little pitcher of boiling water which I used to dilute the coffee a bit, assuming that was its purpose, still not really sure if that was correct or not… but it was nice to sit and read the New Zealand news and get perspectives on the world’s events other that America’s, such as the crisis in Egypt and Obama’s new policies.
It was relatively easy to catch the bus from the hostel back to the airport, where (thankfully and surprisingly) I had no trouble checking both of my bags and getting through security. The plane ride was relatively short, but flying Air New Zealand was a great change from the last airline because they came around with snacks, drinks, and little candies, all for just a 1 ½ hour flight! Upon arrival in Dunedin, I found a shuttle van service that takes you right to the door of wherever you need and was also taking other students to the University. On the 40 minute ride from the airport into the city, I swear I saw more sheep than I have in the rest of my life combined. I had to resist the urge to get out my camera and start taking pictures immediately, partly because I was in the middle seat of the van and partly because I didn’t want to make it too obvious that I was an international student and had absolutely no clue what I was doing. Plus, I figured the sheep probably weren’t going anywhere, so there would be plenty more photo opps.
I was a little nervous about getting a bedding pack, because they said there were limited amounts and I didn’t want to end up using only my hostel sheet for the entire 5 months (might get a little cold) or having to buy everything myself (might get a little expensive) but fortunately there were still some left and I was able to get checked in and get my key for my new home! My flat is right across the street from the main part of campus, so it was only a short trek from the office and I was greeted by one of my flatmates, Amanda, who is originally from Wisconsin but is now in grad school at the U of M, we’ve been so close to each other at school and now we’re living together in New Zealand, what a small world! Having only 2 suitcases, it didn’t take me long to unpack and explore the flat. There are 5 of us living together and we each get our own room with queen sized beds (a big step up from a lofted twin!) and will be sharing 2 bathrooms and a nice (furnished!) kitchen and living room. Our flat was recently redone, so we have new orange furniture and freshly painted walls, one of which is teal in the living room. It took a bit of getting used to, but the bright colors are growing on me. My room overlooks the street and has 3 big windows which is really nice for letting in light during the day, but could get loud at night…good thing I’m a sound sleeper!
The other student who was already in the flat, Ford, had met a couple people earlier in the week so we went over to another flat that night and were able to meet some more students, a couple Kiwis but mostly from the US. Three of them go to Macalester, so we were able to bond over our mutual dislike of Carleton and St. Thomas, a firm foundation to any relationship haha ;) It was fun to meet the Kiwis as well and learn a little bit more about the school and student life from people who’ve been here their whole lives. The nightlife here is a bit different, people apparently go out later (around midnight) but then places stay open until 6am sometimes, not sure if I’ll ever be able to stay awake that long, but to each his own! I’m looking forward to meeting even more people once the rest of the students start filtering onto campus and I can really get a taste of what life will be like here J
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