Wisdom from a Swing

Today’s accomplishments include:

1. Burning toast and setting my building’s fire alarm off (great way to make friends)
2. Getting lost by my lonesome in a city still unknown to me
3. Making friends in a city playground still unknown to me (disregard the 15 year age difference)
4. Discovering a city now sorta kinda unknown to me

Because I’m half irresponsible/half secretly afraid of people, I… “forgot” to sign up for the orientation tramp (hike) most students went on today and took a “me” day.

After my sincere apologies and attempt to explain my inability to cook to the residential employee who was inspecting my apartment post toast incident, I decided it was time to leave the laptop and do something with my life.  I mean hey, I’m in New Zealand.

Now that I’m officially enrolled at the University of Canterbury and own a student card, I’d thought I’d put it to use and go to the gym.  

I left five minutes later. 

For one, I don’t exactly enjoy that whole workout thing, and two, I felt an overwhelming restlessness while staring at that stupid red light that moves around the digital track and running in place.  I also had no idea if the treadmill was set to miles or kilometers.  So I decided today wasn’t the day to start my annual new years resolution of being a healthy active person.

BUT I DID NOT GIVE UP.

I decided to get lost instead.  Typical, I know.

I’d like to say I’m about to deliver some original philosophy but I feel as if I’ve heard this somewhere else before….

The best way to discover a city (or city park) is to get lost in it. 

I still refuse to ride the city bus without having a friend to direct me where to go/get off/inform me when I’m chewing my gum too loudly.

But feeling super adventurous (and frustrated with the gym), I hid my sweatshirt in a random bush and started running in a TBD (to be discovered) direction.  I suppose saying that I got “lost” is a bit deceiving.  I was lost for about 5 minutes until I started recognizing a few familiar places I've passed on the bus before.  A few miles later, I realized I was almost to City Center.

While I do thoroughly enjoy the quaint city of Christchurch and its quirky shops composed of shipping containers, I decided to take a turn and run into Hagley Park. Hagley Park is still as foreign to me as NYC’s Central park and not at all large in comparison, but here I did find myself getting lost… I can’t say I minded getting lost in its breathtaking botanic gardens.

Best accomplishment of the day: I found SWINGS.  Age 2 or 20, I will never lose my love for swings.  It was also here that I made my toddler friends.  Interestingly enough, this was the second time I’ve run into kids under the age of 10 with no parents in sight.  This, along with the fun fact that hitchhiking is actually a thing here (and is considered safe) speaks for the friendly demeanor of New Zealand.  If only the ambiance of this place was a souvenir I could package in bubble wrap and bring back to the States with me.  I wouldn’t mind if alpacas could fit in a suitcase either.   

Going off the main path, I found one of the smaller gardens with a (rather charming) pool to chill by and recharge. At this point, I still had little idea of where I was and how to get back to the road, but because I had zero care I made no attempt to move.  I instead made an important decision:

I like it here.  A lot.

I could have used big fancy adjectives and run-on sentences to describe how I feel, but I’d rather be short and sweet in honor of true Kiwi language.  I dictate this as Kiwi language because of the ingenious “Don’t be a dick” signs I’ve see in multiple shops, buses, etc.

It’s kind of funny how some of the most chatty and outspoken folks are also the most introverted.  And how some of the most seemingly confident people are the most uncertain.  I think it’s safe to say that I just described a decent amount of people.  

And I bring this up, as this is a place that has inspired my inner being to mirror my outer.  It's like winning the lottery to be in a place where I don’t need to hold back in being myself.  I kind of hate getting personal, especially in a public setting such as my Internet blog, but this has been an extremely important part of my experience in New Zealand so far, one that is worth sharing. 

That being said, one last cheesy-ish thought:

Getting lost might be the best approach to finding your way.  Go figure.

Keep Happy,

Em

Mountains, valleys, and of course, alpacas

EMILY FROM THE FUTURE COMIN' AT YOU LIVE!

But in actuality, I’m 18 hours ahead of all you Americans, so technically, I’m living in the future.

Also, I’m living in paradise. 

Sumner Beach

Mussels in the Cave

(casual, right)

My sincere apologies for taking a ridiculous amount of time to blog since arrival, but please understand I have been busy having the time of my life (chasing around sheep).  I arrived at this fabulous city a week ago now, yet it somehow already feels like I’ve been here a month.  I am also minus one piece of luggage (shout out to Virgin Australia for that), and acquired a really fun stomach bug my second day/night.

Needless to say, I’M IN LOVE I’M IN LOVE AND I DON’T CARE WHO KNOWS IT! (I really hope everyone just caught my Buddy the Elf reference)  

I would love to say that I’m super tough and optimistic which is why I don’t care that I missed out on some hikes because of the stomach bug, or that I have anxiety about my lost luggage each day, but I owe this attitude to:

1. Really friendly people in my program
2. My wonderful mom of a program director, Eunice 
3. New Zealand (of course) 

There’s something about New Zealand that delivers these extremely unique but incredible vibes that radiate throughout the country. 

Kiwi Nature Conserve

Rudolph

I don't know your name but I liked you

My first exposure to NZ mountains/scenery/previous fantasy movies sets was during our weekend field trip to Springfield, a short one-hour drive from the UC Campus.  We all decided that there are no words to describe it. I suppose I could revert to the word I created in my last post:

Marvincredenomouns (marvehn-inkred-uh-ee-num-en-es)

adjective

1. Marvelous, incredible, phenomenal and other good feelings I can’t really describe.

The coolest thing about standing on some tall hill in the middle of New Zealand and trying to take in every view in front of you, is that you can’t.  It’s too big and too brilliant; overwhelming in the best way possible.

Unfortunately, I can't recount every activity from the first day of the field trip due to the stomach bug, but I did (thankfully) force myself to climb “Castle Hill.”  I suppose it’s named Castle Hill because I felt like a queen on top of the world, ruling my peasant trolls (AKA the sheep in the field below me).

Castle Hill

We stayed the night at a resort called “Smylies.” Our tour guide, Connor, was the epitome of a quirky elder “man” (more like boy), with a killer sense of humor and British accent, and the cutest family, as well as alpacas, I’ve seen in my life.  Watching him, his wife, and his two children all pitch in to feed our hungry herd, and then eat dinner together as a family afterwards was absolutely adorable.  It’s not something you come across often in the States. 

Another thing I absolutely loved about this trip is how un-weird I felt the whole time.  It’s safe to say I often feel like my jokes are underappreciated, or that people think I’m more awkward than funny when I think I’m funny, but this has not been the case (yet).  I’ve really enjoyed getting to know other kids studying abroad here, and I say kids for a reason.  For example, it was to both my surprise and pleasure when I woke up 6AM during the Springfield trip and walked outside to find other kids already in the hilly cow pasture at Smylies.  And better yet, they were chasing (I mean running with) the cows, which I hadn’t even had plans to do until their inspiration hit me.  So to not be weird would actually be considered weird here…if that makes sense. 

Our second day was spent planting a literal forest of trees a few miles from the Smylies hostel.  We also went jetboating (/almost died) throughout the rivers that snake through the mountains (our driver claims it was only his second day driving the boat which made use feel real good).  I met my new favorite animals, sheep and alpacas, and learned just how dumb sheep actually are.  I witnessed this first hand as we watched them leap like overhappy leprechauns as they were clumsily herded into their pens by Blue (dog we met at the farm). 

"Official" IES Abroad Forest

My hair when I was 3 (and sometimes now)

So the first few days of the big adventure were happily spent becoming infatuated with everything about studying abroad and New Zealand, and of course, watching the toilet flush the wrong way throughout the course of my stomach bug.  But as I’ve learned from my explorations of NZ so far, every mountain has a valley in between... and that’s just the natural way of things. 

But the beautiful thing about New Zealand? It’s mostly mountains. 

Keep Climbin’, Keep Happy,

Em

P.S. I hate to say that my posts may become more infrequent due to my inability to sit still at a desk here, but that makes for better and more stories, so it’s a win-win, right?

From One Jungle to the Next

Currently:

Listening to the woman behind me reminisce on the double cheeseburger she ate at 5 Guys earlier.

A more detailed currently:

Sitting in the LA Airport checking to make sure my passport is still in my bag every other minute and eating a $4 bag of Chex Mix.  And of course, blogging. 

Given the title of this post, let’s talk about these “jungles.”  

Since I flew out of JFK, which is about 6 hours from home for me, my parents and I drove down to the area a few days early.  So I got to spend my last full day in the States in the big and beautiful NEW YORK CITY! Well, it sure is big, and about 2% of it is actually beautiful.  I also dislike cities so don’t let me discourage you from visiting yourself. 

Despite my distaste for cities, I couldn’t have asked for a better last day in the US of A (you didn’t know I can make poetry too?!)!

Some highlights of the day include:

1. Purchasing a bag of 1.5 ft long Twizzlers
2.  Proceeding to feed a Twizzler to a homeless guy asking me for money
3. Having an (N/A) beverage at MY FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD the Hard Rock Café (if you read the About Emily page you’d know classic rock is my thing)
4. Making new friends
5. 
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
6. Seeing/saying farewell to one of my best friends, Miss Lauren Muldoon, who is studying/interning in NYC this semester (check out her blog here)
7. And of course, the quality family time I got to spend with these two cuties

   

   Meet Tom & Esther

I really cannot thank these two enough for everything they’ve done for me; especially for the support they’ve given me in taking this big adventure! I am probably one of the more stubborn, moody, and annoying 20-year olds to have around for a parent, so I give major props to these two for dealing with me for as long as they have. 

So having the opportunity to explore a cool place with them while having some childish fun on my last day here was everything I could have asked for.  I mean, how many kids can say they’ve witnessed their mom skip through the Times Square Toys R Us (after a few drinks at the Hard Rock might I add) or help their dad scavenge his last $6 to buy a humungous bag of Twizzlers?  Yea I’m pretty lucky. 

The 6-hour flight from New York to LA was nothing too special besides some sponsored videos I got to watch about Quantum Physics and the Universe. 

BUT I DID locate the Hollywood sign as we were landing, which I mildly “fangirled” about for 15 seconds.  I desperately tried to capture a photo for the purpose of this blog (probably to the displeasure of the two businesswoman native to LA I was sitting in between) but unfortunately it didn’t come out too well. I hope you can enjoy the other Kodak moment I captured instead.   

SO in summary, I have

2 hours and 56 minutes until I depart for Sydney

A 15-hour plane ride

A 2-hour layover, and

One last 3-hour plane ride

and then humble abode Christchurch!

YES THIS FEELS MARVINCREDENMONOUS!

Marvincredenomouns (marvehn-inkred-uh-ee-num-en-es)

adjective

1. Marvelous, incredible, phenomenal and other good feelings I can’t really describe.

SEE YOU SOON NEW ZEALAND!!!!!!!

Keep Happy,

Em

Predeparture Preparation & Procrastination

Try saying that 10 times fast.

My level of excitement on a scale of 0-100 (100 being most excited):

100

My level of preparedness on a scale of 0-100 (100 being most prepared):

-5

Fun Fact: I leave for New York (where I’m flying out of) in less than 70 hours.

Question of the day here, how do you prepare yourself for the adventure of a lifetime?

You’d think that since I will soon be living on the other side of the planet for 5 months, I would have avoided procrastinating in packing for this, or at least have started unpacking from my last 3 weeks in Ithaca.  But HAHA I’m a college student and that’s my best excuse.  

So here I have the biggest, emptiest suitcase I’ve seen in my life and a whole bedroom of clothes, memories, and dirty dishes to fit inside of it. 

A lil’ anxiety or nah?

Other feelings that I have realized are normal during your final days home:

•     Excitement
•     Terror
•     The feeling that it's not real  

I don’t know how else to describe “the feeling that it’s not real”, other than it just doesn’t feel real.  I planned to craft some word to express this feeling, but it’s still too early for me to consult my creative juices (which usually start brewin' around 3AM and is super great for my sleeping schedule).

In an attempt to share some of my "intelligence," I bring you:

7 Tips on Preparing for Predeparture

1.  Get your DOCUMENTS – passports, visas, credit cards, currency, etc.,  straightened out months in advance. 
2.  Study your flight itinerary so you know what to expect – I recently realized it only takes 15 hours not 34 to fly from LA to Sydney.  When you’re flying across multiple time zones and the International Dateline, it helps zero by just looking at your arrival and departure dates/times.
3. Do not overthink packing.  What’s more important: the material things you bring from home, or the intangible, irreplaceable experiences you will soon encounter? I don’t think I’m going to have a panic attack if I forget my tweezers.
4.   Cuddle with your dogs.  A lot.
5. 
   
   
   
   
   5.   Eat your favorite foods from home AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.  Although it’s summer/bikini season when I arrive in NZ,  I still followed through with this. 
   
   
         I don't regret it. 
   
   
   6.  Get pumped.  Let’s just pause a moment and consider why studying abroad is so great: 
         
        You can go just about anywhere you want to in the entire world.  You live in a culture you've never even experienced before.  You meet all sorts of people from all sorts of places. You take the bare minimum of classes (well at least I am).  You have a free pass to just live. AND THEY CALL THIS “STUDYING.” 
   
   
   7.  I hate sounding corny, but make the people you love smile.  There’s nothing worse than leaving them on a bad note.  Make them laugh, treat them to a meal, whatever.  I know, it’s not like I’m never going to see them again.  But those most recent memories are going to stick with both you and them… and you’re going to want them to be good. 
         P.S. I sort of screwed this one up when I (accidentally) broke my friend’s laptop the last time we hung out.  Sorry Jez I love you.

On the up side, I’m ready to part with Ithaca and here is why:

Photocreds to Gregory Markert

Rating my preparedness as a -5 is probably an exaggeration.  Here I am with all my important documents I cannot lose, a hopefully-soon-to-be packed suitcase (at least I have the thing), a flight itinerary, and a very intense exhilaration to start my journey (possibly my favorite emotion I’ve experienced in my life).

But, am I really… “prepared?” How do you prepare yourself for the adventure of a lifetime?

Well, trick question, because I’ve decided that you don’t. You just have to roll with it. 

(I hate trick questions too, sorry)

Keep Happy,
Em