Student Bloggers
Alaska to New Zealand
Date
July 2, 2015
With less than a week before my big departure to New Zealand the nerves are starting to kick in. Attending college out of state from Alaska has prepared me pretty well for packing and leaving my family behind, or so I think. While my university in Columbus is over 3,000 miles away from home, Wellington is over twice that distance at over 7,000 miles. I definitely have a swarm of butterflies in my stomach compared to the few I had when I left for Ohio State for my freshman year. I have already begun packing, as I am the queen of procrastinating. My cats are all pretty sure the suitcase is for them, and as much as I wish it were sadly they will be left behind. I have about 10 different packing guides/tips for New Zealand and spending a year abroad bookmarked on my computer. I originally wanted to post a packing list in my first blog….But I have managed to pack my whole closet and more into my Mary Poppins’ bag and the list would be way too long. I did make some pretty neat purchases specifically for this trip, including a new backpacking backpack by Deuter and an Eno Hammock to hang from some trees and enjoy nature. So with one checked bag and one big backpack, I think I will have everything I’ll need for a year.
When I first started looking into where I wanted to study abroad, I was drawn to Australia because of their exotic wildlife and warm weather. I then realized that everything in Australia wants to kill me, including the spiders which I am deathly afraid of. I just happened to come across a post on Buzzfeed about why New Zealand is better than Australia. I never really considered New Zealand, but the more I looked into it the more I fell in love. I’m always torn about where I want to settle down because while I love the mountains and glaciers of Alaska, I miss the beaches of Florida. New Zealand has the best of both worlds, all while feeding my hunger for adventure. I’m excited to explore the whole country while I am there, and hopefully capture at least some of the beauty in pictures to post here.
-Kenzie