Student Bloggers
See You Soon, New Zealand
Date
June 30, 2017
My New Zealand experience was the best time of my life. It unfortunately has come to an end and I have many different feelings about it. I missed my family and my dog of course, but what about my friends I made abroad? They live all over the world, when am I going to see them again? That is a question that no one can answer, the answer to that question is always “eventually”. That’s not good enough. During my time in New Zealand, I think I learned more about myself in those four months than I have in my entire life. I made some of the best friends I have ever made in my life, I actually already have plans to see one of them in August, but the others, and I don’t know when I’ll see them next.
My last trip was a four day trip with Kim who I am seeing in August. We went to Milford Sound and Queenstown and we had the time of our life. We went kayaking and on a boat ride in Milford. I drove for the first time also on this trip and it was stressful to say the least. We then went to Queenstown where we did a hike and went on a quad bike. It was the best and most expensive trip, but every cent was worth it. The picture above is of the hike we did in Queenstown called Ben Lommond. It started to hit me during this hike that my time at New Zealand was coming to an end. It didn’t seem real, I just got here, I love everything about it here. The hikes, the people, the little over-priced coffee shops, everything, I have to go back.
Standing in the airport looking at my kiwi friends and just not knowing what to say, neither one of us wanted to say the dreaded line “have a nice life” because that is just too painful. I may have looked ridiculous standing in the airport crying more than I have in a long time with Kim but neither one of us could help it, the time of our life was coming to an end. The two of us were inseparable since orientation back in February, and now the experience we lived together is ending. It is extremely hard to put into words how this feels, leaving the country you started to call home, and the people you feel like you’ve known for ages but I knew it was something I had to go through. All I have to say is, it is extremely hard leaving New Zealand but there is not a single thing I would change about this experience, I loved every second and I will be back one day. See you soon New Zealand.