Student Bloggers

It is finally starting to get warmer here in Wellington! An average of 50°F during the winter is nothing to complain about, but it’s so beautiful and nice out now that it’s almost 60°F. Last Sunday the wind stopped blowing and I thought I was going melt into Wellington’s pavement. It did make for a beautiful day to travel to the Red Rocks just outside of Wellington. They have a seal colony there from May to October that you can do about an hour hike to. It’s a flat walk along the beach, so it’s a great day hike. You can get very close to the seals, but you have to be careful because some are pretty grumpy.

The last two weeks have been filled with assignments, but lectures are done in just three weeks. I have one more paper left, and then nothing for a month until exam time. So two girlfriends and I decided to plan a trip to Tonga during exam month! Sadly we will be missing Halloween, but I’ve heard it’s not as fun or big here as it is in the US. Speaking of the US, I have actually booked tickets to go home for Christmas. I am very excited to see my family, but it will be hard to leave New Zealand’s beautiful summer. Besides from my parents there are a few things I miss about America...

• Large size coffee cups. A large here is a small in the US. If I could have a venti flat white, I would be incredibly happy (and also not be able to sleep for 2 days).
• Taco Bell. While there are more KFCs and Burger Kings than I can count, Taco Bell is always the go to after a long night out. I am suffering withdrawal from Queseritos.
• Free WiFi everywhere. To have data on your cell phone here is incredibly expensive, so we rely on free WiFi. It is incredibly hard to find, and even when you do most of the time it is very limited. The Internet is much slower in New Zealand compared to the US. Good thing you’re surrounded by so many beautiful views to enjoy while you wait for things to load.
• Stores open late. One thing I have noticed is that most stores close pretty early (around 6 pm) compared to the US where things don’t close until around 9. This really depends on where you live, but in Columbus I have a whole street of food options for late nights, even on the weekdays! If you are out past 3 on a Sunday it seems like a ghost town in Wellington.

Now while there are a few things I miss from the US… there a quite a few more I know I am going to miss terribly from New Zealand...

• Being 5 minutes away from the beach and the bush.. At the same time. Even in the city of Wellington I am only a 20-minute walk from Oriental Bay where there is a beach, and 20 minutes from Zealandia where you can get lost in the bush.
• Enjoying city life. Never in a million years I would have guessed I’d love living in a city this much. Ohio State is like it’s own town, just located in a huge city. I don’t go into the city much, and that’s why I love my campus back home. Here in Wellington there is so much to do, and I’ve never felt unsafe.
• Doc. Doctor is my flat’s cat. He was a stray who decided to move in with us, and I am so glad he did. He is the perfect snuggle buddy at night when the wind is howling and the rain is pouring.
• Flat whites. The coffee here is amazing. Even gas station coffee is good. I will especially miss the flat whites though. I have heard that Starbucks has tried to incorporate them into their US menu, but tastes pretty awful in comparisons. Guess I will have to see for myself when I am home.
• The hills. I have a love-hate relationship with the hills of Wellington. If you asked me in the beginning of the tri, I would have put I missed the flat land of Ohio. Now that I have built up some muscle and can even going on a 3 mile run on the hills, I love it! I may still get a little sweaty when walking with my backpack or groceries, but then I don’t have to feel bad if I miss a workout that day.
• The international community. Most of the students in my UniHall housing are international. I have met so many wonderful people from all over the world. We have all gotten very close this trimester, and I will miss everyone dearly.
• The grading scale. Only having to get an 80 for an A, and a 50 to pass with a C is AWESOME. If only Ohio State could adopt that grading scale… A girl can dream.
• Weekend Trips. I can say without a doubt I have made the most of my time here. Whenever a group of friends and I have nothing planned for a weekend, we decide to go on an adventure. Next weekend we are going to try to head to Tongario, so I’ll let you know how it was in my next blog post!

The list goes on and on, but these are a few of my top favorite things. Time to start my last assignment so I can plan all my finals trips for this trimester. Cheers!

-Kenzie