As soon as I started touring colleges, I knew that I wanted to study abroad. This decision took the back burner until the this past August when I started looking into where exactly I want to go. I couldn't care less about historical or artsy stuff which makes Europe unattractive. I knew that I wanted to go somewhere that would be a once in a lifetime thing, somewhere a little wild. After much consideration I narrowed it down to Tanzania or New Zealand. I decided on New Zealand since the programs there offer more free time for me to explore. The study abroad department does a great job of helping you find the perfect program. After my meeting I went back to my room with ten booklets showing different programs. I picked to study at Massey University with IFSA-Butler.
Some hot springs
The program offers lots of excursions which are included in the fees. I'm really looking forward to the Adventure Weekend which includes quad biking, yachting, and sand tobogganing! The campus is located about 20 minutes from Auckland which is a major city. It is also right near tons of wilderness. This way I can get the best of both worlds. There are hot springs and rain forests not too far from campus.
The seasons are switched in New Zealand since it's in the southern hemisphere. So even though I will be going down in July, it will be winter when I get there. The climate on the North Island is pretty temperate though so it is still in the 50's even in winter. We get a two week spring break at the beginning of September which I plan on using to visit the South Island. That is the island that has most of the views you would picture when you think of New Zealand. The weather is still relatively warm there compared to our springs but in the higher elevations there is usually a lot of snow. This means that you can go skiing one day then bungee jumping and hiking the next. In other words, it's the best place on earth! I plan on going on the worlds largest swing while I am down there. Check out the video, it looks insane!
The hiking and views on the South Island are some of the best in the world so I'm sure my two weeks down there will be filled with adventure.
South Island
There is plenty to do on the North Island as well. If will be fun being so close to such a major city. I plan on bungee jumping off the harbor bridge which will be an experience since you have the option of getting dipped in the water. There is also backwater rafting on the North Island. This is when you go rafting underground. The river takes you to a cave full of glow warms and there are waterfalls that you get to jump off during your trip down the river. I saw this on a Rocket Power episode years ago and have wanted to do it ever since. That episode is actually what made me so interested in New Zealand in the first place, so thanks Nickelodeon! I can't wait to get down there. Less than two and a half months to go! I'll post again soon about the exciting information that I just found out today which is pretty awesome if you ask me. So be sure to check back within the next week!
First day At 4:45 Sunday morning I started my journey back to the south island to hike the Milford Track . It is a four day hike through Fiordland National Park that ends at Milford Sound. I went there by myself since no one else really seemed by for the journey. By 2pm I was on the boat that takes the walkers to the start of the track. Only 40 people are allowed to hike independently per day. There is also a guided walk option but they stay at different lodges. Looking around the boat I noticed that most of the people hiking were couples. After taking some picture though I noticed that there were some people my age. There were two girls from Sweden that are taking a gap year between high school and college. I also met Tyler who is from St. Lewis. He graduated college and is traveling around for a year before settling down. We ended up hiking together the whole time and also hiked with the girls a lot of the time. The crew The first day was an easy 1 hour hike to the first hut...
Last night was our spring concert. This year we had Macklemore which is the biggest act we have gotten in years. Needless to say everyone was really excited for the show and we've all been looking forward to it ever since it was announced. Sadly, my good friend and suit mate Sam was diagnosed with leukemia last week and has to stay in the hospital for a month for treatment. The doctors are fairly confident that he will pull though but it's still a really crappy situation. We all knew that Sam was looking forward to the concert so one of his best friends, Justin, said we should try and get Macklemore to visit Sam in the hospital. I thought it was a long shot but figured we could give it a try. I messaged my friend who is on the programming committee and in charge of the concert to explain the situation and he passed on the message to Macklemore and his people. On Monday we visited Sam and he mentioned the concert so another one of Sam's friends, Dana, decided to take the cam...
There are tons of great bands playing Firefly this year covering a wide variety of genres. Every time I look at the lineup I seem to find an artist that I either forget was playing this year or didn't even know was on the lineup. I've been thinking a lot lately about who I'm most excited to see and I think I have narrowed it down to my top five (in no particular order since that was making it way too difficult). 1. The Weeknd- I've really been enjoying his Starboy album and he was on my list of people I wanted to try and get to see this year before the lineup was dropped. I think it's going to be a great high energy show. "False Alarm" is one of my favorite songs off his new album and I can't wait to dance like crazy when that song plays. 2. The Strumbellas - If you aren't familiar with The Strumbellas you should absolutely check them out. "Spirits" is a good place to start. They have a sound that is similar to The Lumineers and I th...
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