In the Mind of Mike

This past weekend was a lot of fun. It was the last weekend that I will actually be in Albany for a long time since we have so many trips planned. Friday night we went over the the sports bar across the way to enjoy some all you can eat pizza. Then people came back to my place to play some games. The next morning I woke up and within 40 minutes was already on my way out the door. We went paddle boarding in Takapuna which was great. It was a slow day so the shop owners let us go out for as long as we wanted and we only had to pay for an hour. We ended up going for about three hours. I will definitely be doing this again before I go home. The owner was telling us that if you go fast enough dolphins may start swimming along next to you. Looks like I have a new goal! New hobby! When we got back I went to make dinner only to have my friend Greg bust into the flat telling me that we were leaving in 30 minutes to go to Mt Albert. We went over there to see his friends from high school...

Over the past few days the amount of updates about SMC has skyrocketed. When ever I go on Twitter or Facebook I always see some new post about how someone just moved in or is getting all packed up. I'm so excited for the O-Leaders and the Class of 2016! I hope everyone has a fantastic orientation. You may think that you will never want to hear whistles again after this week but trust me you will actually miss them. I hope that the rest of the school has a great move in weekend. I cant help but get a little sad since I'm not going to be there but I'm still excited for you all!  Study abroad has made me realize that SMC is really a unique and special place. The sense of community is so strong and I miss running into so many people I know when I walk around campus. Also, the fact that there is no free food on Friday and Saturday nights here has really taken some getting used to. I could really go for a chicken patty right now :) If you run out of things to do during the fall...

This past weekend I went on my first New Zealand road trip with Lauren and Megan to Whakapapa . We left Friday and made a stop at the  Kiwi House  . We got to see a live kiwi for the first time. They are much bigger than I thought they would be. Sadly I was unable to take a picture since their habitat was dark and there was a no flash photography rule. Here is a photo of a great spotted kiwi from arkive.org. I can see why they are endangered. They can not fly and have been used to living with no predators. Now possums, dogs, pigs and cats attack them. The government is hard at work making sure that islands and preserves become pest free so that they can reintroduce these birds to areas that no longer have them. There were also many other birds at the kiwi house. The most notable being the parakeets. I had seen some during orientation and thought they were really cool looking. We went into a giant enclosure to see them. We were lucky enough to run across a worker who was...

Today is August 8th. I have been in New Zealand for over a month. This is crazy. We just booked most of the hostels for our south island trip. One of them even includes a sauna, free breakfast and free dinner. I'm pretty excited! We still have heaps of adventures before then though. Friday I leave to go skiing for the weekend at  Whakapapa . It's about a four hour drive and is the first of many weekend trips. This past weekend I went to an indoor climbing place with Lauren and Megan. We had discounts so it only cost $8. I had a lot of fun and was exhausted at the end of our hour. Me at the top of a climbing station. Lauren nearing the top. We also went out to a club for a different Megan's birthday. We ended up staying out until 4:30 and I had to get up at 6:45 the next morning but it was worth it. Clubs don't have closing times here so people tend to get there after midnight and can stay as late as 6AM. I consider myself a night owl but this is a little exc...

Hey Class of 2016! Hopefully you are looking forward to making your way to Colchester, Vt in just over two weeks! I know I was counting down the days at this point. I know for a fact that the O-Leaders can not wait until they get back to SMC and you all show up. Although it was almost two years ago now I can still remember orientation like it was yesterday. Move in day brought about a bunch of emotions. I was excited, slightly nervous, and felt a little awkward. That is totally normal though. In fact the O-leaders make signs to welcome you and one said "Honk if you feel awkward". Had I been driving I defiantly would have honked the horn. However, that awkward feeling quickly went away once I realised that everyone was in the same boat. My parents and the O-leaders helped move in all my stuff, we went to Wallmart to pick up some supplies and my parents left to go back home. Then I went to the cookout with my orientation group. It was lots of fun getting to meet everyone and...

I know I have been posting a lot about my time in New Zealand but that doesn't mean that I forgot about the Class of 2016! You now have less than one month until move in and orientation. I will be posting tips once a week until move in day in order to help calm your nerves/get you pumped. If you are like me, you are looking forward to meeting new people and even for classes to start. I was however a little nervous about having everything that I would need and what to pack. So here is my list of what you should bring and what you don't need. Fellow blogger  Alex  had a great post going over the same topic so be sure to check hers out. I agree with pretty much everything that she said but I'm going to focus on other items. Things to Bring 1. Flip flops/sandals There is no AC in the residence halls so the first few weeks will most likely be a little hot. Make sure you have some flip flops to get around campus in and maybe even stop by  North Beach  in. Also, I wo...