First week abroad!

Kia Ora!  I'm now a few days into my semester at University of Otago, in Dunedin, New Zealand, and I've decided it's time to write my first blog post.  I arrived on Sunday from Hawaii after a long 24 hours of traveling and was greeted by a very chilly 2˚C - much colder than I was a day before!  Even just from the plane ride in the drive to my flat from the airport I've fallen in love with the scenery of New Zealand.  It's such a lovely mix of beautiful coastline, impressive mountains, and majestic rolling hills dotted with many more sheep than I ever imagined.  I can't wait to explore more of the country!

Settling into my flat has been fairly easy, but the biggest shock has been how truly cold it is inside.  I'd been warned it was cold, but I didn't really realize the extent to which that would be true.  The university flats are very cheaply made and have no central heating and literally no insulation.  Electricity is absurdly expensive, so the heatpumps and space heaters are used very sparingly.  It's essentially the same temperature inside as it is outside.  It definitely made me nervous the first night when I was cold wearing sweats and using 3 blankets, but I'm already adjusting and learning to wear a lot more layers than I normally do.  Long underwear every day!  Besides that, I am very happy in my little flat, living with 3 dutch students, 2 kiwi hosts, and one other American student from Bates (!).  It's a little funny in that all the doorknobs and sinks are very low - like knee height.  I think it must have been built for shorter people.  It's a bit up a hill from the Uni campus, but there's a pretty nice view over the city and it's close to George st., where most shops and cafes are.

Red-billed Gull

Clocktower on Uni Campus

Hot Honey Blackcurrant at Governor's Cafe (new favorite drink)

Since I've been here, most of my time has been spent getting acquainted with my flat and the campus, and getting everything sorted out before classes start.  Getting my courses finalized, applying for an 18+ card, signing lots of forms... On Tuesday Ryan and I went on a wildlife boat tour with a few other exchange students (from the US and Germany) around Otago harbor and out to the point, where we got to see lots of wildlife including Albatross chicks, fur seals, and a blue penguin!  It was a beautiful boat ride (even if a little cold...) and it was so rejuvenating to get out on the ocean for a few hours.  And seeing everything from the water really helped me orient myself in this new city.

Lamb being packaged and sent off to N. America and Europe

Stewart Island Shag (and Albatross)

Anyways, that's all I have for now!  Classes start next Monday, and I'm sure I'll have lots more to say by then.  Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July!  Last night we celebrated here with a bunch of other Americans, but its not really the same event half a world away...