Stuck in New Zealand...DARN!

The long, difficult flight is over. And it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. I completley missed 9/30 due to flying through time zones, and it is now 10/2 in New Zealand. 10/2 :( The second anniversary of the worst day of my life. It's kind of strange being in New Zealand alone, but it's also a little confusing. It's 10/2 here, but it's only 10/1 in the States. So what day is it? Not that it matters, really, that day already happened. And it happened on 10/2 two years ago. And I miss her no matter what day it is.

On a lighter note, I'm in New Zealand. And I LOVE it here so far! My flight arrived in Christchurch yesterday around 2:00pm. It was a whirlwind going through customs, picking up luggage, boarding a shuttle, and unboarding a shuttle at my very adorable, very quaint little B&B in this picture-perfect little town. Cherry blossoms and colorful flowers everywhere. Vast, green, perfectly manicured parks on every corner. Whatever you're picturing a New Zealand house to look like is exactly that. After settling into my room and taking a 3 minute, disoriented shower, I walked every street in Christchurch. I ran into some fellow USAP participants at the money exchange. Actually, I ran into the entire Antarctica fire department and we made our way to a little Irish pub for dinner. I did my best to stay awake to avoid a confusing day today, and I think I managed! I fell asleep at 9:00pm after talking to Nate, and I feel fine today :)

And to make things even better on this bad day, I'm STUCK in New Zealand until at least Monday!! Due to weather at McMurdo station and because of C-17 (military plane) issues here in Christchurch. Apparently no one has made it yet, we're all just roaming this adorable little town. Today I'm escorted to the USAP office here, aka "the CDC", where I'll pick up my Extreme Cold Weather gear, aka "ECW gear", and I'll also find out more about my delayed flight.

Tomorrow, I plan to go to the coast and spend the day looking at the beautiful ocean we flew over yesterday. I have no idea what I'll do Sunday, but I'm sure I'll find something! New Zealand is FULL of adventure and beauty, so I doubt I'll get bored. I'll post pictures soon!

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