I can finally write something!

---

Hey y'all!!! or should i say, Kia Ora!!! so i finally made it. i never thought the day would come, but im living my dream and am finally in New Zealand!! well, i've already been here for three days but the internet here is super shotty and i haven't been able to post anything.
so let's see, what have i been up to the past few days ???
well, i survived one of the longest flights of my life! 13 hours! woot. but really it felt super short because marshall gave me one of his sleeping pills and i just passed out for the majority of it. i got to the airport and was stuck in customs for over two hours because apparently pepper spray is illegal here and i had a talking to by the cops and had it seized. woot! it's all good though.
so it really didnt hit me that i was here until i got out of the airport. i teared up a little when i walked outside and thought to myself

wow i'm really here, i'm really doing this

it was a memorable moment. :-)
so i got on a bus to Auckland, the largest city in NZ, to get to dorms i'm staying at for my EAP orientation. the bus drivers here are much more considerate and nice here and actually WAIT for you. we drove through a quaint little town on the way here. it dropped me off only about a 5 minute walk away from my dorm, but it took me at least a half hour to get there with all my crap. ah god i looked like such an idiot. but alas, i finally arrived and was very relieved. i settled in, passed out, and woke up to find a group of people going for a walk to the beach. well, this walk ended up being one of the longest walks i've done in quite a long time. everyone we asked kept telling us it was only a bit further. yeah, right. about 4 hours later, we finally got to our beach. it was lovely!! and the water is WARM here, just like hawaii. sooooooooo wonderful. so in the end, it was worth it :-) it's quite humid here right now as it's the end of summer. so crazy! oh and it doesn't get dark till 9! quite a change from California this time of year. i'm still getting used to it.
the next day orientation began. learned some useful stuff. i rather not bore y'all with all that.
hmmm let's see what else .... i've checked out a good deal of Auckland. it's a really cool place, but i'm dying to get out into the real New Zealand, the country with beautiful places, well, everywhere. the city reminds me a ton of the bay area, so i feel comforted. honestly, the past few days feel like i'm reliving my freshman year. exciting new experiences and people left and right.
i went to a Maori culural performance, a museum, an absolutely gorgeous greenhouse and park, some bars, shops, and the like. surprisingly i have yet to have a close encounter with a car, but i'm still looking on the wrong side of the street everytime i cross it. it'll be interesting once i start driving!!!
i've been meeting some really great people, but they're all Americans. i'm excited to get out of my EAP bubble and start meeting more kiwis.
and tomorrow i'm off to a nearby island that also so happens to be a bird sanctuary to do some more exploring! i can't wait!!
happy, stoked, and safe,
Lannette

---