There and Back Again: A College Tale

Happy 20th birthday to me! It's my second birthday being away from home, and it does feel pretty strange not being with family and friends on this special day. Thank you all for the birthday wishes! They mean so much, especially from all the way across the Pacific! Dear 19, Being with you has been fun. It's been a lot of fun, actually. I've learned so much from you about life, love, people, and God. While you were still around, I experienced my freshman year of college, made tons of new friends, and travelled the world, among other things.  No offense, but I'm actually a little excited to leave you behind. We both know it's for the best; we can't be together forever. Not that being with you hasn't been great, because it has! But, the time has come to move on. What I'm trying to say is, it's not you; it's me. I've got to let go and move on to bigger and better things. I mean, come on, 20 is in a completely different decade! You un...

This past weekend, I went on a trip with Hailey and Kristi to Hastings and Napier, which are two small cities on the East Coast of the North Island in the Hawke's Bay region. Hailey has connections through her Bible college with a church camp near Hastings, and we were able to stay there for free! We had the option to borrow a car (manual transmission, 1987 Mazda) from the camp, but one of the guys (Stanley, from Kenya) who works at the camp was able to drive us around to see all the sights. That was great because one, we had no idea how to get to what all we wanted to see, and none of us are super comfortable driving a stick shift. (I can if I absolutely have to, but I would rather not when it's someone else's car, the area is extremely hilly, and when you have to drive on the opposite side of the road.) We had a great time and a pretty cheap weekend! We rode a bus to Hastings on Friday night and made it to Hastings around 10:00. Hastings is so adorable! We didn't...

As of yesterday, I have officially been in New Zealand for a month. I can't believe how quickly this past month has flown by! It feels like yesterday that I arrived in Palmerston North, on that rainy Monday morning. But of course, time really does fly when you're having fun. Over the past month I have: - travelled over 16,000 kilometres, which is around 10,000 miles. - studied and worked hard to stay on top of my assignments so I can travel on weekends. - played volleyball, climbed rocks, hiked mountains, and splashed in the Tasman Bay. - seen amazing natural hot springs, blue lakes, rushing waterfalls, and winding rivers. - enjoyed at least a dozen free pancakes (and three that I actually paid for). - walked close to 50 miles (or probably more). - met a handful of amazing friends from across the US. - caught the travel-bug and the hiking-bug. - drank the best chai tea latte I have ever had. - felt absolutely tiny against the towering, snowcapped mountai...