There and Back Again: A College Tale

I’ve discovered that for me the most difficult thing about studying abroad is finding balance. Here are some tips for students who are studying abroad or want to study abroad in the future! Balance between being present and communicating with the people you love back home. Keeping in touch with your family, significant other, and friends is vital when you’re away from home, especially when you're gone for months at a time. It provides a link between your life in your new environment and the life you left behind (and will get back to soon!). Every email, text, and Skype call is so wonderful, and it will help you feel connected to everything going with the home folks, even when you’re thousands of miles away. Still, it’s a sacrifice. And I don’t mean just for you. Sure, you may be taking time out of your day that you could be using to study, see the world, or hang out with your new friends in order to communicate with your old friends. But, your loved ones back h...

Sometimes, you just need to get away from it all and try something new. For me, that "something new" involved strapping my feet to a 5 foot board made of fibreglass and wood and sliding down a snowy mountain, trying my best not to fall on my face. This weekend, I tried snowboarding for the first time! And I think I may be hooked.  Late last week, we were desperately trying to find something cheap to do for the weekend. We didn't want to go too awful far from home, so we looked at everything from "tenpin" bowling to laser tag in Palmy. Nothing sounded too exciting or worth the money. Chandler, Kendrick, Kristi, and yours truly Fortunately, some guys from the States went snowboarding last weekend and didn't have to return their rental gear for a while. They were kind enough to let us borrow their boards, boots, snow pants, and gloves for free! So, Kristi, Chandler, a guy from Hong Kong named Kendrick, and I all pitched in to rent a tiny Hyundai El...

Random photos and stories from my big adventure. Be prepared for a long post that's full of pictures! New Zealand is just so beautiful that I would hate to leave any out.  The last ten days of my life passed by in a wild, colourful blur. I spent those fleeting days exploring the South Island of New Zealand with Kristi, armed with a camera, brand new hiking boots, and a 1998 Toyota Estima affectionately named "Baby." It's no wonder South Island Kiwis are so proud of where they're from. They go so far as to call it "The Main Land," even though less than a quarter of the population lives there. What they lack in people, they make up for in natural beauty: the South Island was stunning, to say the least! There's something for everyone there: sandy beaches, rolling hillsides, snowcapped mountains, blue lakes, rushing rivers, and everything in between. Our general route, minus a few side trips (and maybe a hundred U-turns, along the way). I start...