If you're reading this, you know who I am and where I'm about to go, roughly. For some of you, this little blog will be something of an improvised tracking device. Others may enjoy it for little more than light reading. Regardless, I decided to keep a blog for as much my benefit as the people I love and who love me.
Well, New Zealand, yes? How am I getting there, what am I packing, and what's the first plan?
The trip officially starts tomorrow, but I won't arrive in Auckland until the 13th. Walker, a friend of mine from California, has opened his doors and I'll be breaking up the journey by spending the night in L.A. and leaving from there on the 11th for N.Z. at 9:30 p.m. I'll land in Auckland and will have six weeks before classes start at the university to explore the southern island during the summer.
The last few days have been a mad-dash to make sure every piece of paper and only the most crucial bits of cloth are in there right place and have made it into my pack. Applying for the student visa was a terrifying affair, since it required mailing my passport to Washington D.C. I think this part of the application makes any student going abroad cringe. I'm not sure if I was lucky, or if the New Zealand embassy has a very speedy staff, or if the UPS service uses discontinued Concord airplanes for their national carriers, but I had my passport back in no more than four days. I sprung for UPS's guaranteed overnight delivery, but getting my 'port back so quickly made the $50+ price tag worth it.
Packing. Oh man. I opted for a back pack in lieu of a duffel. It's more autonomous, and it will force me to pack light. Which is important--as my sister and my study abroad advisor both pointed out, you should bring more money and less clothes when you travel. But tonight I have to figure out how to comfortably pack a laptop bag along with a sleeping bag and the essential clothes. ...We'll see.
I still have a lot to do: transferring computer files, packing practice, e-mails to send out, dinner with my grandmother, and everything else I'm forgetting.
Love, Emily.
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