Well, the first week of class is over. My schedule is pretty lax this semester. I usually don’t start class until 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon and am done by six. I’m really not a fan of the night classes, but there’s no other option. My favorite class is definitely going to be Land Journeys & Ethics. We get to go on hiking field trips throughout the semester. This week, I’ve also joined a couple clubs, tramping and canoeing. These clubs go on weekend trips, so I figured it was a good way to get out and see more of New Zealand and meet more people.
During the week, my roommates and I decided we wanted to travel somewhere for the weekend. We decided to make a five hour trip to Dunedin. This city hosts the University of Otago, and my roommate, Julia, has a friend studying there for the semester. We figured he’d be able to show us around and give us ideas on what to do.
We got to Dunedin around 9:30 Friday night, and stayed in a hostel called On Top Backpackers. The rooms were interesting. I ended up staying in an eight person room with all guys for two nights. Let’s just say a LOT of snoring happened, on their part. On Saturday, it was raining, so we didn’t do a whole lot. We toured the Larnach Castle and spent time wandering the city. I liked that Dunedin’s city center is more centralized compared to Christchurch. You never had to go far to find something to do.
Today, it was BEAUTIFUL outside, and the St. Clair beach was calling. I could have stayed there forever! The white sand beach was picturesque and never short on dogs! We stayed at the beach until we had to leave for the five hour drive back to Christchurch.
Turns out that if I ever get homesick for Iowa, all I have to do is drive out of the city. Once you leave, you become surrounded by farms and some corn. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t that everything would still look like Iowa. I guess no matter how far I run, Iowa, and everything that makes it home will follow.
Hello
Good Bye
Good Morning
Until we meet again,
Kayla Ragaller