This trip was one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences of my entire
life. I was able to see and do more than I could have possibly imagined in just a
month. Beyond learning about the biology and geology of the country, I was
able to experience its culture and learn its history. There were many firsts for
me on this trip: first time scuba diving in the ocean, first time zorbing, first time
deep sea fishing, first time through international security, first time kayaking,
first time at a Marae and much more. I am glad to say that I left the country
with much more life experience than I entered with (as well as more academic
knowledge, of course).
I have lots of pictures of all of the major events (ie. scuba diving and the
Tongariro crossing) of the trip to help me remember them by. But I found that I
returned home notes about what made the day interesting from a day to day
basis, even when nothing exciting happened. These included things like:
ordering a lemonade and getting what seemed to be Sprite, realizing tire was
spelled with a "y", and tasting Mountain Dew and noticing that it did not taste
the same as at home. Something interesting happened every day.
I am glad I did this study during winter session. Over the month I was able to
see a great deal and enjoy the whole experience. However, the constant travel
and excitement was a bit draining, so the trip would have become stressful if it
had lasted a great deal longer than it did. Also, this leaves me with more that I
want to do in New Zealand and a great reason to go back one day, if I get the
chance.
No comments:
Post a Comment