Over the last two weeks, we have had so much fun!! Since it's Summer here, we have been able to wear tank tops, lay out, go to the beach..ahhhh, it's amazing! Our Supervisor from ISU also came down for a few days with her husband, and it was fun chatting with them and sharing bits and pieces about our experiences and funny things that had happened. This was her first time coming to New Zealand, so we were honored to be her first 'group,' lol. She came to observe us teaching in the school, and she loved seeing the different teaching styles. We also had a fun outing in Queenstown and gave her advice on where to travel during her time here in New Zealand. Fun Fun!
Here are some more things that went down:
*With the grand finale a the end ;)
Here are some more things that went down:
*With the grand finale a the end ;)
Christchurch ("ChCh")
- We drove up to Christchurch last Saturday to go to the zoo, explore the city and just enjoy ourselves J
- The Orana Wildlife Park was so neat! We got to see New Zealand’s national bird, the Kiwi, we got to watch people feed lions, and so many other cool animals. I loved how open the park was and how theyre weren’t people approaching us trying to buy things. We also had beautiful weather that day which made it that much better!
- We stayed in a hostel that night called the Haka Lodge. We stayed up on the third floor where there were 6 beds, and it was nice! We also got to meet a nice guy, Stephen, who has been traveling by himself from Holland. It was neat meeting him and sharing experiences with each other.
- The next morning was beautiful, so we decided to go to the BEACH J It was amazing! The wind was a bit chilly, but we settled down on the beach next to some rocks where it was nice and hot! We found some SWEET CAVES just off the shore where we could walk without bending over. It was awesome. *This place is definitely near the top of our ‘favorites’ list! And it’s cool to be out on the beach catchin some rays while it’s snowing back in the states.. ;)
- We also went to walk around the Cathedral Square in Christchurch (“ChCh”) and saw the impacts of the devastating 6.3 earthquake back in 2011. It was so sad to see, but it was really cool to walk through a “Re-Build” section of the city that had bright colors and nifty shops made from old train cars! They also had statues of giraffes around the city that they’re auctioning off to benefit the city.
- We had a great time!
Mount Cook
- On Sunday, we left ChCh and headed towards Mt. Cook (The highest mountain in NZ). On the way, we stopped by the historical ‘Church of the Good Shephard,’ and it was so cute with beautiful scenery behind it.
- When we got to the Mt. Cook National Park that night, we stayed in our Backpackers hostel and had a delicious dinner! I got a smoked salmon salad, and it was so fresh! The hostel itself was kind of like a dorm because it had a long hallway of rooms with four beds in each. It was great having our own bathroom in our room too, haha! The view was amazing as well!
- Monday morning, we went to observe the school in Mt. Cook. Since people can’t permanently live in the National park (only people who work there can stay there for longer periods of time), the school is a one-roomed school of 13 students from ages 4-11. It was really interesting to see and observe.
- The trails in Mt. Cook were beautiful! The people there said that we got lucky because it was the first day in over a week that Mt. Cook could be seen due to weather! It was amazing! We also got some good exercise hiking the trails too :)
Thanksgiving
- I can not be more thankful to have had such a great 1st Thanksgiving away from home! The people here are so caring and thoughtful and made our day very special!
- Every day at school, the staff has a ‘Morning Tea’ break for 15 minutes where we gather and chat with some coffee, tea or Milo (Hot choc). For special occasions, people bring in plates of goodies like pastries, pizza breads, fruit, etc. *Well, since they knew it was our Thanksgiving that day, they surprised us with a HUGE Morning Tea display. They told us that they knew it was probably hard being away from family, so they wanted to do that for us. SO NICE!!!
- My Cooperating Teachers, Brian & Rosie, have taught in many different countries and know how big Thanksgiving is to us Americans. Therefore, they organized a ‘Shared Lunch’ to make the day special for me, and all the kids brought in different foods to share. We even had some ‘mums’ there to help and celebrate with us. As I surrounded the table full of delicious foods with my awesome class, I couldn’t have been more thankful! We invited Alex & Spooner to join us, and it was such a great time!
- When I arrived back at the cottage after school, I had a package from my ‘mum’ waiting for me! It made me SO happy! She even sent the Publix’s salt and pepper Pilgrims so that I could take my traditional Thanksgiving picture! I also got GUM!!!! Wahooooo!!!!! If you know me and the amount of gum that I chew, you can see how this would make me happy, Ha! * I had made it through both days of my Thanksgiving (this time and US time) without crying, and then I opened the card from my mom…haha. Love her!
- ALSO..there is an American family at the school (originally from Wisconsin), and they invited us over for a Turkey Thanksgiving feast at their house. It was SO fun and super nice to be included! They invited over 50 people who they have met from the states, Canada, and other friends around town to join in. It was a friendly, delicious, massive gathering! :)
- **These are just a few ways to express how kind and thoughtful my New Zealand family is here! :D
SKY DIVING!!!!
- So, I have always said that I would never go sky diving…However, I think I recall saying that about Bungy Jumping as well.. *It’s the NZ air or something, LOL
- This past Thursday, I decided to do it with the other two and booked a jump for Saturday morning! What was I thinking?! Haha (It’s probably better to only have two days to think about it though)
- When we got to Sky Dive Wanaka Sat morning, we signed in, watched a video, and got in our jumpsuits..I have never been so NERVOUS!! (Also, once I got in my snazzy orange/pink jumpsuit and harness, it was another 30 minutes before boarding the plane without peeing…yeah!) The other two could tell by how quiet I was, ha. Luckily they had a pool table to try and relax!
- Then it was time! I met my AWESOME jump partner, Rory. He was great and kept things ‘light’ as we boarded and flew around before the jump! He even called me “Shealz,” ha :) *I’ve gotten pretty lucky with a great sky diving partner and Bungy Jumping crew!
- Well, after flying around for 10-15 minutes, it was time! (I have never wanted to fly in small ‘prop’ plane because of the bumpiness, but I was going to jump anyway) I watched Spooner go first, and he just dropped like a fly! And of course I asked Rory if we were connected and all set a few times, haha. Gotta double check ;)
- Then Rory & I got to the edge of the plane, resumed the free-fall position, and WHOOOOF! We were out and free fallin! It was AMAZING! We rolled out of the plane, and it was neat seeing it as we fell, haha! There are no words o express how amazing it was to fall through the sky with the beautiful view of New Zealand all around :)
*I can't believe how fast this first 6 weeks have gone! You know what they always say.."Time flies when you're having fun!"