2010 begins at the beach!

Happy New Year!!

New Zealand is in the first time zone to celebrate the New Year, and I can tell you that so far, 2010 is a great year! 

Yesterday we went to Sumner beach, and on the way we saw some amazing mountains! The water is millions of beautiful shades of blue. There are houses lining the mountain's sides. At the beach we played in the sand and walked around, enjoying the breathtaking scenery. 

Last night we went into Christchurch for the evening. We ate dinner at Bailey's, and Irish pub. Lorryn and I shared a pizza, and it was awesome! We spent the night out on the town, and then headed back to the square for some celebratory fireworks! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today we're headed back to the beach for a relaxing day of no "programme." I can't wait to enjoy some sun, water, and maybe even some local fish 'n' chips!

Enjoy your celebration of the new year... I know we did!

Box of Birds,

Kaity

Happy New Year!

Good morning from New Zealand! It's 7:20 a.m. on New Year's Eve, and I think it's safe to say we're all excited about welcoming 2010 from our current location!

Here's a photo I found of Christchurch's Cathedral Square, to give you an idea where we'll be later today!

Before the evening's festivities, we'll be visiting the harbor and beach located close to campus. Now, we're off to grab breakfast and a quick lesson on New Zealand agriculture, which will bring up even more great blog topics! As for breakfast...I'll be skipping the spaghetti!

G'day mate!

Whitney

Welcome to Lincoln!

Here are a few of the Missouri students at the sign located on the corner of campus. We are practically the only people on campus right now since it is summer break in New Zealand. I snapped this shot of a few friends during our short walk to the local grocery store tonight. The store is only five minutes down the road with sidewalks on the edge of the road. Speaking of roadways, stay tuned because I've got a lot more to come about traffic and such!

G'day mate,

Whitney

Spaghetti for breakfast!?

Hello again!

It's day 2 here at Lincoln University, and I'm loving it! Yesterday I went from Mama Kaity to Nana Kaity, as I am supposedly the motherly figure of the group. 

This morning we began with breakfast. Our choices were fruit, cereal, toast, or you'll never guess... spaghetti! I didn't try it, but I'm told it had a very "Spaghetti-O" taste to it. Yes, spaghetti for breakfast!

We then went to two lectures covering the history of New Zealand and outlining the rest of our stay. After lunch, which consisted of chinese food and a tomato-based pasta, we headed into Christchurch, the nearest city to Lincoln University. The bus ride was beautiful! It's green everyewhere! We saw lots of sheep, and also some dairy cattle and horses. They drive on the opposite side of the road here, so that's really something to get used to, especially when going through round-a-bouts.

There, we toured the downtown area of the city, where we'll be spending New Year's Eve. We also went to the Museum to learn the history of New Zealand and Christchurch. From there, we went to the mall, which is actually very similar to our malls in America. A K-Mart sure made us feel at home. After walking around the main level, but only purchasing essentials for the trip, we stopped by Wendy's for a "Supa Sundae." Whitney (the other blogger) and I shared a Hokey Pokey, which is like vanilla ice cream with a "kiwi crunch."

We just got back to campus, and it's almost time for supper (or what they would call a substantial tea). I'm interested to see what this is! We're not sure what the weather will be like, so this may be a night in.... maybe not!

I promise these will get more exciting when I can tell you about my White Water rafting experience this weekend!

Box of Birds,

Kaity

In New Zealand, at last...

Three planes, four airports, and a bus ride later, we're safe and sound at our destination for the next three weeks!  (With luggage and ALL!)

Nearly 30 hours after arriving at the first airport, we stepped off the bus at Lincoln University greeted by warm rays of sun and luscious green grass. For both Missouri and Nebraska students and faculty, these are quite opposite from the weather conditions we left back in the United States.

After an orientation and a barbeque dinner, we're starting to settle in for the evening. That's right, it's 8:15 p.m. and I'm thinking bedtime is calling my name. But with the time difference and jet lag issues, most of us are feeling a little more than exhaustion.

Will promise to have more posts, complete with pictures! For now though, sleep is what we need!

And in honor of the greeting we received from a very cheery employee at the Auckland airport:

G'day mate!

Whitney

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

Hello all!

We're sitting here in the airport. Our flight has been delayed to leave at 7:05 p.m., an hour later than we had planned. We've already played a few games and made sure to check Facebook. 

It doesn't seem real yet. It seems like I'm just back with some friends. I'm sure once I actually board the plane to Los Angeles, it will seem more real.

Box of Birds (yeah, google it),

Kaity