a heavy heart...

as much as it pains me to say it, the team and i will soon take our leave of New Zealand.  I have come to grow fond of this beautiful country and I will miss it dearly.  I will miss playing ultimate frisbee every night after dinner and running around until we feel like chundering.  I will miss our kiwi friends and everything that they did for us like teach us how to play rugby, or take us to the beach.  I will miss watching a different movie every night with almost everyone on the team.  Doing Tim tam slams, walking to Pack n save or the warehouse, laying out in the warm sun during our free time...all these memories and so much more are soon to be just that...memories.  when we head to Australia on saturday morning, we will be in sydney exploring the city, going to Hillsong (so excited, wish my worship team family from new hope could be there with me), and going on a small outback-like expedition.  I'm not expecting to really have internet access while im there so I will be off the grid for a bit.  Then on the 24th we fly to china for the rest of our trip.  im not sure what to expect when we get there really...it will be so different in comparison to anything i have ever experienced.  we got a small taste of it in Hong Kong, but Beijing will still be entirely different from that.  I am nervous, but excited at the same time.  this is the part of the trip that will be a challenge for us and i look forward to growing stronger as a team through our trials.  im most excited about trying the new foods and bartering at the markets and using the small amount of chinese that i have learned. when we are in china, we will probably not have wifi, so those of you that i text or snapchat...dont expect to get any of those from me for 6 1/2 weeks.  i will have internet, but some websites will be blocked such as facebook and youtube so i will definitely be off the grid more than likely.  not sure if my blog site will be blocked or not, but if you would like me to send you an email update (it will be to several people at once so please dont expect a personal email) then facebook me your email address ASAP or just email me at reinkehannah@hotmail.com.  thanks to those of you that have been praying for me and my team, please continue to pray as we go into the next leg of our trip!  *sigh* i will miss you Laidlaw college and Henderson.  i will miss the sun warming me...in china it will be about the same weather as it is in indiana in the spring so im expecting some chilly temperatures!  wish us luck! much love!  into the unknown we go...

bragging rights...

as i had said in my previous post, i came back from the bay of islands with an incredible surprise: flowers from brian!  when we got back, i went to the restroom to freshen up before dinner and when i came back, i saw our female leader, Liz, leaning over my desk.  my first thought was that she was snooping around for something so tentatively i asked, "umm..whatcha doin Liz?"  as she turned around, i saw a beautiful bouquet of roses and sunflowers and almost immediately burst into tears.  along with the flowers was a card with a sweet, but not too cheesy poem.  im so blessed to have brian in my life.  even half a world away, he manages to make me smile every day and make me feel like a million bucks.  having flowers sent to me made me feel like i was in a dream.  this kind of thing just doesnt happen to me.  thank you okcupid for introducing us and thank you bearcat for being a one of a kind guy and being the amazing man that you are:)  you rock my socks

valentine's day surprise...

valentine's day!  the day that everyone loves to say that they hate, but you know they secretly love it anyway.  a day filled with chocolates and hearts from your lover.  this valentines day was unlike any other for me.  we started our day off with some great breakfast and mingling.  after everyone was awake and up, we were given snorkeling gear:))) gaahhhh it was so cool!! we were instructed on how to snorkel and did a funny little penguin dance to wake us up and warm us up a bit more and we jumped into the ocean!  while we were out we saw a few stingray, heaps of fish, and collected kina.  it was really cool swimming around in the ocean with everyone and thankfully i wasnt too scared.  when we got back to the boat, we were able to crack open the kina and eat the egg sacks...apparently they are some sort of delicacy and super expensive in the states...it was absolutely disgusting.  for those of you that are in the mishawaka area, just imagine eating something that smells like the riverwalk. ya. i know.  but thats the curse i get for loving to try new things!  after another hour or so of relaxing on the boat, we made our way over to one of the many beaches around the bay.  if i could imagine one place that is the epitome of a honeymoon destination, it would be this place.  the water was a bright, blear blue and the hills were green and lush.  it was incredible!  after splashing around and soaking in the warm sun, our amazing travel weekend came to an end and we headed back inland and to Henderson.  When we arrived back at the school, some really awesome things happened.  amazing thing number 1- i was surprised with flowers from brian (more on that in the next blog post), and our guys made us a valentines dinner complete with music and valentines cards.  it was the most amazing valentines day i have ever had.  i love my pacrim family so much.

left my heart at the sea...

this was a great day...truly spectacular!  it started out with some of us waking up at 5:30 in the morning to go and watch the sunrise over the distant mountains and the ocean.  it was glorious!  started out a bit on the chilly side and it was a little touch and go on if the clouds would cover up the sun, but it turned out to be amazing.  afterwards, we went back to the hostile and moved out.  the fam and i headed over to Waitangi to meet up with one of the sweetest women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.  Patricia is the author of one of the books that we had to read for our area study class and she just went more in depth with the beginnings of New Zealand.  she is so smart and inspiring.  this woman has traveled by herself all around the world and at 80 years old, is still a spit fire with a passion for the Lord.  very cool lady.
 after our meeting with 'ole Patty, we headed out to eat lunch and see Marsden's Cross.  another hsitory check for you, Marsden was the first european missionary to come to New Zealand.  so we went out and saw his tombstone.  it was sweet as!  we had to do a little bit of a hike to get out there and once we reached it, it was on the hillside by a beach so we got to see some historical importance and soak up the sun a bit.  After spending some time there frolicking around, we headed back to Paihia to board our "cruise."
this isnt your typical cruise, the boat we were going to be on used to be a ferry to transport cars.  it is now a double-deck sea worthy vessel with all the amenities needed to have a great and comfortable time.  the crew consisted of 6 members who were lively and friendly.  along with the pacrim team, there were a handful of other passengers from different places of the world.  once we boarded on The Rock, the crew members introduced to us a name game unlike any other I have ever played.  the put a plastic duck in the water and we got to shoot at it with paintballs.  it is by far the funnest name game i have ever played in all my years of life.  unfortunately, i did not hit it...sorry dad, put you to shame!  but it was fun none the less.  after we all had a go at shooting at the duck, we hung around the boat playing pool, talking to the crew or other passengers, or just relaxing.  after we anchored, we were given the opportunity to fish off the back of the boat.  although i hadnt fished since i was a kid at peterson pond, i had a great time! fishing is something i can see myself doing more often...i love how relaxing it is and how rewarding it can be after you get a catch.  i ended up catching 3 fish so that was pretty cool too.
unfortunately, none of the fish that we had caught were big enough to keep and eat...but that didnt stop us from feasting on steak and potatoes!  and now to the coolest part of the weekend and one of the most fascinating times in my entire life thus far.  once the sun went completely down, we were split up into groups and taken out on the water in kayaks.  holy smokes folks...it was incredible.  once we were out on the water and away from the boat, you could look up into the sky and see thousands upon thousands of stars.  since the moon wasnt out, all we could see were the stars.  we saw the milky way and two other galaxies...we saw several constellations outside of america's sky...it really made you feel small.  i would lay back in my kayak and just stare up at the sky in awe of it all.  i would have loved to photograph it but it would be impossible to take a picture on the kayak.  guys, i wish i could just describe it to you so you would understand how fricken beautiful it was!  imagine the most beautiful thing you have ever seen, and multiply that by 100.  maybe it will be close.
another sweet as thing as we were out on the water, is that we were in water with phosphorescent algae.  now im sure you are asking yourself, what the heck is phosphorescent algae??  well folks is this super sweet stuff that stores up energy from the sun, and then as it gets disturbed at night, it begins to glow.  as i was in my kayak, i would stroke the water with my hand and it was like something out of the movie avatar.  the small patch of water i touched would glow bright green.  its unreal, its ethereal, its God.  all i could think of is how creative and amazing our God is.  to make something like glowing algae...its incredible.  the work of his hands is just breath taking, to him be all the glory!
after we made our way back to the boat, i forced myself to face one of my biggest fears head on:  i jumped into the open water and swam around.  i was terrified the entire time, not gonna lie.  who knows what the heck is swimming right under me??  after splashing around and freaking out a little bit, i warmed up with a hot cup of tea and slept like a rock

bay of islands travel weekend...

Whew!  what an incredible weekend!  pre-apologizing because this might end up being a pretty long blog post.  so we left for the bay on Thursday the 12.  we piled into our rented vans and drove about 3 hours north...im very thankful for the shortness of this van ride in comparison to the 9 hour one we had going down to Wellington!  ok! so Thursdays activities:  drove down and made it to the town called Paihia.  Once we arrived, we got settled into our hostile.  Not gonna lie, this was my least favorite of the hostiles thus far.  it was on the dirtier side and at night the other backpackers were pretty rowdy and loud, making it difficult to fall asleep.  but whatever, we survived!  so anyway, after we got settled in, we headed over to the Waitangi Treaty grounds.  A little history background for you, the Treaty of Waitangi was made so that the Maori and Europeans could live together equally, and fairly.  Unfortunately, the europeans kinda cheated the Maori out of some of their rights...etc...its a pretty big thing still and people are still sore about it.  but it apparently seemed like a good idea at the time.  so after getting some cultural history in, we were given some time to go and explore the town for a bit.  here in New Zealand, most of the stores close anywhere from 5-7 in the evening!  super early i know, its something that is very hard to get used to.  so exploring the shops was difficult because most of them had already closed.  its a pretty cute town though, nice and picturesque and touristy.  on our way back to the hostile, it began to rain and got pretty chilly.  some of us were really looking forward to the hot tub that was advertised back at the hostile.  when we returned and were donned in our togs (swim suits) we headed over to the hot tub!  or shall i call it, the lukewarm tub.  it was gross as ill get out.  yet still Joy and i sat in there for a while out of boredom and practiced our chinese.  after having a delicious dinner of haystacks, we headed back into town for some DELICIOUS ice cream.  the kiwis do it right when it comes to ice cream, thats for sure!  I got maple walnut and holy smokes...it was heavenly.  after ice cream we headed back to the hostile and attempted to go to sleep...which once again was quite the challenge thanks to the party crew right outside out door.

the good life...

quick update: I am alive and well...ok but seriously I love New Zealand!  My days consist of Chinese, Ministry, and Area study in the morning and then time to lay out and explore in the afternoon (and of course do my homework).  I have been running most mornings in the hopes that I will be able to run the Indy Mini with Brian this May.  The girls I have been running with help to keep me sane and I love having people that match my pace and have a passion for running like I do.  God is doing some pretty cool things in my life and I have been trying this new thing called "listening" to him.  It's different just sitting in silence and waiting, but when you receive affirmation and confirmation on something you do hear, it's pretty much the coolest thing that could ever happen.  My hair is growing super fast and while it drives me crazy half the time, the other half I'm trying out fun new things such as pigtails.  They keep me feeling young.  My PacRim family is growing closer and closer and I grow fonder of them each and every day.  Homesickness comes and goes and I miss Brian like crazy...but while I dream of returning home, I also feel a sting in my heart when I hear how quickly this trip is flying by.  Never stop wondering, never stop wandering.

day seven, a dream come true...

the day my dream came true, one does not simply walk into Hobbiton and not take heaps and heaps of pictures.  The promise of going to Mata Mata and going on the Hobbiton tour was honestly one of the main reasons I wanted to go on the PacRim trip.  The day started out with us leaving Rotarua behind and driving to Mata Mata.  Along the way, a few people wanted to go zorbing, which is being put in a big plastic ball and being rolled down a hill.  I was going to do it, but the prices were a bit too high for my liking...I enjoyed watching my team members rolling down the hill though.  So after that we FINALLY arrived!!!  it was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined...and also more small.  walking around felt so surreal, like it couldn't be real, no way was I in THE Hobbiton!  also a HUGE shout out to Chelsea for offering to take pictures of me when I asked.  Usually I'm not the biggest fan of having just me in a picture, but for this trip I thought "what the heck! I'm going to take as many pictures as I want!"  she was a great sport.  we had an awesome tour guide for our group and she informed us on several behind the scene facts.  at the end of our tour, we were able to go into the Green Dragon pub and drink complimentary (non-alcoholic) ginger beer.  all in all, it was a great tour and I would really recommend it for anyone who is an LOTR fan.  after the tour ended, we headed into Raglan to stay at another hostile called Karioi...and holy hippie-ville!!! it would be a pretty cool place if you are going by yourself or with one other person, but as a large group, it was just kind of stressful.  there were other people there and I would have loved talking to them but being in a large group like ours, I didnt really feel the need to be around even more people.  one interesting thing was that they did not lock their doors!  it made all of us a bit nervous since we had our laptops and what not, but that was just how things were run up there, based on the trust system.  finished the day with fish n chips by the beach!

day six...

a busy day!  a group of us woke up at 5:30 in the morning and headed over to a hot spring to swim.  I have never been around hot springs but it was really cool.  We got into the water and it felt just like a hot tub!  after splashing around Kerosene Creek for a bit, we headed back to YHA and got ready for the day.  After washing off the sulfur smell, we got ready to go hiking at a redwood tree forest...it was beautiful!! absolutely stunning...everything was so green and it smelled so fresh and clean!  This trip is really giving me a heart for hiking and exploring, I think I will try to get more into that when I come back to the states!  YOLO amiright?? so after discovering more of God's amazing creation for a few hours, we went to a cultural center called Te Puia.  It is a really cool reserve with hot spring geysers, kiwi exhibits, and Maori culture.  During one part of our cultural experience, we were able to see a Maori welcome.  One member from the crowd would volunteer to be named "chief"  for the demonstration and lucky for our group, our very own Joe Nehls was chosen!  This meant that our entire team was able to sit in the front for the presentation, so that was pretty sweet.  when everyone entered the Maori building and was seated, some Maori tribe members showed us some traditional dances and songs...it was incredible!  the singing blew me away with how beautiful and haunting it was.  Since Joe was the chief, he had to go up and greet the men with a traditional hongi (pressing noses together as a greeting) and he, along with other team members, learned part of a haka dance...it was hilarious!  they were all good sports about it.  After we left the cultural center, we headed to a mountain to do some luging.  SO MUCH FUN!  so basically what this is is a small cart that you ride down the mountain on a track...there are turns and areas you have to slow down on but other than that, you can just race down!  we were able to go 4 times which was sweet as!  the first time I was pretty hesitant, but then by the 4th time down I was loving the speed of it and taking the turns as fast as a could.  several members of our group crashed and got some pretty gnarly raspberries on their arms and legs but thankfully no serious injuries.  We ended our day with some delicious ice cream (i got a scoop of fig and honey and a scoop of spiced apple crumble...holy yum batman!) and trivia crack

day five...

a sad day to be sure, but on to the next leg of our trip!  leaving our host family's home was a sad moment...they had made us feel right at home and really welcomed Chelsea and I into their lives.  Thank you Andrew, Sharon, and Anna for everything!  our team left Waikanae behind and headed to Rotarua.  A took a couple of hours to get there and when we arrived we were greeted with the pungent smell of sulfur.  Rotarua is surrounded by hot springs...super cool to see, not so keen on the smell though.  We arrived in the tourist trap town and unpacked at the YHA (the hostile we stayed at) and explored the town a bit...we were all pretty tired from the trip though so not too much excitement this day.

day four...

super rad day!  after ministry class, the team headed to a beach that has a seal colony!  Let me just say, i am so thankful for my Chacos!  we had quite the hike up the beach to get to the colony and it was pretty rocky so im glad i wasnt in jandals (flip flops).  When we arrived to the spot where the seals are, Angie told us that we had to be very careful!  The seals would blend in with the rocks and they can become very aggressive if we were to get too close.  At first we didnt see any seals and it looked like the day was going to be a bust...but then as we looked closer, we found that what we thought were rocks were actually seals!  we ended up seeing quite a few.  At one point I attempted to get closer to get the perfect shot but apparently I was nearing the nest of a sea gull as it began to dive bomb me!  I saw my life flash before my eyes and got the heck out of dodge.  but i still got some pretty rad pictures!  it was a beautiful sight and as I sat alone on a huge boulder overlooking the colony and watching the ocean crash against the shore, I was in awe of it all.  i just wanted to soak it in.  One of the things I am learning is that sometimes you have to get out from behind the camera and take a mental image.  There are some things a camera cant catch.  Later that evening after we left the beach, we headed into town to another beach front and grilled up some burgers for dinner.

day three...

lovely Wellington

waking up and having bacon, eggs, and toast on the grill was a great way to start the day!  again I cannot express how lucky Chelsea and I were to have such an incredible family.  After a hearty breakfast, it was time to meet up with the team at the church for ministry class.  Matt taught us about the holy spirit and I learned a thing or too.  After that for a few hours, we all headed into Wellington for the remainder of the afternoon.  its a beautiful city and I really wish we could have spent longer there.  while we were there we went to a museum (fo freeeee!) and learned more about the New Zealand.  A few people jumped off a pier that was close by right before we left.  the water was gorgeous and there were jellyfish everywhere!  luckily, these jellyfish dont have the ability to sting.  So after a fun few hours, we headed back to Waikanae and to our host families for evening tea (dinner).  when Chelsea and I arrived back at our house, our family was having a small BBQ with some close family friends.  It was really cool being introduced to some of their friends and we were able to see more of that Kiwi kindness.  After the guests took their leave, Chelsea and I stayed up till midnight talking with our host parents about politics.  I am finding that I thoroughly enjoy talking about politics.  I dont really know a whole lot in that area, but Chelsea shines in that retrospect!  She is so smart.  it was cool hearing the point of views that Kiwis have on Americans and our political system and likewise hearing about how things are in this country.

day two...

Sunday funday!  In the morning Chelsea, Anna, and I got up and walked down to Waikanae Baptist Church and got a warm welcome from our team members.  After the church service and minglings ended, one of the daughters of a different host family offered to take us down to the "Dairy" for ice cream.  Here in New Zealand, the Dairy is a small convenience store where you can buy drinks, ice cream, and lollies (candy).  i had passion fruit ice cream and it was THE BOMB!! super yummy! After we got back to the house, our host parents offered to take us to Nga Manu nature reserve for a while.  While we were there we fed ducks, took a nature trail hike, fed eels, and saw a kiwi bird in captivity.  Chelsea was very brave in feeding the ducks, heaps and heaps of them would just come running to get some duck feed out of our hands.  I was slightly less brave when it came to feeding them and I usually just ended up throwing the feed at them.  While on the nature trail, Chels and I learned about the Tui and fantail bird, two of the natural birds of NZ.  feeding the eels was pretty gnarly as well!  we held sticks that had pieces of duck at the end and the eels would just tear it to pieces!  After our fun at Nga (pronounced Na) Manu, we went to a river where the rest of our team and host families were.  We spent the afternoon swimming and jumping off of small cliffs into the river and getting some sun.  unfortunately, we also spent the afternoon getting eaten alive by sandflies....the most evil of all the bugs!  They just take one little bite and all of a sudden you have a huge, red welt that itches for several days.  We learned that further down in that same river they filmed a section of the Lord of the Rings!  it was the part where Frodo is being rushed to Rivendale by Arwen and the ring wraiths are chasing them.  They have to cross a river and Arwen conjures up a spell to wash away the enemies...so it was pretty cool being in the near vicinity of such an epic scene.  After we left the river, our host family took us to all get fish n' chips to eat on the beach.  It felt like we were in a movie!  It was my first fish n' chips experience...lets just say that I was NOT disappointed. Eating on the beach and watching the sun go down was such a blessing and I was taken back by the beauty of the country and the kindness of its people.

travel week: day one...

sorry it has been a while since I have posted!  we have been on a whirlwind of adventures discovering New Zealand and all its glory.  So we set off on a week long trip down to the southern part of the north Island on January 24.  The 9 hour van drive down wasn't nearly as terrible as I was imagining it would be!  The sights of the countryside were able to distract me from feeling too carsick (which tends to be an issue in my life).  On our way down we stopped for lunch at this place called Taupo.  We stopped at Lake Taupo and it is easily the most beautiful lake I have seen in my life thus far!  The water was crystal clear and a striking blue.  The lake itself is actually a crater hole which makes it pretty sweet.  In the distance we even saw Mt. Doom!!! super cool stuff.  When we arrived in Waikanae, we went to the house of Matt and Angie Swank.  They are Bethel graduates (represent!) and they work for the church in their city.  We had a huge Kiwi- style BBQ and it was sweet as!  in this town we were to stay with host families from the Swank's church so all the families were there for the BBQ as well.  It was a fun time of mingling, stuffing our faces, and relaxing.  As the BBQ came to an end, it was time for our team to split up for the first time since being abroad.  It was much harder than I had expected to say goodbye to everyone, even though it was just for the night!  hugs were exchanged and we went to our temporary homes.  I was to share a host family with the amazing Chelsae Anglin.  We stayed with an amazing family: The Haltons!  Andrew, Sharon, Anna, and Jessie made Chels and I feel right at home.  The first night we stayed up till 11:30 talking about our homes, New Zealand birds, and anything else came to mind!  A cup of hot tea, and bonding till the late hours was a great way to end the day.

just me...

growing out a pixie cut is not the easiest thing to do in the world...you go through a ton of awkward stages and the urge to cut it short again is a very real struggle.  I've had my pixie cut since the summer of 2013 so it's time for a change!  I am so grateful for Taylor Hiester, one of the members of our PacRim2015 team.  She is becoming one of my good friends and she is also a hairdresser! yay!  She recently gave me a set of cornrows to switch things up from my usual let-it-do-its-own-thing style with my hair...I loved them!  Sometimes with going through awkward hair stages, it becomes hard to just feel pretty.  And although this trip is teaching me a huge lesson in humility, sometimes a girl just wants to have cool hair and have her confidence boosted!  These did just that and gave me a little extra push to re-gain some self- confidence.  Ok honestly hour only because it is fairly late and im listening to music that gets my emotional/creative side out:  I'm homesick.  I have only been gone a few weeks and I already miss home like crazy.  Folks, this is not a feeling I am used to.  Although I love my family dearly, I am the kind of person that takes pride in being pretty independent.  And maybe its because I just talked to my parents the other day, maybe its because I talked to my super awesome boyfriend, Brian, today, maybe its because I recently received some bad news about my great grandmother...I just miss home.  But God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.  I have a family of 22 other people here who are willing to sit and talk to me, or write me encouraging notes, or to make me laugh.  I really love my team and I am excited to grow with them.  Having a support group such as this is incredible.  To those on my team reading this, thank you.

a day at the beach...

Finally!  The day we had all been waiting for!  The other day we went on a trip to Mission Beach, and we were not disappointed.  The weather was perfect and the water was warm.  Adorned in our togs (what the kiwis call swim suits) we took on the day!  After spending a few hours swimming and tanning, we headed back to Laidlaw and watched a movie called "Whale Rider."  It is a movie about Maori tradition and it was actually pretty good.  If I had to define a perfect day, it would be this one.

starry sky...

While we are staying here at Laidlaw, we have made some friends with two of the local kiwis: Jeremy and Nick.  They are both pretty cool and they are gracious enough to take us to new places when we have free time.  On one night they took a group of us to another mountain so that we could investigate some creepy tunnels and look out at the night sky.  It was gorgeous.  The sky was crystal clear and we could see a ton of stars.  These two pictures have officially made their way up to some of my top favorite pictures I have ever taken.  At Christmas, I received a remote and tripod for my camera and I was thrilled to put them to good use.  This night, they achieved their goal of making me very happy and with just a 20 second exposure I was able to capture some of the grandeur of the night.  God is so good.

chinese class...

As I had said earlier, we are taking a Chinese course...it is hands down one of the hardest classes I have taken in my entire life.  Seriously, I have never studied so hard in my entire life!  We have to learn the pinyin (putting the correct tones in the word), the characters, and the English translation. Our teacher, whom we call laoshi (means teacher in Chinese is a hard woman who terrifies me and amazes me. She really is an impressive woman and a brilliant Chinese teacher, she just kind of intimidates me.  Chinese characters make sense but I am finding it to be quite the challenge to remember everything.  We have class three days out of the week for three hours at a time.  Needless to say, I had a splitting headache after our first class.  Thankfully, things started to get easier and made more sense.  Today we received our Chinese names!  On one of our first days of class, laoshi asked us all what we enjoyed in life.  When it got to be my turn I told her I loved to run.  Today she told me that my Chinese name would be Feng Jin Ma, which means golden horse!  I approve.

a view from mt. eden...

Soon after we arrived, we took a small trip up to the top of a mountain called Mt. Eden.  We discovered how delicious kababs are and what New Zealand pop tastes like.  But most of all, we were able to see how utterly beautiful the land is.  We stayed until it got dark and I was able to learn more about shooting in low lighting and managed to capture some epic shots.  Seeing God's creation at this place was amazing.  I just had to sit in silence and take it all in.  In New Zealand it gets chilly pretty quick after the sun goes down so I was thankful that I grabbed my jacket!

the next adventure...

Hello New Zealand!  The place we have all been waiting for...beaches, warm weather, wicked awesome accents!  After the worst plane ride of my life (the seats did not even recline...YOU try flying for 11 hours and not being able to sleep and see if youre not cranky too) we finally made it to Auckland, New Zealand, our home until February 21.  We are in a town called Henderson which is a branch off of Auckland from what I understand.  It. Is. Incredible. Here.  I love it!  While we are here, we are staying at a college called Laidlaw.  We each get our own rooms, which I am very grateful for, and we are starting our classes.  While most of them are online, we are taking Chinese and an Area study class together.  We eat most meals together and have free time in which we can go and explore the city or do whatever!  Apparently, there is no ozone layer over New Zealand so one of the most common phrases we hear is "Don't forget your sunscreen!"  and it is so true...you can burn to a crisp in a minute!  But it is nice to be able to work on my tan while everyone back home is freezing (bragging rights, sorry not sorry).  The above picture is from a place called Mt. Eden...more on that in my next post!

last night in Hong Kong...

On our last night in Hong Kong, we all went to the pier to watch the light show that is put on every night.  Before the show started, a group of us went walking around and took pictures and whatnot.  In the above picture, a lady offered to take our picture (I was grateful because usually I was the one taking the pictures..ergo, I was not in a majority of the fun group shots) and as we smiled and posed, people passing by would also stop and take pictures of us!  We made quite the scene and it was an odd feeling having strangers take pictures of us.  Anyway!  Back to the light show!  It lasted about 30 minutes and it was super cool.  Oriental music was playing on loud speakers and buildings would match the beat of the music with laser lights. What a show!  I enjoyed it and also learned some neat tricks with night shots from Brent.  Good bye Hong Kong, hello New Zealand!