That's a Wrap!

So I still have two full days here, but I want to write this post while I'm still here in New Zealand. Also it's a good excuse to stop studying for a bit! I've done 2 finals already which went pretty well, and I've got 2 to go. My final tomorrow should be my hardest one, but I only need 40% to pass the class so that's the goal ;)

So I guess I'll just give you a rundown on my thoughts on Lincoln University, and studying abroad and all that, and kind of my plans for the near future.

So I'll start with what's to come: it's Thursday night here in NZ, I have my Farm Management final tomorrow, my Wine final on Saturday morning, and I leave Sunday night. I'm really excited to be home, especially to see all my friends and eat good food!! I'm currently taking an online accounting class, so I'll also being doing that until July 15th. I get to road trip to Disneyland on July 5th with one of my roommates and best friends from the Disney College Program, so that's EXTREMELY EXCITING <33333 AHHHHH. I'm definitely going to cry when I see the castle :,) I road trip down to Colorado with my mom probably around July 22nd, then I'll just move in to my new house and find a job! Very exciting stuff.

So my thoughts on studying abroad....everyone should do it. I think it's a great experience to have, and may as well do it when you're young! When you're old your going to be doing wine tastings and staying in hotels, now's the time for bungy jumping and camping and mountain climbing! If you're a homebody, or someone who gets homesick really easily OR can't afford to set back graduation, do a summer or winter program! They have some awesome 4 week programs out there that's a great option. And pick your country carefully, make sure the credits will transfer back to your college, and that it's somewhere you're going to be comfortable living for 5 months. I LOVED New Zealand, but kind of wish I would have picked Europe or Asia so travelling would be easier. New Zealand is so isolated you really only affordably travel within New Zealand, or to Australia. But I would definitely recommend visiting NZ, it's an amazing country.

My highlights from New Zealand that I think everyone should visit if they have the chance are Queenstown, Mt. Cook area (Hooker Lake is a great easy walk/hike!), Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki, Hobbiton, and Cathedral Cove (Coromandel Peninsula). There were other great things I got to do, but if I had to pick the MUST SEE attractions, those would be it! I think the glowworm caves are over priced and over rated (but still cool), Tongariro Crossing is obviously a great iconic walk, and Dunedin and Lake Taupo are both neat spots as well. It all depends how much time you have! Fortunately I had 4 months :)

I think my favourite parts of studying at Lincoln is that it's small enough I usually run into people I know, and has a homey small town feel. There's maybe 4,000 students or something, and the town population is about the same (not including students), so it's a great non-touristy place. I met lots of cool and adventurous people, and the classes were super hands-on since the class sizes were smaller. My wine class was especially cool because I got to make my own wine, and we had 4 or 5 wine tastings throughout the semester. I also love that their "fall break" or "spring break" is 2 weeks instead of 1, that's when I got to do the majority of my travelling!

My least favourite parts were definitely the food, and the cost of living. Everything is crazy expensive, and the food here is either unhealthy or super expensive, so it was tough eating good food. I just paid $12 for a bag of grapes!! It was also tough doing a lot of travelling because NZ is so spread out it takes a while to get to places, and being in school I only had weekends open which usually weren't enough time. So I would rather travel here for fun than for school. There are so many cool things to see and do, but you really need time and car to do them.

Overall I had an amazing experience!! NZ is such a neat country, and I learned more than I ever need to know about farming. ;) I have no regrets on studying abroad, and encourage everyone to do so! I will say however, that if I had to choose between the Disney College Program, and studying abroad, I would pick the Disney College Program. But that's a personality thing, everyone has different experiences and opinions!

Well I hope you all have enjoyed coming along for the ride and experiencing my study abroad adventure with me! I'll miss the country and all the amazing friends I've made here, but I'm really excited and ready to come home. Until next time New Zealand!

The Final Countdown

16 days until I leave New Zealand! So I'm just going to throw in a post here on my life. My last day of lectures was May 29th, and my first final is June 15th. Lincoln has a study break of one week, and then has three weeks of exams. My exams fall on the 15th, 16th, 19th, and 20th, but exam period is June 9th-23rd. So I'll finish up my final exam, then fly home the next day. My flight leaves Christchurch on June 21st at 6pm with a layover in Auckland until 9:30pm, the long haul to LA, and finally the last leg to Seattle. It should be alright though because Air New Zealand is an awesome company, and I paid the $30 to upgrade to the better seating :) I currently have the WHOLE row to myself, let's hope it stays that way!

So random updates. Holly and I FINALLY finished our pinot noir rose! It's filtered and bottled and sitting in my closet. We ended up with 32 bottles, gave two to our wine prof, and the are splitting the rest between us. I'm giving some away to friends, and am going to try bring home as many as possible! We also had a little side project of a pinot noir red, so we'll bottle that soon with some oak chips and crack it open in a year. Fun stuff :) 

I've basically just been sleeping in, going to the gym, reading, and organising some of my notes for exams. It's been pretty chill ;) Tomorrow I'm going to do a 2 hour hike in Port Hills area with some church friends, then church on Sunday with Holly and Richard. Oh, and I've become oddly obsessed with Christmas music and movies and blame that on the fact that it's fall here (almost winter) and constantly like 35 degrees. All we have left for plans is walking into town for lunch one day, and one night dressing up and getting tea and desserts at the really nice restaurant in town. Oh yeah, I ate there for dinner last week with Lizzie and it was SO GOOD. We both got Riesling and burgers, so odd combo, but they were both great. It's been AGES since I had good food, so that was like heaven. Anyway, we're going to go get tea and desserts there (it's called the Tea House), and then maybe do a day trip or two to more local hiking spots. 

Aside from all that, I'm set to go home! I've had an incredible time here, but I'm ready to be home where the weather is nice and the food is amazing. And there are berries. The only fruit I get here is apples and kiwis, because nothing else is ever ripe or on sale. Cherries were $39/kg today. WOAH. So yeah, nothing much to report on! I'll probably do one more wrap up post, but this is all for now :) SEE YOU ALL SOON!