Still Right Side Up

Hey everyone! Welcome to my study abroad blog.

I am in my final days at home before departing on my trip to the other side of the world! I’m super pumped but also quite a bit nervous!

Because New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere, the start date of their upcoming semester (Fall for them) is shifted a bit and I don’t start classes until the end of February. I decided to take that extra time and go an once-in-a-lifetime trip to Australia. I’m going to be beginning this trip with my good friend Owen. We grew up together in North Carolina and always hung out after school playing games like basketball and running the iconic DSS Resort.

After I moved to Massachusetts, we would call each other frequently to stay in touch. We’d also hang out whenever I’d go back to NC to visit and he even came to visit me in Massachusetts for a week in 2019. When I was in North Carolina this September, I told him about my plans to study abroad in New Zealand and before we knew it, we were buying tickets for an epic trip to Sydney, Australia together.

So, here’s the plan!

On January 28, I fly to LAX and meet up with Owen and we fly to Sydney together. We’ve got a week there and we already have tickets to go snorkeling and to a national park. We are keeping the rest of our schedule open for exploring and discovering.

When Owen departs on February 5th, I’ve got another day in Sydney before flying to the center of Australia for a few days living the outback life. I’ll end my Australian tour in Tasmania where I will be going on a kayak trip and visiting an uninhabited island full of wildlife.

After Australia, I fly to Auckland, NZ to begin my orientation. Our group will be exploring many beautiful attractions such as Rotorua in the northern island.

Until departure, I am packing, planning and visiting family and friends. Thanks for reading this first blog! I’m excited to share this whole adventure with you!