Day Two (July 6th)

[9AM NZ Time]

When traveling to a distant country, it helps to get your bearings straight away. Road signs are helpful. So are designated drivers…the take-you-to-campus-now kind. On the way to said campus, I gathered a few bits of information.

1)   It is rugby season.

     2)   Possums are not opossums, and are actually adorable.

     3)   Kiwis are hard to find (the bird, not the native New Zealander).

Knowing this didn’t help me in any way, but still, good to know.

The weather that greeted me was overcast and rainy, with an average temperature of 11 degrees Celsius [which I still don’t know how to convert to Fahrenheit]. It was beautiful.

Massey University is nothing like Iowa State. Campus is smaller, the focus is on veterinary school and agriculture (difference is evident when comparing research farms), and the buildings are a bit less architecturally creative. BUT there are trails and forest everywhere, and the center of campus is paved with cobblestone. That’s right: cobblestone. Added bonus: New Zealand has the cleanest, freshest, best-smelling air ever.

The biggest difference is the location of accommodation. I discovered upon settling in my flat that there are 200 vertical feet of steps through the forest between me and campus. I am located in Atawhai (at-a-fai) Village, one of the highest places on campus. Luckily, it’s marked by a giant cement mushroom! Unluckily, it’s pretty far from Steven’s flat/apartment. More unluckily, I lost said boyfriend. We last saw each other as he exited the take-you-to-campus-from-airport van. If you see him…don’t bother calling. Neither of our phones work here.

I spent my free time exploring the Massey bus system, and The Square in Palmerston North. The first thing I bought in New Zealand was a pillow and duvet…from Kmart. Internationalism at its finest. The pricing here, thanks to a goods and services tax of 12%, is a bit ridiculous. Going to take a bit longer to get used to that.

My roommates are great. I’ve got two so far (out of five rooms total). Mandy, who is even more of a nerd than I am because she plays WoW (something I always dreamed of trying but never got around to); and Ohra, who is very cheerful and friendly. The flat itself is great. We have a full kitchen and a living room, and I have my own room with a little sink. Life is pretty good.

Now if only I could locate the elusive Steven…