On the road again...

On Thursday, I called the American Embassy for an appointment. The earliest I could get an appointment was July 10th. So I decided to cut my time in Auckland short and make my way down to Hastings.
I ended up taking a bus to Hastings, since it was cheaper than flying and I wanted to see some of the countryside. I had to take a couple local buses to get to the Intercity Bus terminal as my Aunt and Uncle were working. I’m sure I made a funny sight wandering around downtown Auckland and getting on and off buses with my two huge suitcases.
When my bus showed up, I was surprised with how fancy it was. It was a two-story bus and had a huge front window on the second story. I sat on the upper story near the front and had a great view. I had to keep pinching myself to make sure it was all real. It has been an odd sensation being back. In some ways I feel like I have never left, and yet there are times when I feel like a complete stranger in these parts. I know that to the people of NZ I sound like a stranger.
I had a bus change in Taupo about 2 hours out of Hastings. Our new driver was a crack up. He started by giving us a Maori greeting and telling us his name. It was a long Maori name that I couldn’t even have pronounced if he had said it slow. But he said we could call him Wallace. Then he proceeded to tell us a story about the green, green grass of Aotearoa (NZ) and how we have to keep the grass green to keep the cows happy. I thought for a moment I was back in California with its happy cows. Our bus driver even sang for us. He had a good voice, but the speaker system made him sound terrible. However it made people laugh. That driver didn’t stay with us for long as he switched with another driver about 30 minutes out of Taupo.
The rest of the bus trip was uneventful, but full of memories. I don’t know how many times I have made that trip from Hastings to Taupo and back over the years. But it has been a lot. We got into Hastings right around Sunset. Mrs Bisley, Myra and Annah were there to pick me up and I will be staying with the Bisley family while I am in Hastings.

My Bus

The Taupo - Hamilton Turnoff

The Waikato River

Time Difference...

Good Morning, although for you it is probably already afternoon. It is 9 am on Thursday morning June 28th. I was just looking at my blog and realized that I might have confused a few of you with the timing of my last blog. On the flight over to NZ, I crossed the International Date Line. I am 1 day ahead of you but about 5 hours behind you. That means that right now it is 2pm on Wednesday in the US. From now on, I will be posting my blogs on NZ time, so hopefully the timing will make a little more sense. I was so tired after my excursions yesterday, that I fell into bed around 9:30pm and slept till 8am this morning. I was so soundly asleep that I didn't even wake up when I got extra blankets put on my bed, or when my Aunt and Uncle left for work.

Today, I will be contacting the American Embassy in Auckland for an appointment to submit my paperwork for the student visa. The interview will still be at least three days away, and probably not till Monday. However, there are a couple things that you could be praying for.

1. That I would trust the Lord to work His will in my life. And that I wouldn't be anxious for the things that don't seem to be in place yet.
   
2. I am waiting to receive some of my paperwork from the States. You could be praying that it comes through quickly and I would receive it before I have to be at the interview.
   
3. That the interview would go smoothly, and I would have wisdom in the answers that I give to the interviewer.
   

Auckland, NZ...

I decided this afternoon to go for a walk. After being on the plane for 13 hours, I wanted to stretch my legs a little. I walked up to the shopping center near my Aunts house, and spent three hours just wandering around the stores. Some of the places I went to were Farmers, the Warehouse, Briscoes, Whitcoulls, and even Dick Smith Electronics. I enjoyed the experience, though was very tired on the way home. When I got off the plane, I felt so good, no jet lag or anything. So I haven't slept since I was on the plane, and I want to try and hold out as long as possible till tonight.


As I walked back to my Aunts, I decided to take a short cut that I had observed earlier. I am so glad I did. There is a reserve at the back of my Aunts suburb that I cut across. It was so peaceful and lovely that I had to stop and just sit for a few minutes. As I sat there, I could hear birds chirping all around me, I could hear the river gurgling a little way away, and I was struck by the absense of traffic and airplane noise. I went and got my camera and came back to explore the reserve and river a little more.

I made it...

Monday was an eventful day running around LA doing last minute errands, registering for classes and picking up my paperwork. But the highlight of my day was spending the evening with my boyfriend Sam and his siblings, Julia, Ben and Lukas. We all had dinner together before Sam took me down to the airport.

The flight from LA to NZ was a 13 hour flight. But it went well and I even got to sleep for 8 hours solid. Now I am here and I can hardly believe it. I arrived in Auckland under the cover of darkness, so no photos, but got to see a glorious sunset. It is cold here, with frost on the ground and the temperature is only 40F right now, so I am snuggled up in front of the heater as I write this to you. Hopefully it will warm up a little once the sun has risen a little more.

My Auntie Lynn and Uncle John came and picked me up from the airport, and I will be staying with them while I am in Auckland. I loved seeing the sights as we drove back to their place. Things that were so familiar, but yet seem almost foreign to my mind. Things like the license plates on the cars, to the cars being on the other side of the road, to the road signs and the mailboxes at people’s homes. I was struck with how odd it seemed to see pine trees standing up above the skyline and not palm trees.

Sam and I at the Airport

Last day at home...

Yesterday was a special time as we spent the day together as a family. We went to Hometown Buffet for breakfast, only by the time we got there it was almost Lunch. We ate till we were full and then went shopping to walk it off. I love spending time with my family and this was no exception.

Today is my last day at home for a while. This afternoon I drive down to LA and tomorrow I fly to New Zealand. Once I am in NZ, I will be applying for a student visa from the US Embassy and visiting friends and family. I also hope to see a lot of the NZ countryside and visit a few memorable places. I am so excited to be going back. This will be the first time I will have been back in four years. I am especially looking forward to seeing all our friends and catching up with them. Oh and I cant wait to have a meat pie and a custard square from Warren's Bakery.

The Girls at Hometown

The Guys at Hometown

The adventure begins...

Life is either a great adventure or nothing. - Helen Keller

I am no stranger to adventure - my life has been full of it; and there is no denying that I love it. There is a certain thrill of moving into the unknown and seeking to do things that you have no certainty of accomplishing. So once again I am embarking on a great adventure, only this one will be different from all my other adventures.

This time I am flying solo. I wont have my very favorite fellow adventurers (my family) with me or our fearless leader, Dad. It is time for me to take all those skills that I have been learning from my fearless leader, and use them for myself. I have started this blog to keep in touch with the afore-mentioned adventurers, that they may watch my progress and know how I am doing. You also can keep a track of my progress by visiting this blog as you wish.