The Unexpected Flight

As I sit here in this studio apartment, I am reluctant to leave. In fact, I don't even want to write about leaving. But I feel that this blog needs some closure. So I will go through my last day here in New Zealand, and let you all see that yes, the city girl worked on a farm and loved it!!

This is Em and I working on tags and writing down numbers. I felt so important with a clipboard haha. I waited until after the job started to tell Craig that I might have slight dyslexia... he put his head in his hands haha.

Here are the men! I say men, because there is no way I can call them boys. The men down here are tough. They eat rocks for breakfast! Dave is the one wrestling the cow to tag her ear, his dad is just to the left in the black and yellow overalls, and I never met the other man properly, but he was nice.

Last but not least, my proudest moment! I masterd a standard on the wrong side of the road/car! Which is great, because I had such a hard time with that while back home, but here it just came natural. I think it had something to do with me being a lefty!

All in all, I loved my trip here in New Zealand. I cannot wait to come back. Now before I left I promised myself I wasn't going to end this blog with something dramatic or sappy, but after this trip I have made a self discovery that I feel is worth sharing.

As most of you know, this past year has been extremely difficult for me and my soul. I have learned a lot of new things about myself that I never knew I had in me. I supported myself through school, I took on a more-than-full semester, had a religious revilation, and helped my dad save my mom from death. All of that helped strengthen me as a woman, but as great as all of that growth is, I was missing who I used to be. I told a close friend once that I had hated how closed off I had become, and I wasn't happy with myself for it. The best part of my New Zealand trip is that I found my old self. I am more open than I have been for years, I'm not afraid to fail, and I really don't give a rats ass about what people think about me. I have gained my confedence back! I love it! I am so glad I took off time to relax and go on adventures, because I would have never found that in the mac lab back home. Truely.

There are a few things in life that I have found to be 100% true:

1. Good things come to those who wait.
2. Hardwork pays off.
3. Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.

I am at peace with myself and the world, and these moments are rare and beautiful. If they happen to you, make sure you soak it in like the sun. Enjoy it while it lasts!

I will leave you guys with a poem that I found and fell in love with my freshman year of uni:

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley

Down on the farm today! It has been a wonderful experience. The family here is so so nice and funny to boot! There is Craig who is turning 40 next week and expects me to fly back just for his Casino party HA! I told him I would love to as long as he covers the costs of me flying back... I didn't get the answer I was looking for haha. Yesterday was full of netball games, saugage sizzles, and birthday parties. Emily, 12, had netball from 9-12.30ish, so we were out and about in the BEAUTIFUL sunny weather. I was told it got up to 20 degrees C yesterday, which is probably somewhere in the mid 60's for those back home. I could have worn shorts it was so nice! I should have now that I think about it. Would have gotten some color!

Right, well on to the good stuff! Here are pictures from today's adventures. Enjoy!

This is Alex showing me the chickens. We call him the chicken whisperer, because he can walk right up to a chicken, pick it up and the damn thing looks like it is so comfortable there! haha - just amazing. I also call him the cow whisperer, because he had a good following when we went to visit the cows. What a corker!

Here I am! In a field full of cows!

Emily and I being goofy... nothing new for the both of us haha.

Alex (the big fella in the back), Henery (the driver) and I getting ready to go out on the dune buggy. This was a lot of fun, and I'm surprised because they let me drive! Why am I surprised? I got a chance to drive the farm truck, found out I'm much better when the gears on the left by the way, and I hit a bump while shifting into 3rd, and everyone in the back almost fell out! I wasn't warned about the bump though... it was impossible to see because of all the tall grass! At least everyone survived. haha.

This is a nice shot of the cow's and my butt! This is the one friendly cow in the crowd of 350. So sweet! Loved to be petted, and she's pregnant (poor thing!).

So in Dunedin is a Uni called The University of Otago. They have a masters program for design that I looked into right before I came. I set up an appointment through email to see if I could meet with the program director, and he said yes! Because it was such short notice, I only got to spend a day in Dunedin, but I loved every second of it. The people were nice, good cafes, old time feeling, and an inviting campus. On the way to Dunedin, there was some beautiful scenery:

I took some pictures of the campus to show everyone back home what I might be looking at for the next 15 months if I get accepted. Please let me state that these pictures do not do this campus justice.

Possibly my new future masters design building/second home haha. Good thing there is a coffee shop next door, literally!

This is the river that runs through the campus, and also right behind both design buildings.

Here you are looking at just a major bridge, but I found the stones to be lovely.

The stones continue through the entire town too! I didn't get a picture of The Octagon (what was I thinking?!), which is the central part of town, but I did mangage to snap a picture of this castle type building. Never got close enough to find out what it was, but I'm sure I will some day!

Yahoo, it's the south! I hop on the boat, and I already feel like I'm on my way to a place where I belong. It didn't take long for me (as well as others) to step out on to the lookout deck once it was finally open. The lower level lookout wasn't too windy, but I got warned as I went to open the door on the top deck. Sweet Jesus, was it windy! I had no idea what I was in for until my poor little pointer finger couldn't click the shutter button on my camera anymore. My hat almost few off, and I lost my nose within the first 2 minutes, but man did I love every second of it! I'm pretty sure you'll figure out why, once you see these beauts. Once again, these photos have not been retouched, so enjoy to pure 100% New Zealand!

This one is show you the scale of the size of the sounds coming into the South Island.

From there I took a train, which was also just as beautiful and windy! On the back of the train is a cable car that is completely open so you can take photos without the reflection of the glass. Hint: If you decide to take the train from Picton to Christchurch, try and ask for the right side (if you are in the train, facing towards the front). You will have the best views of the mountains, sunset, and stars if you are lucky. I, of course, had the left. I spent most of my time on the open-car. The wind in my hair, clinging on to my camera for dear life; who doesn't love that suspense? I almost felt like Indiana Jones... almost

Mountains in the background, and a vineyard in the forground. Keep in mind, this is winter!

I managed to get a sunset photo going hundreds of miles an hour. Sweet as!

Last, but certinly not least, I visited Christchurch for a day before I headed down to Dunedin. I spent the night with Sarah Loop, a design friend. Which was great, because we had no idea each other were in New Zealand until both of us were already here. Crazy, huh?!

The lovely Avon River

A duck that I think was posing and sick, because he kept tucking his beak into his wing and making little sneezing noises. It was so pathetic haha

Yay! A hydrangia that is still alive! Sorry if I butchered the name, but I do not have speel khek right now... that goes for all of my speliing eroors.

Cheers!

Hello everyone! I have time to update! If loading photos didn't take so long, I would probably be uploading more often. C'est la Vi! My last day in Wellington, I decided to hit up the town in the morning, afternoon, and night! This update only contains photos from the Wellington City Gardens, though. I was too busy shopping, exploring, and trying to look like a local to take pictures the rest of the day.

None of these photos have been retouched! I was so happy with how most of them turned out. I went in the morning, and it was sunny with just a little breeze... perfect!

This is my first view from the top of the hill. This is over-looking the harbor.

Here is a series of some of the plants that actually live through the winter, or at least the beginning of it:

I love the colors!

A little girl was feeding the ducks, so I hopped in there to get some close ups. What cuties!

This is my very first siting of a Koru in person, and I had been looking for a while! I got so excited that I finally found one, because they hold such a beautiful meaning here: life, new beginnings, a connection to the earth...

Wellington is a really nice city. I could see myself living there if I got a job, but it is not my first choice. You'll see my first choice later down the line :o)