Pre-Auckland

It hit me that I am leaving to go abroad at exactly 8:58 this morning, two days before departure. I opened an email my new RA sent me that included the orientation week schedule. The email left me with a rather unsettling feeling in my stomach. This led me to start frantically shopping, in realization that I should probably have started packing earlier.
For the most part, my preparation for this trip has included watching The Lord of Rings and googling scenic pictures of New Zealand. Thinking about writing this blog post has been very tricky for me because I haven’t been doing much thinking about going abroad. This is mostly because I want to enter New Zealand with no expectations and an open mind.
It’s amazing how fast 60 days of break have gone by. I really dreaded feeling like an only child once my three sisters returned back to school. I hate to admit it, but I’ve actually loved hanging out with my parents alone. I’ve spent my days visiting friends, binging on Netflix, and testing out my new camera for Auckland.
My biggest philosophy is to live in the moment. I have enjoyed my time at home, but it’s time to move on. People often say their biggest regret while going abroad was not taking enough advantage of the time they had. I hope that whoever reads this post keeps this in mind. I think that our society can feel very fast paced, and everyone is always anticipating the future. My biggest hope for this trip is that no one leaves feeling that they didn’t take advantage of every moment. It’s going to be a great semester, and I’m so excited to be Auckland’s photo blogger.
Maggie

Ice Cycle on my roof taken this winter.

A tree in my backyard during winter break