This is the end of an era. I left for New Zealand feeling apprehensive, excited, a little nervous, with no idea what to expect and no idea how it would change me. Now that I’m back and settled into my routine memories of New Zealand feel unreal. It’s like I have woken up to find that reality has been waiting here for me all along. I have been back in the United States for a few weeks now and I miss NZed every day. They were the best six months of my life, so much has happened and so many adventures have been had. This is illustrated here, and in the thousands of pictures I have to sort through to make a slideshow for friends and family. I still haven’t processed that my time there is over for now, it feels like I’ll wake up tomorrow and eat a bowl of Weet Bix, muesli and yoghurt in N83.
Luckily I have come away with experiences, memories, friendships, the whole deal. I have picked up some sweet as kiwi slang, made lifelong friends, learned a new language, been inspired, climbed mountains, fallen in Love, discovered a new sport, become addicted to meat pies, adopted two sisters and a brother into my family (Callout: Mack, Sameena and Philly), worked on a station, herded sheep, road tripped, stargazed, spelunked, bouldered, tramped, learned to lead climb, had too much goon, sprained my ankle, I explored and adventured my way around NZed never wanting to leave. The New Zealand study abroad experience changed me in so many subtle ways. Even now that I’m back in the familiar places of my life everything I see is tinted with that particular shade of New Zealand color that I have come to love. I think that in the end it is impossible to fully capture an experience such as this one in words and pictures. I’ve been sitting here typing and erasing, then typing again trying to figure out a way to wrap up NZed and the time I spent there.New Zealand will never be something I can capture on a page.
Now it is time to focus on the upcoming school year and work on finding my next escapade.
Katahi ra koutou!
Kua haere au,
Carey
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