We made it!

So I am writing this a week later since I have been so busy so hopefully I remember all the details. We landed in Auckland at about 4AM Tuesday morning... the flight was 13 hours from San Francisco but wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be. They served free wine with dinner, which was a good way to get everyone to pass out and get at least a few hours of sleep. Luckily, I slept a good amount so the jetlag wasn't horrible. A bus came and picked us up from the airport... we had to lug all our bags up a hill, completely exhausted and try and fit them all in the bus... we had people's bags in the aisle there were so many. But, finally we arrived at our dorm, Huia! It is 11 floors, and I am on the 8th! I have a single room, pretty small, but it's not bad with only one person... starting to decorate it to make it feel more like home :) We were pretty much the only people in the dorm until everyone else moved in today. On my floor there are people from all over the world and New Zealand too, which is very exciting!

The first day in Auckland, Hester, our group leader, took us on a walking tour around the city. We walked through the university, and a beautiful park that I will be spending plenty of time in. Then we went downtown, which by now is a daily trek for most of us. The city of Auckland is AMAZING, nothing like I expected. There are always people out and about, the streets are packed even up until 3AM... it's great! The waterfront has a bunch of ferries to take to different places, like a volcano and hiking areas! There's a ton of bars that we have all been going to... Loyola travels in a big pack of 40, singing all the way along the 30 minute walk to the viaduct.. so much fun. The walk back is a giant hill, and I am usually good with hills, but this one is massive. We keep saying how we're going to have crazy leg muscles by the time we leave after all the walking. It is is a good way to stay in shape though, I think my feet have almost gotten used to it.

The group on the trip is great and I am already making good friends! Everyone gets along and Loyola is really bonding being away together. It is easy to stay comfortable just with Loyola, but I definitely want to make sure I mingle with the local Kiwis and other international students in the dorm!