Getting Right To It

So it's finally hit me that this isn't forever. Not that I've been biding my time and waiting for a reason to start enjoying myself. On the contrary, my time in Auckland has been a great experience. I've met a lot of great people and am getting a University experience that I would never have before (and academically, I can thankfully say I never will again.)

First, the logistics. I live in Huia Residence on Grafton Road, which has to be the steepest road in Auckland. It's an old nurses residence next to the Auckland City Hospital, which seemingly only gets patients delivered via helicopter between the hours of 10pm and 9am. I hope all of these patients leave in cars, healthy and happy, but their arrival is loud, unpleasant, and inconvenient. It's about a ten minute walk to campus, and about five minutes past that to get to Queen Street, where everything that is happening in Auckland gets to happening (bars, shopping, restaurants, like downtown Baltimore except I've never feared for my life.) Overall, it's an expensive city, and though the exchange rate works in our favor, some things are a bit exorbitant. There are no Taco Bell's in Auckland, but there is a Chipotle imitation that, as long as I can go back to Chipotle eventually, is a suitable temporary replacement. I cook most of the time, but that is limited to a wide array of pastas, grilled cheese, and when I'm ambitious, pasta AND grilled cheese. I also have become an expert at making ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches, but I have every confidence that I'll stop making them once I have the option of buying better ones. Lastly, there is a Dunkin Donuts on Queen Street, but in name only. Nothing like it should be.

Anyway, that's all of the logistics. I just finished my last assignment, and have done actual schoolwork for probably 8 of the days I've been here, which is good. It's left lots of time to explore the city, experience new and distinctly New Zealand things, and most importantly, have fun. This blog will mostly be a recap of what has happened for my travel writing class, but it will also give me a chance to let everyone know just what I've been up to for the last few months and hopefully, what I'll be doing now that the only non enjoyable things I have to do for the next month are 3 finals. So enjoy, and as I said, now I'll get right to the business of this.