Arrival in the Land of the Long White Cloud

"Kia Ora!" said the friendly New Zealand Air stewardess, and a hilarious safety video followed, starring Rico Suave (part sloth, part Latin lover). I immediately knew I'd picked the right country for my exchange.

Having spent nearly 30 hours travelling from Victoria, BC to Christchurch, NZ (via Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Sydney), I was feeling a little bit out of sorts. The trip went smoothly except for a slight misunderstanding in Sydney - I was told in Vancouver I'd be able to collect my bags and check them for my NZ flight, but I'd been misinformed. It seems you need a Visa to get into Australia at all. Luckily, my bags were collected and put on my flight while I nervously waited in the airport, unsure that they'd even make it on my plane. 

We landed in Christchurch at around 3:00pm on February 2nd, making me 18 hours ahead of my family in Ontario, and 21 hours ahead of British Columbia. Weird. I was driven to the University of Canterbury campus to my new apartment, the Ilam Apartments (Eye-lamb). I'm living in a 5-bedroom apartment but still have yet to meet any of my roommates (although the mysterious and illusive Andrew has moved in, but remains unseen ...) Luckily on my second day I met two girls living in different apartments on the same floor, so it hasn't been too lonely. 

Bedroom, sweet view of other rooms!

Bedroom, kitchen through the door

As you can tell, my room is definitely enough to keep me happy (much larger than some UBC rooms I've had). Plus the bathroom, kitchen, and common areas are pretty great too. We even have a balcony, and if you crane your neck there's a decent view of the hills!

I've only been here for a few days, but immediately some things about New Zealand have stuck out. For example, people walk around barefoot all the time. We're talking to the grocery store, in the mall, on the road - you name it, there are shoes off. Which, in my opinion, is pretty fantastic. I've decided to adopt the habit whenever possible, hence the name of my new blog. Additionally, there are some great new phrases to learn, like "Sweet as," "Gutted," and "Tramping." Unfortunately I'm not such a fan of the rampant use of the c-word, which has way less meaning here. 

As I get settled in, I'll be updating this blog on my adventures and hopefully adding some more exciting photos than those of my new bedsheets. To everyone back home, I'm always thinking of you.

Cheers!

Ally

p.s. Check out Rico's antics in this video