Limits

I will first precede this post with the fact that I am a product of an engineer and math teacher, and more than ever you can clearly tell. I am a nerd and proud of it. However back to the point, things have begun to settle in, I am beginning to take time to learn from my weekends rather than just adventure. I have had to learn a lot about limits.

I typically dislike the impositions that the word implies. However, I am beginning to see them in a new light now. Not as a glass ceiling, but rather an opportunity. A chance to push boundaries until I find the absolute limit. To find that as x, whether it be time, distance, height, amazing, perseverance, but as that variable goes to an infinite number what the true limit is. What that variable really approaches or if it has to approach anything at all. This has been my first of what I am sure to be many lessons.

Limit #1) I have found the limit of time needed to spend on homework and school. It is not zero. It is no where close to zero. You cannot forget that this is study abroad program. The study part is vital. School is just as important as the abroad part.The limit of time needed to study approaches is still roughly a few hours a day, just like at Tech. If I had taken a test before this program, I would have gotten that question so wrong.

Limit #2) The limit of rate of ascension as time approaches asthma attack decreases. Your body's ability is not unbounded. It has a limit on how much on a given day you can physically do. My guess is the limit is a lot higher than you think it is, however, it is not boundless. There is a number your body will reach. Physical limits have to exist. There are just some things that will keep you on the ground whether it is a busted eardrum, asthma, or something else trivial. You can't fight gravity. You will lose. Always.

Limit #3) The limit of missing people is not defined. There are asymptotes, peaks, and any other such mathematical/graphical figures you can throw in there. You never know when it is going to dip down or race up. It is unpredictable and you can simply not graph it. So I have stopped trying. This might be something I just simply never understand, like most of Calc II.



Limit #4)  The possibilities of this programs is infinity. I have read other people's blog about their study abroad programs. They seek new cities, they explore new countries, they experience new cultures, they have amazing stories. However, this is not what this blog and this program is about. I can assume that the essence of any study abroad program is the same, but it the limit of the end result is not the same. This program isn't about exploring cities and vastly different museums. It is about doing vastly different things. It is much more activities based, much more push myself to do new, different, and challenging things. I may go hiking every weekend. I may see a new mountain every weekend. I may explore a new place every weekend. I, however, might not get a new sense of  culture every weekend. But I have learned something new every weekend. That possibility to learn something new is endless. I am not ragging on other programs, merely I am stating why I chose mine. The limit of this program for me in unbounded. It will and has opened more doors. This is adventure is what I am meant to be seeking.

Black Abyss

I can remember vividly going to Camp Bonclarken and being so excited about the one caving field trip. Climbing through the woods, stumbling upon an entrance as if by chance, and getting to explore this completely underground world. It always amazing me how your eyes could adjust. This weekend was that same memory but so so so much more.

The weekend started out by driving through the small towns of New Zealand up the west coast. Their highways are generally only two lanes, and drive straight through the 2minute stretch of every town. It reminds me similar to a  main street in America, only these really are the only streets they have. No suburbs, no major cities (minus a few), just towns and small communities. It seems like a simpler way of living. My face is generally plastered to the window on every single drive we take. I cannot get enough of the rolling mountains, amazing ocean, farms, and forests. The drive is half the fun of the entire trip. Once we arrived at our hostel, we walked around the city in search of these gardens that apparently had an amazing light show. We never found them. Instead we just walked around and talked. I love getting to know these people. Our group has gotten smaller, two sub groups but 13 of us. It is easier to really get to know them like this. There is nothing like traveling to bring a group together.

The next morning we woke and prepared to go hiking. We went to Mt. Taranaki. It is the second highest peak in New Zealand. It is an active volcano and amazing. When flying over the north island, you can see the perfect ring of forest that surrounds it. To be there in person, and see everything up close made it even more amazing. Our group of 8, hiked up the scenic route. The trail was covered in dense forest, cliffs, and just amazing views. You could see as you climbed upward how the sizes of the plants diminished with less and less oxygen. These are the things I think about as an asthmatic. That as the plants get smaller it will get harder for me to breathe. It is a lovely correlation. My inhaler has become like a friend who you like to keep super close, as in my back pocket at all times. Awesome. Anyway, the trail was amazing. We reached the halfway point. The only enccourage summitting if you have more than 8 hours to spare, experience, and start early enough. We had done none of those things, and still continued to hike anyway. The first part of the summit was rock scrambling up, then over 1000ish stairs (I am not joking, think Crowders Mountain but times 100), then gravel. Lots and lots of slippery can't catch your footing, everything moves gravel. It was tougher than anything I have ever climbed before. My breathing got more more useless. However, as a daughter of two extremely tough individuals, accepting stopping wasn't going to happen. As I was climbing, I honestly had this image of my mom yelling at me during any one my cross country races. It did the trick and I was able to climb on.

Then I learned what limits are. Someone once told me that you can push as hard as you want, but there are some things you can't move. I couldn't move up that mountain anymore. Most of the group had already stopped, but I wanted so badly to be apart of the group that summitted. It seemed so close, but I had to listen to the limits my body was imposing. It was a tough lesson. No one likes to be told they can't do anything. My stubbornness makes it even harder to accept. The pictures of those who did summit are amazing. I have decided that this just means I have to come back. Easy as that. Built in assurance that I will be back to this amazing place to do all the things I have missed. Done.We then hiked back down, which is seemingly scarier than climbing out. I have learned that I don't like when things are out of my control especially when it is me who is out of control as I slide down on my butt. Afterwards, it is amazing but kinda sorta really scary when it is happening. We climbed back down and finished our amazing hike. I don't think I can stress enough how amazingly pretty it is on the mountain. You are among clouds, you can see ice patches, you can see the perfect circle surrounding the mountain. You can see everything. It is a vantage point that everyone should see at some point in their lives.

Anyway, we then traveled to Waitomo. On our way we stopped at Damper Falls, the highest waterfall in NZ. It was sunset and you had to hike through farm/grazing land to get there. It was by far the best sunset I have seen while I have been here. The picutres do not do it justice to how pink everything was and how amazing it really was. It was spectacular. The falls were also amazing. Granted it was dark, but I have a fascination with water. They are just huge falls. My only regret is that we didn't climb down to the base to see them in their entirety. It was getting dark, so we hiked back. We then finished the drive, ate the most amazing pizza, and got to our hostel. I love hostels. I love the people, the atmosphere. I think it goes back to me sharing a room with my sister, but I love just sitting up and talking to people. Hostels make that really easy.

The next day has got to be my favorite day of this whole trip. Well Abel Tasman can't be beat, but this is amazingly different. We went caving in glowworm caves. The caving adventure started with getting into wet suits. 1) Wetsuits are wet but meant to keep you warm. If you have no natural body heat they don't work. 2) Everyone looks ridiculous in them. You either look like a space cadet, or you have a huge lumpy bottom where it doesn't exactly fit. Ridiculously amazing. We then traveled to the cave, and learned how to abseil (repel). Then we entered the cave. I am a little five year old. I get so so so excited about this stuff. But how can you not? It is ridiculously awesome. Sarah and Emily would be so proud of my adventuring skills right now. Anyway, I was the first to abseil down 110feet into a dark cave. So freaking amazing. I love the falling. I wish I could skydive because I would love it. But repelling is completely acceptable form. We all entered the bottom, and the cave was enormous. These caves are lite with glowworms. Which arent worms, but larva stages or flies that attract food by basically burning their poop into green little lamps. It is biologically fascinating. I am a nerd though. We then climbed through the cave and zipped lined in the pitch black. Ziplines + no light + tons of laughter = recipe for the biggest smile possible. Amazing. Then we went black water rafting aka tubing in the river inside the cave. We got to jump off a cliff down into the water, and float amongst the worms. It was spectacular. Cold, but spectacular. Then we got to swim in the river, and hike towards the exit. These cave systems are enormous. Everything connects. It is a spectacular place to go caving. I highly highly highly suggest everyone doing something like this. I can't rave about it enough. We then climbed through two waterfalls and popped out of the cave and into daylight. It was simply amazing. Nothing can even compare to it. Nothing. I was like a kid in a candy shop wanting to see and touch everything. I will go back and do that again.

We then traveled to Rotorua. It is the north islands adventure capital, but it was raining. So instead we got to hang in the town. We went to a bar where I got to order my first legal drink. I actually like the beer here. Silly I know. Anyway, then we got to listen to a live band. This is where it is appearent how different cultures are. 1) American music with New Zealand accents is priceless. But they are obessed with our 90's music. So I am, so it is perfect. 2) They cannot dance. Natives just can't do it. It is hilarious because they all try. 3) Music brings everyone together. Our group has never had that much fun listening and singing along. I hadn't seen that many smiles the entire trip. Leave it so 90's rock bands to do that to a group. I simply loved it. We all had so much fun, then we returned slept. We awoke to more rain. Which put a damper on the whole day. So we just drove the 6hours home.

My reoccurring themes: beauty, people, and home. I cannot go on a trip without seeing something else amazing. Doing some activity in the most amazing spot. It is simply too amazing. I cannot go on a trip without getting to know the people better. Finding more about them has been the largest highlight of the trip. These people are amazing. I cannot go on a trip without being reminded of home. Whether it is a song on the radio, a hike, or something someone says, I always find my mind racing back to memories of home.

This trip still feels like a dream, but I am not going to dare wake up.

Kayayayayayak

Thanks to my parents's love of the sea, I have grown up kayaking. Every family reunion or beach trip has been dotted with memories of riding a  huge two man kayak back onto the beach after an amazing paddle. My family affectionately calls this water sport kayayayayayaking. I imagine my dad saying that and smile. This past weekend was a weekend he would have loved. The main goal of our adventure was to sea kayak through Abel Tasman National Park on the South Island. Though that may seem like a simple goal, it will go down as one of the most amazing adventures I have had to date. I will also apologize now for the length of this blog. Ooops.

We started the journey by traveling from the North Island where Wellington is located to the tip of the South Island to Picton by way of ferry. This is when I first knew this trip was going to be different than any typical kayak trip before. My version of a ferry is a large ship with cars a few people, all outside, all uncovered that takes you to the Outer Banks. What I boarded onto could be considered a first class cruise to that image. There were lounges, bars, arcades, and a movie theater. For three hours, we had a non stop view of amazing scenery. Island after island passed by.  It was unlike anything I had ever seen. When we entered the port of Picton, we had forgot to set up a meeting location for those who had gone before us. Mistake. We eventually found them and we were on our way to a small town near Nelson. The roads were windy, the van was automatic, and it was pitch black. Needless to say, that made for many a scary moments. However, it was a fantastic ride. You could see bays light up with boats,  mountain ranges in every direction dotted with a few house lights. The scenery does not get old. I don't think it ever will.We then arrived at our hostel, a first for me. I was pleasantly surprised. Comfy bunk beds, our group had our own room, and the bathrooms were clean. What more could you asked for? I am sure my view of hostels is now completely misconstrued, but I am just going to continue thinking all hostels are like this until proven otherwise.  

The next morning we awoke, jumped in our vans, and traveled to Abel Tasman National Park. On first arriving, you saw desolate boats shored in a vast valley of sand. I was amazed at how many of these boats there were. Clearly, this part had been covered with water at one time, but now they seemed out of place and forgotten. The next few turns took us to a road that traveled parallel to the ocean. This beach was massive. The tides have such a drastic change. At low tide, the water is so far back and the sand extends for yards upon yards. At high tide, all of the scenery changes. It reminded me a bit of Daytona beach where there is so much sand people can drive on it, however it was so much more pristine. We arrived at our kayak rental place, packed our kayaks, and headed to the water. 1st observation: you need a lot of stuff to camp. With 17 people for 2.5 days, that is a lot of crap. Yet it all fits in 9 kayaks. I still don't see how we did it. We were then taken to the Daytona-esque beach and launch our kayaks.

That first day we kayaked from Marahau to Fisherman Island. We stopped ate lunch and explored the island. We then went around Adele Island and saw seals. We then went to a bay officially renamed "Boo Boo Bay". As we were exploring, three of us daring souls went swimming and all emerged with various cuts and bruises. From there we traveled to Anchorage Bay, our camping site, through the treacherous "Mad Mile". Going to the bay, you must travel around the point which is unprotected from the winds and waves. This mile was by far the hardest part of that days trip. The waves were choppy, the wind was constant, and land never seemed to get closer. However once we arrived on the island, an overwhelming feeling of satisfactions swarmed over the group. We had really accomplished something. I learned a few things from this first day. 1) As a runner you have no arm strength. Legs don't help you when you are paddling against wind. 2) I appreciate what my parents have done for me. I forget how lucky I am to be use to kayaking and use to adventuring. Each island reminded me of one vacation or another snorkeling to some island off shore.

Once arrived at camp, we unpacked, set up camp, and set out on a hike. The scenery on these day hikes are unique even to scenery on the rest of the island. Each turn brought something new and something completely different than what you were just walking through. We hiked to a freshwater pool were most of swam. Then to a cascading waterfall. The best thing about this group was their willingness to adventure and explore. We could spend hours in one place explored every nook and cranny and most people would be completely happy. We then climbed back, ate dinner, and walked along the beach to see stars and the moon. One of the simple reminders for me of home is the moon. I always remember my dad or mom calling me while they were away, and saying that we were both looking at the same moon. That has stuck with me until now. Only now, my moon is brighter. I don't know exactly what it is from but the moon is obviously brighter. One night we even managed to see what I will call a moonbow. A cloud nearby reflected the moon's light into a rainbow of colors. It was one of the most amazing sights.

We then camped, woke, packed up camp, and went back on the water. This time we traveled from Anchorage along the coast to a few smaller islands. From there we traveled past Bark Bay to a small beach. We then again went through the treacherous path to Onetahuti Bay. This was even harder than the first day. However, we all managed again to arrive safe and sound and way more exhausted from when we started. The rest of the day was spent hiking back to Bark Bay, swimming in the ocean, and exploring the campsite's natural pool. I have found there is a difference between salt and freshwater. After spending a day at sea, sitting in an ice cold freshwater waterfall was the most refreshing and cleansing thing in the world. Yes my hair was disgusting, i still hadn't really showered, and the bugs were biting me left and right, but I felt better. That's really all that counts. We packed up, hiked to Aworoa Lodge, and took a water taxi back to our starting point. We then drove back, and took the ferry home.

The trip was amazing. I loved being able to adventure and explore. Everything looked amazing. I have noticed a theme though. As much as I love the places I am in, the people are what make the trip. I loved getting to know everyone, and taking everyone out of their elements made it so much easier. From the kayak, to the hikes, to all the traveling, it was amazing seeing such a large group work together and really enjoy each others company. I now cant imagine doing this trip with any other group.

I am also amazed with what things remind me of home. I am amazing how I can be in a place that is completely unfamiliar, and yet something will immediately bring me back to sitting at the dinner table with my family.  That is the power of being abroad. You are really never that far from home.

First Week

I have officially been in New Zealand for one week, and it has finally started to sink in that this is infact where I will be for another five weeks. The beauty that surrounds you is something very difficult to get over. Every new turn, every new trail, every new street leads you to somewhere new and just as breathtaking as before. Before this trip, I walked with my head down watching my feet as I traveled anywhere. Now I found myself constantly looking up trying to take in everything.

This week has taught me a lot about New Zealand culture. We have four resident assistants from Victoria University that have provided insight into major differences between Americans and Kiwi's. The first and most glaring difference to me is how much more relaxed NZ is. As a culture, they are seemingly much more liberal and open than the States. For example, their safety videos on the plane ride over here are meant to be informative but it had an overwhelming comedic tone to it all. They had naked grandmas, rugby players cracking jokes left and right, men hitting on flight attendants. Compare this to the standard safety video you watch every flight. Extremely different. The next biggest difference to me was their education system. Being aware that Georgia Tech is completely different than most US schools, it was interesting to compare universities. At Victoria, the process of getting into college is less selective, however, staying in your intended major is a lot harder. They weed out students taking only the top percent to continue on in that track. While at Tech, it is more selective to get into school. It is also really interesting to compare dress, slang, and college life with the RA's.

Wellington as a city is also more amazing than I could have first imagined. I know I said it last post, but I cannot get over the cleanliness of the city. Walking downtown, the streets were clean, no one was smoking, everyone had smiles. You cannot ask for a better atmosphere. The city reminds me of a modern Greece. The hills are covered with modern houses with colorful roofs. The city itself is a mix of modern building standing amidst enormous breathtaking churches, old banks, and  impressive government buildings. The mixture of the new and the old is what makes it unlike anything I have ever seen.

My favorite place has by far been the Botanical Gardens. It is completely free and never closes. I have now taken the time to explore almost every garden, and most of the paths. Thanks to my new camera, I have gotten shots that I never dreamed possible. I feel like a real photographer there. It doesn't hurt when your subject can't move and there is no way to make it look any less impressive. The "botans", as the locals call it, offer a series of live concerts from Wednesday to Saturday nights. They bring in artists and everyone brings bottles of wines, beer, blankets, and just listens. I struggle sometimes to remember that while I am here this is their summer. They are just having their normal summer concerts.

But as much as I have enjoyed exploring the city and the scenery, my favorite part has been learning about the people on my trip. It is amazing that when complete strangers are put in the same environment we can come together. I love learning about new backgrounds, why they chose Tech, why they came here. It is an experience to get to know people whom otherwise I would never have come into contact with.



This weekend a large group of us are off to Abel Tasman National Park for a three day kayaking and hiking adventure. I cannot wait to get out of Wellington and see the rest of the country. It will be a good first week!

Haere Mai!

Skyline of Wellington, NZ

the Weir House

That is what I was greeted as I approached customs after 36+ hours of traveling. Welcome to where you will be spending the next 1 month and 10days, according to my visa. I cannot be more excited we finally made it. The journey started at 6am on Thursday morning as I exited my house, and left all that was familiar and comforting. It ended at 2pm Saturday as we arrived  at the Weir House.

A little background might be necessary for all of this to make sense. I am participating in the Pacific Program through Georgia Tech. It is a 12 week study abroad semester spending 6 weeks in Wellington, New Zealand, 3 weeks in Sydeny, Australia, 2 weeks in Brisbane, Australia, and 1 week in Heron Island, Australia. There is a group of 30ish students, professors, and TA's embarking on this adventure. While in New Zealand, we are stationed out of the University of Victoria's main campus, also referred to as the Weir House. It is an opulant hotel like building surrounded by the beauty of New Zealand.

My first word I could find to describe New Zealand  was crisp. The air  is amazingly clean. The sun is brighter. The colors of the amazingly greener and flora are stronger and more abundant. The house are as colorful as the flowers that surround them. The water and sky provide an amazing backdrop for this sight. I cannot get over how amazingly and simple beautiful everything is. My second impression was the friendliness of the people. Minus a few custom officers, everyone has smiles on their faces and a pep in their voice. You can immediately sense their love for their country and their desire to show it off. The are warm, friendly, and joyous.

My Dorm

 We settled into our new homes. Our dorm is an extremely modern building located behind the actual main building. We each have our own rooms with all the amenities. Fighting jetleg, we managed to find enough energy to explore town a bit. I successfully located two Starbucks and McDonalds. I guess some things will never change. After a bit of exploring the city, I got to check off the first thing on my todo list: running in the botanical gardens. My dorm is located near the top of a giant hill, however on the top of this hill is a giant botanical garden. It isnt so much a garden as it is a forest with endless paths and beautiful plants. I will one day bring my camera on my run, but for now exploring the limitless possibilties of trails is my first task. The gardens make you feel like you have really escaped from the city. It was completely possible for me to run for miles with out seeing another person by wandering aimless through the dirt paths trails that crisscross the entire locations. Something tells me I am going to be running a lot more now....

I am completely exhausted, worn out, and yet cannot find my self able to sleep for the fear of missing something. This has been an incredible welcome to what I am sure will be an amazing adventure.