My first week at the most beautiful end of the world

After one week here in New Zealand, I've already experienced a lot. I want to tell you a little bit about it...

When I finally arrived in New Zealand after 30 hours, with a little stopover in Ohakea due to a closed runway, James, who takes care of the international students, picked me up. He is really cool and relaxed (a true Kiwi) and we drove to Thames with one of the school buses.

Arriving at my host family, I had 10 minutes to pack my stuff for camping. My host mom wanted to go camping in the mountains until Monday. I think that helped us get to know each other better and allowed me to experience the incredible nature in New Zealand. We went swimming or hiking every day and in the evenings, we observed the starry sky and even saw a shooting star. :-)

On Wednesday, the orientation days started for us international students. We received a lot of information, our timetables, and our uniforms, and got to know the school. In the afternoons, we were allowed to swim in the school's pool, which I think is very cool. On Friday, we were officially welcomed with the freshmen and an impressive ceremony: First, the girls had to enter, then the boys. The girls had to sit in the back rows, the boys in the front. Then, a speech in Maori was given and sung. After that, we were allowed to shake hands with many men and women (I think they were former students). I felt like I was on my first day of school at FAG.

Today, my host sister and I went to a beach with a few other international students. We spent a few beautiful hours there. We were told that a stingray was seen, but fortunately, we didn't encounter one (@Cara: also no shark). I have to admit, I also got a little bit of sunburn, as I spent so much time in the sun. After that, we walked around Coromandel, a very small town.

Monday is my first real day of school. I'm really curious how I will find my way around the big school. I will definitely keep you updated.

See you soon,

Lena