Yes. It's true according to New Zealanders. I have suitcases (bags) under my eye from all the travel, stress, and efforts of my trip here, but it's worth it! The 5.5 hours of driving from Eau Claire to Chicago, 4 hour flight to Los Angeles, 2 hour lay-over, 14 hour flight to Auckland, 3 hour lay over, 1 hour flight to Napier, 30 min drive home. Whew!
The flights were decent with few issues. Air New Zealand was actually a really nice flight on a brand new plane with very good food, service, and entertainment if you ever need to fly to New Zealand :). In the middle of the night I was able to look out the window above the ocean and the stars were beautiful with nothing but clouds below and a sliver of a moon around. I also was able to watch the sunrise and shortly after land on a small landing strip surrounded on both sides by water in Auckland. Like everyone has told me, it's beautiful.
The house I am living in is very nice and is surrounded by an orchard. The glass doors are from the floor to the ceiling and always open to the fresh breeze coming into the living room. The large windows are also always open with no screens on either. Because of this there are flies in the house but they aren't too annoying and its very pretty having the house so open. My host family is very nice and accommodating to me.
This morning I headed to my school for the first day. It was just a staff in-service day which was good for me to meet the principal, my cooperating teacher, and the other staff. I absolutely love the teacher I am working with! Her name is Katie and she is in her late 20's. She was so welcoming to me and we get along very well. I'm really looking forward to working with her. The school is also gorgeous. Instead of hallways, each classroom leads to an outside center that the students use to get from one room to the next. The rooms, like my house, have large windows and the rest is similar to classrooms in the United States.
The schedule is what is different. Every morning at 10:50am is morning break where all the teachers go to the teachers lounge (which has a beautiful outdoor porch overlooking very tall, pretty trees) and have tea, coffee, and biscuits. This lasts about 20 minutes before starting to teach again. Also, the school has a "brain break" at some point in the morning where the whole school stops for 5-10 minutes to eat fruit, drink water, and do something active. I think it's a good idea to make classrooms include this so the kids can focus again. Lunch is an all-school deal where all the kids eat outside under the trees (unless it is raining and they eat in the classroom). This is an hour long before afternoon starts.
Other things that are different include having swimming class at least once a week, mandatory uniforms in a public school, and the general teachers teaching specials like physical education and art. Overall I am very excited to be working in this school and feel lucky to be able to add this experience.
After school Heidi (who I am living with) and I went to lunch, the bank to finally get money from my bank back in the USA, and shoe shopping :). Then I went running around the orchard. I went for 50 minutes and did not cross the same path twice...it is a huge orchard and the views around it are gorgeous. Everywhere I look there is something beautiful to see! So much so that I kept stepping wrong on my foot because i would step in a pothole or on a rock when I wasnt watching what was below me.
It is currently 8:24pm, it is still light out, and the temperature is 76 degrees. I think I might like my life here...
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