Wow, I can't believe I am half-way done with my adventure in New Zealand. The time goes by so quickly! It feels like I just got here. School is going well. I like teaching more and more lessons and the girls are still very well behaved in my class. I am slowly learning their various personalities and strengths. I also am adjusting to the differences between how a school is run here and how a school is run back home. I am really liking the more laid-back feeling of my classroom here and interested in seeing if I can actually pull this way off back in the USA.
Outside of school, it's like I have a whole new life here. It is funny to think about how quickly I settled into a different place with all new people and all new schedules. Art deco was an amazing weekend. It was really fun dressing up, seeing all the old cars, watching the shows, walking around, going into some bars, and dancing.
Last weekend Carolyn and I headed off to Rotorua. They call it Rotovegas but that is a stupid nickname because it is nothing like Las Vegas. First off, it smells really bad because of natural hot springs all over the town. They are really cool to look at and read about the history but make the town smell of rotten eggs. We went down a louge track, went on a sky swing, pet random farm animals, ran all over the town looking for wine, went to an awesome hostel bar where we made international friends, saw government gardens, and went down the most exciting white-water rafting trip ever. It was tiring but fun!
After getting back home late Sunday night I had to pack up and get ready for a week of camp with my class. It was about a 4 hour drive to get there and was pretty isolated. We stayed in cabins and the girls loved it there. There was a lot of hiking trips that we did but the views were amazing. We also went caving and I have never gotten so muddy in my life! But once again it was worth it. Some of the girls really had to push themselves to keep up but they all made it through the week and were troopers. It was tiring beyond belief being with these girls for 24 hours a day but it was a really good experience and I'm happy I got to see the New Zealand bush up close and personal!
Unfortunately, right now I am sick. I have been for a little over a week and I am really hoping this goes away soon because I don't want it to get in the way of the time I have left! I have trips planned to Auckland, Queenstown, and Wellington on weekend before leaving. I am looking forward to all of them!
