First Impressions

Here I am in New Zealand. I have been here for one week and I already feel like I belong. As difficult as it was to get over the homesickness, the beautiful city, sun, and people are enough to make it feel like a second home. Already, I have met people from Germany, Cuba, France, Somalia, and even my very own hometown in Virginia. Everyone enjoys each other’s company so cohesively that it makes me feel like Wellington must be the best town in the world.
The city itself is quite the site. I have already tramped to the highest point in Wellington, the discouragingly steep Mount Victoria that looks over the entire city and its suburbs. I have noticed several striking differences from home: small cars, short buildings, and houses that all have different colored roofs. Looking at Wellington from a bird’s eye view is like looking at a mosaic of friendly earth tones contoured against a rigid ripple of mountain slopes. This is my kind of city.
I truly did have the homesickness bug. The entire 36-hour trip from lonely central PA, I was thinking, “what the hell am I getting myself into??”. I felt sick thinking about how much I missed my mum and dad and friends. But then, oh but then, I took a step outside into the beautiful sunshine, and felt the Pacific breeze, and I knew that it would all be worth it. My main motivation is to share with you the incredible experiences I will have in the next 6 months, here in New Zealand. New Zealand!!!
It has only been one week, and I have already felt the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. From swapping stories with Maori bartenders and trekking miles or laying carelessly on the beach, to finding myself homeless and that no café makes a coffee the way they do back at the Cheese Shoppe- the ride has been an emotional roller coaster. I can only imagine what the next six months will bring.
I have enrolled in four classes at the Victoria University of Wellington, called “Uni” by the locals. They are: Field Ecology (1-week field trip during break), Geography of Globalization, Physical and Biological Processes in Ecology, and Population and Community of Ecology. I hope to see and learn all that makes up the unique environment of this secluded island. Classes start February 26th. Until then, I will be tramping around in the South Island with a good friend and a good tent.
Please contact me; emails are easy and friendly. I have moved in to a single flat in downtown Wellington, just a block from Bohemia central. I will also be posting photos frequently, once I become more familiar with my computer and the blog settings. Enjoy, and keep in touch!

Johanna Mirenda - 20105
Education House
Unicomm Accommodation
235 Willis Street
Wellington
New Zealand