Off to New Zealand in the morning!

This has probably the busiest school week I've had this semester. Compared to all the other weeks, there has actually been quite a bit to do. Presentation on Monday, paper due and midterm on Thursday, and two other papers due right after break. I can't complain though; after all, I'm here in Australia to study! The time spent in the library and various other locations on campus has all been worth it... Mid-session break officially starts tomorrow! Yaaay! Hard to believe that we're already halfway in the semester. Time is going by too quickly! 

Tomorrow morning Isabelle, Sydney, and I fly to Auckland. We will be spending 8 great days driving around the North Island of New Zealand. We haven't planned our whole trip, but we know there are a few things we definitely want to do and see, like explore the caves in Waitomo and go hiking in Tongariro National Park. A little nervous about the whole driving-on-the-opposite-side-of-the-road-thing, but hopefully it'll be fine. It can't be THAT hard... Right? 

The climate in New Zealand is a little colder than Australia, so we've been a little worried that we wouldn't have enough warm clothes. We took the opportunity to go to the Birkenhead Point Outlet in North Sydney yesterday. Didn't find too much, but I did go home with a new travel towel that I am very excited about. Who knew a compact, travel towel from Macpac could make me so happy? 

Anne, Isabelle, and Sydney

We went back to Anne's place after shopping. Our party of four turned into a party of six as the night progressed. We were joined by Anne's boyfriend, Charlie, and a massive huntsman spider, Webster. One of the additional guests was much more welcomed than the other. Can you guess which? Webster and I didn't really hit it off that well.

Webster the huntsman. Yikes. 

It turned into a wonderful evening filled with wine, pizza, and great conversation. Anne, Charlie, and I weren't keen on calling it a night when Sydney and Isabelle went home, so we ended up going out on the town. We went to Golden Sheaf in Double Bay. Heaps of fun! 

(Side note: Aussies use the words "heaps" and "keen" a lot. Adorable!) 

Elevator selfie with Anne and Charlie 

Today has been a very low key day. Packed and repacked my backpack about a dozen times, questioning the value of each item (less is more!). Also cleaned the my room and made sure everything looked in order. I always leave my room spotless before going away... What if something happened on the trip, and the crime scene investigators had to go through a messy room. Can't let that happen! 

It's getting late, and we have an early flight tomorrow. Before I head to bed though, I'd like to say a quick thank you to those of you who have sponsored my 10K so far! Thanks to your wonderful contributions, I'm only $65 away from my fundraising goal. The money goes to the treatment and management of MS (Multiple Sclerosis). There's still plenty of time to donate, so feel free to click here if you're feeling particularly generous! Every little bit helps. Thanks again! 

Love, 
Suzy