It’s been a little while since I last wrote but a lot of stuff has been happening and I haven’t really had time to sit down, think, and let it all sink in. Now that I have, I’m quite happy with my decision to come here to New Zealand even though not everything is a walk in the park. Since getting here, I’ve had a million things going through my head about what I should be doing. I made a list of all the tasks I need to complete which turned out to be 2 pages long with some important things and some not so important. Nevertheless, it’s been overwhelming. I’ve finished my first week of classes and still don’t have a great sense of where the classes are going. I think that’s because all four of them have about 300 people in them and there’s a major sense of urgency in the rooms. I really haven’t found the actual classes very helpful for learning; they’re mostly useful for finding out where everyone else is and what I should be reading.

Even though things are going well, I still have this enormous sense that I’m missing some kind of opportunity; not really sure what it is I guess that’s just my paranoia talking. The social scene here at The University of Auckland has been a little overwhelming for me too. There’s a whole scene with the dorm I’m staying in, there’s a whole thing with the international students, and then there’s heaps of clubs to join which offer an assortment of offerings. I was tempted to join a few clubs, but since I still don’t have a good idea of what my routine will turn into and I don’t have steady employment yet I decided to hold off on that for a bit. I may join up with the ski club when it gets colds in June and July. The nightlife in Auckland is SOOOO much better than in Cincinnati. Firstly, I’m legally allowed to drink here. Secondly, the drinks are a third to half cheaper. Thirdly, you can walk just about anywhere. And fourthly, people in general are much more friendly and it’s not hard to have a good time with people you just met or barely know. I do miss several things about Cincinnati. All of the people, of course, but something I would kill for right now is a Chipotle burrito. I’m not eating quite as much here so I find myself thinking about food a lot. The food here really isn’t that bad, just repetitive. Most fast food restaurants are located here in Auckland, and Wendy’s is the one I think I will enjoy the most. I’ve only been there and Subway so far because I’m trying to be cheap. I almost feel like I’m walking into America when I go to one of those places. I know that when I go home in December I’ll really enjoy myself but at the same time I probably won’t want to stay forever. Anyway, it’s late here and I need to wake up for class tomorrow. I’ll trying to get some pictures posted up here soon that I’ve been taking.