I'm Done!

Well, I just took my final exam.. Multiple choice, short answer, T/F, and 4 essays.. but it was open book and note, so not too hard.

I am going to attempt to start packing my bags.. I bought an extra one to offset the weight and so I hope I am not over weight! Tonight, we have a group dinner at an Indian restaurant and then home to bed. My roommate has to go to the airport at 6am tomorrow, so I want to make sure I get some sleep in. We had a fun night last night and went out as a group to the hot stone restaurant and then to karaoke again.. I sang Britney Spears song and probably would have won the bar tab if I didn't leave early because I was tired!

I am leaving for the airport at 12 tomorrow and my flight from Christchurch leaves at 4:30 and then my LA flight at 7:30, then I finally arrive in Vegas around 4pm on June 11, which for me will last whole 48 hours!! Also, I will never get back May 18, 2009 since I lost it on the way over!

Hope you have enjoyed the blog, I am a little sad to go home, but I think that is being overshadowed by my 21st birthday coming up!!

Miss you all!

Love,
Allison

I'm sick :((((((

So, I finally caught whatever has been going around on the bus and I am in the hotel for the day. The rest of the group left at 7:30 for an animal reserve and won't be back until 6:30. I slept pretty bad last night and it was difficult to breathe, so I didn't want to risk it by going on a 3 hour hike in the cold. My teacher, Brij, was fine with it.

So now I am going to venture out to a pharmacy to find some medicine. I am really congested and have lots of pressure in my head. Not fun at all! I don't want to be sick for my birthday. But we are back in Christchurch and tomorrow is a free day so I want to rest alot and hopefully get better before the trip is over. We have our final exam on Wednesday and I need to be ready for that!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Tell me what you did! :)

Fun Times in Kaikoura!

Last night was fun! We had a great meal at our accomodation, The Dusky Lodge, and then a few us headed to downtown Kaikoura to The Whaler! We had a few drinks and played a few games and then braved the cold and walked back from town. This morning we were up early to go on Maori tour. Our leader Maurice, took us around to different places and to his house for morning tea. He told us about the Maori people and it was interesting. I was given a Maori name "Turo" which means "love"- how appropriate for me! :) After that we headed into town for lunch. Kaikoura is famous for its crayfish, our lobster, and it is very expensive! I have seafood chowder for lunch and it was very yummy.

After lunch, I went shopping on the way back to the accomodation and bought a few things at the Merino Wool Shop- one thing for myself, the rest as gifts! Then we had a lecture about Green Global Communities, which Kaikoura is one. As part of this, each person must take their trashbags to the dump and it costs them $4/bag. Ridiculous! I am all for saving the enviornment, but that is a little extreme.

Tomorrow, we leave for Christchurch and we are supposed to be swimming with the dolphins, but there is no guarantee. If not, we will go to a few wineries. That sounds great to me! :) Only 5 more days here and I am headed back home. A little nervous to fly after hearing about the Air France incident... say a prayer for me! :)

Love,
Allison

Tonight, we hav

In Kaikoura- our last stop!

To answer all of your burning questions, my camera does turn on, however it does not take pictures- just has a white screen. I have been taking photos with my video camera but for some reason the card is not reading on these computers.

Anyways, we left Motueka and had a 3.5 hour bus ride. We stopped for lunch in Blenheim, and then we were going to go to a winery but didn't end up having the time. We might go after our dolphin swin on Saturday. We got to see little seal pups and get really close to some bigger ones. That was lots of fun! :)

We have a group dinner tonight and will just be working on our modules.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!! Back to Christchuch in two days!

Allison

Hiking and Kayaking- An All Day Affair.

So, today began really early with breakfast and a short bus ride to Abel Tasmen National Parks- one of the most visited parks of New Zealand.

I chose to hike the 5 mile trek first, and then kayak back the rest of the way. We seperated into groups and were on our way. I must say that I really think I am going to need bunion surgery after this trip. It is absolutely killing me and I haven't wore any heels or bad shoes.

We finally made it to the beach and it was paradise.. A little cold, but so wonderful! We ate lunch and then switched we the other groups. We got all suited up and ready to kayak. I begged my teacher to be my partner, because I didn't want to have to paddle alot! We went to an island sanctuary and saw seal pups playing around in the water. They came right up and started playing with us. It was so cute.

After about 2.5 hours of kayaking we were back at the harbor and I have to say I am exhausted. We were supposed to turn in our modules (essays) tomorrow morning but we convinced our teacher otherwise! So, I am going to relax and drink a little of wine and make chicken tacos with a few other girls!

Tomorrow we are off to Kaikoura and hopefully if the weather isn't bad we will make it to swim with the dolphins. For some reason, we have had really great weather, besides the first week everywhere we go!

Have a great evening!

Allison

Beachside Cottages and Pancake Rocks

Last night we stayed in the cutest little beachside motel and a few girls and me had a little cottage. It was so comfy and cozy. It had heating pads under the sheets and kept me really warm. We made salad and pasta and it was delicious. I went to bed early and slept wonderfully!

Today, we left the cottages and headed for the Pancake Rocks aka Punaikaki. It was so amazing to see the beach and then these huge rocks just sprout up from out of the water. After that we had some lunch and we have pretty much been on the bus since then. Lots of traveling when we only stay one night at these places.

I have reserved the jacuzzi from 5-6 and I am going to go relax and enjoy myself. We are cooking spaghetti a little bit later. Tomorrow we head on to Motueka and on Wednesday we will be see kayaking. Then on to Kaikoura for swimming with the dolphins. Then it's back to Christchurch and the trip is almost over! Then my birthday and Vegas! :)

Allison

Facebook Album Link

I couldn't figure out how to post a picture- so go to my facebook album! :)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2798613&id=2058557&l=8223d0d50a