It's Cold, Rainy, and Wet!!!!!!!!

It was SNOWING yesterday!!!!!!!!! The school definitely did not prepare us for this trip. We traveled about 250km yesterday and it was very windy road, etc. We stopped for "morning tea" and lunch and I bought yet another jacket and hat. I definitely was not ready for this weather at all. It is freezing here!! And very primitive. Needless to say, we went from the nicest place we were staying to the worst place. It's a backpacker lodge, with 4 beds in one room and the room is no bigger than 10 x 10. The bathrooms are in another building like 30 feet away! So I didn't drink anything in fear of having to pee during the night. Last night we had hot dogs and hamburgers... they were pretty bad, so I just ate a few chips! Then we went back and work on our homework which was due in the morning.

This morning, Va Tech prepared breakfast- pretty much toast and cereal and we departed for the Mt. Cook Village. We took an hour bush hike which was pretty nice and offered really nice views. The weather was bad and the clouds set in. It was difficult to see much. We then ate lunch, which was a packed lunch we had to purchase yesterday. I decided to get a prepackaged salad which was not a good idea because of the fact it kind of wilted. I had a granola bar too, so that was good. We continued to the Hooker Valley for our hike to see the glacial formations. The long hike was 3 hours, but I decided to turn back with our tour guides( they are a retired couple that run a B&B in Rotorua on the Northland) and a few other girls. We had already hiked an 1 or so and our boots were wet and we were cold. It constantly just mists here, it is awful. On the bright side of the things, it is supposed to be sunny tomorrow and good weather! I am praying for this because the weather is truly depressing! :( After we came back with our group, we went to the Hermitage which is a luxury hotel based at the bottom of the mountain- this is a place where I would like to stay for sure! Of course, it was too expensive for our group to stay there.

Tomorrow, UF has breakfast duty which means up early to prepare things for a 7:30 breakfast and then packing the bus. I refuse to have the duty to pack the bus, plus we only have 1 guy, David from South Carolina, who reminds me of Robby- that's all I'm gonna say! Then we depart for Te Anau. We will stop at an apple orchard call Mrs. Jones' and I am excited for that.

I miss you all and hope you are having a great weekend! There are no phones here so if I haven't called, that is why. Hopefully tomorrow I will have better luck. I bought a great phone card, but it doesn't have good rates from payphones- it charges a 50 cent surcharge or something!

Talk to you soon.

Love,
Allison

P.S- I never proofread because I am paying for internet, so forgive me if I make any errors!