I apologize for my few posts recently -- my flat has been without internet access for over 48 hours now, making my nightly blog updates before bed a little challenging. As many of you have heard and experienced, the internet access at my flat (even when it is working) leaves much to be desired. However, I have since gotten hooked up to the wireless network here at the library, which is great. I hope to do most of my skyping and catching up here now so as to avoid the constant call drops that we all love so much.

The days continue to fly here in Dunedin. Classes started last week and have been keeping me quite busy. I'm still figuring out the most efficient ways to get around, where to get books, etc. but I'm finally getting the hang of things. Overall, the classes are pretty similar to those in the U.S. The biggest difference I've noticed so far is that there are fewer assignments and the final exam is worth more, typically about 60%. I don't pride myself on my test-taking skills, but hopefully it won't be too bad.

Last Saturday, Matthias, Natalie, and I went with two of Matthias' visiting German friends to the nearby Tunnel Beach and Moeraki Boulders, which was really fun. We went to Tunnel Beach (about 20 minutes away) in the morning, went back to the flat for lunch, then to the Moeraki Boulders in the afternoon (about 45 minutes away). There are so many places and things to see and do here. I was told that any weekend spent in Dunedin is a chance wasted, and it is so true. Every Monday, we regroup from the weekend and start thinking about where we want to go next.

On Sunday, we had a program trip to the Taeri plains, approximately a 45 minute bus ride from Dunedin. We were given wetsuits and then jetboated to another part of the river, where we would be for the rest of the day. We were put into random teams of 7-8 and participated in team challenges all day. They consisted of rafting, swimming, cliff jumping, running up mountains, and more. It was a very fun, but tiring day. As corny as this sounds, there's something about New Zealand that makes you feel like you can do anything.

I am realizing more and more how much healthier my lifestyle is here than in the U.S. I'm much more active, eating healthier, and relying on my cellphone and television much less. I'd say I'm averaging about five texts a day -- and that's being generous.

We are off to Christchurch this weekend, a big city about 4-5 hours north of Dunedin. My kiwi friend, Emma, that I met through my kiwi host, is a twin and is celebrating her 21st birthday this weekend. Her parents are throwing a party for her and her sister and we got an invite! It will be fun to be a part of a New Zealand family and experience Christchurch.

The pictures above are from this past weekend at Tunnel Beach and the Moeraki Boulders. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get pictures from our Taeri plains trip because of all of the water activities involved, but my program adviser took plenty so hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on them.

XOXO.