2 More finals...Learning in NZ

I think I am including this post mostly just in case people get the wrong impression about what my time in New Zealand was for.....studying :) We had to document us studying a little for fear you might not believe that there were some days spent studying, I just don't generally like to bore people with the details about them, but here is the proof! We had fantastic study sessions sitting out on the couches in front of the common room and under the patio roof when the rain started. After the Tongariro crossing and fishing adventures I did have 2 more tests.

But really make any assumptions you'd like about what I did based on this blog....because you'll probably be right especially if you say it looked like a lot of fun and a lot of amazing once in a life time adventures. Sure I learned heaps in school but that is nothing compared to what I learned about the world and people. Surrounded by such diverse people in a completely unique place and being on my own taught me more than any professor in any school could have. I learned how to travel and take care of myself. I learned canadian bacon and ham aren't really the same thing. I learned how to better think on the spot and figure out problems real people face in life, not just school. Although I must admit New Zealand is a bit more forgiving then the US probably is. When I did make mistakes the consequences were minor and if you smiled real big and asked really nicely the consequences were usually forgotten. Years of preparation and hard work back home really payed off as well. So many occasions I saw how something I had done or learned in the past really prepared me for almost anything I face in NZ. Like those days of never surrender skiing with Dad, some that resulted in frost bite, made any treacherous conditions on the slopes of a snowy volcano manageable and even kind of fun. I remember thinking just after my first 2 weeks, I had already learned enough to make this trip worth it, I can't even express now how much the full 5 1/2 months taught me. My eyes have especially been opened more to how culturally close minded people can be, and I hope I can continue to have a better understanding of people and where they come from as I got throughout my life. Everyone is proud of where they come from, who I am to belittle or stereotype their heritage. There is no need to freak out when someone pronounces vitamin, capillaries, nutella, or about different because I'm pretty sure the rest of the world could team up against how I say Z or mountains without the t. I'm sure my Canadian and European friends could list about a hundred other things I say or do because I am american, but it didn't really matter

Brayden's Study break

Study Break photo graph skills

Muffin break!