Go There Goya!

hi hello! welcome to my blog! here I will be documenting my time in NZ as well as my future travels! stay tuned :)

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[Taken: 13-07-17] Thursday. Cardboard Cathedral built after the earthquake and also another beautiful memorial.

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[Taken: 13-07-17] Thursday. "Everything is going to be alright." Pretty reassuring words to start of the semester abroad. Here are more pics of downtown Christchurch.

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[Taken: 13-07-17] Thursday. After almost a full week of orientation at the apartment common room, we headed into town on a rainy after noon. We had lunch by the river in a place called Boatshed and walked around Christchurch for a while. We also visited the beautiful memorial for the victims of the earthquake.

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[Taken: 10-07-17] Monday. Checked in to my apartment! I am staying at Ilam Apartments in Canterbury which is the international student apartments. I have 4 other roommates, none of which were there when I walked in so I had a nice several hours to myself to unpack and recuperate. I really like my room and how I'm on the top floor. I also love how big the window is to let the light in the room. Back in my house in college, my window was really small which always made my room gloomy so I really appreciate these windows.

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[Taken: 10-07-17] Flashback to the time I returned to the airport the next day to meet up with the people in my program! At first I was waiting at the wrong meeting area and I was getting really anxious because it was nearing the time that we were supposed to meet up and I have not seen anyone yet. So I walked around the airport and found a University of Canterbury booth with a couple of students and also a cab driver. We were waiting for flights to arrive but on that day, it was really foggy in Christchurch. After waiting an hour, we find out that the flights have returned to Auckland because they could not land at the airport. I ended up taking the cab by myself to the apartments. The cab driver was so nice, she was telling me all about her life and also about Christchurch and giving me tips about phone and groceries and other things like that.

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[13-07-17] Sunday. A little out of order but I am sitting in a coffee shop called Supreme Supreme in the city of Christchurch after a weekend full of activities. A group of 4 of us headed to Akaroa yesterday and after having watched an unbelievable sunrise this morning, I'm just feeling extra blessed and grateful for such an opportunity to be studying here in New Zealand. The "Double Happy" sign in the coffee shop describes how I'm feeling right now exactly. I could even say I'm "infinitely happy" because of how content I am feeling such a pure bliss. I'm here reflecting on the past month I've been here in this beautiful country and I have nothing but positive and amazing stories to write about.

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Thank god for photographer friends! Here's a snippet from our day trip to Lyttleton and Diamond Harbour. We took a 40 minute bus ride from Christchurch to Lyttleton and then a 10 minute ferry to Diamond Harbour. Such a great day with friends!

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After hike necessity. 5 girls and 5 beers.

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check out my day trip to Lyttleton and Diamond Harbor!

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Finally...my point of entry was Auckland, New Zealand. I am so glad that I have about a 5 hour layover because going through customs was quite an experience. I spent about 2 hours in line because of my hiking boots. I did not know how strict they were but I can see why. They had to scrub down my boots to make sure that no invasive species can contaminate their land. So tip for travelers to NZ: clean every pair of outdoor shoes and camping and hiking equipment!

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Love this quote ❤️ I finally got the chance to read the letter my sister gave me. Blessed to have friends and family that support me and wish me well ☺️

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I've always dreamed of going to Fiji ... and here I am😁 (at their airport😅) After a long 11 hour flight from LA, I finally arrived in Fiji around 5 am. During landing it was still dark but after going through security and all that, walking out to their gates, the sun was rising behind the mountains. It was a short hour or 2 layover but I can say it was the prettiest view. I will definitely come back and stay in Fiji in the future.

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At this point, driving into LAX for my very first solo international travel, I was feeling really anxious. This is when it finally hit me that I will be on the other side of the world for almost 5 months away from my family and friends. Glad I had a great support system to send me off though 😘

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Watching the beginning of Lord of the Rings! Originally we were gonna go to the beach to relax but I figured it was too hot once I got to LA so I opted for a much cooler way to relax. Only got to watch about an hour of it but good thing I was given a USB with all the movies so that I can watch it in NZ.

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Lovely gifts from my sister. She printed out pictures for me to take to my apartment in NZ. She also got me a Kiwi fruit face mask as well as an inflatable travel pillow. Spent a whole 12+ hours in LA for a layover and just relaxed for the day.

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Here's to the beginning of new things! Trying out my first chicken and waffles during my layover in LA :) This has mango salsa and pico de gallo 😋

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Flying over Colorado on my flight to LA♥️ I hope to live here someday in the mountains:)