Final Blog

There are a multitude of challenges I have faced over the past month- hiking for 8.5 hours through Tongariro crossing, waking up early, writing two final papers while traveling, and stepping onto the plane to fly back home to name a few. I think though, the hardest thing for me to do during th trip was to get to know everyone in the program. I oftern prefer to sit back and observe what is going on around me rather than directly participate in a conversation of activity when I am not familiar with the people involved. It took a lot for me to open up and try new things, but despite the effort I put forward, I feel as thought I was really able to get to know everyone on a personal level. It’s rewarding for me to know that I was able to learn something from every single person that I have had the amazing opportunity of traveling through New Zealand with. I know that I have changed for the better in several ways because of this experience.
Deciding on my favorite memory form the trip is really hard. But I think my favorite times were when the entire group was together and we completed hard task together or became closer. No other country I have seen so far can compete with the beauty of New Zealand, and experiencing it together made it even more memorable. There is nothing quite like 26 people all marveling at the same thing. , whether it is clear seawater, strikingly tall mountains, or playgrounds, but since we did, I know I will never forget any of it.