FREE DAY!

After getting our much needed rest [I was the last to rise haha], we had breakfast together and were told we were given a free day to explore! We are right smack in the middle of the Paparoa National Park. It is perhaps the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Last night, we didn't have the chance to admire it's beauty on the drive here, which made waking up a literal eye-opening experience. We were waking up to a completely unknown habitat. Unknown but unbelievable.

After having a small breakfast together, we split up four and four and went off to explore. Zane, Will, Michelle, and Rachel went off on a 3-hour hike throughout our rainforest surroundings. Erica, Gi, Heather, and myself went off to the "town," so Erica and I could buy a few tee's. Somehow we only brought three each, which is not enough. I quote the word town because it consists of two cafe's and an info center. Ok so it isn't really a town. A ten minute walk turned into an hour walk because on the way we stopped in tons of random places to explore and be camera tourists.

We found a tiny cave that of course we jumped in to and took pictures. I bet NZers saw it as the equivalent as jumping in the sewer drain as kids, but for us it was awesome. We then took a detour to the coast to just look. And since we're in a national park, there are a lot of mapped out places to visit. The adventure was even more exciting due to the fact that the weather changes so quickly. Thank the Lord we all decided to wear our raincoats because one minute it was as sunny as anything, and the next it would down pour. By the time we returned home, we were drenched. That may have also been aided by the puddle jumping we partook in.

After a cup of tea, a sandwich, and a short movie, I am up and ready for the next part of my day of exploration. Tomorrow we start our conservation work, at a site five minutes down the road. Our work day will be from 8 am until 4 pm, and I cannot wait.

10:30 pm Saturday NZ Time

2.5 hour flight from Sydney to Christchurch over. And regardless of the name, it is not the holiest town in NZ. The flight was a lot of fun. It seemed that both south island NZ volunteer groups were seated together at the back of the plane, you know, the cool section. This made the final portion of travel to NZ that much more enjoyable.

After clearing immigration and customs, and not getting fined $100,000 or thrown in jail for having mud on our sneakers [like we all thought we would], we had 45 minutes to get our act together before leaving Christchurch's tiny port of air. It was just enough time to exchange money [and the American dollar is so strong! $1 American = $1.7 NZ], grab some grub, and call parents, who we all know were freaking out at this point. With that, it was time to say farewell to our fellow southern NZ volunteers stationed at another location, and catch the West Coast Shuttle for yet another long trip.

This 5 hour busride was our final notch on our travel chain to Punakaiki. The pass through the west coast is a windey one and the wind is intense. We even saw an overturned vehicle because of it! But the sites of the Southern Alps were amazing and we made it to our destination safe and sound.

It is now 10:26 pm on Saturday and after over 35 hours of travel, we are settled in and hitting the hay. Tomorrow will be great. A free day to spend exploring this unknown landscape and perhaps a few extra hours of shut-eye will be a sure way to start off these next four weeks. So with that, it's off to bed!

Cheers!

9:07 am Ausi Time

"Welcome to Qantas Airlines!" Gate 120. Outbound flight to Sydney, Australia. That's where I head, still a little unsure of where I'm going in LA's massive airport. I searched for an ISV staff member in the green shirt. Nothing. Snap, looks like I'm on my own.

But wait! I see one! An introduction, a few questions answered, and a hand at where other ISVers were located, waiting to depart. Then I get a tap on my shoulder.
"Hey, are you Becky?"
"Ummm...yes..."
"It's Erica!"
After receiving our project info a few weeks back and a list of everyone in our group, I put the great Facebook to work and found some of my group members. Erica was one. We hadn't talked much, but it was nice to have a partner starting Mission 2 of the trip. Over to gate 120 we went. The waiting area resembled that of one for a Spring Break trip: college students engulfing the entire area with laughs and enthusiasm. Clearly, it was fun.

Everyone was there for the same reason: to give some time at the beginning of their summer to volunteer overseas. Looking for a seat, I see another familiar face...Zane! Zane was another one of the people I chatted with via the book of faces. Introductions were simple as a whole group of us departing to different areas in New Zealand shared who we were and where we were from.

Finally, it was boarding time. 10:30 pm New York time and Erica and I just happened to have seats right next to each other. Convenient. We boarded the enormous, two-story Qantas beast and 13 hours, 3 movies, a little nap, and two plane meals later, we landed safely in Australia. We had a little over an hour to kill in Sydney's airport but we headed to our gate anyway to see who we were continuing to travel with.

Gate 33, 6:30 am Ausi Time on Saturday was where the gang first met. It was right then that I realized how great these next four weeks were going to be with my volunteer group. Our hometowns ranged from all over North America: Canada, Michigan, Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, and New York. All of us were from different backgrounds, with different interests, but the same purpose for sitting there. We hung at the gate for a mere hour, but it didn't take long for the comfort level to reach a high. We were cracking jokes, laughing, sharing what little info we knew about NZ, and getting impatient for the next flight. I mean, come on, we have just all been flying for hours over the past few days, lost our Friday, and just wanted to be in NZ!

8:05 am. Boarding time. We all got on and somehow all got seats right next to each other in the back of the plane. It kind of reminded me of bus trips in high school when all the "cool" kids congregated in the back of the bus. Ha, clearly we were the cool kids. It's funny, I never saw us getting comfortable with each other so quickly, but we did.

Now, we are on our flight to Christchurch, NZ for 2.5 hours, but it doesn't end there. We get to then take a 5 hour, actual bus ride to our volunteer site, Punakaiki, or "the P-place," as we all call it, [since none of us can pronounce it].

Mission 1. Complete.

Flight #1 = success! I didn't sit next to anyone sketchy, smelly, or who took up half my leg room, just a nice middle-aged woman heading to Erie, Pennsylvania. I don't know what I anticipated for the plane, but this tiny thing was definitely not it. US Airways Express planes are small! It felt like I was flying on a private jet with only enough room for my extended family and I. I liked it. It was cozy.

But, even though the flight was a success, it didn't leave on time. It wasn't a big deal though, not to mention the flight attendants had it under control. It's amazing how calm they are when something could potentially be wrong. "Goooood Morning Everyone and welcome to US Airways Flight 1406 to Philadelphia! We will be boarding soon, just after our mechanic checks something with the engine...blah blah blah...airplane talk...blah blah." Even though she mentioned that the engine was being looked at, I wasn't nervous. Huh, who knew those flight attendants had the gift of soothing speech.

So, anyway, I arrive in Philly at 1:30 pm...O wait that's the time I am supposed to board for LA! Whoops, better scurry. Of course my arrival flight came in on the opposite side of Philly's enormous airport than where I needed to board, so I needed to take a shuttle. Fantastic. I get off the shuttle and see "Express Walkway."Ok , that sounds good, I thought, it must be a shortcut. You can tell I don't fly a lot [or ever]. It apparently means a flattened escalator that makes even the slowest walker look like a track star. So, zooming I go, passing store windows on my right. I felt like I was in the mall at warp speed. Although, if express walkways were in the mall, shopping would be a quick trip.

Once I get off and slow down from warp speed, I hurry down to Terminal B. I haven't eaten anything all day at this point, so naturally as I pass each vendor I mumble sweet "Yum"s, "Oh man"s, and "That looks tasty"s as I pass, [low enough so I am not deemed a mental patient by passerbys ]. I get to the gate and after seeing a huge line decide to snag something from the vendor right next to it. $1o later and I have myself an interesting meal of chex mix, a granola bar, and a vitamin water [XXX of course]. Hey, better than nothing. With ticket in hand, I head to the flight attendant at the gate.
"You headin' to LA?!"
"Yup."
"O good, 'cuz we're leaving now."

What timing. A mere 5 minutes later and Philly would be my temporary home until I found another flight to LA. So, on the plane I go, one of the last to board. I get on seeing people sit two by two and can't wait for this roomy flight I will have, not to mention the plane would now fit an entire neighborhood, not just the extended family. So, I walk down the aisle behind a man pulling a small wheely, suitcase behind him. Every few steps he would stop and stare off into space. Meanwhile, I'm behind him, feeling I should introduce myself to the people in the aisle seats, since I saw myself spending a lot of time there. He finally sits down. Bye aisle crowd!

I get to my seat. Darn! The enormous two by two seats have stopped and are now three by three, but still roomy. Seat 23F. Jackpot! I get a window seat and no one sitting in the middle seat! That leaves me plenty of space to snooze, listen to some tunes, and read about Stephanie Plum's next adventure in Two for the Dough.

And finally, in my seat I sat, phase 1 of my flight schedule nearly complete. I stared out the window, undisturbed, for a few hours, peering at the beautiful sights below. I found it extraordinary that here I was, high in the air, feeling as light as a feather, but seated in a huge device made of heavy metal and the added weight of people. Ironic.

The views were amazing though. It's one of those times you wish everyone you know can take part in seeing what you see. It would make friends happier and enemies less like enemies. That's satisfying stuff I would say.

I would soon land, my friend from LA waiting for me in the baggage claim. Now, tomorrow...the real adventure begins.

Airport #1

Alright, so here it is. I am in airport #1, also known as Albany International Airport. Last night, I was extremely anxious about the trip, not about flying, not about New Zealand, but ABOUT THE AIRPORTS! I have flown and been in airports before, but I have always had people just kind of do the ticket business and find the gate business for me. I was a nervous wreck about getting my ticket and finding the gate, but you know what...it's not that difficult. My friend reassured me that when we thought our parents were geniuses for figuring out the flight stuff, they were actually just using common sense. Look up. Read the numbers. Go to the gate.

[Now watch, I'll get to the next airport and be completely confused. Ha hope not.]

Well, that's it for me...until next time.

One Week!

I chatted with a friend today about ISV. She went to Australia last year through the program and had the time of her life. The pictures and videos just proved that even more. She asked when I was leaving and I replied, "Well, a week." Her reply back to me was, "Oh my gosh! Are you freaking out?" My initial answer was no.

I honestly haven't had the time to pack, let alone "freak out." But now, a week from departure, the nervousness is kicking in a little. I will arrive home from school a mere four days before I leave for the great NZ. That is just enough time to go out and get everything I need to travel and pack. It will be cutting it close I think, but hey, I'm a college kid, I can pack and get ready quickly, right?

Some proper weather clothing, a few short novels, a notebook, a pen, a few bucks, a camera, and I am set. This month will be unlike anything I have ever done. And, well, I can't wait.

The Program

After writing a few times about the amazing program I am doing this summer, it came to my attention just today that I never fully explained the program itself. In coming posts, you'll hear about all of these activities that I am doing in New Zealand, but surely someone might like to know the background about why I am doing them! So, brace yourself, because here it is...

International Student Volunteers, the great ISV, is this unbelievable program that actually goes to schools, like Ithaca, to recruit their volunteers. We would just be sitting in our normal classes and out of no where an energetic Australian man would come running in with a clipboard saying, "Gooday mates! This won't take long. I'm just 'ere to tell you about this amazing opportunity going on this summa'!" And as he proceeded [with the fastest speech ever!] about the program and how we should sign the clipboard going around, that same clipboard somehow made it all the way around the room with tons of signatures. Tell me, now who wouldn't want to encounter a program with these type of enthusiastic people? The answer is NO ONE because they are a riot!

So anyway, back to the program. You go through this small application process that lets you rank what countries you wouldn't mind traveling to, what kind of work you wouldn't mind doing, and why you want to be apart of the program. It doesn't take long for them to get back to you. An email and a call later, saying, "Congratulations Becky! You're in!" and the process begins.

Now, ISV is not free, which could put a damper on being apart of this for some students. However, the great thing about it is that they will send you tons of information, well in advance, about how to obtain sponsorships for your journey overseas! [That's partly how I got to go.] You are also left with ample time to find other sources for help paying for the trip, which was a big help for me.

65 days prior to your departure and the adventure of a lifetime, they expect you to have all of your insurance, flight, and other materials in so that you are all set when your trip rolls around. They also give you the option of being on a "Group Flight" which means you will fly out of your country with people who are going to be in your volunteer group. This is especially helpful for first time travelers [like me!]. And now the good info...

You travel to your host country, where you will be living for the next four weeks. Your first two weeks are devoted entirely to your volunteer work because, hey, it's a volunteer program. This is the purpose of you being apart of ISV! You spend these two weeks with your small volunteer group. Throughout that time, you are encouraged to keep a journal of your experiences and the group periodically has discussion time talking about the work you are doing and learning more from each other.

But what would a trip be without immersing yourself and learning about the culture you have just been in for half of a month? The following two weeks are ISV's way of thanks I suppose, giving you the time to enjoy your host country. These two weeks you journey on an adventure tour.

For this portion of the trip, you team up with other groups who have been working around the country, giving you the chance to meet even more people dedicated to service. The adventure tour varies from country to country, but the bottom line is that you get to do activities and see sights that you may never again have the opportunity to do or see. Your last night is spent celebrating, sharing stories, crying, and laughing about the amazing journey you just took in another part of the globe.

With that the trip ends and your outstanding month overseas, having fun and helping those that need it, is apart of history.

How's that for an ISV low-down? Yup, I think I covered basically everything.

**Banner above: from ISVonline.com