7870 Miles from Home

I arrived in Dunedin safe and sound Monday morning, and thus began the big crazy adventure that is moving across the world by myself for five months.

The first two things I discovered upon landing at Dunedin's tiny airport: 1) New Zealand does not take a break from being beautiful in the winter and 2) I traveled by myself, but I'm not alone.

A sister, Sarah Wayne, picked me up from the airport with her adorable little boy, we hopped in the car (Sarah smiled, "...other side Christina"), and we drove to campus. After I'd checked in at the flatting office I dropped things off at my new home, then we went to the sisters' house, then out for coffee. At that point I had traveled for about 18 hours and I was tired, a bit overwhelmed, and seriously wanting a shower...but sitting in a friendly little shop with warm people and sipping a delicious mocha was wonderful.

Afterward we dropped by a phone shop, then Sarah dropped me off at the flat. One of my flatmates was there already, so we got to know each other a little while I unpacked my room. The flat is fantastic, and exceeded my expectations. The first things I noticed about my room were the size and the windows. The room is large and has a high ceiling, which adds to that effect. My east wall has a massive window--about 7 feet long and 10 feet wide. I LOVE this, and I love the flood of sunlight that fills the room in the morning (at about 8:30, when the sun is finally up). I'll try to post a few pictures by the end of the week.

A little about my flatmates: Hillary is the first one I met--she arrived a little before I did on Monday. She's from Los Angeles, and studies Aerospace Engineering and International Relations at USC. Jennifer arrived Monday evening. She was born and raised in Kentucky, and is studying English and French at Transylvania. Maxine, our kiwi host, got in Tuesday afternoon. She's from a small town outside of Christchurch, and is doing a fourth year at Otago for honor's research in politics. (Here, university is done in 3 years typically, not 4.) All three girls are super nice, and from what we've learned about each other it seems that the university did a good job placing us together based on lifestyles and interests. Maxine in particular is super bubbly, and her contagious laugh even makes discussing cleaning routines funny.

Today, my first full day here, was awesome. I toured Otago and fell in love with the beautiful campus, explored downtown Dunedin, discovered a couple of great places to eat, met more extremely friendly people with cool accents, and ended the day sipping drinking chocolate with the girls and discussing everything from Jane Austen to the most efficient way to dry clothes without using our dryer.

So, that's where things are now. I'm still adjusting to the cold (it is frigid outdoors for all but maybe 6 hours of the day, and pretty much constantly chilly in the flat), still adjusting to the daylight (or lack thereof), and mostly adjusted to the time difference. Lots of other adjustments are ahead, but I am enjoying the process. I'm happy, and I'm very thankful that the Lord has brought me here.

If you want to write, my address is:

43 Howe Street
North Dunedin 9016
NEW ZEALAND

Any mail larger than a letter you can send to:

Christina Danek
c/o University Flatting
105 St. David Street
North Dunedin 9016
NEW ZEALAND