“I’m naming this first leg of our trip ‘Escape from LA,’” joked my study abroad professor as we fumbled our way through the labyrinth of the LAX airport, trying to find the international terminal. I felt that, on the whole, no phrase better sums up the past 40 hours of my life.
I’ve never been abroad before, so the nerves before leaving for the airport had my stomach in knots. A month in New Zealand?!? What was I thinking?? Of course, I was going with a friendly group of students and excited faculty, but as someone who gets nervous even just ordering take-out, I couldn’t help but doubt myself. My first flight was out of a small airport, so security was a breeze (thank goodness), and there were even puppies wearing sombreros for Cinco de Mayo sauntering about. I spent the first two flights binge-watching the Lord of the Rings movies for my class (as they were filmed in New Zealand) and eating Snickers bars. Los Angeles was really where the adventure began, hence my opening quote; the walk to the international terminal felt like a 20 mile maze. There was no train, and we walked forever through sketchy tunnels and food courts. FINALLY we found our gate, I never thought that time would come. Maybe whoever made that airport knew that we’ve been sitting on airplanes for far too long and needed some walking, who knows?
Our flight left at around 10pm. I’d never been on a nighttime flight before (apparently this trip is a lot of firsts for me), and I am terrible at sleeping in cars, or really anywhere that’s not my bed, so I was nervous about sleep deprivation and surviving the 13 hour flight. I was so amazed by the airplane, though, since I’d only ever been on domestic flights; first class looked like a resort, there were three rows of seats, and they gave us blankets! I’m sure I was probably the only person baffled by these things, but they excited me! I began the flight by watching half of Frozen, reached my goal of 3 hours of solid sleep, and closed it with the second half of Frozen. I also got to experience airplane breakfast!
It was about as good as it looks…
After a few hours in Auckland, New Zealand, there were a few things in particular that stood out to me, the biggest being the country’s emphasis on sustainability. On the plane, we got wooden utensils promoting sustainability, and I also found the same utensils at casual food locations (which are also home to the most delicious, sophisticated bagels I’ve ever had). Also, in a public bathroom, there was a reusable, rotating towel. (I honestly had no idea how to use it, and my plan was to watch another lady use it, but she walked out of the bathroom without drying her hands, so that wasn’t helpful whatsoever). I’ve also noticed a lot more compost bins in public. New Zealand is really known for its nature and focus on preservation, so this does make sense, but even on a small scale, the difference between sustainability efforts between here and the US is very glaring. There’s also an incredibly prominent asian influence here; at least every other shop on the Auckland streets is Asian food or something related to Asian culture. Oh, and also interesting, there’s a lot more tiny restaurants on the street that could fit about 3 people maximum. I’ve seen these in the states, yes, but not so frequently as here.
(Behold, the reusable public towel.)
I’ve learned so much from just my first day on this trip, although I’m definitely still very intimidated. One of my goals for this trip is to not let my fear or lack of confidence hold me back from experiencing one-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and I want to soak up everything, from the traditional Māori ceremonies to the mass of pigeons swarming the riverside. But I think I’m already beginning to understand what it means to really live, and I can’t wait to do so much more of it. Stay tuned!