10 Months in New Zealand—Three Months In.


Kia Ora friends and family!
This weekend marked a relatively special day for me. When April 23rd rolled around, I turned 21 years old. Legally, it’s not a particularly important birthday here in New Zealand, where the drinking age is 18, but it is heavily celebrated (probably due to that pesky American influence). On the day, I was in the middle of a bit of vacation up on the North Island with some friends, and frankly I’m not into raging as much as some of my other peers, so the night consisted primarily of a few casual drinks and good chat. 
I was also reminded that I first arrived in New Zealand on January 22nd, meaning that I’d just surpassed three months in this incredible country. During that time, I’ve visited almost all of the major cities in New Zealand, traveled to and completed some epic tramps, and explored the heck out of every trail I could get to from my front door. It’s all been amazing. 
Still, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows all the time (literally and figuratively). Believe it or not, the vast majority (at least over 85%) of people who study abroad in New Zealand only stay for the semester. This means that in about six weeks the majority of my good friends, including all of my current flatmates, will be shuffled out for new folks right in front of me. With this in mind, I often have to remind myself that I can’t hop onto every adventure undertaken by my fellow foreigners. Many of them are trying to cram every little sight and activity they can into the four months they have here. To be clear, that’s awesome, and that’s precisely what I would do if I had that limited time here, but I’m in the midst of 10 months overseas. I can’t be a tourist all the time—I have  to be a resident. Otherwise, I’m just going to be exhausted by the time the next semester rolls around. 
While the friendly people and gorgeous landscapes may indicate otherwise, occasionally there are low moments for me. As the weather in the Southern Hemisphere gets colder and colder, I often wish it was getting warmer and warmer as it is for my friends in the dry state of California. Sometimes, as silly as it sounds, I miss being able to line up for a random trail ultramarathon any weekend of my choosing like I can on the west coast of the United States. And of course, sometimes I just miss my friends and family. 
All in all though, I know how these low moments work: You put your head down, you keep on going, and you know that you’re going to be a better person by the end of it. I think travel builds experience, and discomfort builds character. And heck, most of my time down here is pretty damn awesome, and I intend to stick it out through the good and the bad.

Cheers Mate(s)!
Mitchell McLaughlin

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