“Hurihuri” – Maori: take it easy

That quote seems like an oxymoron for us. We here “hurihuri” and we think of hurrying from on place to the next. But it means the opposite in Maori. It means to stop and smell the roses, to take it easy, to be at peace, to reflect on things. I really think that’s going to be key in this semester. I’m always so busy, trying to get one thing done after another, that I often forget to stop and appreciate exactly where I am and what God has done for me. I hope to get better at that while I’m here.

Third day, still raining. Still cold. Slowly getting used to bundling up in thermal wear and fleece and a hat all day long. I’ll probably be going to classes in my sleeping bag once we start up. I know I won’t be the only one. :P I don’t care about the cold or the rain though. I’m in New Zealand! How cool is that.

We went to the Kaikoura museum today and learned some of its history, then had some free time. Since it was Sarah’s birthday today (one of our leaders), we had cake and ice cream, and played some hilarious games with her. Good times. :)

I managed to get in touch with the Qantas airlines today to see if any wallet had turned up. Nothing had. So I figure since it’s been 2 days already and nothing, I probably won’t see that wallet again. :( Things are starting to fall into place, though. I was able to cancel all my cards and get new ones requested, so hopefully they’ll reach my house soon and then I can get them before I go to Samoa. I hope I hope I hope. I’m still stressed, but not as much now that I’m slowly making progress to resolve the problem. And everyone here is so nice and supportive and willing to help me out for as long as I need. I couldn’t ask for a better group to be with right now.

I’ve only known most of these people for 3 days, but I feel comfortable with so many of them already. It is like freshman year again just because you don’t know people – you can’t avoid that. But we’ve all come here with basically the same intentions and we all want the best experience we can get, so I feel that we’re all more genuine and real with each other than at the beginning of freshman year. It helps to get to know everyone that much quicker, as we really only have 3 ½ months or so.

Classes don’t start up for another week! Woohoo! We have orientation till next Thursday (Sept. 11) then we have student trips until that Sunday (Sept. 14). So we don’t even start classes till the middle of September. That’s awesome.

Leah