More Craic...

And now, Ireland - part 2...

Our last day of 2009 was spent traveling across the country. Galway lies on the West coast, on the Atlantic, while Dublin is on the East coast and the Irish Sea. Our only stop along the way was at Clonmacnoise. This former monastery lays in ruins on the Shannon River and offers stunning photo opportunities with its large collection of celtic crosses and large guard towers. This must have been a fantastically beautiful place to live when it was still inhabited by the monastic Christians over a century ago.

From Clonmacnoise, we made the rest of our journey to Dublin. Most of the bus dozed in and out whilst Eunan informed us of various aspects of the lives of the Irish, including healthcare, education and the economy. My most memorable moment from this sleepy ride was when Eunan told us that New Zealand lamb was the best in the world. I can't say I disagree. :)

Our hotels were located in Dublin 4, which at one point was the most expensive locality in all of Europe to buy property. After settling into our hotels, we took a short walk around the suburb before eating dinner and getting ready for our New Year's Eve party! At most Dublin bars on New Year's Eve, huge cover charges apply and reservations are an absolute necessity. So instead, the UMass and UDel bands were brought together at our hotel for a party worthy of bringing in the New Year. What a fantastic night. For the last four years, I have spent my New Year's at work. And while this is one of the most fun nights of the year to work, celebrating with your best friends at a bar in Ireland is a much more fun way to ring in the New Year. And about 4 hours into the New Year, I headed to bed. I had to get some sleep before the parade in the morning.

Friday morning was the day we had all been waiting for. Our parade through the streets of Dublin followed by a performance outside the Lord Mayor's house for her family and representatives from the American Embassy. This was one of the strangest parades I have ever been. 1. There were only three pieces to the parade: a 25-member police band, 25-member community band and the approximately 400-member UD/UMass band. 2. We did about 3 U-Turns. It was bizarre. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience. Our sound echoed off of the buildings that lined the streets. The vibrations from our warmup set off a car alarm. This was really funny, but also made tuning a nightmare...

After our performance, we had the rest of the day in Dublin to explore before returning to the hotel for dinner. After dinner, a bunch of ΦΜΑ brothers from UDel headed over to the UMass hotel to mingle with the guys there who are in the process of starting a chapter. It was fantastic just being able to spend some time getting to know them.

Next day? Exploring Dublin! Eunan gave us the full guided tour, showing us the Georgian style of housing that is prominent throughout Dublin, the government buildings and some other historical sites. We made our first stop at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Ironically, it is not a Catholic church, nor is there an official Catholic church in all of Dublin. However, this extremely old church has absolutely gorgeous exterior and interior architecture and a beautiful, yet ancient, organ. Our next stop was Trinity College and the Book of Kells. The campus looked incredible covered in snow and based on looks, I could totally go to college here. The only bad thing about the Book of Kells was the unfortunate rule against photographs being taken. These ancient texts have lasted for hundreds of years and surprisingly still have the vibrant colours that their illustrators intended them to have. Our final stop for the day was the Guinness Brewery, the "Holy Ground" in Dublin. I became a fan of Guinness for sure during this trip and there is none fresher than that at the brewery. My favourite fact from the tour? 2/3 of all Guinness is exported. That means that 1/3 of all of the Guinness consumed globally is consumed in Ireland. Just more proof that the Irish win at drinking.

Our last day in Dublin was spent first with visiting Phoenix Park and then we were let loose on the streets of Dublin for the day to finish up shopping and see anything else that we had yet to see. It was a fun day, wandering around in our groups looking for bandos from other buses. Cold day, but a fun one. Most people spent the last night in Ireland at the hotel bar, enjoying each other's company before we all came back to America the next day.

This trip was better than I ever imagined it would be. The chance to travel a foreign country with so many of my friends was just fantastic. I can't wait to be abroad again in the future with these people again.

Keep reading...

Liam

Sláinte!

Apparently going to the South Pacific, Down Under and Down Under Down Under wasn't enough to quench my thirst for experiences abroad. After a mere 20 days in the States, I boarded yet another plane, this time heading over the Atlantic Ocean. After my flights earlier this year, this one should have felt reasonably short. Just 5 hours!

However due to a late arrival, rain, fog and god knows what else, I was somehow able to watch half of the movie The Hangover before we even took off. I didn't sleep a wink on the plane but instead stayed awake with one of the UMass drum majors, Jon Swengler. Great conversation was had, many starbursts were eaten and I ended up with not only a new accessory for that random button hole that serves no other purpose on my pea coat, but also a fantastic new friend. Needless to say that it was a long travel day. Luckily, we had a 3 hour bus ride from the Dublin airport to our hotels in Galway; giving us plenty of time to sleep. After checking in and settling in a bit, all of the Delaware bandos boarded our coach buses and drove to the UMass hotel, where the entire band got out our instruments and rehearsed in an underground parking garage. Wow. I thought I missed band? I realised how much I missed it after that rehearsal. There's just something about making music with hundreds of other people that I really love. After rehearsal, we had a delicious dinner at our hotel (beef stew & bailey's cheesecake...does it get any better?!) and began making plans for the night. A group of eight of us hit the town, wandering around Galway until we found a suitable pub. Pub 1: full of elderly people. We stuck out like sore thumbs. However, clearly a classic example of an Irish pub. Pub 2: louder & a younger crowd. We had a blast here, including watching some guy pass out from either too much Guinness or too much whiskey. Or for combining too much of the two. This night was an absolutely incredible first night in Ireland and it was tough for any subsequent night to even come close!

Waking up early? Not my favourite thing to do. However, when you're greeted by a fantastic Irish breakfast, you feel much better about it. We then loaded our coach buses and headed out to the Burren. * A note about our bus driver. Eunan, or Smithy, was an absolute wealth of information about Ireland. He talked literally non-stop from Dublin to Galway and back again. His sense of humour was incredible and he had great delivery of all of his punch lines. Also, his voice was really soothing and it was quite easy to fall asleep while listening. One girl even said that her dreams had begun to be narrated by Eunan. In short, fantastic driver/tour guide. * The Burren is an area in the northwest part of County Clare that is known for its rocky terrain. Stone walls stripe the countryside and it was eerily familiar to the terrain of New Zealand. Our destination for the day were the Cliffs of Moher. These stunning cliffs rise from between 120 and 214 metres above the sea and offer magnificent views of the Galway Sea. This was an absolutely beautiful location to visit and the drive there was just as spectacular.

That evening, we went to the Latin Quarter of Galway where several pubs hosted us for "dinner" and drinks. I had fantastic luck in that I was able to find everyone I wanted to that night. After a bit of bar hopping and some late night snacking, we returned to the hotel in order to get at least a little bit of sleep before our first performance.

Our first performance in Ireland consisted of a cramped parade through the streets of Galway and a street concert for the Lord Mayor all the while being pelted with rain, sleet and snow. The most comfortable parade? Definitely not. But still, we were performing in Ireland! Yet another reminder of how much I missed this group. The rest of the day was spent exploring Galway with the altos and then heading to Munroe's for a night of Irish food, music and dancing.

Our second day of touring brought us to Kylemore Abbey. This Abbey is a former castle that was built in the mid-1800s and became an Abbey in 1920. This absolutely beautiful building sits lakeside in County Galway. It was a disgustingly cold and wet day but we managed to make the trek lakeside to both the Abbey and the neighboring church. This building now operates as an all girls boarding school. These are some lucky high schoolers.

That night, some of us trekked over to the UMass hotel to enjoy a different setting for dinner and drinks. They definitely had the nicer hotel in Galway. Worth the taxi fare there and back for a great dinner and birthday cake for Andrew's brother, Michael. It was a low key night, although the extremely intoxicated 16-year-olds from Dublin kept us entertained for a good portion of the night. This was the perfect way to close out our time in Galway.

In case anyone didn't notice...I fail at keeping things short, or getting them done in time.

More about Ireland, specifically Dublin, asap.

Until then,

Liam

USA! Yay?

Its been 2 weeks since I've returned home to the States. And what a couple of weeks it has been. Adjusting back to American time and culture was both really difficult and really easy at the same time. So let's discuss the pros and cons of being back in the U S of A.

Good Things:

• Getting to see my mom at the gate.
• Real coffee. With cream. And Splenda.
• Pizza. Real, delicious, 16 inches for $12, NY, thin crust Pizza.
• Bagels.
• Discovering Edam Cheese exists here.
• Getting to see Kiersten after her first semester in college and baking xmas cookies to celebrate. Also, realising we ate 1/4 of the dough and made the cookies twice as big as they were supposed to be.
• Christmas decorations with snow instead of shorts.
• Visiting Delaware and hugging about 20 people I've missed way too much.
• Continuing to hear "i hate you, you're tan" and "did you lose weight?"
• Rediscovering the amazingness of the people that I live with at UD.
• Learning to play the saxophone. Again.
• The speed of the internet. And it's relatively low cost.
• My dog still remembers me.
• Diners.
• Mom made a repeat Thanksgiving dinner. With Oma's stuffing. It seriously doesn't get better than that.

Bad Things:

• My stomach CONTINUING to get mad at me whenever I eat. or drink. anything.
• The whole stupid, 21-year-old, alcohol thing.
• Realising that after being completely settled in with 3 people in a house, I have to start all over. With people who have been together since Sept. Luckily, I love them already :)
• The obnoxious snail paced American legislative system.
• Having to read the daily synopsis of Shortland Street rather than watching it.
• Cold weather. (and yes, I know I said snow was good)
• Everyone has the same accent as me. And now I chuckle when I hear it. For this, I personally blame Elizabeth Zucco, Lauren Baier and Maggie Ray. Maggie also gets blamed for pointing out the speed at which I talk. I am totally conscience of it now.
• Newburgh <>
• No positive exchange rate. When I have a dollar, its just a dollar.
• Speaking of money, a pocketful of coins is not worth as much as I have become accustomed to. Also, the money all being the same colour is really boring.
• The fact that everyone I spent the last five months with is a minimum of a four hour drive away. And a maximum of a 22 hour flight.

I'll update this if more things come to my mind.

Merry Christmas,

Liam

So long Pacific...

In 5 hours, I leave Fiji and the Pacific behind me for (most likely) a long time. Let me tell you, the feeling is bittersweet.

I would almost rather say goodbye to my Dad at the gate and get on a different plane, bound back to Wellington. But at the same time, I'm super excited to see my family when I get off the plane in New York and to see long lost friends. It's going to be a whirlwind of three weeks until I get on yet another plane to head to Ireland. But that's a story for another day.

My day today was spent lying in a hammock for about 10 hours. I can only hope the plane is just as comfortable. I highly doubt it.

Can't wait to see everyone reading this and a few that aren't. :D

- Liam

Bula!

Bula from Fiji!

With only one more day left in Fiji, I can't believe how fast this trip has gone. While the days have taken forever to end, they have somehow managed to speed up, as they always do.

Since our arrival in Fiji, we have been sweating. The weather here never gets colder than about 22 degrees celsius. And in Wellington, it never got higher than 20. So I'm certainly much hotter here.

On Friday, we took a tour down along the southern coast to Suva, the capital. From there, we boarded long canoes and were motored up the river for at least an hour, through the pouring rain to a remote mountain village. There, we were greeted with a ceremony in which we were able to sample kava, which is a local drink. It is not alcohol, but does numb your tongue as novacaine does. An interesting drink for sure. It was awesome to visit this village, try some local cuisine and meet the natives.

On Saturday we took a boat ride out to a smaller island and did absolutely nothing. A bit of sand, a bit of sun and a lot of dozing. Basically relaxing on a beach with a cold drink. An awesome day. Hopefully tomorrow will be a repeat.

Sorry for no pictures, but I can't access my laptop here.

Can't wait to talk/see you all on Sunday!

- Liam

A Family Affair

Hey everyone,

Sorry I've been totes slacking on this blog thing. The past week has flown by and there has been little time to sit down and write.

Right now I'm in a small town called Frankston South, which is about an hours drive south of Melbourne. The best part about being here has been meeting new family! My dad's cousin has lived here for the past 20-odd years and it has been fantastic meeting her and her family. Melbourne is an awesome city that suits me better than Sydney. There were many similarities to Wellington, minus the hills of course. A plethora of cafes and bars dot the city and I was lucky enough to visit a few with my new found cousins.

Since Canberra, we have driven down to Melbourne through the Great Dividing Range and along the coast of the Southern Ocean. Our first stop was Jindabyne which is a ski town. However, when its warm and sunny out it's hard to believe that snow ever falls here. But the signs for ski shops and snow chains assured us that it was indeed a ski resort town. Our main reason for stopping here was to climb Mt. Kosciusko which is the tallest mountain in Australia. At 7310 feet, its the tallest mountain that I have climbed. The hike itself was pretty easy, but started out with

a cloud surrounding us, cold weather and 30 mph winds.

Uncle Bobby and I were a little hesitant but we knew that the hike was #1 on Dad's list for the trip so we stuck through it. Luckily for us, just as we arrived at the summit, the sun broke through the clouds and we were able to see everything.

In the end, the tramp was pretty awesome and it's pretty cool to be able to say that I climbed the tallest peak in Australia. (These two pictures are of the same stream. One was taken when we were climbing up the mountain and the other on the way down. The difference is awesome).

After that it was two days of small towns and the coastline. The small towns absolutely reminded me of New Zealand. I love the small town vibe over here and it was great to be able to stop in some more, just to meet the locals, get a coffee and see what strange thing each one is proud of. The coast is also really pretty. Australia may have some of the most desolate landscape that I've seen on this trip, but they also have some of the most beautiful beaches.

And now I'm in Melbourne. The last two days have been great here and I'll be sad to leave my newly found cousins (and Australia) in the AM. But now its on to Fiji and then the USA. These past few weeks, and past few months have flown by and I have a new respect for time. It never stands still, so take full advantage of every minute.

More from the South Pacific soon,

Liam

'tis the season

Kia Ora,

So in both New Zealand and Australia, the Christmas season starts immediately after Guy Fawkes Day (5 November). I must say that it is really weird seeing Christmas decorations in early November. In the US, we wait until after Thanksgiving before going full force into the season.

Well, today was Thanksgiving. Weirdest Thanksgiving of my life. No parade, no stuffing, no turkey, no pie, no Braveheart. It just didn't feel like Thanksgiving without these things. Our hope was to find a restaurant serving Kangaroo for dinner, but we were unable to do so. Instead, we went to a Chinese restaurant, where we all ordered duck. This immediately reminded me of the movie A Christmas Story. As the Christmas season in the movie ends, thus did mine begin. Once we left the restaurant, the Christmas lights across the street lit up and showed us that Christmas has truly arrived, both here and in the US.

Eat lots of turkey America. Happy Thanksgiving! :)

- Liam

The Tropics

Welcome back all,

Back in Sydney now after a few great days in Tropical North Queensland. We visited Cairns, whose name is the most ambiguously pronounced name that I’ve ever heard. While in Cairns, we spent two days on the Great Barrier Reef, snorkelling and the other day exploring the tropical rainforests that surround the town. I’ve snorkelled before but this was the best yet. The water was absolutely pristine; a bale green-blue colour that was only outdone by the colours of the coral themselves. We were able to see coral, fish, sharks and even a turtle! Unfortunately, no underwater camera for me, but I did manage to get some shots of the beautiful water.

On day two we travelled up the mountains into the rainforest. We took a scenic railroad up the hill and a cable car back down. Both offered stunning views of the valleys below us as well as the forest itself and some great waterfalls. Once in Kuranda, the village, we saw some wildlife up close and personal. I was able to pet a kangaroo and even cuddle a Koala!

We also spent some time with the local Aboriginals and learned how to throw a spear and a boomerang. They also performed some tribal dances and taught us the basics of didgeridoo playing. I also got some private lessons from a didgeridoo shop in town! The didgeridoo is a really cool instrument that requires a huge amount of breath control and air. Definitely a great experience to learn to play though.

Our last day in Cairns was also spent on the reef where we were once again stunned by the natural beauty present there. Sunburned and tired, we caught a few hours sleep before the red eye flight back to Sydney.

The weather in Sydney was gorgeous today and we took a ferry ride to Manly Beach which offered amazing views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Tomorrow, it’s off to Canberra and Melbourne. It’s hard to believe that I’ll be home in less than two weeks time...

More soon!

- Liam

The land of Oz

Its been almost a week since I left Wellington. I can’t even begin to describe how weird it has been to be without a home. It’s really hard to grasp that I won’t be returning to Landcross Street. Unlike my South Island adventure, which eventually returned me to my “regular life,” my time in Aus and Fiji will result in my return to my actual life. And again, I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am to be back in New York & Delaware.

Having Dad here has been fantastic. We landed in Sydney on Monday and Dad basically passed out in bed as soon as we arrived in our hotel. But after the hours he had spent travelling, it was totally understandable. We both slept well that night, I was emotionally drained from the last few days. On Tuesday, we rented a car and drove northwest of the city, towards Lightning Ridge. This tiny town is one of the first places in “the Outback” and is the only place in the world where black opals come from. We did some self guided tours of the region and then descended into an opal mine turned sandstone sculpture gallery. Wicked cool. For anyone who hasn’t seen an black opal, they are absolutely gorgeous. They certainly surpass the diamond in natural beauty and come close in price. Our drive out and back to Lightning Ridge included interesting characters, emus, kangaroos and heat. The temperature has been at least 40 degrees since we arrived. And that’s Celsius...

We spent yesterday in the Blue Mountains, one of the many “World Heritage Sites” located in Australia. These mountains constantly appear to be covered by a blue mist which is actually caused by the eucalyptus trees that fill the area. We did a few short hikes to see many different areas of the park which culminated in a train ride up the steepest railway in the world. At its steepest, it measures 52° and has a gradient of 1 to 1.28. This officially beats Baldwin Street in Dunedin in both gradient and thrill. While we were both nervous about the strength of the cable pulling us 450 metres (in length and 250 metres in height), Dad was definitely more vocal about it. Today it was the remainder of the drive back with a quick stop at the Olympic Stadiums, where the games of the XVII Olympiad were held in 2000. There was some pretty cool stuff to see here and I hope to be able to visit another set of stadiums soon, maybe when the games are being played.

After getting back to Sydney, Dad and I took a walk across the Harbour Bridge and I finally got to see my first glimpse of the Sydney Opera House. Less than 6 hours I was inside, about to hear the Sydney Symphony perform the fourth concert in their Prokofiev Series. On the program was Lieutenant Kije: Suite, Piano Concerto No. 5, The Ugly Duckling for Soprano and Orchestra and Peter and the Wolf. This was an incredible performance. The pianist who performed the concerto was fantastic. His body became one with the instrument and after a resounding amount of applause, he played a solo piece. I swear, he had 6 hands.

The most interesting part of this trip so far has been traveling with Dad. While New Zealand and Australia have very different cultures and accents, there are certain things that they share. And on these points, I have a clear advantage over Dad. My favourite moment so far has been when we went out to breakfast for the first time and Dad was asked if he wanted coffee. His response was simply, "yes." However, this is not such a simple question in Australia or New Zealand. As I've explained before, coffee is very different here. Dad's still adjusting.

Another great moment has been "teaching" Dad to drive. Even though he's successfully driven on the left side of the road before, I have way more recent experience. Almost every turn is preceded by "ok, so a wide right now?" And no matter how often he flips the windshield wipers on instead of the turn signals, it never gets old. And I chuckle every time. Uncle Bobby joins us tomorrow and I can't wait to help a new person adjust. Or hide some secrets and just laugh some more.

Kia Ora,

Liam

So long Aotearoa...

Last day in New Zealand.

It's currently 9PM here in Sydney and I haven't slept in about 36 hours. But these have been some crazy awesome hours.

After a 2AM drive to the airport with Maggie and Emily, I hung out with them before they had to go through security, on their way to Brunei and Thailand. Then it was the waiting game. People were crowding through the arrival gates from San Francisco, Santiago, Apia and Perth. But all I cared about was NZ5 from LAX. Finally, I started to see luggage tags from L.A. and then, a bright blue Delaware sweatshirt appeared in the doorway. I cannot describe how amazing it was to see him. After days of tears and depression with people leaving, it was great to see someone I hadn't seen in so long.

I got to show my Dad the smallest bit of New Zealand, but I think he loved every minute. From the view on top of Mt. Victoria to the beer at lunch, he was pretty happy with his 10 hours in the country.

Next we boarded our flight to Sydney and it was way harder for me to deal with than I had imagined. As the plane started off down the runway, I realised that I was going to take off from New Zealand and wouldn't be there again for many years, if ever again. The memories will live vividly in my mind, and I'll always be able to look at pictures, read this blog or chat with a friend about the amazing time we spent together in Aotearoa.

Two things are for sure: First, I'll miss this country and the people I met so much. Second, my life will never be the same.

Expect more from Aus soon!

Kia Ora,

Liam

The City of Sails

1 day left in New Zealand.

Today was an eerie repeat déjà vu of my first day in the country. After an amazing New Zealand style breakfast of eggs, sausage and bacon, and four hours of conversation with Franesca's mom, where we explained the importance of tipping American service staff, we drove to central city Auckland and walked around the harbour. The weather was overcast, chilly and rainy, identical to the weather I experienced on 4 July. I saw my hotel again and took nearly the same harbour walk I did 4 months ago. This time however, I was able to head to a pretty sweet bar I had seen on my last time here. After a drink, we headed back to Francesca's for an incredible classic New Zealand meal. Roast lamb, potatoes, kumara, pumpkin and vegetables. Yum. Now its some Rhys Darby (Murray from Flight of the Concords) stand up comedy.

Pretty soon I'll be taking Maggie and Emily to the airport. These will be my last goodbyes in New Zealand; a sign it's actually coming to a close. But then, only a couple hours later, I'll be meeting my dad outside of customs! As much as New Zealand will be tough to leave, spending the next three weeks exploring Australia and Fiji with my dad is going to be fantastic. I'm so pumped and I can't wait to share my time with you while I'm there.

- Liam

So long Wellington

2 days left in New Zealand.

After only 3 hours sleep, I was awake again. Final cleaning, packing and goodbyes were the order of the day. I was finally successfully checked out by my RA with 45 minutes to spare before my shuttle came to pick me up. At this point, I was in complete denial. But soon enough my shuttle was attempting a 12 point turn in our narrow street and I was saying goodbye to some amazing people.

First it was my flatmates. I know life will be so different without them. I can always count on Natalie for a good laugh, political bashing or just great conversation over a few bottles of beer. From our treasure at the pirate party to Shortland Street to the time spent with her in Blenheim, I am going to miss her so much. And she's the furthest away. It's not going to be an easy task to see her again in the future. He had already left, but without Kevin, there won't be spilled ice, sweet tea or constant 90s jams. I'm hoping that I'll be able to meet him in the city when his flight lands, to hear about the amazingness of his trip. And then there's Elizabeth. Who will I skype with from across the room? Whose true laugh will I be able to blast through the house, immediately breaking up any awkward silences? She has become a solid part of everyday life and it was really hard to say goodbye. Luckily, she lives in Ohio on the way to Ohio State, so a trip to visit Kiersten can include a visit to Elizabeth.

My neighbors have been fantastic as well. The American friends I have made will encourage me to get in my car and drive across our country just to see them again. And I hope to be able to visit New Zealand again to see Natalie, Jacob and all of the other Kiwi friends I have made.

After a lonely flight, I have arrived in Auckland. I picked up my rental car and headed to One Tree Hill, which has great views of the greater Auckland area. I spent the afternoon there, just reflecting on the experiences that I've had here. This has to be one of the most beautiful countries and I am so glad that I have been able to spend such an extended period of time here. I've seen and experienced so much, and I have made friends who will last far beyond the shores of Aotearoa.

I am lucky enough to not have to be alone for too long. Maggie and Emily are heading to Thailand on Monday and flew to Auckland a few days early in order to save a bit of cash. I picked them up at the airport and we are staying at Maggie's friend Francesca's house. Her house is absolutely gorgeous. Its located far outside of the city and the air is so clean and crisp. Its also far enough from light pollution that I can finally see the stars. And let me tell you, the Southern Hemisphere out shines the Northern Hemisphere by far.

More soon,

Liam

Goodbyes. For real.

3 days left in New Zealand.

Last day in Wellington.

I cannot even begin to describe how I feel right now. Its 4AM and I just said "Good Night" to Natalie for the last time. These past 4 1/2 months have absolutely flown by and I wish I could scrape a few extra moments in Wellington before it's time to leave. But alas, time is not so kind.

I spent the last 20 hours packing, cleaning, shipping packages & gifts and enjoying the company of my best friends here in Welly. Tonight began the true sense that this incredible experience is coming to an end. While a few people have already departed, including Kevin (who is off on a trip that will take him from Singapore to Hong Kong, Venice to Dublin before flying home in December), it almost seemed as if they would be back. It was tonight, when I said a final goodbye to a kiwi friend, that it all hit me. Harder than a ton of bricks.

I realised in that moment that it would most likely be years before I see him again, if we were even so lucky. Someone I've seen at least four times a week for four months will no longer be present everyday. It's a cruel irony that friendships can build so fast. In one sense, it's fantastic. We can easily assimilate into a new environment and feel comfortable. But it makes it so much easier to be hurt when the time comes to head elsewhere.

Tomorrow, I leave Wellington.

Tomorrow, I say many more goodbyes.

Tomorrow's going to be an emotional day.

And with that, I bid you good night.

- Liam

Un più giorno

4 Days left in New Zealand.

Today, I finished up (almost) the rest of my souvenir shopping. And then, some of us headed to Laser Force for four hours of laser tag and arcade games. For only $15! Normally, you'd pay $18 for a half hour of laser tag, so this is the best bargain of the week. We then headed to Enigma for some iced chocolate. An awesome last night out in Wellington.

- Liam

Spring Cleaning

5 days left in New Zealand.

In order to get my housing deposit back, I need to have a clean house. My hands smell like cleaner. The soap has completely dried out my hands. I saw things I didn't want to see.

Positive - It was raining.

Negative - I'm really leaving.

- Liam

Less than a week? Seriously?!

6 days left in New Zealand.

Today I had a day out with Lauren Baier. We started by stopping at the French bakery for some fresh pastries and then, after running some errands, got lunch at the first restaurant we both ate at and visited Te Papa, the New Zealand National Museum that both of us that have not spent nearly enough time in. All in all, a fantastic day.

Lauren has been one of my closest friends since I arrived in New Zealand. Most of our street was part of the IFSA Butler program, but Lauren and I were here pretty much on our own. We almost immediately bonded over our love of food. I've seen a huge amount of this country with Lauren, including my 2 week road trip around the South Island. There has only been one trip without her, and it just wasn't the same. And if that trip was an hint, life without Lauren is going to be tough. I know that when I'm home again, I'll miss her reactionary moods, upbeat party personality and our discussions of food, Shortland Street and other important aspects of life.

As my New Zealand life comes to a close, I'm starting to question how my life at UD is going to feel when I get back. Sure I'll be able to fall right back into my old routines; going to rehearsals, working, giving tours and back to classes. But how will my life be without what has become so routine here? It'll be such a different feeling for a while, and I'm not sure how that's going to affect me. But I guess I'll have to tune in then to let you all know how its going.

Here's some of my favourite pictures of Adventures with Lauren.

Till tomorrow,

Liam