Day 01

Thank you for all of the phone calls, text messages, and visits!! It was nice to hear from/see everyone!

Also, thanks so much to Phill and Nam for driving Jon and me to LAX!!
It is kind of funny that the last person that I saw in the states was a Kiwi...

Flight boarded just before 10pm on Thursday night and landed just before 7am on Saturday morning. Lots of movies and shows to watch on the plane, so it really wasn't bad. Customs took no time at all, which was awesome because we had so much luggage that I was worried I would never leave the airport.

First person I saw in Auckland was an American!! (Thank you Paul and Jonti for picking Jon and me up!!)

Dropped off the luggage at Paul's place and drove around the city. Saw some different neighborhoods, ran some errands, drove by work. Breakfast was an Eggs Benedict with some really amazing bacon for breakfast- apparently both New Zealand staples. Nice to know that the food won't suck (I was under the impression that everything was high quality, but really bland). Made dinner at the apartment- roasted veggies, NZ lamb, carrot and curry soup. We bought some NZ potatos that look like yams... Yams here look like little aliens!!

Things seem pretty expensive here, but I guess if you take the exchange rate into account (which you can only do if you're being paid in US dollars), then it isn't so bad. Driving on the other side of the road is odd. I'm not looking forward to driving by myself- I'll stick to being driven for a little while. Paul's apartment is -amazing-! He said it is close to the price of an apartment in Irvine. Top floor of a complex with a view of the skyline. Three bedrooms, two bath, huge kitchen with two sinks, two dishwashers, and a gas stove. Remote control blinds and fire place. Heated floors and towel racks in the bathrooms... In fact, I am sitting on the bathroom floor now because it is so fun!!

More to come...

View from Paul's apartment:

First homemade dinner: NZ lamb with roasted vegetables and carrot soup (store bought):