T minus 2

Almost all packed now, the ducks are finally doing their job and getting in a row. Going out to dinner with the whole famn damily tonight at Centro then spending the night enjoying the DM art festival. I leave Sunday morning to drive up to Minneapolis where I will meet my friend and travel buddy Sara. After a quick 20 hours on a plane...we should get into Dunedin at about 10.00 am which is ... not the same time as it is here. From there Sara and I are staying in a hotel just a few blocks from campus until we can move into our flatts. I am soooooooo glad that she is coming with so I can somewhat keep my sanity.
As of right now I am not really nervous, just ready to be there. Ready to get this adventure on the road, or in this case, 20 hours on a plane. This will probably be my last post until we get there and settled in. I will try my best to keep this updated weekly, but we shall see how that goes. See ya later, Adios, and Nau Mai te otepoti.

Four Days Out

Four days until I leave for Dunedin. Currently trying to get all my ducks in a row, but they are being rather stubborn and really enjoy afternoon naps instead of packing. Thought I would set this up to keep everyone back home up to date on all of the things I am doing 8,500 miles away. As of right now (knock on wood), I leave Minneapolis on Sunday the 27th and return November 19th.

I will be attending the University of Otago which is located on the eastern coast of the South Island. I will be there from what is their winter to their late spring. It gets to slightly below 0 C at night and warms up to around 12 C during the day. The climate is very temperamental and it is a common saying that Dunedin experiences all four seasons in a day.

I am living just a few blocks from the beach, across the street from the National Botanical Gardens, and about three hours from the Southern Alps. I guess the University is right there too, but this is not as important as the others.

I am taking only biology classes while over there, so wish me luck.
Neuroscience
Invertebrate Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
"Microbes in Action" (Needless to say I am dropping this one thinking it would be easy. Not the case)

When I get there I will know for sure what the best way to contact me is. My phone will not work so I think I can rule that one out. I have Skype, but not knowing how fast the interweb is down there, it could be spotty at best.