Submitted by Jessica Knowles on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences…
Our group arrived at the Philadelphia airport half past nine on New Year’s morning to discover that the tickets that each of us had purchased four months prior did not exist. This was concerning, to say the least, considering the that we were supposed to be departing in three hours to Houston for the next leg of our journey. Luckily, three calls to our student universe travel agent, two hours, and one wonderful United Airlines employee later, our tickets were found, our bags were checked, and we were lugging our carry on bags through security. I’m happy to say that morning was the most difficult part of our travels, and the flights that followed were smooth sailing.
This was the farthest that any of us had traveled before, and the fourteen hour flight from Houston to Auckland was intimidating. It was no time at all before we landed and were preparing to take off again. Stepping out into the Auckland sunlight to run to the domestic terminal was a feeling that I will never forget. A beautiful cool breeze, bright blue sky, and colorful landscaping greeted us, which made the haul to the other side of the airport pleasurable. The final flight to Christchurch landed before we knew it, and we shuffled onto a bus to take us to Lincoln University.
When we arrived at Lincoln it was still morning. Though we had spent what felt like a lifetime traveling, we still had an entire day left to spend exploring and getting to know our surroundings. We ate lunch and headed onto the bus for a ride through the countryside and a trip to the mall to gather anything we needed. We drove past Lyttelton Harbor and got our first glimpse of what beautiful New Zealand has in store for us.
Our journey began with twists and turns, but it led us to a paradise that we are privileged to call home for the next five weeks. We cannot wait to see what the most beautiful country in the world has in store for us.
