Submitted by Christopher Vinelli on the 2018 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences…
On the first Saturday of our program in New Zealand, things started off great. We woke up to take an early bus trip down to Akaroa, stopping at a sheep farm to talk with the local farmer and sheepdog trainer Peter Kidd. Then, we headed off and stopped at what our Professor called ” the Wawa of New Zealand” to get ice cream. However, very shortly after leaving there, the bus broke down. Never being in this situation, I have to say it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We ate lunch early, took photos and kept ourselves occupied singing songs, looking at nearby cows or taking naps. By the time the next bus came to us around an hour later, we were all once again super excited to finally get to Akaroa. While it did take a chunk of our Akaroa time away, that broken down bus really strengthened the bond we all have. If that was how the first week went, I can only imagine what the upcoming weeks will be like.
