New Zealand

Right now I am blogging from the base of the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand! 7 others along with myself are in the middle of an 11 day trip that we planned ourselves. The travel agent helped a bit (booking of flights, a couple of events), but we pretty much did the most of it ourselves by looking through guidebooks and brochures and then booking on the company's website. We have rented two wicked campers (old vans that have been converted into campers that sleep 3, with a stove and sink) and a mid size car. It fits us all comfortably (if you don't mind sleeping in a car a couple nights). So far, I have been on a cruise in the Akoroa harbor (where I saw dolphins and seals), on a gondola over Christchurch and a tram through it (it is a very beautiful city), and have explored a cave with glowworms in Greymouth (my favorite so far). Right now my mates are going up the glacier, but I had to stay back because I hurt my back awhile ago- but no worries, I was just doing it as a precation. I still got to see the glacier, just not hike on it. I wanted to be sure that I could do the rest of the stuff on the trip. Tomorrow we head down to Queenstown for a couple days to sky dive, bungy jump, and whitewater raft. Then we go down to Milford Sound for an overnight cruise, where we can take kayaks out into the sound. Then back to Queenstown for a canyon swing bungy, followed by a drive to Dunedin, a scottish town, for a couple tours and the finish of our trip. It is amazing here, the people are absolutely great, and the scenery is more amazing than anything you could imagine.
For incoming students, when planning trips, do as much as you can before you come. People will jump in with you if your trip is cool, plus you can get your plane tickets when you get here and it will be much cheaper (they went up for us almost $30-60 a day). We planned our own trip, but a lot of people took one through the travel agent- it all depends on how much adventure you are looking for. It has been a little crazy, but we have handled it all fine and it makes it that much more fun to be doing it for yourself. Do a lot of preplanning, and print out city maps. I really like the wicked campers, but there are other brands out there. The wickeds are just good because you can ding them up with no cost.
The trip is costly, in total a little over $2000- but so worth it!
To give people an idea, the plane ticket was about $500-600, the campers at $70 a day. The car was about $35 a day, but it was the cheapest I could find with a lot of searching. Add in insurance, and all the events you want to do, and it adds up- but the experience is the best I have ever had.
Gotta go~
Shea

Outdoor Education

So, for the past three days, I have been hiking and doing ropes courses in Meebun-bia. It was absolutely exhausting, but also absolutely fun. I won't give too much away for those going in the next semesters, but here is what I can tell you. I am not in shape, and I was able to do it. Was it probably a little unsafe? Yes. I pushed myself harder than I ever have, almost fainting a couple times from the hard uphill hikes. It was also hard on everyone else; by the third day everyone was exhausted. I was also glad to have my own hiking backpack. The university ones are not in good condition, and I was able to pack my stuff before I left to know how much to bring. Bring some light gloves, if you can- a few people got blisters, and everyones hand hurts from all the ropes course stuff. It is a lot of fun, though, and you really get close to the 20-28 people in your tut (which stands for tutorial). You get to do a lot of cool ropes course things, some good navigations excersizes (where I got to see a lot of cool wildlife), and heaps and heaps of hiking. Try not to be picky with your meals, and you should be fine! Unfortunately, the one thing I forgot on this trip is my camera.... a real bummer.
Other than that, Australia is pretty awesome. I have already made some great friends here, and the Aussies are really nice about giving rides and such, so with a little planning you are able to get what you need. I know I have been able to.

Advice, etc...

Room pictures: Kitchen-->

Kitchen is connected to small living room. There is a hallway running down between bedrooms and open bathroom, with separate small rooms for toilet and shower. Bedrooms look like this, with a wardrobe that contains a three-compartment dresser.

Hello friends! I know it has been a bit since my last post, but things have been pretty crazy here! Before I get into a lot, I figure I should put down some advice for the people coming in upcoming semesters.

1) Don't bother with a hiking backpack. It doesn't carry as much as usual luggage, can't be used for a carryon, and they provide them for outdoor ed. Plus, a normal backpack is way better for school... obviously.
2) Prep your classes before coming. You can search for preferable class times under the Lismore search engine under timetables link on the top of the MySCU page. This way, you can know your schedule, enrol easier, and get into the tutorials you want. The system for enrolment is really bad here, and if you put it off you run the risk of not getting into the good tutorials, having classes late in the week, and having to really badger people to get you in to the right classes.

3) Along with that, count on your enrolment screwing up. Don't get that upset, it happens to over half the people here.

4) Spend the first week meeting people. That is really what O-week is for. Aussie connections are key, and try to find someone with a car. Most of you will have a roommate with one, but it really helps to know a few people who do.

5) Don't worry about fitting in. Only half the people living on campus are Australian. The other half are international, with a majority from the U.S. Essentially, everyone is different- not just you.

6) Get used to drinking, or at least being around drunk people. Aussies start drinking as early as 1-2 in the afternoon, and there are always people drinking. Every night.

7) Split the stuff you need with the people in your flat, and wait til your Aussie roomies to show up before getting anything big. The flats come with a microwave, in case you were curious. I will load pictures of the flat, too, so you can get an idea.

8) Classes are way different here. Much more relaxed, much less assignments, and very friendly profs.

9) Go to Fiji, or the like. It is by far the best way to meet the people you will have to depend on for the next 4 months, along with a few other internationals. Beachcomber was cool, but I have heard there are better, less 'touristy' places.

10) Start planning trips before you come. I am planning a trip to New Zealand over first break, and the plane tickets would have been a lot less if I would have done it earlier. Even if you want to wait to meet people, be ready to see the Travel Agent on campus the first week you are here.

Fiji and Arrival in Lismore

Hey everybody! I just arrived in Lismore yesterday. The only internet access in Fiji was expensive, so I didn't bother going on. But it was gorgeous. In Fiji I did a lot, and it didn't cost too much. We went to Beachcomber, which is an island and a resort. The only things I had to pay for were alcohol (unless you sneakily drink the stuff you bought in the duty free shop before your last flight, which I did) and special stuff like tubing, parasailing, scuba diving, wakeboarding, etc... I went parasailing, which was cool, and tubing. I also went fish feeding and snorkling for free, and snorkling was the coolest out of everything because I was one of only about 4-5 people who were snorkling when the fish were fed. There were so many schools of fish right around me that I couldn't move- so cool! Big, small, colorful, all types! Most of us got burns, and thank god that somebody brought a first aid kit with athletic tape because a lot of us got cut on coral and shells in the sand. Travel was a bit rough, but it turned out okay. The earplanes worked out great, and by the end using those along with popping my ears every once and awhile I had no problems. For those ever traveling later, make sure you check your luggage size, because my hiking backpack had to be in checked luggage on most flights. Luckily I didn't get charged for it! Other than that, though, no troubles- just a bunch of waits. I would also say go on the Fiji trip because I made sooo many friends on it, including some from Aussie that offered to let me and couple others come to their towns and stay nights and show us around. I promise to get some picks up today or tomorrow depending on internet usage allowance, I am transfering them to my laptop now. Aussie is great too, and the weather is pretty decent! A lot better than 20 below, thats for sure!
Shea

Packing

I have finally finished packing, and for those who care, this is what I packed. I will come back in awhile with a new post stating what was worth it, what wasn't, what I brought enough of, what I didn't, etc... so here goes!

I had two luggage bags, one a bit bigger than the other. I got them for christmas from my parents, along with a hiking backpack from my sister which I used as a carryon. It all fit, suprisingly! Keep in mind I am a pretty big guy, too- most of the stuff is XXL.

3 Pairs of Pants
7 Pairs of Shorts
1 Pair of Swim Trunks
2 Baseball hats
1 Beanie
Pair of gloves
4 Polos
~10 T-shirts
1 New pack of undershirts
3 Long sleeve t-shirts
1 Dress shirt and tie
1 Hoodie
1 Coat (with zip-off liner)
2 New packs of underwear, and about 5 pairs besides
1 New pack of socks, and about 7 pairs besides
1 Pair of Aquasocks
1 Pair Sunglasses
1 Sleeping bag
1 Camping Mattress
1 Camping Bag (holds mattress, sleeping bag and makes it easy to attach them to my backpack)
1 Utensil set
1 Dishware set
Laptop
Power converter and adapter plug
Digital Photo Camera
Video Camera (its small, about the size of a digital camera)
Wind-up flashlight
3 sets of Flight Earplugs
Sinus meds (I have sinus problems)
Battery Powered alarm clock
~2 of every hygiene product (deodorant, shampoo, bar soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc)
Sunblock (spf 50)
1 Towel set
1 Pair of sheets & pillowcases
Large pack of Batteries
1 Journal
6 Books

And I think that is about all! I think I got everything I would really need, and a lot I won't. I also plan on leaving a lot of stuff there to make room for my return!

Preflight Prep

To begin, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Shea Stevenson, I am 22, I am an operations management major with certificates in IS and leadership, in a few organizations such as Delta Sigma Phi, a social fraternity; Circle K, the college level Kiwanis club; Phi Beta Lambda, a leadership organization; APICS, the organization for my major; and I try to keep up tabs on a few others such as Student Senate, UWEC Housing (which I was active in until I moved out of the dorms), and the PSA (Progressive Student Association). So, as you can see, along with always pulling down one or two part time jobs, I keep myself busy. Doing well scholastically is important to me- I won't post the actual figure but I have a high GPA- and I also manage to have my own fair share of fun, through various activities (most of which I won't talk about here). Either way, that was me back at Eau Claire- we will see how things change in Lismore.

Well, it is coming up on the big day- February 10th. That is the day I fly from Minneapolis 3 1/2 hrs to LA, wait around for 9hrs, then fly almost 11hrs to Nadi, Fiji for a few days of 80+ degree weather and sandy beaches! But, before I can go, first I have to pack. I have bought all the gear, set aside all the clothes, and began trying to find a way to fit it all into two suitcases and a hiking backpack- which I am using as my carry-on. Its interesting to say the least. But, when I figure out what exactly I am bringing, I will make a list to put up here! I am anxious- mostly for flying, though. I have sinus problems, and the last and only time I ever flew my ears popped so bad I could barely hear for three days. But, this time I am prepared with lots of gum, special earplugs, sinus meds and my ID showing I am 22- legal enough for some whiskey to help the pain if need be. Hopefully I won't need it, though!