- What I did today & Journal of the Day
We had to wake up bright and early today, REALLY early! We ate breakfast and immediately started walking towards the nearest bus stop that would take us to the only Redwood Forest in New Zealand! It seemed like forever just to walk to that one bus stop! And when we did reach the bus stop, we stood there... for a really long time! Then, it turned out that our bus was a no-show, and had to walk another couple of blocks to get to another one, which ended up being closer to where we started in the first place! It was so frustrating! We ended up waiting for a long time too, and after almost an hour, and almost giving up, our bus finally showed up and we started heading towards the forest! We were going on a morning hike in the rain and wind... I was literally wet from head to toe, and if it weren't for my purple raincoat (thank you teachers), I probably would have not been in such a great mood. On the bright side, the sun was shining, and I was walking trails that took me to the deepest parts of the forest! It was so exciting! I saw ferns, with silver on the back, that I've never really seen in forests before, and big trees, bigger than me times 10, maybe even more! They were huge! It was so beautiful! I've never seen anything like it! At one moment, though, we thought we got lost and stood there for about 10 minutes, debating which way we should go back to get to the main road... As much as I love hiking, and love nature, and love rain, I was starting to get annoyed of the dampness and coldness... But, I still would have enjoyed getting lost! When we DID get back upon an agreed route, and a bunch of extra turns, twists, and trails, the other group wasn't back yet, which ended up in another lost hour or so... But we sang Disney songs A LOT which made us all high-spirited again! Yay! In the end, we all got back to the hotel, thank goodness, but soaked... It was STILL pouring outside.
Before I knew it, we were driving away from the Agrodome and heading towards Auckland, for LONGGG hours, where we were going to meet our Kiwi pen pals from Rangitoto College (which is a high school, actually). This has been one of the many big things I was looking forward to on the trip from the very beginning! Before the trip, I got in touch with my pen pal from New Zealand. Her name was Jess and about the same age as me, and ironically, she also liked to play tennis and take French! We were really good friends! And as we started to pull up closer and closer to the school, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement, since I was finally going to meet her... It was drizzling outside so we quickly got out of the bus and ran to hide ourselves under a couple buildings before it began to pour, once AGAIN. But since some students were still in school and preparing for this event, we were sent to their library. When I got inside, I have to say it was a pretty cool library! Everything was so organised, and I noticed a lot of Maori culture books in the back, which was good since they have a lot of focus toward their backgrounds and where they've come from...
For the next couple of minutes, we were getting to know each other with Brigitte, learning about her school, herself, and the city in whole! Sooner or later, we started walking around the school, visiting the auditorium, some of the classrooms, as well as the hallways. Not too long after, the principal came to get us, inviting us to the building where we were going to have our ceremony. Right at the beginning, the kids from the other school greeted us with a Maori dance, their national song, and a welcoming speech... Right after them, we, prepared in the last minute, sang the Star Spangled Banner and Steven, being the "chief" of the group, thanked them for inviting us today for this day. Immediately, we all separated from our groups and began walking around, getting to know all of our Kiwi friends... They were so nice! At one point, Jess's best friends came up to me and told me that Jess was sick and wasn't able to come tonight. Right then and there, I got both sad and surprised... I was so looking forward to meeting her in person! But there wasn't anything I could do, except wish for her to get better as soon as possible. Unfortunately, everyone got to meet their pen pals except for me, but that's okay, because I know I will meet Jess again in person someday in the future, for sure! 
Eating specially-made Kiwi food, dancing to music, and getting to know each other, I became really good friends with a couple Kiwis, including Lisa, Charlotte, Brigitte, Jordan, Michael, and Nikita... We were friends as if we've known each other for a really long time! I got to know them really well, as well as their school, what they like to do for fun, sports, and many other things! I also learned the Haka, which is the traditional Maori dance (that the All Blacks rugby team does in order to scare their opponents before a match)... It was so hard, yet so interesting! Shortly after a great dance and face-off, Nikita, Michael, and Jordan took me for a tour around their campus outside, and since it was raining and there were so many trails, I didn't see where I was going and accidentally stuck my entire foot into mud. Everyone started laughing and it was definitely a moment that I, as well as my new friends, will remember this day for! To honestly say, these 3 hours, as short as they were, were probably one of the best 3 hours on this trip so far... I got to know so many new things, not only about one of the biggest high schools in the country, but also about some of the very unique and special people in it! It's definitely a day I will always remember, for million days to come! It was an experience that was not only incredible and an everlasting memory, but it was also an eye-opening experience that helped me view the world and its people in a different way... I hope to keep in touch with the Kiwi friends I made today, as well as Jess, for as long as I can... A friendship like these could last for decades! And I know I will see them all soon in the very near future, whether they will come to me, or I will come to them... Whichever it may be, today was a thrill!
Today, as long, tiring, and exhausting as it has been, has turned out to be one of the greatest days of my life! As I get ready for tomorrow morning's flight to Sydney, I hope my amazing adventure will continue on at its absolute best!!!
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