So Far, So Good ...

So I have 43 days until I board my flight to Auckland, New Zealand (and 45 days until I arrive - silly international date line!), and so far, everything seems to be moving smoothly and in the correct direction. I've got my school, my housing and my funding all lined up, my visa in my passport (and my passport carefully stowed away so I don't lose it), and my plane ticket booked. I got some fabulous New Zealand essentials from my parents for Christmas, and I've already had a few friends promise to come visit me.

As a quick recap: I'm headed to New Zealand February 10th, for one year of study at the University of Auckland. If all goes well, I'll complete my LL.M. (Master of Laws) and return to the U.S. with another degree on my resume at the end of 2009! I've applied to complete my degree by thesis, which means most of my credits will come not from coursework, but rather from research and writing. I think I've spent enough time in lectures! (Although now that I think about it, a 30,000 word thesis can't possibly be much more relaxing ....)

My studies will be funded by an Ambassadorial Scholarship awarded to me by the Rotary Foundation, District 5400. The grant should cover all of my essentials, including housing and travel, for the year, and comes with some very good fringe benefits. In an effort to ensure that I get the most good out of my experience, I've already been put in touch with a Rotarian in Auckland, my "host counselor," who's responsible for helping me settle in and navigate. John and I have been exchanging emails, and he's already sent pictures of his beautiful family and made arrangements to meet me at the airport upon my arrival. I've also corresponded with his wife, who has offered to loan me some necessaries until I get a chance to make it to the store. They've offered to introduce me to some of the wines for which NZ is quickly becoming famous, and I'm even invited to tag along with their tramping (hiking) group, if I'm willing to spend time with some "oldies." I get the impression that I'll be well taken care of by these two!

Meanwhile, my sponsor counselor here in Idaho, Ken, has certainly been fulfilling his responsibilities as well. When I was first applying for the Scholarship, Ken was the District Governor (I think - still a bit shaky on the Rotary hierarchy), and we had a pretty difficult time getting in touch. I was living in Boston for school, so we played phone tag for weeks - in fact, I remember first talking to Ken super long distance from India! Now that I'm back in Idaho for a while, we finally managed to meet for dinner with his lovely wife Nancy.

Since then, I've been taken around to most of the Boise Rotary meetings and introduced to countless Rotarians as their scholar. The District Scholarship was recently under review, and Ken felt that it was important that members knew where their money was going. Fortunately, us scholars were deemed a good investment, and it looks like the Scholarship will continue for the foreseeable future. Ken and I plan on continuing our visits in the new year - I hope to make it to most, if not all, of the Treasure Valley clubs before leaving - and I'm forever grateful for his help and his kindness.

Since returning from Guatemala in October, I've scrabbled to get New Zealand all squared away. The visa was a trial - although I'd be able to apply for a student visa once in the country, Rotary requires that scholars get their visas prior to travel. Unfortunately, my past travel history was extensive and varied enough that the New Zealand government required a certification from a radiologist that a chest x-ray was performed and no signs of current or past tuberculosis were found. While I'm glad to announce that I am officially TB-free, getting the required documentation required some frustrating, if not surprising, contortions. Fortunately, my passport went and was returned with a minimum of stress - I know of another Rotary Scholar, also travelling to New Zealand in February, who was forced to apply for a new passport and visa when UPS got her visa'd passport stuck in a sorting machine!

Housing was a bit stressful as well. I had no desire to travel to Auckland without a place to stay lined up, but I have arranged housing from the U.S. only to have plans crumble upon arrival. After living two weeks in a bedbug-ridden hostel in Cairo following just such a situation, I'm not really willing to rent an apartment sight-unseen. I finally settled on graduate student housing through the school. About a ten minute walk from campus, the Park Road Student Flats are private rooms with en suite bathrooms, with a shared kitchen and common area. I've never lived in a dorm-like setting, and I'm not sure about the shared kitchen thing, but at least I don't have to carry my shampoo to a communal bathroom every morning! Plus, for convenience and location, these were definitely a great option for me - and probably a better fit than the undergraduate student dorms!

Now that I've gotten all of my paperwork submitted and travel arranged, I've dedicated my time to more intangible preparations. For example, I've watched Season 1 of The Flight of the Conchords (an HBO series about a two-man folk band from New Zealand trying to make it big in New York) quite a few times, and I have extensively perused the All Blacks website (New Zealand's national rugby team) in a futile attempt to figure out what exactly rugby is. I've searched for "Kiwi accent" videos on YouTube more times than I can (or should) count, and watched a lovely show on nature photography in New Zealand. I've also started looking up live music venues in Auckland, and have a small stack of travel guides and maps that I've been flipping through.

Overall, I feel more or less prepared for this adventure. I've definitely travelled to "scarier" (e.g. more culturally different from the U.S.) places with less support, so I'm hoping that I can deal with any minor bumps without too much hassle. Now if I could just understand rugby, I'd be set!