Turns out--I'm going home!

So I’ve been in New Zealand for a few months. If you didn’t know that, you probably should have been reading my blog a little closer. In church the other day (I was still listening, I promise) I started making this list and was surprised to see how long it had become. Enjoy!

In New Zealand, I've learned:

Ÿ I love my family-- I missed them like crazy every day. Everything I saw and learned here reminded me of them and how amazing they are. The members of my family are my best friends and I would be nothing without their support and examples.
Ÿ I am blessed beyond explanation-- Well….it’s beyond explanation.
Ÿ I hate kayaking--Who knew? I always thought I’d love it. Why not? Turns out, I have never hated anything more. So what did I learn in NZ? What never to do again.
Ÿ I love nature but…-- I always thought that I loved nature so much that I could just live out in the woods. Not so much. I do love nature but I love the comforts of home too; too much to abandon them for more than three days at a time.
Ÿ I hate cold water-- Kayaking? Surfing? In this weather?!
Ÿ I hate rain and nothing will ever change my opinion-- I realize that rain is necessary for replenishing the earth, but I only enjoy the experience of rain if I am safely and warmly indoors.
Ÿ I have to know what I’m talking about before I share the gospel-- I have had plenty of missionary opportunities here and I’ve ruined most of them because I don’t know enough about what I believe--about how to explain it simply to someone on the outside. I have a lot to learn about that.
Ÿ I love curry, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, mayo, 1000 island dressing…-- And a bazillion other things that I never would have eaten at home. Ok, maybe love is too strong of a word for most of those but, you get the idea.
Ÿ I despise writing papers-- I felt like I had to write a paper a week here even though I only wrote a total of about five. But, I didn‘t enjoy any of them. Man, no fun.
Ÿ I LOVE to read--I’ve always known this but through high school and college where time to read somehow disappears, I forgot that. New Zealand gave me time to read again and reminded me that I LOVE it.
Ÿ E-mails are great but there’s just nothing like a phone call-- I e-mail my parents almost daily and yet, I yearn for the days, about once a week, that I get to call them. It rejuvenates me like nothing else.
Ÿ I’m going to miss my bike-- I never had any strong feelings either way about bikes, but my bike here has represented my freedom and I’m going to miss having it--even if I have a car!
Ÿ I take my healthy body for granted-- I can do SO much because of my body. I realized after I hurt my feet and couldn’t run for so long that I take that simple ability to run for granted. I can run! I can jump! I can bike! I can do so many things that so many people can’t do. How incredible.
Ÿ This country is beautiful-- I’ve never seen anything like it. There is so much diversity in the landscape here.
Ÿ There is great power in simple testimonies-- As I sat in church last week, I marveled at the power that is found in the bearing of simple, humble testimony.
Ÿ I love BYU-- I already knew I loved that university but I have a new appreciation for it now after being at SIT for a few months. No one can smoke on campus, the campus isn’t tiny, it’s organized and… just great.
Ÿ I miss my straightener-- I really do. Turns out, I’m high maintenance.
Ÿ I’m spoiled rotten-- My time here has truly taught me this. We as Americans have an incredible amount of wealth. My parents spoil me (not that I’m unappreciative) and I am spoiled to live in such a great, free country. Just spoiled. Period.
Ÿ Never underestimate the power of your influence--Wow. In this small branch, I was just astounded to see how the members marvel at us, and are just so happy to have us in their midst. Weird.
Ÿ The prospect of being a missionary is scary-- I’ve always thought that I’d like to serve a mission--not that I will necessarily, but that I’d like it and be pretty good at it. Well, in my brief experiences sharing the gospel here, I am now afraid of being a missionary, preaching the gospel to people who will most likely reject me, and being so far away from my home and family for so long.
Ÿ Share your talents!-- I just rediscovered a quote from John Bytheway today that says, “Silent pianos don’t attract crowds.” That quote obviously has a little bit of a double meaning for me. :) I have played the piano in every sacrament meeting and choir practice since I’ve been in New Zealand. It is incredible how grateful the branch is for what is for me, a very simple and painless task. The lesson--don’t hesitate--share your talents!! Offer what you can; it will be appreciated.
Ÿ I’m not as tough as I thought-- I’ve always considered myself a tough girl, able to handle and do things that most other girls at least, might not be able to do. Well, turns out, I’M A PANSY! Really! I’m terrified of kayaking, I don’t like being dirty or wet, and there are some things (rocks, I mean…) that I just can’t climb. I might be tough, but there are plenty of people tougher than me, and plenty of things I’m not tough enough to do.
Ÿ I get homesick-- This really surprised me. I’ve never really been homesick--ok, maybe at camp in 5th grade, but never at college or anything. But I was homesick here to the point of just feeling empty inside when I thought of my far-away family. Luckily, that passed pretty quickly but it made me realize that I may love traveling but I miss home too much to make a habit of doing it too often--or at least without them. :)
Ÿ I’m proud to be an American-- Not surprisingly, we sometimes have a bad reputation as tourists, but I still love being American! There’s no doubt that even with all the problems our country might have, it is a great country. We are free and have so much. The land of opportunity--how true that is!
Ÿ Cadbury chocolate is good-- It just is. It’s dang good.
Ÿ I think I’m addicted to Solitaire-- I love playing solitaire on my computer. When I have a spare moment, or I’m trying to put off doing an assignment, I will sit and play solitaire on my laptop for…a long time. I’ll tell myself, “just one more game” a ton of times and end up losing multiple games before I finally make myself shut my computer. Good thing it doesn’t cost money. Or I’d be gambling. It’s still no good though, I get it.

This list is by no means all-inclusive. Some were just too personal to list on my blog. Others, I’ve simply forgotten. There are also definitely a lot of obvious things, like how to surf, tying knots and reading weather patterns that I purposely didn’t include. This list is more to remind me of the things that I really learned here. Things that I learned that might change my life. Things that I will always remember. As our wise instructors told us just last week, out in the elements, out in the rugged beauty of New Zealand’s nature, we are exposed for who we really are. I am grateful for that exposure, for it has helped me discover many things about myself and how I want to live my life that I might not otherwise have ever known. Thank you for sticking with me and sharing my experiences with me through this blog and through your e-mails. My time here has been unforgettable. As this chapter of my life closes however, I am filled with excitement for all that I have yet to encounter and accomplish. See you all soon!