I have arrived in NZ safe and sound! Yippy!!! After a long 6 hour layover in San Fransisco and a 13 hour flight (which yes, I ate and was awake for an hour, and then SLEPT THE WHOLE REST OF THE TIME until we landed and they woke me up lol!) to this amazing place.....I......am......here!!!!!! I have not even been here a whole day yet and I absolutely love it.
Our host family, the Skeens, consist of Phillip and Tanisha (the parents) and their three kids, Richard-5, Josiah-3, Adia-2, with one "new baby" coming in March! Phillip grew up in NZ and went to BYU Hawaii where he met Tanisha. She is originally from Washington State and moved here once they got married. Phillip is the sweetest and nicest person and keeps telling us that he is our dad and will take care of us for the next four months haha.
He even found out about my missionary and said that he will have to ok the letters first before he gives them to me haha. He was just kidding, but he is a blast! I got a video of him talking with his sweet accent, but it is taking too long to load so I will have to post it later. Overall, I am here safe and sound and am enjoying unpacking with my roommates :)!
Leaving Utah:
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| Leaving SLC airport! |
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| Our two story plane. It was HUGE inside! |
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| Me and one of my roommates Brittany, getting ready to head out of SFO! |
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| What you do during a 6 hour layover haha |
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| My other roommate Brooke who is one of my best friends!!! |
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My last roommate Margo who BARELY made it in time. She literally ran
to catch this flight and got there right as we were getting up to board! |
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Guess who was the lucky girl who got the window seat
for the 13 hour plane ride? |
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| That's right....me!!!!! Wahoo! |
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| NZ greeting, hence the title of my blog :), on the tv monitor! |
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| Our huge plane! |
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| Here. We. Go! |
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| We got a blanket, pillow, and ear phones. |
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| We also got dinner and breakfast, but I slept through breakfast. |
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| This is how much of the dinner I ate. Please tell me it's better food in NZ! |
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We've arrived in NZ airport!!!! The four of us roommates together :)
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Phillip Skeen, our host family dad, picking us up from the airport. Do
you notice that he's driving on the WRONG side!!! It's weird!! |
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| Their cute little house :) |
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| Yes people, we dry our clothes like this with them! |
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NZ is big with bakeries. They are found on every corner. Phillip took us
to get these amazing doughnuts for breakfast! |
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These are NZ pies. I guess they are the big thing here. He had us try his
favorite which is the steak and cheese filled ones. I ACTUALLY liked it :) |
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| haha!!! |
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| Home Sweet Home. We live in that bottom basement apartment. |
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| Steak and Cheese Pie! |
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| Our basement apartment! |
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It is so cute and little. You can go to the bathroom and wash your
hands at the same time. (lol just to tell you how small it is) There's no
bath, just a little shower! |
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The four of us getting ready to unpack! I'm the first green one :)
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| KIA ORA from NZ!!!!!!!!!! |
aww i miss you so much already but am so excited for you! I just want to come visit you! I love that you slept most of the flight! Were twinners, just always sleeping! Looks amazing so far, my mouths watering looking at the bakery pictures! love you!
ReplyDeletesooooooo cute! keep the posts coming. looks like a blast!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got some sleep Mandy. Looks like you are in good hands there. Love you....enjoy each moment!
ReplyDeleteI love it, Mandy! Wow! What an amaaaaaaazing adventure you are on! Can't wait to hear more!!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you got there safely. Mikaela was asking about you today and it made me so sad to tell het that you are bye-bye for a little while. You are already missed, but we are so excited for you! Keep the posts coming!
ReplyDeleteLOVE your pictures, Mandy!! It does look sooo pretty and warm and nice there! I love how you already found a cute little kid to play with! :) And, I noticed that was your bed cuz it was the one with crayons on it! :) Love you!! Have fun and BE SAFE! :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE the details through photos! We missed you at the office today but soooo happy to see you made it safely! You are so lucky to be there! Enjoy every moment and keep the photos coming!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you arrived safe and sound. I love the pics you posted. Everything looks amazing!!! Looking forward to reading about all your new adventures. Be safe love Joan.
ReplyDeleteMandy, The steak and cheese pie is one of my favorites. I always eat them when I'm there. If you like coconut you should try a lamington.(but knowing you don't try the chocolate one).
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time there. It will be great. I'm am excited that you are sharing your time there with me. Thanks, Moana