Right now its 10 pm on Sunday March 15. This weekend has been so far from the weekend that we had originally planned its crazy. I am very tired and ready for bed, but I wanted to sit down and write this right now to capture the true emotion of this situation. I didn't want to talk about Corona virus at all, but it seems completely unavoidable at this point because of how much it is affecting our time here.

Until last Thursday, we had been keeping up with the Corona virus situation and were slightly worried, but it wasnt a huge part of what we talked about on a daily basis. We felt for the other LVC students who are currently abroad, because many other programs had to come home and we felt lucky to be here. And honestly, I have heard from everyone at home how crazy things are, but no one here seems to be even remotely concerned, so in a way it was harder for me to take it as seriously as people at home have to. Then last Thursday, we received an email saying that WHO has now classified Corona virus as a pandemic, as well as certain travel restrictions and advisories being put into motion. Also in this email, we were told that in 24 hours we would receive another email telling us if we are allowed to stay here or if we are going to be sent home. Around the same time, the school-planned trip that we had all signed up for to go to a musical festival/zoo in Auckland for the entirety of Saturday was canceled, leaving us with no real weekend plans. Suddenly, the corona virus was all we could think about, and we were pretty sure we were going to be sent home. That was a really rough 24 hours because I was trying so hard not to get my hopes up, and at the same time not fully let go of the idea of getting to stay. Instead of sitting in our dorms and waiting for this decision, we quickly threw together a little overnight trip to Raglan to visit the black sand beaches there.

So on Friday night, as previously planned, we attended a professional rugby game to watch the Chiefs vs the Hurricanes. The Chiefs (which is our local team) lost but it was a very interesting experience to be at a game nonetheless. Also, I got to try some of the white wine that New Zealand is famous for, sauvignon blanc, so that was pretty cool too.

Saturday I woke up super early to pack and catch a bus. We had to take one bus to the transport center in Hamilton, and then another bus to Raglan from there. It took us about an hour and a half to get there altogether. Transportation is proving to be fairly difficult for most things we try and do, and so we have been ending up making very long walks no matter what we do! Anyway, the bus dropped us off at this area of beach that seemed dedicated to surfing and launching boats. Walking a little ways, we found a little strip of beach that was completely empty, and was surrounded by rocks on all sides (I'll include pictures so you can see what I mean). We trekked over these rocks and got to the small beach area and it was a perfect day. The weather was beautiful, the water was the perfect temperature, and the mountains in the distance were an awesome view. After being on this beach area (which in hindsight was definitely not an area we were allowed to be) we packed up to leave and realized that all the rocks we had climbed over to get there were covered as the tide came in. So, with rocks and water on all sides, we had to walk straight up the side of this mountain, through some very tall grass) until we finally reached a dirt road (still going straight upwards, you know, up a mountain). Eventually reaching level ground and a real road was a treat, but then we had to walk a good while to get to our hostel. But the hostel was so cute, it had a summer camp vibe with a view of the ocean, as well as having a communal kitchen, longue, and outdoor seating area.

Hanging out in the hostel for a while, we then had to walk to the only place remotely nearby for dinner. And by the only place I mean that it was an all vegan restaurant in a different resort a little over a mile away, which may not seem that far but let me reiterate that we were walking, up a mountain. Getting there, I ordered their only option: vegan pizza (the cheese was actually super good and the tomatoes were cut into chunks and placed on top) and it was delicious. I also got a piece of banana bread, and it was some of the best banana bread I've ever had. We made the walk back after dinner (which was considerably easier going downhill and not having the sun beating down) and on this walk back we got the chance to stop at a few sceneic overlooks and check out the sunset over the ocean. After getting back to the hostel, we just hung out for a little while and then went to bed.

The next morning we woke up early, packed our stuff, and headed to the same vegan restaurant for breakfast! The walk was actually worse then I remembered it from the previous day. I got a granola and fruit bowl, as well as some vegan sausages because I was curious. They weren't terrible, the texture was just very strange. After breakfast, we headed to the actual area of the beach that we were allowed to be in (like with a path and stuff). It was another great day with perfect weather and the waves were a bit bigger so it was more fun. We swam, did chicken fights, walked up the beach, and laid out in the sun. My sunburn is pretty killer right now, but I wouldn't change a thing (especially because I reapplied 9 times in 3 hours and still got burned so its like what else can I do you know). After the beach, we had to walk back to the bus stop, another 2 mile trek, and then we just sat and watched a surfing competition taking place on that area of the beach before the bus came. After getting home, we stopped at this pizza place that was hell-themed for dinner, and I got a pizza with chicken, ham, and honeymustard on it, and it was super delicious.

I mention the walks which were killer indeed but I just found that everytime I was sweating or burning or walking through the literal forest up a mountain in only my bathing suit and converse I just had to remind myself "I'm doing all this in New Zealand" and I felt instantly happier again. I love being here, I love going on these trips, and I love the group of people who are here with me. That's why I am so against the idea of leaving anytime soon and feel sad at this added stress that the corona virus brings to this happy time. Our school has recommended us to come home, but is not forcing us at this time, so we now have a tough decision to make. There are so many unknowns for both staying or leaving, and both have their own risks, consequences, and rewards in regards to classes, credits, flights, and tuition costs. I feel very lucky to be in a situation where I actually have a choice about this, as I know many other students abroad in other parts of the world are either being forced home or are stuck where they are, but it doesn't make it any easier or less stressful to figure out what the best move is for me now, and how that choice will impact me in the future. It sucks to talk about the corona virus so much in this post, but unfortunately that's the situation I'm in right now, and I want this blog to accurately reflect what life is like for me while I'm here.

Thanks for making it to the end of this post, if you did, and hopefully next time I'm writing it will be good news!