My Host Family and School Placement

The time has finally come, and I have received news that I have been placed in a host family! When I first heard of this news I started to jump with joy, and then when I found out who my family was and where I will be living, I proceeded to break out my "Happy Dance".

I will be living in a Suburb of Auckland (which is the biggest city in New Zealand) called Howick. It is in an awesome area to be living, and my house is only 200 meters from the beach!

My host family is amazing. Ever since I have found out my placement they have been emailing, facebooking, and skyping me, basically doing anything they can to help me to feel more comfortable in their family. My mom and dad's names are Ian and Karren. I have three siblings; Hamish (19), Marren (25), and Clare (27). I have had so much fun getting to know them so far, and I cannot wait to see them in January.

Above is a picture of my family taken a few years ago.

Clare, Ian, Merran, Karren, and Hamish

I will be attending school at Pakuranga College. From what I have heard and learned it is a great school. It is an international school with over 2.000 kids in attendance from over 50 different nationalities. I am enrolled in year 13, which they consider their senior year. By being in year 13, I have the privilege of wearing no uniform, which in New Zealand they call "mufti".

Above is a picture of Pak's main office building.

The school is separated into many different buildings on campus (similar to a college).

I feel so blessed and thankful for my placement. It is the perfect place for me and I plan to take full advantage of everything that comes my way while living in New Zealand. 

Flights Set in Motion

I would like to start off this post by acknowledging everyone who has donated to my cause. To my greatest excitement I would like to announce that I finished fundraising over $1,050! It was an amazing feat and I couldn't of done it without the help from my friends and family. On that note I would like to say thank you to my latest sponsors;

• Terry and Namoi Beckel (Nana and Papa)
• Tom and Lisa McKnight

You guys helped me to make this dream possible and I cannot say thank you enough!

To my dismay, I have still not been placed in a host family. But I have not let this damper my spirits, I pray and hope everyday that the day I am placed with my host family will come sooner, rather than later.

On a happier note, my departure and return flights have been scheduled! I leave for Las Angeles on January 24th. While there I will meet with other AFS students for what they call a "Gateway Orientation". After spending the night in LA, I will leave for New Zealand on January 25th, at 10:00pm, and arrive in Auckland on January 27th, at 8:00am. The combination of the changing time zones, and the long flight will make for one long day!

Thank you for reading, and I will update my blog as soon as I get more information on my journey abroad!