sorry it's been a while

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't really updated anything about new zealand... I've been so busy! I have a lot to say about New Zealand, but I think the pictures can speak for themselves. It was an absolutely amazing experience and I met a heap of awesome people. Our flights to Australia all were safe and well. The few days we had in Cairns before our orientation started were spent diving in the Great Barrier Reef (where I got certified!) It was incredible. Also, incredibly hot and humid. I could never live there. They're not kidding when they say it's the tropics!
Diving was really cool because not only was my instructor really cool and really knowledgable, but I got to see a sea turtle on my FIRST open water dive ever! That apparently is pretty rare, so it was amazing. Unfortunately I couldn't rent a camera, so I didn't get a picture. Adam couldn't go the second day because his ears were a little funky. We stayed at a hostel that was definitely a hostel (haha) but it was fun. All part of the experience. I'm also still not used to the fact that everything closes at 5pm, including most supermarkets and cafes, etc. Found that out the hard way once we got into Cairns at night. After diving for a couple days, we met up with our AustraLearn group at a different hostel (that was much more like a resort than a hostel). I was a little disappointed when I realized our entire group consisted of only Americans, but I got used to it and I'm going to try to meet as many Aussies I can in classes and such to make up for it. We spent a few days trying to get all settled in because a lot of things didnt work (my shower was completely broken for a few days) and we had to get a bunch of groceries. We spent a day in Sydney walking around and being tourists which was pretty surreal. I can't believe I'm actually here and doing all of this! It's really exciting and new and I love it! I still wish the sun wasn't as strong here though... I got sunburnt walking to my class (which took 10 minutes; half of which was in the shade). Gotta slop on that sunscreen!
Hope everyone is doing well and having as much fun as I am! Take care!