well, i have landed in another country. i have slept off most of my jet lag. i have walked at least 10 miles in just over 3 days. and i have had only one beer because it is so expensive here!

but i’m in Auckland, New Zealand!

it is pretty amazing. and by ‘pretty’ i mean incredibly. while, i am still in what some are calling The Honeymoon Stage of my journey, i am pleasantly surprised at how comfortable i’ve felt. i’ll admit, i’ve skyped with my dad quite a few times and have a local phone number which is allowing me to text with other iPhone users back home so it’s not like i’ve quit my MN life cold turkey or anything. but i have made it almost 3 days without doing anything too stupid in a foreign country and have even made a few friends! bravo, jess. bravo!

so, what have I been doing? well, mostly walking since that’s free 🙂 I spent several hours down by the wharf wandering around, breathing in the ocean air and fantasizing about my next meal.

i have walked up some very steep hills and back down the other sides. i visited an absolutely INCREDIBLE museum and have taken a decent crop of photos.

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i’ve also taken a handful of self portraits which i think will feel less and less lame as i continue on this solo journey. or at least i hope they do!

oh yeah, along those lines, i documented my excitement when i got to brush my teeth for the first time after landing and then again when i got to shower for the first time … those amazing feelings won’t soon be forgotten, let me tell you!

… well, i think that will do for my first international post. nothing super exciting has happened but i’m rather pleased with what has. it’s the simple life for me and i like that.

Cheers!

7 Comments

carol on September 23, 2013 at 10:55 am

Love your blog posts!!! Sounds like you have landed solidly on your feet and we impatiently wait for your next post. 🙂 Hugs
Beth on September 23, 2013 at 1:32 pm

Awesome!!! I’m so excited to follow your journey!
Alex on September 23, 2013 at 2:03 pm

Woot woot!!! I’m so glad to hear things are going well so far, can’t wait to see new posts and all the awesome photos you’ll capture. Keep on being amazing! 🙂
Caren on September 23, 2013 at 2:17 pm

you are so amazing Jess! Love your blog! Keep them coming! Hey I have an I-phone so feel free to call!!! New Zealand looks fantastic.
Amanda Toppe on September 23, 2013 at 2:20 pm

Soooo excited to see this post! 🙂 Glad you made it and that all of us get to soak in the amazingness with you through your photos. You are amazing! 🙂
Katie Dit on September 23, 2013 at 8:26 pm

I love reading your blog 🙂 You are super talented in narrating your journey, its fun hearing your personality through your writing! Loving the Selfies too 😉
Emily Steffen on September 23, 2013 at 9:56 pm

THE SELFIES! You are adorable………love that you are there on an adventure of a lifetime! 🙂 Sending endless hugs along every step of your journey! 🙂

the adventure starts here

7 Comments