Day 1: I hit the ground running

So, My day technically started on the Air NZ flight. Let me say that the difference between ANZ and USAIR was dumbfounding- free meals, free lemon water in glass cafres, and strangest (and best of all), free booze! Let me repeat that:

Air New Zealand gives you free meals and alcohol on their flight. Like, as much as you want.

They had a selection of several wines to choose from, which helped to knock me right out after dinner. (I had about two 2 oz glasses, but the Canadians next to me just kept knockin’ em back.) I slept for a few meager hours, due to sitting is not very comfortable for me, and I decided upon awaking to watch an in flight movie (over 80 to choose from!). I decided on rock-n-rolla, a british film similar in style to Snatch and Lock, Stock and 2 smokin’ barrels. It was enjoyable, particularly a fight scene with a couple of Russian heavy goons (I won’t ruin it, only say that they do Boris the Blade justice). The meals were great, and hot, with tea afterward. They also came around with glass pitchers of water with citruis fruit in them (to keep you hydrated). All in all, Air New Zealand was the best airline I have ever flown on by leaps and bounds, and I would fly it again in an instant. I would almost visit again just to fly it…
We landed, and after customs and baggage claim, I got on a mini bus with a Maori (Pronounced Maudi) woman named Cindy and a pair of students. One was an American from Ohio, and another was a German girl. After a scenic drive through beautiful countryside (of which many more cows were spotted than sheep) we finally arrived on campus and I checked in. My room is pretty awesome- it is perhaps hald the size of my room at UNCW, but it has a few advantages over it- for example, everything, from the bed to the desk, is built into the room- you may think this is bad because it limits your freedom, but in fact it is great because it is the best possible use of space. It has a floor to ceiling window that hinges out towards the sky- and I might add that sun finally comes into my room- something I have never gotten to enjoy before in college. I have set everything up, and I am pretty much unpacked already.
I live in the student village. Student village is one of 4 residence areas. It consists of 10 blocks (buildings), housing anywhere from 48 to 6 students. My block, block 3, houses 36. All have single rooms, and there are 6 pods of 6 people- 2 pods on each of the 3 floors. I am on the third. I am alone in this pod for today, but there are apparently 4 girls and 1 guy living in the other 5 rooms. There is one other student here right now, from China. His name is Bo, but he wants to be called “Wibba”. He says this is his English name, but I am not sure what he actually means by it- he may mean William, and may be mispronouncing it.
I met my RA as well- a really nice, genuine fellow. After I settled in, I went and had lunch. At lunch I met some New Zealanders, and they took me shopping for groceries and other things. We went to a general store (similar to a sam’s or wal-mart that doesn’t sell food) called the Warehouse. It is a great deal. We then got groceries at Pak-N-Save, where you have to pack your own groceries to save you money. In addition to some basic things, I also got some New Zealand treats, including some local chocolate and some marshmallow cookies. All in all things aren’t too pricey here- the NZ dollar is in decline, and as a result my dollar goes further. Imagine everything marked up by about 20%, so a $100 USD item may be $120 NZD item, but with the exchange rate, that item will cost you about $65 USD. So, I like it 

I have been riding on 45 hours with only 2-3 hours of sleep, and am about to crash. Soon I will take pictures and get everything sorted out. Until then, I think I will pass out on this comfy looking bed.