Short Hiatus- 9 days until departure

So, the past few weeks have been more... eventful than I originally imagined they would be. The result is a lack of time (despite the fact I am home all day) due to preparation for my trip, mentally and physically. Thus, this blog has been neglected.

BUT NO MORE!

I will now be writing on a regular basis of a few times a week, if not every day. Currently I am still at home, but will be visiting Wilmington tomorrow to see everyone one last time. I will miss my friends while abroad, but I hope that touching down in a foreign country with not a single person I know for thousands of miles will make me a better person. It's got to build character, right?

In fact, I think this is really what I need right now. I need to be off on my own, I suppose- I need to discover what is right for me, what I stand for, what I believe. I need to be self sufficient and be able to support myself and others- what better way to do this, than be on my own for 4 months? I will of course make friends there, but the point is that this country will be a new canvas for me, in which I can imprint the image of myself as I want to be. I think I have the power to make that image a reality.


In other news, I finally got my Xmas gift to myself! Introducing....










The nikon 55-200mm Vibration reduction lens!
This lense has about 12 or so acronym suffixes attached to it, but I'll spare you. Basically, what you need to know are 3 things:

1. It is a nikon lens, which means it is superb quality (even for a budget lens) and can fit on almost any nikon ever made (though film cameras won't get a fully exposed pcture with it).
2. It is a 55-200 mm, which is a measure of the lens's zoom capability. For example, the general starter lens for a digital budget nikon SLR is 18-55mm, which is to say moderately wide angle to decent zoom. This picks up at the decent zoom and brings it to 'pretty darn good' zoom.
3. It has VR, vibration reduction. This reduces the blurriness from camera shake, meaning you can shoot the same subject at a slower shutter speed and get less blur from it. After all the reviews i've read, and after using it, I would label it as invaluable, although it does eat up battery like crazy.


So as if it even needs to be said, I'm psyched.

Tomorrow I'll tell you a little about the city I'll be in in New Zealand, a bit about their currency, and the university where I'll be staying. Until then...