Some Things.

Some things I miss:

•  my family and friends. it's hard to be in a different country with no one!
•  snow. yes, snow.
•  my job. it is so strange to have so little to do!
•  having an oven. living in a flat with no oven makes you a little more creative though.
•  Wells' dining hall. I buy and cook all my own food now. it makes me appreciate being able to go down to the dining hall and get prepared food!
•  the quiet. Wellington is always busy. It's not too loud, but it is definitely a city.
•  the 2 minute walk to class. It takes me 20 minutes to walk up the hill here.

Some things I don't miss:

•  snow. yup.
•  television. I have so much free time now that I don't own a tv!
•  how small Wells is. I kind of like this new found anonymity!
•  my cell phone. I haven't suffered from phantom phone once.

Some things that are different:

•  the accent. just because they speak English doesn't mean I can understand them.
•  the government. I live right next to the Parliament building, and one day I'll learn how it works!
•  driving on the left side of the road. it still scares me.
•  cost of living. everything here is SO expensive. the minimum wage is $13.75 to compensate for living costs.
•  the outlets. they all have switches. you turn on each outlet when you want to use it. it must save heaps of energy!
•  the time. I'm 18 hours ahead. I'm in the future!
•  fashion. the people here dress so well! all the time!
•  the mood. "no worries" is a way of life, not just a saying.
•  I walk everywhere. seriously everywhere. although Wellington is a city, it's pretty small and concentrated.
•  shops close early! the city closes right up at 5 PM.
•  the money. they have $2 coins and no pennies. so hard to get used to!
•  the sounds. the environment sounds different. crickets don't sound the same as they do at home (they must have an accent too). there are different kinds of birds chirping. it's almost unsettling how weird the sounds are.