Top 10 Moments of 2012

Over the past few days, I have been compiling a list of significant things that have happened to me in the past year.  I mostly wanted to take some time to revisit and reflect on this past year because 2012 has by far been the best year of my life.  I cannot even imagine what God has in store for me in 2013, but 2012 is going to be tough to beat.  Here's the ten best things that happened to me in 2012.  Some are moments, some are events, and some are accomplishments.  I am in awe of how much I have learned about myself over the past 365 days.  I am thankful that I have a supporting family, encouraging friends, incredible family pets, a job to support my hobbies, and God's unconditional love.  I am one lucky lady.  This list in in no particular order, and it was challenging to pick my top ten moments because I had many more significant events happen throughout this past year.

1. Adding a wonderful colt to my herd.  Dex has been a blast since he arrived at my house nearly 3 months ago.  I am very excited about my bright future with this intelligent colt.

My new horse, Dex, during his first snow fall

2. Living in Wellington, New Zealand for 5 months.  My study abroad experience was fun, challenging, exciting, hard, eventful, emotional, and life changing.  This vibrant city has completely opened my heart to happiness, acceptance, love, and peacefulness.

Wellington, New Zealand: my home away from home

3. Taking a solo trip to Cairns, Queensland, Australia.  This trip changed my life.  It boosted my confidence for traveling alone and internationally.  I'm excited to continue to see the world.  I'd prefer not to experience God's beauty alone, but I am confident in doing it this way if I have to.

After my SCUBA dive on the Great Barrier Reef

4. Baxter and Felix are two adorable kittens that were added to my family at the end of the September.  They never stop entertaining me and give me so many reasons to smile each day.

Baxter & Felix

5. Attending my first Green Bay Packers game.  On December 23rd, my family watched the Packers defeat the Tennessee Titans 55-7.  It was an experience I'll never forget and I cannot even describe the adrenaline rush that overcame me as I made my way to my seats at Lambeau Field surrounded by thousands of fans and freezing cold weather.

Me, my dad, my mom, and little brother, Jake at the Packer game

6. Traveling the Yasawa Islands in Fiji.  This 10-day adventure was wonderful and the perfect transition to departing New Zealand and heading home after 5 months away.  The sandy beaches, crystal clear blue water, impeccable hospitality, and warm sunshine frequently cross my mind.  I faced fears and learned that pure relaxation is completely attainable in life.

Fijian beach at the Manta Ray Resort

 7. Traveling all around New Zealand and Sydney, Australia with my mom for two weeks.

My mom and I hiking Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand

8. Once in a lifetime experiences: blackwater rafting in Waitomo Caves, SCUBA diving and snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, swimming with manta rays in Fiji, eating at the top of Sky Tower in Auckland, experiencing a hot water beach, and taking a helicopter to hike Franz Josef Glacier.

Swimming with manta rays in Fiji

9. Being reunited with my family, dog, and horses after 5 month away.

Sage & Vogue

10. Making the Dean's List after an 18 credit semester of upper level classes.

2012, thank you for being the best year of my life.

Moments That Stood Out (from my time abroad)

When I think back to my time abroad, these are the most immediate things that come to mind as moments that stood out. This list is in no particupar order.

Moments that have stood out:

1. Riding the world’s steepest train

2. Seeing Mt. Cook’s mirror reflection on Matheson Lake

3. Enjoying a hot water beach

4. Watching the sunrise behind Mt. Ngauruhoe

5. Realizing I’m used to walking on the left side of the street and looking right first before crossing the street

6. Seeing Wellington from Mt Vic

7. Driving a car on the left side of the road

8. Having dinner on top of Sky Tower in Auckland

9. Taking a helicopter to climb a glacier all morning

10. Dipping me feet in the water in Abel Tasman National Park

11. Seeing Milford Sound up close and personal

12. How it felt to see my friends in Queenstown

13. Going white water rafting

14. SCUBA diving the Great Barrier Reef

15. The moment Wellington felt like home

16. Seeing the outline of New Zealand as I flew into Wellington at midnight

17. Making the most incredible friends

18. Enjoying the nature and beauty everywhere

19. SCUBA diving the Great Barrier Reef

20. Traveling alone internationally

21. Trying gelato for the first time

22. Taking advantage of the Farmer's Market every Sunday

23. Black water rafting in Waitomo Caves

24. Feeling complete safe in a city of 400K

25. Seeing the Wellington waterfront for the first time at night

Adjusting to Home

It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been home for 6 full weeks.  I could have wrote this blog post about 2 or 3 weeks ago, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.  I’ve been too busy doing everything in my power to stay away from my computer.  It was my lifeline while I was in New Zealand so my main goal when I got home was to simply be away from it.  I think I’ve done pretty well in that department in life.

Before I talk about what it’s been like to be home, I want to talk about my journey back to the USA.  I left Fiji on July 14^th at 10 pm.  Well, the flight was delayed about 40 minutes.  I had already been in the airport since 3 pm so I was ready to take off.  I literally flew back into time and arrived in LA at about 1:30 pm on July 14^th.  Customs was easy; I had heard that the US customs officers can be a bit intimidating, but I did not have to undergo any of that.  In fact, my longest part of the process was waiting for my luggage.  I was one of the first people to check in for the flight of nearly 400 people so my luggage was some of the last to hit the luggage carousel.  My cousin, Kayla, lives outside of LA so she came to pick me up from the airport.  I was so relieved to be out of the airport!  She took me to her place, let me shower, then we went and grabbed beers and Mexican food on the Santa Monica Pier.  Being on the right side of the road was somewhat terrifying (for the first week I was home), and every time my cousin or anyone I was riding with during the first week I was home turned I instantly thought they were going down the wrong side of the road.  Even though I have been traveling quite extensively in the last 5 months, I still get travel anxiety so I wanted to be back to the airport by 8 to give me plenty of time to go through security for my 11 pm flight to Chicago.  I realize now that this was silly, but I can’t change it.  While driving through the vibrant city of Santa Monica, I was in awe of how big everything was: the streets were wider, there were tons of bigger SUVs and trucks, the men were muscular and tall (welcome home, Emily!), and the warm sunshine felt just like it had in Fiji.  I loved Santa Monica and definitely want to bump it up on my list of places to visit sooner rather than later so I can explore it more.

Santa Monica

My flight out of LA was delayed.  I figured I would sleep on my flight to Chicago, but I was just too excited about being reunited with the people I love.  Then I saw a thunderstorm in the distance so I watched that as we approached it, went around it, and watched it disappear in the vicinity behind me.  It was pretty cool, I must admit.  By that point we only had an hour and a half left before landing in Chicago so I just decided to stay awake since I was not feeling too tired.  Since my flight out of LA was delayed, I was extremely worried that I’d miss my flight to Madison.  After 8 hours in a Fijian airport, a 10.5 hour flight to LA, a 10 hour layover in LA, and a 4 hour flight to Chicago…let’s just say I was NOT going to miss that flight.  Running through the Chicago airport at 6 am was not something I had envisioned in my trip back home.  I remember getting to my gate after switching terminals and a couple smiled at me and said, “Madison? You made it!” I was so relieved and happy to be able to catch my breath.  I looked up at the screen and two minutes later, my flight read “DELAYED.”  So I sat for another 30 minutes before we actually boarded.

Kayla and I in Santa Monica

I remember the feelings and emotions I was feeling so vividly as I flew in LA and knew I would shortly be back on American soil.  The feeling was multiplied by approximately 1000 when I flew into Madison.  Seeing the capitol and Lake Mendota were wonderful welcoming sights.  It is weird to think that it had been 5 months earlier that I left such a wonderful state for a foreign country.  It was about 10 minutes after leaving the plane that all of my suitcases showed up.  I was relieved they had made it too!  It was an eerie feeling being back in the same spot where all of my traveling begun 5 months earlier.  It felt like a dream.

 Can I be honest? Being home has been both incredible and awful.  You see, when you’re traveling, everyone is so interested in what you’re doing and I was more than happy to keep people back home updated on my life while I began my journey of seeing the world.  Let’s just say that since I have been home, things have been different.  When you’re traveling, everyone “likes” your photos, misses you a lot, responds to Twitter posts with “#jealous”, and reads your blogs.  When you’re home…not all of those things happen as regularly as they had.

 Since I’ve arrived home, things just changed.  And now that I’ve been home for a while, I’ve realized that things probably never will go back to the way they were.  It saddens me that I still haven’t seen some of my friends since being back home and it’s made me re-evaluate a lot of friendships.  Sometimes I want to say to people, “Just because you followed my journey through social networking sites doesn’t mean you know the whole story, and damnit, I want to tell you about it.”  But people don’t want to hear the whole story.  Talking about New Zealand almost feels like a “sin” because some people have reacted in some pretty strange ways.  And it really surprises me.  I’m surprised people don’t want to hear about it.  I’m surprised people get annoyed when I talk about it.  I’m surprised by how awkward conversations with people feel.  I’m surprised that people do not seem to care that I’m home or about a journey that completely changed me and my life.

I guess it sounds boastful to say that I expected people to be excited to see me…but I felt that way because I was excited to see people.  After 6 weeks of being home and still not seeing some particular people, well, I have given up.  And that’s what I mean when I say that things just aren’t the same and never will be.  It would be nice to say that I have gotten better at not holding grudges since being gone.  Well, I have, actually.  That is why I am choosing to just accept that it is the way things are going to be and that I will need to re-establish my life here, just like I had to when I moved to New Zealand.  But it doesn't mean it doesn't leave a whole in my heart.  I really am not trying to sound bitter or negative, but I’d be lying if I said things have just been “rainbows and butterflies” since I have been home.

I have learned how truly fortunate I am to have had such a life changing experience.  I am thankful for my ability to save my money, I am thankful for parents who taught me exceptional money management skills, I am thankful for having the courage to leave a life I loved behind in order to have an experience of a lifetime, I am thankful for my encouraging and supporting friends, and I am thankful for even having such an opportunity to pursue at a young age.

It is good to be home, and I am still adjusting.  Reverse culture shock is a real thing, let me tell you!  But I am thankful to be able to experience it.

 

Oh, and for those of you who are wondering...there are not words to describe what it was like to reunited with my dog, Charlo, and two horses, Vogue and Sage.  The warmth my heart felt in those moments is something I'll never forget. Ever.

Bula Fiji!

 

This is going to be the least detailed blog I’ll ever write.  If it was detailed, it would be so long that no one would read it.  Here’s a brief, and hopefully entertaining, recap of my time in Fiji:

Note: It was pretty epic.

Our room the first night in Fiji. Not a lot of space for us once we got our luggage in.

July 5: Left Wellington. Flight from Wellington delayed. Flight to Fiji delayed.  Had an awesome meal on the plane to Fiji. Arrived in Fiji at 11:30 pm. Was welcomed by a group of singing Fijians. Customs was easy. Took a cab to our hotel. Was creeped out and realized why people say Fiji is “sketchy” to travel to.

Ashley and I goofing around at 1 am because we were happy to be in Fiji

Note: While traveling in Fiji, my friend Ashley and I “island hopped.”  We boarded a large boat at the port, then got on a smaller boat when we arrived in the vicinity of our island resorts.  These smaller boats took us to the island that our resorts were on.  When we departed for our next resort, the small boats took us to the large boat again.  The process repeats itself everytime we switched resorts.  And the best part?  The Fijians took care of our 3 bags/each happily the entire time!  Although I did get tired of explaining that I had been living in New Zealand for 5 months and apologizing for my excess luggage.

Our "bure" at Manta Ray Resort
Bure: Private accommodation with ocean view

July 6: Woke up after 3 hours of sleep.  Didn’t sleep well because Fiji beds don’t have blankets and the fans make you really cold at night.  Arrive at Port Denarau.  Boarded the Yasawa Flyer.  Arrived at our first resort: Manta Ray Resort around 11:30. Welcomed by more singing Fijians and a wonderful drink. Sun tanned/bathed all afternoon.  Went on a sunset boat cruise in the evening.

Sunset boat cruise

July 7: Sun tanned all day long. Ate breakfast. Ate lunch. Drank fresh coconut milk. Ate dinner. Started reading a book.

The beauty of Manta Ray Resort

July 8: Got attacked by bed bugs between the hours of 12 am and 7 am. Departed Manta Ray Resort. Was sang a departing song by some sexy Fijians. Arrived at Korovou Resort. Ate lunch. Ate dinner. Sun tanned. Finished a book.

 

The amazing staff at Manta Ray Resort

Inside our bure at Korovou Resort

July 9: Swam with manta rays.  That’s right—manta rays. Sun tanned all day.  Walked along the entire island and enjoyed the sandy beaches.

Oh hey there, manta ray! You're quite large.

July 10: Ate breakfast. Fed fish. Had a Fijian cooking lesson. Realized I like raw fish. Departed Korovou Resort. Arrived at Coral View Resort. Took a trip to a random island and took lots of awesome pictures. Sat in awe of the clear, blue water on a sandbar. Hiked up the island to watch the sunset. Met an awesome couple who lives in Norway. Ate awesome food.

At our Fijian cooking lesson

 

Sunset from the top of the island at Coral View Resort

Enjoying the island/sand bar

Ashley and I on the island we visited. Just living the dream.

July 11: Consumed my weight in pineapples. Almost died. Realized salt water doesn’t feel good in my eyes. Visited the Sawa-I-Lau Caves. Faced my fears. Went snorkeling in the Blue Lagoon. Saw a snake. Saw a clown fish.

Ash and I in Sawa-I-Lau Cave

 

Snorkeling the the Blue Lagoon

July 12: Got attacked by bed bugs again. Visited a Fijian doctor. Saw a Fijian village. Visited a Fijian school. Was devastated to see the conditions in which Fijians lived. Gained a large appreciation for my lifestyle, bed, food, home, shower, car, clothes a lot more than I ever did. Saw a cultural Fijian dance. Departed Coral View Resort. Arrived at Beachcomber Resort.

Cultural Fijian dance at Coral View Resort

July 13: Met some cool people. Tried to constantly hide my polka-dotted/bug bit body from other people. Went snorkeling. Sun tanned. Fed baby turtles. Walked around Beachcomber Island in 10 minutes. Watched the sunset. Participated in a cultural experience. Ask me about it.

 

Baby sea turtles

Some of the coral during our snorkel at Beachcomber

July 14: Sun tanned. Decreased my suitcase weight. Departed Beachcomber. Said goodbye to Ashley. Sat in an airport for 3 hours before I was able to check in. Waited some more. Flew back to the US. I got to repeat July 14^th because we flew back into time. It was pretty cool.

Beachcomber Island

Needless to say, Fiji was incredible.  I wish I could go into more detail, but this would be way too long of a blog if I did that.  I had an amazing time with an incredible friend.  Fiji forever changed me.  I am in awe of the hospitality, friendliness, and happiness levels that all Fijians possess.  I will always appreciate my home because I was blown away by the conditions in which the Fijians live.  Fiji could be considered a third world country, especially for those who live on the islands that surround the biggest island.  I had a life changing experience, which I plan to blog about more thoroughly in the future.  I highly recommend visiting Fiji.  I loved my time there and it was the perfect transition to leaving New Zealand and coming back to the US.

 

Bula = Hello.

Vinaka = Thank you.

 

Vinaka, Fiji, for an incredible vacation in a beautiful country.

Last Weeks in Wellington

Classes concluded on June 8^th.  For me, this day marked complete freedom to have fun as well as create my own schedule.  From June 8^th until July 5^th (the day I left New Zealand for Fiji), I had a lot of fun and did a lot of cool things.  I went to the Pinnacles which you can read about here and took a trip to Cairns which you can read about here.  During the time I also had to take finals; if you’re curious, you can read about how they are structured in New Zealand here.  The rest of the time was spent indulging in food, alcohol, and fun experiences with friends.  One of my goals before coming to New Zealand was to expose myself to a variety of foods.  I also had a list of restaurants that I had wanted to go to around the city, so I spent the last month in New Zealand indulging in food and going out to eat a lot.  It minimized cooking and cleaning quite a bit! If you’re curious about the food I tried, restaurants I ate it, and random day adventures I took, keep reading.  Otherwise, this may be a boring post for you.  I love food, and one of the reasons I love traveling so much is because of the food I get to eat and try along the way.

Lebanese: To celebrate the survival of my first final, Suzanne, Ashley, and I decided to go out for dinner and dessert.  I had discovered a Lebanese restaurant, Phoenician Falafel, while searching for the Harley-Davidson shop earlier in the semester.  We all ordered different things, but we all loved our food.  I ordered a Makanek, a Lebanese sausage.  I really enjoyed it.  Afterwards, we went to a restaurant known for its desserts called Strawberry Fare.  This restaurant deserves its own blog post, so stay tuned.

Our Lebanese food

Indian: Suzanne, Ashley, and I wanted to try Indian food.  If I remember right, Suzanne had finished with her finals so we wanted to celebrate.  There are tons of Indian restaurants around the heart of Wellington.  We decided on Great India because it was close to some places we were planning to go afterwards.  The restaurant was very fancy and I spent more on myself than I would have liked, but I definitely can say I like Indian food.  I don’t remember what I ordered exactly, I just know it was chicken-related.  We shared rice to go with our individual meals and the bread was to die for!  I could have just ate that and been satisfied with my meal.  Afterwards, Suzanne had a Lord of the Rings event to attend.  Ashley and I went to a bar called El Horno to share a pitcher of Sangria and watch the All Blacks rugby match in the bar.  It was quite the night!

Soul Food aka “New Orleans”: Suzanne, Ashley, and I went to an adorable southern themed restaurant called Sweet Mother’s Kitchen for lunch one day.  It was the first time I had BBQ sauce on a sandwich in months!  Talk about heaven to the taste buds!  It was an American style restaurant, so it may seem out of the ordinary, but a taste of home was just what I needed.  It’s a cute restaurant, and I recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in Wellington one day.

My burger from Burger Wisconsin

Burger Wisconsin: That’s right!  There is a burger joint in Wellington, actually, it’s a chain restaurant around New Zealand, called Burger Wisconsin.  I often had many Kiwi’s mention it to me when they found out I was from Wisconsin.  My friends Ashley, Justin, and I had to take a bus to one of the locations because it wasn’t in walking distance from our flats.  It was kind of strange taking the bus somewhere because it had been a while since I needed to take the bus for anything.  My burger was delicious, but it doesn’t top Wisconsin burgers.  However, New Zealand puts a lot of interesting toppings on their burgers that make them unique such as aoli sauce, relish, and beet root.  I will miss their creativeness!

Hell Pizza: Wellington has three religious based pizza companies, but they are completely separate from each other: Heaven, Hell, and Wholly Pizza.  Sam, Cameron, Ashley, Suzanne, Kayla, and I all went to Hell Pizza one evening.  We all ordered our own personal pizza’s, and I have to admit, this was the closest I found to the pizza tasting like it was made in the states.  Pizza in New Zealand is just…different.  That’s the best word to describe it.  Anyway, my point is, the pizza there is delicious!  They have this “Russian Roulette” game there.  One slice of pizza gets a drop of their hottest chili sauce put on it.  You eat the pizza with more than one person and someone gets the hot slice unknowingly.  Trust me, it’s hot.  And it didn’t sit well with me either…in case anyone was wondering.

Last Meal: I left New Zealand on July 5^th.  On July 3^rd, my group of friends decided to have a nice last meal together.  We ate a restaurant called Osterio del Torro.  I ordered Pasta Cabronara, something I’ve become quite the fan of since being in NZ.  The meal was wonderful and we concluded the evening with drinks at The Welsh Dragon and dessert at Strawberry Fare.  This was also the night that a 7.0 earthquake rattled Wellington.  The earthquake was about 300 miles northwest of Wellington, so there was no damage to the city itself.  However, the 20-25 second earthquake caused quite the excitement amongst my friends and me.  Something so powerful right before I left made leaving a little easier.  In case you didn’t know, Wellington sits right on a fault line—something I didn’t know until after I was already there!

Everyone after our last meal together

Otari-Wilson Bush Walk: The weekend before our last week of classes, Kayla, Suzanne, Cameron, and I decided to escape the city.  Cameron had heard of Otari-Wilson through a friendly Kiwi she encountered who described this place as her “heaven on earth.”  I would say it was a pretty accurate statement.  I wish I had known about this place sooner because it reminded me a lot of hiking the bluffs in La Crosse.  It was wonderful to escape the city and see gorgeous sites while hiking.  I’m thankful I was able to go to this place once because it refreshed me.  I love the excitement of the city, but I am a country girl at heart.  Getting out of the city is something I will always need to do to recharge.

The crew at Otari-Wilson

Shinobi Sushi: The day before we left, Sam, Suzanne, and I decided to get sushi one last time before we left Wellington.  I have to admit, I’ve developed quite a love for sushi and I know I’ll really miss it once I get home.  I don’t think sushi in the Midwest will be quite the same as sushi in Wellington.  We went to for lunch to a restaurant recommended through National Geographic’s “I Heart My City-Wellington” and from my Kiwi friend, Adele.  I’m so glad we went here.  The sushi was made on the spot and it was mouth-watering!  I’m glad we went for one last minute lunch together, and fully recommend this place to anyone—it’s well worth the money!

The last month I was in Wellington was a very exciting one, with the exception of having to worry about finals.  I feel so fortunate that I was able to spend such a large amount of time really enjoying the company of the amazing friendships I formed while in New Zealand.  And I’m glad I got to eat tons of great food before I left!  There were a few places that we ate at that I didn't include in this post.  These were some of the highlights.  I'm also sick of writing about food.