Friday, December 3, 2010

I have made it back to Dunedin after a great adventure, and I have many pictures and stories to share, but I think that I shall leave them for later and just ruminate about my time here a wee bit. The older I get, the faster time goes, which may sound like just another cliche, but what seems banal in writing is poignant and fresh when lived. After hitching back into town yesterday I walked around Dunedin before returning to my flat, taking care of various affairs. Because I was carrying my hiking backpack, however, several people addressed me as though I had just arrived in the country, which encapsulated the whole five months of experiences in my mind. I was taking the same steps, through the same intersections, past the same shops and architecture as I had when I first stepped off of the airport shuttle, but then this city was strange and full of unanswered questions, and now it feels like part of myself, each sight reminding me of friends, lessons, and good times. I thought that I would be fine leaving this place, but it hits me now how much I will miss it. I have had many successes and a fair amount of failures here, but it is consolation to know for certain that I am a better person for my time in New Zealand. I still have a lot of work to do, but I believe that studying abroad was the best choice I could have made for this semester.

I'll leave you with just one picture. When I saw this I stopped dead in the street and laughed loud enough to disturb the passerby. The Warehouse, by the way, is a popular department store here.



Just more proof that big business is evil.