For the next flight Lianna and I were not sitting next to each other, so we decided we would go ask if we could be moved together since this was the 12 hour flight. The man at the desk was extremely kind and he also ripped our tickets accidentally so we got to board immediately. After the plane was filled, pilot and flight attendants began preparing for take off, but the standard video that was shown was not standard at all. It was Lord of the Rings themed! It was fitting since we flew Air New Zealand. Here is the video if you are interested (it isn't the best but you get the jist!)
During the flight I slept most of the way. I woke up at 1:30 whatever time zone we were in. We had two more hours before we landed in New Zealand so we got a light breakfast and stared into the dark for a while longer.
When we landed in New Zealand it was 5:45 in the morning there on Thursday. We went to our next gate to relax a little bit and tell everyone where we were. This how dark it was...
Luckily we had a short lay over in New Zealand and then we were on our way to Australia. It still didn't feel like it was real yet. It was a 4 hour flight but about 45 minutes before we landed we got our first glimpse of Australia's coastline!
Then I realized it was real and began to get very excited. Shortly after we landed and began our trek through customs. The first check point went really smoothly and (Thank God!) I received all my luggage. Then there was the line. A line had formed around the entire baggage claim area. Lianna and I were confused at why there was a line, but after about an hour of standing in it, we realized it was just to get our passports checked again. This line actually worked out really well for us because we had to wait for Chris to get through customs and he met up with us right before the check point. We were immediately greeted by some friendly Australian students handing out welcome bags. Gary, our driver, wasn't there yet so we sat down and relaxed. As soon as Gary found us he made a comment about all our luggage and said "looks like we will have to strap you guys the roof, its long enough." We laughed not entirely understanding what he said. He took us to the car. All of us thought it would be similar to a van, BUT it was a limo!
I was super excited. I have never ridden in limo before. It was a great way to see the Australian country side on the way to Warrnambool. Gary was very kind and stopped to let us get lunch (dinner back home) at Subway. We turned down McDonalds.
After 3 hours, we were in Warrnambool. We got checked into our rooms and then one of the RLs (Residence Leaders) took us shopping for bedding and food. She also drove down to the beach area. She was so kind and AMAZING for taking us three shopping for a couple of hours. By the time we were done it was almost 8pm here. I headed to my room and unpacked. I met the other girl in my unit. Her name is Katie and is from Iowa State. How ironic!?
I finally let myself go to sleep around 10pm here hoping that It would help the jet leg. I ended up being wide wake a few hours later but Benadryl knocked me right out. It was a very long journey but it was all part of the experience. I AM IN AUSTRALIA!! How cool is that?
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