The Barbo Baggins Blog

The group got up early on Friday (the 17th) to depart for our first excursion. I was glad to be going on a trip so soon because I knew it would be jam-packed and I’d be forced to adjust to my new time-zone and not think about being homesick. We were warned that it was going to be a long trip but I don’t think we were really expect it to be THAT long.We stopped at a little warf with a boardwalk along the way for a pit stop. Most of us were starving by then and got little snacks to hold us over until lunch. This is where I had my very first Hokey Pokey ice cream. It was so delicious! Vanilla ice cream with chunks of honey comb in it, it tasted a lot like caramel. It felt great on my sore throat. We also discovered the coolest playground too! Who says big kids don’t love a teeter-totter? Again, check out the pics. They are pretty funny! After another long and bumpy bus ride north we arrived at our lunch destination where we had a choice of a burger and fries or chili con carne. We all wer...

My abroad journey was kicked off with a great weekend hanging out with my parents in New York for a few days before it was time for me to leave on Tuesday the 14th. We arrived later in the afternoon on Sunday, got settled into our hotel, and went searching for some food since we drove through lunch. I think we all were feeling a little tired and stretched, at least I know that I was since sleeping wasn’t coming so easily in the shadow of my departure. We settled on a cute and low-key ale house not far from the hotel. It was the epitome of a greasy spoon, but great comfort food none the less. Besides, who doesn’t love a great beer when they’re feeling kinda stressed? Not me. It was a nice way to unwind. The next day we headed into the city after a leisurely breakfast to visit the American Museum of Natural History. Naturally, I had to reenact as much of the movie Night at the Museum as I could. And I did. We spent a solid 5 hours there walking through exhibits and seeing some really coo...

Kia ora family and friends! That’s the Kiwi greeting of welcome and good health. See, I haven’t even left yet and we have already learned something new. Well, I’ve done it. I’ve made a blog. And while this isn’t my first venture into glorified virtual journaling, it is the first time it hasn’t been mandatory. I’m actually looking forward to communicating this way *gasp!* as it seems blogging has found its place in the world for me in the form of travel writing. So for the sake of sanity I have taken the plunge. And why not, right? It certainly is convenient when I am continually finding myself in the time-zone conversation where both parties are trying to figure what time it will be when I’m in country X and you will be in state Y and who will be ahead of whom and when do you have to work and when do I have class etc. It can be mind boggling because, yes, the world is just that big after all. This way I can post when I can and if you were to feel so inclined you could respond with a c...