travels down under

Gosh, I've ignored this thing for forever. I knew I couldn't actually keep a blog...I'm such a commitment-phobe.

I got back from my travels Down Under about two weeks ago. Besides it being a "family vaca", it was truly a delightful experience being away from bustling cities and annoying people and the ever-present stress of exams for a month. For many people who've been to New Zealand, the untouched, gorgeous landscape is usually the main highlight. For me, it was the attitude and the cultural mindset of the people that stood out above the rest. The first impression that I had of these people was that they were all so laid-back and just chilllll. We stayed in many holiday parks, which are basically high-tech campsites with shared shower/kitchen facilities. One particular park in Westport, there were many Kiwis (what New Zealanders call themselves) from other parts of New Zealand who worked in Westport and lived in that holiday park five days a week. As we cooked dinner next to a bunch of them, we easily struck up conversations with them. By the end of the night, we had befriended half the camp and sang and laughed along with them. It was such a heart-warming moment. Moreover, I found the people of New Zealand to be just honest and good people in general. At every tourist location, not a single shopkeeper or tour agency came up to us to try to sell their product. They let us browse undisturbed and when we did want to purchase something or ask a question, they not only provided us with a comprehensive answer, they also introduced us to better money-saving deals that we weren't aware of. Maybe it's just me, but I haven't been to many places in the world with salesmen not obviously eager to make a good sale. I must say, the refreshing hospitality of the country was the icing on the cake of an incredible trip.

But now I'm back in the land of cities and pissed-off LA drivers and the impending doom that is the MCAT. Gosh, it's so depressing here.