A Move to Level 3 – Journals from Abroad

Kia ora!

A lot has happened since I last wrote. New Zealand has moved from Level 4 to Level 3. This does not change my situation much, as I am not yet allowed back to campus housing and everyone who can work and learn remotely is still being asked to do so. We can extend our bubbles by one person if necessary, and we can travel a bit more in our region if need be. In a few days, we should know if we are able to move to Level 2 and when that will be. At Level 2, I will be allowed to return to campus. I have a little less than two months left in New Zealand and I am determined to do as much as I can in the time that I have left. Since we can travel a bit more in our region, I got to go mushroom hunting and rock fishing! We went out to some paddocks owned by the family of my wonderful hosts and picked mushrooms. I don’t really enjoy eating mushrooms and I was worried I was picking the wrong mushrooms the whole time, since I don’t eat them. I was assured over and over that I was picking the right ones and that they were edible. It was such a cool experience, because I had never picked mushrooms before!

A paddock with green grass and a blue sky. A pine tree is in the background of the image. — The paddock where we went mushroom hunting.

A red bucket with white mushrooms in the bottom, held over green grass. — Picking mushrooms!

I also got to go fishing from the rocks at the beach, which is allowed in Level 3. We woke up and drove about ten minutes to a nearby beach at 6:00 AM. I got to see the sunrise, which was beautiful. We were fishing for snapper, and we did not catch any because the season is coming to an end, but it was so wonderful to get out of the house and be in the fresh ocean air and see a beautiful sunrise.

The ocean coming up to dark colored rocks with a sunrise in the sky behind them. The sky is pink and blue with a few clouds. — The sunrise over the ocean at Whakatete Bay, where we went fishing.

A fishing pole stands in the rocks with the ocean in the background. The sun is just starting to come up and the sky is deep purple and blue. — One of the surf fishing poles, just waiting for a bite when we first got to Whakatete Bay.

The sun is beginning to rise over the mountains. The mountains are dark and the sky is deep purple with some pinks. — The sun rising over the mountains. I couldn’t resist sharing one more beautiful picture!

One issue I have recently run into is that of prescription medication! I brought 90 day supplies of my prescription medicine with me into New Zealand, which is the most that you can legally bring with you. We had planned for my mom to send me refills of my prescriptions when I ran out, and her sending of the medicine kept getting pushed out due to my insurance in the US and the Level 4 stopping the delivery of packages here in New Zealand.

She went to mail my prescriptions today, and then we learned that sending prescription medicines via the mail is actually illegal! It completely makes sense that it is illegal, and so I have had to reach out to the Student Health Center at the University of Waikato to see if they can prescribe my medication to me here. Living without my medication will not necessarily threaten my life, and so I am really lucky that I don’t have more serious conditions. However, taking my medication does greatly improve my life and I need to figure out how to secure those prescriptions here. I hope that if anyone reading this story is planning to study abroad, you consider how you are going to get your prescription medicine while abroad, if you need any medications! I am going to get this figured out, so it will not end up being a big deal, but rather just something to learn from.

Small red fruits in a plastic bag. — A new fruit I got to try! Everyone here calls these guavas, and they are not what I would think of as a guava, but I don’t know what else to call them! They are sour and sweet and so delicious!

Last week, I used feijoas, my favorite fruit here, to make a loaf (like banana bread) and a cake! I covered them with cream cheese frosting, and they were DELICIOUS!! I loved getting to make something and share it! I love cooking, and it always makes me feel better to make something in the kitchen!

A feijoa loaf, a baked good, with cream cheese frosting on top, still in the pan. — The feijoa loaf, covered in cream cheese frosting.

I also made my speciality – calzones. They are my family’s favorite thing for me to make and they always request it when I am home. I used my recipe from home, but altered the fillings a little with what we had available here. They turned out amazing and everyone loved them! Usually, in the US, I serve them with a pizza style tomato sauce on the side to dip into. When I said that here, my hosts went to the fridge and brought me back a bottle of ketchup, which they call tomato sauce here. I had to backtrack and say I needed something like pizza sauce, but unfortunately, everyone in New Zealand seems to be making pizza, because tomato products are one thing that the grocery stores are consistently out of. They ended up eating the calzones with barbecue sauce, because they put that on their pizzas here. They loved them, and that is all that matters to me!

Three calzones, fresh out of the oven on a baking tray. — Calzones in New Zealand, fresh out of the oven!

I am hoping for good news in the next few days regarding a move to Level 2, since for the last two days, we have had ZERO new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand. That is absolutely incredible and I am so thankful to be here and be so safe during this scary time. I hope that you are all healthy and safe. Keep washing your hands and practicing social distancing!

A pink rose blooming with greenery in the background. — The weather has been unseasonably warm, and the roses are still blooming!

Emmaline