A to Zealand

Praise the Lord, I have a home! Yes, that’s right. I’m writing to you from my new house! My friend Hayley and I just moved in tonight along with EIGHT other people. I know it seems crazy, but that’s what everyone does here. We live in a four bedroom home that’s just a short walk from the center of town with a killer view of the mountains and Lake Wakatipu. Hayley and I share a cozy little room. I never thought I would appreciate shelves so much in my life. I’m so happy to unpack! I haven’t met all my new roomies yet, but they are all friendly people so far. A couple of them even work on Coronet Peak with me. It’s nice to always have someone around to hang out with too.
Not too many new updates as of now. I’ve been working my little tail off. For the first couple of weeks, the large amount of snow and ice caused bad road conditions. Since the bus drivers had to drive really slow and chain up the tires, all the NZSki staff would have to catch the 6:45 AM bus to go up the mountain. It was still dark when I got to work, but I would get a good sleep in on the bus ride. Luckily, they changed it back to 7:45 AM. My job is going great. It’s been so absolutely chaotic in the administration office. I don’t have a single second of down time. I really enjoy it though. It keeps me on my toes. We even had to go over avalanche procedures today which I’m supposed to help handle if it occurs. Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen under my watch. It’s supposed to die down after the New Zealand school holidays are over. At that time, we will get to take ski breaks during lunch. I usually go skiing on my days off or on Fridays and Saturdays for night skiing.
This morning on the bus ride to work, I truly realized how amazing New Zealand is. I often take that time to think about how lucky I feel to be here and how this experience is once-in-a-lifetime. When we reached the top of the mountain, I looked up and the sun was coming up on one side in front of pink and purple clouds, and on the other side, the moon was still shining bright around a lit sky. Right below the mountains, I stood above a thick layer of clouds that really looked like snow. It was so amazing and unlike anything I’d ever seen. All the staff got off the bus and just began to take pictures (see my pictures tab). So with that said, I continue to remember to never take this experience for granted. Obviously I have my ups and downs, but lately it’s all ups! I hope everyone takes the time to see the beauty of what’s out there because there really is so much.