Hello to all!

First I wanted to thank you guys for taking the time to follow me on this adventure. I leave in about 30 days and there is still so much to be done! I am trying to figure out what to pack, my courses, my living arrangements, and travel goals. Its alot more planning than I thought, haha! Those who know me well also know I am not a light packer, so the packing in itself should be interesting! Since the climate is almost opposite i’ll have to take into consideration i’ll be entering winter in NZ. (NZ has a rather mild climate, it never gets below 45 degrees, or higher than 75 degrees)

I will be living in Wellington, New Zealand, which is the capital! There are many awesome YouTube videos you can find which have great video clips of the city and all it holds, so definitely look those up! The unviersity I will be attending is University of Victoria, which is home to four campuses and about 35,000 students. As I was looking on the school website they have all kinds of things for students. Theres over 30 sports teams and 60 clubs, so there’s no shortage of ways I can get involved and meet new people. Also as I was reading up on other PSU students who are currently abroad in Wellington its getting me so excited to see how gorgeous the city is! Travel Travel Travel!! Apparently every weekend i’ll be able to find a huge fresh fruit open market and along the harbor which is like a five minute walk from my flat, there is a large fish market where you can buy freshly caught whole fish (I believe they sell about twenty different types). Already im pumped!

There is truly so much I want to accomplish by taking this trip. I’ve wanted to study abroad for quite some time but I never felt like I was ready to do it, but nowI am truly ready to take on this adventure. I am so thankful to my parents for financially making these dreams happen and I am so eager to learn how God is going to mold me for the better through this tripl I hope to grow more independence for starters. Going to a foreign country alone and allowing myself to be open and immersed in a new culture is surely going to be life changing. I just want to try new things! Sometimes I feel like I get to used to my little “life bubble” that I dont take enough time to venture into areas of life which are out of my comfort zone. I truly feel this area of my life is going to be changed greatly for the better and I cannot wait!

I hope to blog about three times a week and add lots of pictures, videos, links, etc. I can’t wait to tell you all about my trip as I near closer and I hope you will all enjoy reading! I hope to be as reflective as I can being that this is a memory I hope to be able to read back upon. Thanks for your support!

Love you all!!

Erin Sterner

Location: Pennyslvania, United States