Goodbyes are never fun

michelle our master chef cooking up some food for our family dinner

the boys are going home

my new zealand family

Saturday was James and Will's last night in Auckland with us.  To say goodbye to our kiwi flatmates and other friends who were soon leaving we had a fancy family dinner.  We all pitched in and michelle, who is an incredible cook, took care of making the food.  It was a roomie dinner, and even though we only have 4 people in our room, we consider Tim, Michelle, Adam, and Reed (who are over our room all the time) our roomates and part of our 6b family.  So needless to say it was a sizable dinner party.  Dinner was delicious, and then afterwards we went to a club called Asta in the city where pretty much everyone we know in the WSA apartments was going for a big goodbye celebration.  We had a lot of fun, but it was bittersweet because we knew that a lot of the people we saw there we would be seeing for the last time.

In the morning it was time to say goodbye to my roomies Will and James.  Katelyn and I were extremely sad, it was like saying goodbye to brothers.  We had all become a close family in New zealand, and now everything was about to end.  Will left Katelyn, Michelle and I the sweetest and most honest note I've ever been written.  It expressed exactly how I felt, that the boys and I had only really become close in the last month or so, and really the time we had together was not enough time to really get to know each other.  It made me really sad, but happy at the same time because the love was there anyways.  When the boys left for the airport, I was a lot sadder then I ever imagined, I don't cry often, but I couldnt help myself.

So Katelyn and I were left to ourselves in the apartment.  We still had lots of vistors, but they continued to dwindle as more and more people left.  One of the sweetest good bye gifts I recieved was from our friend Adam.  He always wore this shirt that said "raised by sheep" on it and I thought it was the funniest thing ever (new zealand really does live up to all its cute little stereotypes about sheep lol).  Well I would always comment on it, and yesterday adam came over and he gave me the shirt.  I was so touched.  The thing I have noticed about New zealanders, boys especially, is that they don't usually verbally express feelings or talk about personal things very often.  I've found that actions speak louder then words.  Thats why Will's note, and adam's shirt meant so much to me.  Im going to miss everyone so much.

So I am now the only one left in my apartment, and Im kinda of missing my flatmates and all my friends.   Its ok though, because I will be meeting Reed and Katelyn in Fiji, and I know for sure I will be back in New Zealand some day.  Now I have tons of peple to stay with all over the states as well as all over New zealand. 

 This whole experience has been incredible, and I want to thank all of my family and friends who helped and supported my trip here. It has changed my life, and helped me grow so much.  I miss you all and will now be seeing you soon:)