Tree Hugging

Planting a seedling for Rotary's Tree for Survival

On Tuesday, I spent the day getting dirty. Along with a class of 14 year old boys and Rotarians over 800 seedlings were planted for the Pakuranga Rotary Club project Trees for Survival. The initiative plants native trees in needy areas to try and rehabilitate NZ's nature, one tree at a time. Students at local schools grow the trees in class and then spend a day planting the trees in areas around Pakuranga. Although I got a little (lot) wet, it was a very memorable day. I was able to experience the beauty of the more rural NZ.

I had a lovely dinner with Rotarian Peter and his wife Sue on Wednesday. It was a very relaxed evening and we had some interesting discussions about exchange as they've hosted many students.  Sue's from Chicago and we had a fun time chatting about the North American winter! I must admit, walking in the rain is no fun, but I'll take it over dirty mid-February slush any day.

Meeting Gok Wan! ...kind of

Tonight I went with rebounder Chloe to catch of glimpse of fashion guru Gok Wan. Chloe's sister was helping to run the event, but even so, the queue was too long so instead we went to dinner with Chloe's parents and her other older sister. It was really lovely to be a part of their family dinner. As Chloe went to Germany with Rotary this past year, they know all the ins and outs of exchange. They were so inclusive and I really enjoyed myself. It was also really nice to have a conversation that wasn't about my exchange or Canada!