A Year of LIVING With No Regrets...: A Warm Welcome of hugs and "hotties"

After 21 hours of perfect airline flights and blundering through connections and customs, Crissi and I arrived in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. We had completed the first leg of our journey with a bonded friendship... and all of our luggage.

As we stepped off of the plane, we were welcomed with hugs and "hotties" (hot water bottles... mine was inside a purple fur-lined cover) from our New Zealand exchange partners and their husbands. The six of us got to know each other as we enjoyed breakfast at a quaint restaurant overlooking Island Bay. The "Southerlies" (winds from Antarctica) were in full force and whipped up some impressive waves for our viewing pleasure. We felt instantly connected to our new-found friends from half way across the world and knew that we had just stepped into the experience of a lifetime.