Augsburg College to New Zealand

Going to New Zealand was such a miracle for me. First, thanks to Andrea and Leah at the Center for Global Education- Augsburg College for their great support in helping to get my visitors' visa to New Zealand. Our amazing trip started from the MSP to LA airport for 3 hours and we stayed another 3 hours in LA. Finally, at 9pm we boarded the giant Boeing 747 - a two level aircraft - to Aukland, NZ. It is by far the biggest aircraft I have ever flown on. The trip lasted total of 19 hours with some the America’s and New Zealand’s finest movies and food along with world class flight attendants with their beautiful New Zealand Kiwi accent. It was dark outside so we didn't see anything except the huge sound of the aircraft picking up from the ground. There were some rattles alone the way but given the size of the plane it was not a concern. Overall, it was a smooth flight. When we landed in Aukland, I could smell New Zealand’s greenness from the fresh air blown in from across the mighty ocean. Also, I could see greenness from the hybrid taxi cap driving on the left hand side of the street at the airport. But not only that, I could see the greenness at the immigration check point where everyone is required to go through bio-security laboratory and where shoes are checked for any dry soil that has potential of transporting invasive species. Lastly, the greenness of the city of Aukland could be seen from the clear blue sky at 5:00 a.m. in the morning. In Wellington, we got the feel of New Zealand when we visited the Matiu/Somes island, the oldest in Wellington. It is home to some of the native species here in New Zealand.
People are quite friendly and welcoming to visitors. One could sense that they care a whole lot about the sustainability of their country with the necessary protective actions being taken.