a few words

I had an Auckland Uni Underwater Club meeting today and I kinda realized I've come a long way as a diver and as a person in general.

As a diver, I'm not afraid to go deep, dive with a buddy I've just met, or go to new dive sites. I'm also more comfortable in helping other people underwater, adjusting my own gear, navigating underwater, and being able to communicate without talking. I'd also be super excited to see a shark in the water, an awesome jellyfish (if I've got the proper wetsuit protection), and even any sort of fish. It got to the point where I'd go up to a scorpionfish (poisonous fish that blends in with the bottom and just sits there because it thinks you can't see it) and tickle them on the chin, where they then get up and swim away. I'd never put myself into real danger, but I'm just saying I've come a long way.

As a person, I've definitely become more independent. I'm definitely a free spirit but now I know that I'm capable of moving away from home, finding my way around a new city (buses included!), eating new food (octopus, lamb, lamingtons, spaghetti on toast, marmite...) and I feel so much more aware of the world. New Zealand is really progressive in that its environmental policy is amazing- i.e. they make an effort to keep the country as natural as possible- and it's a blend of so many different cultures, you barely even notice that the country is predominantly white people. In addition, New Zealand rocks in that they don't have any nuclear weapons, they aren't telling other countries what to do, and they don't feel the need to be at the center of attention (ahem, U.S.). They're just hanging out at the bottom of the world, knowing that they're awesome and not making a big fuss about it. I did find out though, that the current NZ prime minister, John Key, is also the Minister of Tourism, so apparently they're trying really hard to get other people to visit NZ. I think, though, judging by the number of Asians and the proximity to Asia, they're really trying to push tourism from those countries because flights from the US are just so expensive.