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Last weekend I stayed at home to enjoy my host family's company and relax for a little bit.
Friday night, Heather, Jess, and I headed downtown to a Night Noodle Market in anticipation of some interesting noodle dishes. Which was later quite ironic, because while the festival food was delicious, there were 0 noodle dishes available... haha. Nonetheless, it was fun to hang out there and listen to some live music. I had a chicken and rice bowl for dinner instead.
Friday night I headed home on the bus, and got a little lost. But instead of getting really anxious (which is no doubt a normal response!) I calmly found my way to a local mall, got good wifi, and continued on my journey. It's amazing how much I've grown in confidence since arriving.
On Saturday, I FaceTimed my mom and dad in the morning (hi, Mom) and then went to a coffee shop just up the road for some quiet time and reflection. It was rainy and a little chilly, so the perfect weather to explore the beautiful neighborhood I live in.
Saturday afternoon, I headed to my host mom's mother's rest home for her birthday party! It was really fun to celebrate with them for the day and meet more of my extended family! They are all so welcoming and kind. Later that day we had a sleepover with the girls' cousins as well, which was also fun.
On Sunday, I got to go to church for the first time since arriving in Auckland! I went to a great church in a nearby neighborhood. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming! We sang some of the same songs I've sang at home in Cru or at Spring Lake, which was super cool.
http://www.churchunlimited.co.nz/
Sunday afternoon I trained and bused over to another neighborhood to attend a Christmas festival with Heather, her host mom, Jess, and my family! It was the weirdest feeling... sitting in 80 degrees and blue skies and singing Christmas songs! We had a ton of fun listening to the different songs and watching dance groups perform. Below is Boo with a hot chip (French fry) in her mouth, living her best life, lol.
Lastly, we headed to Martha's Backyard with Heather's host mom Sunday afternoon. It's a store that sells all imported North American products!! We were in heaven! This was our first time going, so we hadn't seen food like Goldfish crackers or salsa or Vlasic pickles since arriving here almost two months ago! :) It was such a fun time to introduce Takis, Arizona Tea, colored tootsie rolls, and some other things to Heather's host mom and brother.
