walk to a new world

As of today I have been in Dunedin one month.  It really doesn't feel like I've been here that long; at the same time I am starting to feel more local and less like New Zealand is a that faraway place, more like I live here now.  There is the grocery store that I walk to twice a week, my favorite ice cream store (of course : ), the homeless guy who always sings outside of the mall, buying the same fruit at the same booths at the market on Saturdays, my chair in the library, our crazy partying neighbors, weekly meals with friends...even though this residence is temporary it's more evident to me that this is where I'm actually living.  Home is still home, that will never change; but I am feeling more like I can belong here.  To quote Marissa from her blog, "There comes a day when you make an important linguistic transition. When 'they' becomes 'we', when 'their problems' become 'our problems'...And you realize that you're a part of this place. That you live here. That it's not just fun or vacation, but that now you have a responsibility to this place as you do to the place you're originally from, and that when you leave you're going to take little pieces of this place with you wherever you go for the rest of your life.'  I think she says it so well and I can really relate to this statement.

On that note, I need to take a moment and brag about one really cool thing from where I live in Dunedin.  The nearest grocery store is only a short walk from our flat and the quickest route is to cut through the Botanical Gardens and the store is just on the other side of the park.  I was seriously astounded the first time I walked to the store because of how beautiful these gardens are, and still on every trip for groceries I just feel fortunate to have the blessing of being able to walk through such a lovely place.  So I've decided to document one of my trips to the grocery store (ironically called New World) because I don't think that words suffice - below is some of my walk to a New World:

 

 

 

(just to prove that i was going to the grocery store!)