- purchase a plane ticket
- arrange to have an aisle seat on all the flights (yes a window seat would be more scenic, but with my luck I’d end up in an uncomfortable person-window sandwich)
- register for classes
- get a job!
- find a place to live (for a week anyway)
- have a basic idea in mind for a thesis project
- get a 2-year supply of contacts
- buy a new computer
- buy a new camera
- spend an unprecedented amount of time watching South Park
Things I have yet to accomplish despite the fact that I’m leaving in 5 days:
- sell my car
- pack….kind of an important one
- arrange transportation from the airport
- defer undergraduate student loans
Even with this fairly urgent to-do list in mind, I’m extremely impressed by my success to thus far suppress most of my procrastinating urges. This weekend I hope to fly into a packing frenzy and then be able to laze around on Monday.
Also, my flight/layover itinerary has worked out quite well in my favor:
Depart Tuesday at 4 pm (5 hour flight)
Arrive in LA at 6 pm (EST 9 pm)
4 hour layover
Depart 10 pm/EST 1 am (14 hour flight)
Arrive in Auckland at 8 am/EST 3 pm
6 hour layover
Depart 2 pm /EST 9 pm (2 hour flight)
ARRIVE IN DUNEDIN! (at 4 pm-- 11 pm EST)
So when I arrive in Dunedin it will be almost exactly 48 hours later due to the flight lengths, layovers, and time difference. It will be 4 pm in Dunedin but 11 pm in Michigan, but hopefully I’ll be quasi-adjusted thanks to the nighttime timing of the 14 hour flight.
I will be taking five year-long graduate level neuroscience courses my first year, which doesn’t sound nearly as fun to me as you might think. In a way, though, it will be kind of nice to get back into that college-esque swing of things. My second year will be all research for my thesis project, although I anticipate doing a moderate amount of lab work my first year as well (at least as much as I can handle without going brain-dead-- ha! Sorry, too easy). Anyways I’m excited for the research I’ll be doing. For my fellow science nerds, I’ll be using a rat model to investigate how secreted amyloid precursor protein-alpha (sAPPa) modulates neurogenesis and spatial memory. For everyone else, I’ll be curing Alzheimer’s disease.
As I mentioned to those of you I emailed (if I forgot anyone, I apologize!!), I’ll be teaching the lab portions of 2 undergraduate psychology courses in the next 2 semesters. I may be looking for another job too once I’m there, since my student visa allows me to work 20 hours during the school year and full-time in the summer (which is actually Nov-Feb).
I will have my hands full of things to do once I arrive, but finding a permanent place to live is at the top of the list. For my first week, I will be staying with a lovely kiwi that has graciously offered me a spare bedroom. From what I understand, it should be fairly easy to quickly locate a convenient “flat” near the university.
That pretty much sums up the basic trip info. I will of course update as more details fall into place, but for now that’s all I have. I’m sure I’ll be posting during my layovers and possibly even during my flights, as it’s highly unlikely I’ll have anything to do for 30+ hours. Finally, if anyone needs my email address or skype name, or wants to come visit, just let me know :)
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