I have officially survived my first final exam at the University of Otago.

It was terrifying! It was probably the biggest room I've ever been in. We all walked in and there were five or six people standing guard around the perimeter and each student was given a number that corresponded to numbers on the desk we had to sit at. There was even a guy giving instructions into a microphone. It was like taking the SATs all over again! I'm still alive, though, which is good. I have another one tomorrow afternoon and then I have until Nov. 1 to study for my third.

In a week, my friend KC and I are going WWOOFing. That's an acronym for "willing workers on organic farms." Basically, it's an organization that allows people (mostly students, sometimes families) to work for their stay on a farm. There are a lot of different kinds of farms to work on: dairy, fruit, herb, meat. The one we chose is about 4.5 hours north of Dunedin and has goats, an orchard, and an organic garden. The goats just had baby kids the other night, which means we'll be coming right in time to feed them and play with them!

The family seems really nice. They have a four-year old daughter too, so that should be fun. I can't wait to experience actual farm life!

Until then, I'll be casually studying for my third test, relaxing, and wondering why I chose to attend school in Dunedin, where it's still in the 40s and raining almost every day. I guess it'll make next spring all the sweeter...