Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 and Frances Walton ’26
Editors-In-Chief
Kia ora Frances!
How are you? I have loved seeing all the incredible places you’ve been and food you’ve tried. So jealous.
I am writing to you from sunny Nelson, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Or, maybe I should say not-so-sunny Nelson because it has rained half the time we were here. Hello autumn in April!
I have just started my *three week* mid semester break. You read that right, three sweet, sweet weeks away from school. Although I do have a three day field trip for Marine Biology class, but it will be such interesting field work that I am viewing it as a little bit of a treat as well.
I started my break with a four-day sea kayak and backpacking trip through Abel Tasman National Park this past weekend. Travelling with my flatmate who is also a study abroad student from Tufts, we spent two days kayak-packing and camping the night in between. I had done a lot of kayaking before, on rivers, lakes, and the sea, but this was my first time packing supplies for multiple days of travel into a two-person kayak. Most of the trip was very simple and we had plenty of time to visit nearby islands which were home to New Zealand fur seals! There was a section, however, called the Mad Mile which I navigated with a white-knuckled grip on my paddle.
Then, we switched from traversing the seas to traversing the tracks. On our third day we walked many miles to our last campsite called Anapai. It was a beautiful beach side campsite where we went for a swim in the chilly southern Pacific waves. The walk there was through lush rainforest and had many spots to stop for a water break overlooking the bluest water I’ve ever seen. On land, however, we had to battle a far sneakier foe than the windy, wavey Mad Mile: the native weka bird. When I tell you these birds are bold little pranksters… one practically jumped into my lap trying to steal the packet of tortillas on our picnic table! They know how to open zippers on packs and tents, and once they’ve gotten a snack in their clutches, they take off through the bush faster than any person could hope to run to catch them. Don’t get me wrong, they are cute, and they were never successful stealing anything off me, but we had a rocky relationship after that bird invaded my personal space.
My favorite part of the trip was a beautiful moment on our second day. Since we woke up with the sun, we were in our kayak and on the water around 9 a.m., well before any other private or commercial sailboats in our area. There was this unreplicable calm out there in the open ocean so early in the day. We just sat for a moment – no talking, no paddling – and soaked in the complete silence. Floating in that bay, taking in the lush coastline and sound of only the sea beneath us, I had a special, peaceful ‘I can’t believe I’m here right now moment’. I hope to have many more of those moments, but it made this trip the pinnacle of my semester thus far.
I will give you a vulnerable window into my soul and admit that I had some less than stellar moments on this trip as well. Study abroad is all about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and although I have been backpacking before, it had been a while and I was definitely nervous. Specifically, I have a somewhat injured knee that bothers me occasionally while doing normal activity, so the thought of carrying 18-kilo packs for hours gave me pause. Therefore, on our main tramping day, while hiking up a particularly steep and lengthy portion of the track (New Zealand hasn’t grasped the concept of switchbacks unfortunately), I started to spiral a bit when my knee was causing me pain.
However, instead of freaking out, I simply slowed down and took some deep breaths, reassuring myself that I was capable of hiking through minor discomfort. It may sound silly, but reinjuring my knee is one of my biggest anxieties, since the original injury threw my life so off-kilter. But when I took my time, I was able to reach the peak of the track and was rewarded by a stunning view of the next beach. That moment was definitely a devastating reminder of how my injury limits me, but also strengthened my resolve to continue the mental and physical work to overcome this obstacle to accomplish the activities I want to.
In the coming weeks of my break, I am looking forward to going on my first solo trip (!!) to the North Island for a week followed by a week-long road trip to Queenstown and Fjordlands. I can’t wait to update you on how those adventures go!
Please tell me more about where you’ve traveled! Have you done any solo trips? Do you have any tips and tricks to avoid boredom or stay safe? Have you also had any moments of anxiety that you’ve pushed through? Do you feel like study abroad has taken you outside of your comfort zone? Let me know! (I can’t be alone in this right?) I miss you!
Love,
Juliette
Hola mi amiga,
How are you doing?? I’m eagerly anticipating spring break while writing this, so I am curious about what you’ve been up to recently! Any good travels or plans?
This past weekend, I went to Barcelona on a Syracuse trip (which means almost everything was free, yippee!). The social dynamics are still odd, but it was amazing to visit so many cultural sites with a group, meaning no lines, no cost to me, etc. My favorite part was seeing La Sagrada Familia, a crazy-tall, crazy-ornate Catholic basilica in Barcelona designed by Gaudi that is still under construction. My group got to go up to the top of the tower, where you could see 360 views of Barcelona and the ocean. God! How I miss the ocean!!
We also went to Casa Bastillo, another Gaudi-designed attraction. This time, the site was a house for a wealthy family (I think? I am in the Spanish group, so sometimes my comprehension is challenged). It was very crowded but very cool to see, with lots of nature-inspired designs and a beautiful rooftop as well.
It was interesting visiting Barcelona because they don’t speak Castilian Spanish, like Madrid. They are a part of Cataluna, where they speak Catalan, a language repressed under the Franco dictatorship. Speaking of, we also went to El Modelo Prison, which highlighted the victims of the Franco regime, especially those who were incarcerated due to their advocacy for Catalonian independence or even just the right to speak Catalan during the dictatorship. It was an interesting and eye-opening experience, but I couldn’t help but think that the prison seemed eerily similar to those in the United States. Eek.
Otherwise, I still love Madrid, and I do feel more integrated into the city. I’m unsure if I told you about my go-to restaurant, Tres Cerditos, but I just had a great conversation (in Spanish!!!!!) with one of the owners there. We talked a lot about immigration and U.S. politics, which I am not excited about returning to. My friends from home came to visit two weeks ago, so I got to experience a lot of Madrid through their eyes while being a little bit of a tour guide and a little bit of a tourist. We visited El Prado (art museum), Templo de Debod, and the club … LOL.
I’ve got to start packing for Dublin, the first leg of my “semana santa” trip. Afterward, I’ll be going to Donostia/San Sebástian to visit the Basque country. I miss you all so much! I will say I am so excited to come back to Scripps with a newfound appreciation for our classes and campus culture.
Sending mucho amor,
Frances
Photo Courtesy of Frances Walton ’26
