Airplanes on my journey / flight =)

Hey, everybody!

So, as I have got the opportunity to look up the aircraft types I will be travelling with, I searched the web for nice pictures and finally I want to publish the best ones!
(I already wanted to get this done a few days ago but well - I was busy and I really couldn't!)

So, here are some pictures:

I will be travelling with this little plane from Paderborn to Frankfurt (both in Germany)! It can carry about 50 passengers and it is called "Canadair Regional Jet 100-200"!

This is a Boeing 747-400 - Singapore Airlines. This will be "my" plane from Frankfurt to Singapore and from Singapore to Auckland! It is also known as "Jumbo Jet" and just behind the cockpit, it has got two floors!

Finally, this will be the last aircraft type for me on my trip to New Zealand. I will travel 1 hour and 20 minutes with this little plane which can carry about 30 passengers (from Auckland to Nelson). This type is called "De Havilland DHC-8 Series 300" !

So, this is Boeing 777-200! I'll travel with this on my way back to Germany from Auckland to Singapore.

It's smaller than Boeing 747-200!

This is all for now then,

ttyl,

Chris...tian =P

First Phone Call

Hey,

I just wanted to mention that I phoned my hostfamily for the first time!

It was really awesome although I didn't really understand everything at first. But I really have to tell you: many compliments to my hostmother for being so patient with me and her English is just like the slang we always listen to at school --> LISTENING COMPREHENSION!!!

That's really great!

So, I am sorry for this short post but I will have to go now,

you'll get some more information about my flight later, I promise.

So, take care!

Chris...tian =P

Some extra information =P

Hey again,

well, I had to fill in the Visa forms today because Taste wants them back by December 15th and I saw something didn't make sense: they told about an Amadeus-Code to check my trip at "www.checkmytrip.com" but I didn't find it at first...
So, I had a look into the envelope and I discovered my flight details =P Nice surprise...

Okay, so, I am going to leave on January 27th at 7:15 pm from Paderborn in Germany and I will be in Nelson by January 29th at 16:45 or 4:45 pm! There will be a break of about 3 hours and 40 minutes in both Singapur and Auckland whereas being in Auckland it is midnight in Germany... :-S I hope I won't miss my flight there sleeping on a bench...^^ That's just the most "shocking" news because I thought I'd be in Nelson by 3 pm or something :-P

To sum it all up in numbers, this means I will spend 33 hours and 30 minutes in airplanes and on airports! :-S
The total driving or flying distance will be 12,039 miles (= 19,374.84426 kilometres)... That's quite much compared to our flight to London a few years ago *haha*

Okay, that's all for now from me again - just want to keep you informed,
Have a great time everybody,

Chris...tian =)

PS: I forgot one thing - I will depart from New Zealand on July 9th at 09:25 am and I will be back in Germany by July 10th at 08:35 am (Paderborn)!

HOOOOOSTFAMILY!!!!!!! =)

Hello everybody!

I've got some nice news for you... Guess what!

I got a phone call from Taste (my organisation) that they've found a hostfamily for me! ^^ It was an awesome moment, I can tell you!
It was already the day before yesterday (oof, time passes by very quickly!), so on St. Nikolaus Day (which we celebrate here in Germany)! I am sorry, but I was really really busy the last days for school... So:
My mother was downstairs and she came up saying: "Yes, I promised him to hand the phone into him! Hold the line, please!"
It was like... well, as I had heard it, I thought: "Taste has found a hostfamily for me! In a few seconds I'll get to know my hostfamily..." And that's how it was... =)
I was smiling all the time, it was such an awesome feeling. Like "~Can't stop smiling~" =)

So, I'll tell you something about them (just as Taste told me!). And well, now, I think it's the right moment to greet them! I want you to know I am really looking forward to spending about 5 months with you! I am so happy... =)

Okay, I'll sort of quote Taste now:
I have got a hostmother and with her, she has got two children - two boys - who are 15 and 10 years of age. Besides, I will have a Thai hostbrother who will attend Nayland College, too. And there are 2 dogs and two cats.

And the best thing: I can reach Nayland College in 5 minutes - on foot! =) The beach and the shopping centre aren't really far away either... (10 minutes by car)!

I am sooooooo glad that I have finally got a hostfamily because slowly, my exchange year is coming closer and finally, I know where I will stay then and after all - who I will live with!

I already wrote a mail and I plan to phone them [you] this weekend! :-) I am very very excited!

So, well, I'll answer some mails now and some other things... I hope that many people read this ^^

Okay, I'll write some other posts later to keep you informed - I promise! And I hope to get the news from my hostfamily soon!

See you!
Chris...tian =P

PS: This is the best present I've ever got for St Nikolaus!!! ^^

[Annotation for my hostfamily: If you have read this and you don't want me to mention some things about you on the internet, please tell me! I will remove it immeditately then!!!]

Time Zones and clocks!!!

Hello again!

So, I managed to get digital clocks on my blog! As you can see, the red one is German time (e.g. in Rietberg, my hometown), the orange one shows the time in Singapore (where I will stay for some hours during my journey) and last but not least at all, you can see how late it is in New Zealand (e.g. in Nelson, where I will stay!).

The stars I marked for Rietberg (*Rietberg/Germany*) stand for my current location. So, when I am in New Zealand, I will put them on "Nelson (New Zealand)"! =)

Well, I hope you like this and that this enriches my blog!

If you want clocks like these, too - visit http://www.clocklink.com/ and get one! :-P

Okay, that's all 4 now again,
have a great time!

chris...tian

Update =)

So, hey everybody!

After quite a long time, I thought I could write something about my current situation according to my stay in New Zealand.
I didn't get neither my hostfam nor my visa information so far but I trust in Taste - they'll manage that for me!
Today, there are still 2 months 2 weeks and 5 days left until I finally leave. I am already quite excited but nevertheless, it's still quite far away... I already thought about leaving my friends and family, about being away for nearly 6 months but I made my decision and I'd never forgive myself if I didn't do this exchange!
That might sound a little like "I'd like to stay in Germany!" but in contrary: I do actually look forward to spending that time in New Zealand and if you focus on the time, you'll see that 5 months are very short!
I somehow begin to realize that I will finally go! And when I think 'bout this - I get goosebumps on my back! And my legs start to become warm etc.! Well, my muscles are ready to go right now! Amazing things... although a little sentimental. =P

Let's switch over to another thing: I got some more links for you in my link list! These are about studying at a university in New Zealand
like e.g. Auckland University or Canterbury University in Christchurch. I found out that Germans and French pay the same fees as New Zealanders! That's kinda amazing... and guess what: I wanna study down there! =) Besides, I managed to get the lyrics and the sound of New Zealand's National Anthem as one link! Just search for the link in my list.

Well, okay, that's all 4 now!
I promise to write something when I get new information =)

cu l8r,
yours always
chris...tian

Departure Date

Heeeey everbody!

I got my departure date yesterday as I phoned my organization because my Dad would have had to take a day off otherwise but my departure date is on Saturday, so he needn't.

Well, I will take off on Saturday 27th January 2007 at Paderborn airport in Germany at about 7:20 pm, then travel to Frankfort International Airport in Germany (until 8:10 pm). There, I will have a break until 10:20 pm and then take the plane to Singapore International Airport. This part takes about 12 hours already, so it's pretty long but it's the time I normally sleep, so it will be easy for me I hope.
I will arrive at Singapore the next day at about 10:15 am (German time) or 5:15 pm (time there). I'll have to wait another 3:45 hours for my next plane, so I will part at 9:00 pm (time in Singapore) or 2:00 pm (German time). Then, I will spend another 09:45 hours in the plane to Auckland where I will arrive at 11:45 am (time in New Zealand) or 11:45 pm (German time). So here they are: 12 hours of time difference.
I will be spending another few hours in Auckland I think and then arrive in the afternoon in Nelson (which actually means midnight in German time).

The total travelling time including my "breaks", I will spend 30 hours and 40 minutes in a plane or at an airport. =(

Well, nevertheless I am really looking forward to my stay down under and if I had packed, I would have gone there immediately after Taste told me. =)

Hmm, maybe times will change a little but this should be my rough schedule or timetable.

Have a great day (and write lots of comments) everyone!!!! =)

Yours Chris...tian

Some more links

Hello again!

Well, there's not much to say about that exchange thing and as I was bored a bit, I supplemented the link list. Ah, well: 5 MONTHS LEFT TILL I GO!!!!!! *lol* Forgot 2 tell you...
So, now you can also find something about the All Blacks, you can see where Nayland College exactly is (in the town of Nelson, Stoke), you can see how the weather in Nelson currently is and much more.

I hope you'll have fun trying those links and if there's something new, I promise to tell you as soon as possible.

Have a great time then...

Writing comments

Writing comments on my reports should be possible for everyone now.
I am not used to this blog-thing but I hope you will succeed if you want to write something.
You needn't become a team.member to write a comment - that's the way I understood it.

So, let's have a try.

Bye,
Chris

Perfect combination ....

Hey,
I just found a picture about Horseback-riding near to Nelson (special thanks to Cape Farewell HorseTreks, Nelson, NZL).

I am already dreaming but well... Have to do my homework now =(

Bye bye

Could be useful to send a pic of me ...

So, hi everyone!

So far, I didn't load any photo of myself, so I thought it might be useful (so that everybody of you knows that this is really my blog *wink*).

So, here it is... Well, it is a quite good pic but of course I changed since then. Well, but I think it is still me :-P

Have a great time...

Everybody's leaving except me :-/

Hello everybody!

Well, all my mates are leaving now... That's depressing. Today, it was a girl who went to the USA, the pupils going to Australia are already there and stuff. It's so sad to see them leave one after another but I am sure they'll have a great time abroad - all of them!

Okay, in fact, I wanna go, too... But the time will come and I am really looking forward to that =)

ttyl,
Chris

Nice photos of New Zealand =)

Nelson Scenery (Nelson is the town I'll go to --> 50,000 inhabitants)
Abel Tasman National Park (a NP near to Nelson, the smallest but most beautiful people say)



Here are some pictures of New Zealand! I have actually never been there but I wonder why internet does exist! =) I'll send some more later...

Preparing weekend Taste, Hanover

So, the first part of my story concerning my stay in New Zealand takes place in Germany of course. In the picture on the left you can see me (in the foregroud, right-hand) in Hanover. Taste is the organization I go to New Zealand with and the long form is TeenAgeStudenTExchange - well, let's taste the world =)
Those two days in Hanover were really interesting and we got much information. Really cool ... I met many friendly and enthousiastic young people both pupils and adults giving the information to us. Everybody was really open-minded and we had no problems with each other.
By the way, I already sent my application very very early and the preparation weekend was in the end of april, 2006. There are still 9 months left till I go to NZL...
In the other photo you can see "our" returnees (people who already did an exchange year) Jana (New Zealand) and Franzi (Australia) [from left to right] who is showing us some photos of her stay.

There will be some other topics soon ...
Yours always Chris =)

First post *happy*

Hey, everybody!

This is my first post in on my new blog. I thought it would be better to write everything in English because later, both my friends in NZL and here can understand it.
If you cannot, you'll have to learn English first =P *wink*

No, just kidding! But it's more international like this and that's what I want. So, a special hearty welcome to my penfriends from all over the world!!!

Cya,
chris...tian ;-P