Frances Meng-Frecker is a student at the Regis University. She is an ISA Featured Photo Blogger, and is currently studying abroad with ISA in Palmerston North, New Zealand.
When I arrived in New Zealand, I experienced amazing sunsets. It became a goal, or a mission, of mine, to watch and experience as many sunsets as I could. Many times this would mean just walking out onto the deck of my friends’ house where I could see the sun set perfectly, but other times it meant going on walks and looking for the best location to watch the beauty of the sun sinking below the horizon. The most amazing part of this whole “mission” is that every sunset is different. From Auckland to Wellington to Nelson, Franz Josef, Kaikoura, and everywhere else; these beautiful masterpieces were forever changing, and forever affecting me in a new way.
It all began in Wellington, on the night of my arrival. I desired to watch the sun set over the beautiful country where I had just arrived. Unfortunately, I was not able to see this first sunset, but every sunset after made up for that. I watched the sun set over Wellington, Nelson, Greymouth, Franz Josef, Queenstown, Te Anau, Akaroa, Rotorua, and so many more places. These sunsets are some of the most incredible experiences and favorite memories I have in New Zealand. Mother Nature is stunning, and she will forever amaze me, no matter how many sunsets I experience.
I advise each and every one of you to take some time to watch the sun set over a beautiful new land. You will be amazed by how beautiful this world is, even with the simplest of experiences. I am constantly being reminded that I find the most beauty in the simple experiences. A delicious cup of hot chocolate on a cloudy morning, a drive with new friends at dusk, an ice cream cone in a new city, a scrumptious baguette sandwich on a beach, or watching the sunset in a place of endless beauty. These are the things we remember; our emotions and feelings in certain places at certain times. I do not remember what I was wearing, or who I snap-chatted. I remember the beauty of a sunset, the stillness of the water, and the joy in my heart. This is my advice to you: take it all in, enjoy every moment, and remember the simple pleasures. Remember the sunsets, and always strive to see as many as you can.
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