When I first arrived in New Zealand, I marvelled at how everyone in the country was able to go about their day-to-day business without being distracted by how beautiful the country was. Surely the people of the land could not possibly be used to such astounding beauty? Though that was clearly the case, I refused to believe it as I tramped through the Catlins, drank in the alpine splendour of Queenstown, and stood on the mountains of the Kepler and Routeburn tracks.

However, it appears that the first signs of acclimatization are showing. Last weekend, I went on a trip to the Taieri Gorge region, which is close to Dunedin. The trip was organized through the University of Otago’s Recreation Services office, and though it was a wonderful way to spend part of a day, I found myself restless in the absence of challenges, the lack of staggering, snow-capped peaks, the dearth of sweeping valleys.

The trip was simple enough—a short trip outside town, a jetboat ride, followed by a bit of hiking. In the end, all three activities took less than twenty minutes apiece, and though I chatted animatedly with the other participants (half of whom were American; honestly, we’re everywhere), I couldn’t help but be horrified at the knot of disappointment growing somewhere in the region of my pancreas. Three months before, something like this would excite me to no end, which just goes to show you that even in the midst of beauty, one can get complacent.

Of course, this may be because I’ve spent nearly four months staring at the native bush that’s around the Dunedin area. But in the few days since then, the weather has been perfect, deep warmth at last adjoining the sunny days. Some things never get old, like watching the sunrise in the mornings, the electric blue of a cloudless sky, the sight of the Pacific Ocean from a hilltop. I think that this latest revelation has shown me that a semester of study—however short it may seem—is perfect for me. The feeling of disappointment last Saturday makes me think that at last, I’ve become settled into my life here in Dunedin as well as New Zealand. Luckily, this does not mean that I’m stuck in a routine, but rather that I am familiar enough with my surroundings to feel at home, and do some additional exploring which I would not have felt comfortable doing previously. I suppose that there’s always two sides to every emotion, and the beginnings of complacency hint at the beginnings of home. Though this feeling won’t last long, it’s still a comfort to know that finally, I can call Dunedin “home.”

And now, pictures of the place that sparked so much introspection: