A Traveling Newbie

My visa just arrived!  At least I thought it was going to be my visa.  I ran down the stairs to get to the door before the dogs who make it sound like they are going to tear off the leg of any FedEx man who dares step on the porch, and grabbed the envelope I've been waiting for for weeks.  As I climbed back upstairs to my sister's bedroom (my current gear staging area) I tore open the envelope.  Inside was just my passport.  Floating around in the giant envelope as if to say, "haha you thought you were going to pull this off."  What does this mean?  Couldn't they at least write me a post it or something to tell me what I did wrong?  Do I need to change my flights?  Can I still go? OH NO OH NO OH NO!  As I was dialing the LA consulate a funny piece of text in my passport caught my eye.  And there it was, my visa.  Such a newbie. 

I also spent some time looking through the customs page to see what I can take in to New Zealand.  I was concerned about the 3lb. of Pike Roast from Starbucks currently nestled in gift mugs in my suitcase.  And then I wondered if it was a big deal to be bringing Starbucks coffee anyway.  What kind of coffee do they have there.  A quick google search gave me an answer.  There is a Starbucks 6 minutes from my address in Lower Hutt.  So much for my unique Seattle gifts.  

I could take these two mishaps as a bad omen, a sign that I am in way over my head.  But the thing is they are just me and how I operate in the world.  I am sure I will have many more little mishaps like this as I head out on this new adventure.  But hey, that's what makes it worthwhile I think.  

Feeling so excited.  2 days left!