I’ve made it to New Zealand all the way from Minnesota! Yay! I’ll try to update this blog at least once a week to share what I experience. I anticipate many memories (like the suitcase episode… I’ll explain later), new friendships (like Marie from Germany), and adventures (like flying into Windy Wellington- blah!).

And if you’re wondering what nymph2dragonfly means (thanks to Andrea, Rachel, and Elizabeth for helping me create the blog name during a happy hour after work)… I have this thing for dragonflies. Some of you might already know about my dragonfly experience since it’s one of my favorite stories to share. If not, I tried saving a prehistoric, bird-like dragonfly (see photo below). Sadly, the dragonfly did not make it, but the experience made me want to learn more about these crazy creatures. Like… did I hit the worlds largest dragonfly known to man? The answer was/is no.

Okay, okay… nymph2dragonfly. How do I relate? When you see a dragonfly, it has most likely shed a few times, up to 15, while being a nymph. Not only that, it could also be two to three (to even seven) years old. Pretty neat for a bug. But back to the shedding part… I relate to the dragonfly because I haven’t quite got my wings yet. I’m still a nymph that is changing into what I hope will become a *(non-killing, nice, funny, happy)* dragonfly. I don’t necessarily think I’ll be a “dragonfly” after this adventure (at least I hope not… they die after seven months of getting their wings- sad, I know.) BUT I do know that I will shed another layer, change or evolve as a person. I’m a nymph turning into a dragonfly- nymph2dragonfly. Full circle.

*Dragonflies are predators in the insect world. They are victorious flight fighters. I am not so I thought I should clarify our relationship.