Photo at the top of Roys Peak near Wanaka! 

What went well?
This week I rented a car and explored many neighboring towns scouting areas to set up a donation table and figured out the dates of markets and any events happening in the area to best optimize publicity of the organization which is something of need for the org as discussed with my supervisor. I was able to visit numerous places and talk to towns folks asking where locals hang out as well as where tourists hit. 

What could have been done differently?
Not something of importance but I should have planned for A LOT of traffic lol. While the location of my LIA and the Otago region is very much rural/sub urban and not at all a city like back home in Toronto and NY, due to the rapid expansion of residential areas and the boom in population post covid, many of the rural roads which are 1 lane in both ways (if lucky) cannot support the massive influx of drivers now on the road. Many areas of the roads in South Island are 1 lane 1 car at a time and can sometimes be a gravel road. Mix in the mountainous terrain and curvy roads these areas can become an insane choke point. Much of the time I would arrive at the hostel late at night and not have time to interact with other fellow traveler before knocking out on my bed and getting up early the next morning to hike and scout out towns. 

What did I learn about myself when working with others?
I think I'm pretty good at clicking with random people. Even if I'll never meet again. Along this week's journey picking up hitch hikers, talking to locals, etc I learned about how much I love to just yap and hear others yap. I could never say no to hearing a Spanish guys tea on his previous significant others lol XD but with each person I talked to, I got better and better at connecting with the next. 

What did I learn about leadership?
One of my fellow travelers told me, "closed mouths don't get fed." While exploring towns, I kept close to these words because getting to know the local terrain especially as an tourist asking a lot of pesky questions can be recieved as a nuisance but its better than just getting there and not getting your objective done.