I Studied Abroad in New Zealand

Most people want to explore, especially while in college, our first real breaths of independence. Which is why studying abroad is the ultimate kill-two-birds-with-one-stone. When I did it, I was able to knock out a graduation requirement, all the while exploring the beautiful country of New Zealand!

I knew I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, but I was nervous about committing to a semester long program--I had terrible anxiety and was (am still, let's be honest) a very sheltered kid. Luckily, my school had summer study abroad courses which lasted the length of a month. Perfect. I could handle that (and I'll very quickly brush over the fact that I threw up multiple times on the plane ride over because I thought I could not handle that.)

Picking New Zealand was an easy decision. The classses that we would be taking fulfilled a graduation requirement, and they interested me. The country is absolutely gorgeous, and I felt like I wouldn't become too overwhelmed because it's an english-speaking country. Plus, my best friend, Megan, wanted to go too.

Oh, and did I mention I'm a massive Lord of the Rings fan? You know we went to Hobbiton and Weta (the company in charge of the films' VFX) while there! And you know my best friend and I pretended to slay orcs with imaginary swords as our class paraded through downtown Auckland, the biggest city on the North island. Oops.

Overall, the trip was an absolute blast. Sure, I have regrets like not taking full advantage of my time there and instead staying in at the hotel and binging Dance Moms (Who would have thought that it would be so popular in NZ?) as I was plagued with sleepiness (maybe jet lag? who knows); as well as waiting to do all my assignments until after I got back and was well into my Fall semester. If you learn anything from this blog, do not do what I did. One too many Monster energy drinks-- and even still, some songs I listened to during my nights-in at the library still pull me back to that very miserable (completely avoidable) week.

But the main reason why I recommend studying abroad is because it is catered to your education and cultural immersion. At least for me, if I was a tourist who showed up in a random country, I would more or less be a chicken with its head cut-off and not know what the heck to do. People told me what to do, and it was awesome, because I knew I was seeing the really important, cool stuff. Don't get me wrong, we had plenty of free time. While I did laundry and watched Dance Moms, other classmates did several of their own outings like go to wine-tasting and to the zoo. I attended the independent outing of Hobbiton [duh, wouldn't miss it] and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves which is an absolute must. Part of the tour is boarding a boat and being steered through pools of water in complete silence...The cave is pitch black except for the glow worms dangling from the ceiling. The experience was otherworldy and absolutely breathtaking. I also tried a little operatic singing, and let me tell you, the cave's got some real fine acoustics.

As a class and over the month of our trip, we visisted the cities of Wellington (the capital of NZ) Auckland, Gisbourne, Rotorua and the Bay of Islands. We went to museums, sure, but also to an animal farm (where I screamed bloody murder when the worker pretended to splash me with cow milk from a bucket), luging, and boating where I thought I was going to throw up for sure (a recoccuring theme, heh). We went to Parliament and saw New Zealand's oldest stone building, we saw a geyser and walked on treaty grounds. A great focus of our studies both in the classroom and out of it was the Maori people and their culture--the indigenous people. I really enjoyed this aspect, and it was so inspiring and refreshing to see so much of their culture integrated into or at least respected in society.

You can't forget the potential of making some good friends, which I did! We formed a small clique that we called the "Potat-hoes" (because we loved potatoes so much and were happy they present everywhere in NZ. It's funny, okay.). I got to spend a lot of time with Megan, who was like my security blanket in this whole new country, and I also met my close friend and current roommate (of technically 3 years) on the trip. It's crazy to believe that our friendship would have never happened had I not studied abroad in New Zealand, and had I decided to stay in and watch more Dance Moms instead of going out to dinner with her one fateful night. (Okay, can we agree that Dance Moms was also my security blanket?)

This was such an incredible journey for me, and not only just because I was immersed in an amazing and complex culture, but...exactly because I was, if that makes sense. I survived a whole month in a different country. I did that. As someone who has suffered from anxiety as long as she can remember, I'm so proud of myself for pushing away my fear and allowing my passion and excitement to take over. The kind flight attendant on the way over, who handed me a ginger ale to soothe my stomach and to soothe my mind by telling me it was going to be okay, was right. And I can't wait to go back again, and see what else New Zealand and the world has worth exploring!