Studying Abroad in New Zealand
I have wanted to go to New Zealand for as long as I can remember. It has always been one of my bucket list destinations and to visit was a major goal of mine. However, when it was time to go on the trip, I was super nervous. I signed up for the trip during my first semester ever at KU on a spur of the moment decision, never did I think that it would actually happen. My friends thought that I was crazy for signing up. Especially since I did so without knowing any of the other participants and everyone ended up being incredibly nice, it was still daunting.
I had never flown internationally before either, so upon arriving to the airport I had no idea what to expect. The entire travel time was around 23 hours with a majority of it being a 15-hour, flight over the ocean. The plane for the international flight was absolutely huge, with around 9 sets per row. My biggest tip for other students taking long flights is to make friends with the flight attendants since they sometimes have free snacks in the back of the plane. 15 hours seemed like an incredibly long time, but it ended up seeming much shorter as time was taken up by the two meals and several snacks that they served throughout the flight. Another traveler let me know that before the flight, passengers could submit specific requests if they had any meal restrictions.
When we first arrived in New Zealand, and got out of the airport, everything seemed so different. I was shocked about how green everything was and how clean everything was. It was also incredibly strange to be driving on the left side of the street, that part felt incredibly wrong. I do not think that culture shock is the right word, but everything seemed so different.
New Zealand shares many similarities with America, however, certain things are wildly different. For example, we unfortunately learned that their milkshakes are literally only blended milk and flavoring, they do not use ice cream in them at all. And like a lot of European countries, they do not put ice in their water, this was something that I was missing the entire time I was there. They also had some great differences like their wider availability of buses and public transportation. We spent some time the University in Christchurch as well which was filled with outdoor seating and green spaces for students. This was a really nice change from America. KU has its fair share of outdoor spaces as well, but nothing like what we say in New Zealand, one of their academic buildings had a small waterfall.
Our trip was centered around economic and environmental sustainability and through the course of it we got to talk to so many amazing and knowledgeable people. Including CEO’s and local government officials. I gained so much from this trip. Not only did my academic knowledge expand as I got a full understanding of how sustainability is intertwined with economics, but I also got incredible life experience.
Me and my group got to see and experience so many amazing things, some of them being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And so, with that being said, my biggest tip to future students is to just go, sign up for the trip and get on the plane. No matter what happens, it is impossible to have any regrets over studying abroad since it is an amazing life experience that is not achievable anywhere else.
