Monday, December 6, 2010

On Reflection of Study Abroad in New Zealand

New Zealand is a great place to be at and I am sure others who have been there will agree with me. N for New Zealand and N for Nature; New Zealand is Naturally beautiful. I am glad I chose New Zealand for my study abroad and got to see both North and South Islands, both of which are beautiful in their own aspects. Studying at a world class university which was also the nation’s best was a privilege but the experience was made memorable due to wonderful company of friends. 

Everyone changes a little bit after their study abroad. For example, some become a “C” – just pass student from an “A” student while others change their status from “in a relationship” to “single”. I changed too, and by a lot. Gears shifted in my academic and social life. I went from a geek to party animal and my academic motivation to do well plummeted. For the first time, I spent more time basking in the park under the Sun than in the library under piles of books. I went to more bars and pubs in a semester than I had been in my whole life. I made more American friends and spent more time with Americans in New Zealand than I had in America itself. Most surprisingly of all, I got dreadlocks which drastically changed my appearance and attitude, both internally and externally.

I spent these five months happily during my study abroad. And I am thankful to my home and host universities plus study abroad program IFSA-Butler for this. If I were to study abroad again, I would want to change would be accommodation facilities. I stayed at Wellesley Student Apartments in Auckland and it was run like a tight security prison which was annoying and kind of ruined living experience. I would also want to live with people from different countries rather than all Americans as arranged by IFSA-Butler. 

Also, I would want to study abroad independently instead of seeking support from a study abroad program like Butler because I want to arrange everything on my own and it will also be significantly cheaper. I am confident I can arrange everything on my own, just like other non-Americans who study abroad independently.