Study Abroad - Don't Miss the Chance

Hello from Auckland, New Zealand to all my faithful readers !!

I know you are in plenty and anxious to hear about my study abroad experience in New Zealand. Daniel in his blog told you "Please, Please Study Abroad". Well, I say it too. Don't miss out on this experience. It does take some planning to do and figuring out transferable courses, travel, accomodation, living in a foreign country on your own and preparing your own food might seem intimidating. But, these are the things you have to learn in life. Forget about it looking good on your resume or increasing your chances of employment. It's more than just that.

 Wellesley Student Apartment Building. Photo by: Digital Subway

More than half of all Trinity students study abroad at some point in their undergraduate education. And New Zealand and Australia are becoming increasingly popular destinations. The reason? People speak English and you get to travel to the other side of the Hemisphere. Best of all, Kiwi people are really friendly and laid back. Initially, when I had to find way, I would stop by and ask for directions and they would give me the most simple and detailed directions. You should consider yourself lucky if the same happens to you in New York or some other big US city.

Here, I can find a nice balance of nature, adventure and busy city life. I study at University of Auckland which has a total student body more than ten times that of Trinity. It is huge. And it is located in the heart of Auckland city. You could very well imagine New York University to get a mental picture. Everything is in walking distance. At Trinity and in most of Texas cities, walking is simply not possible as it is so spread out. I am liking this change since I did not have a car at Trinity. Not having a car in any Texan city could seriously limit your travel since mass public transportation is not nearly as good as some other North Eastern cities. Here students walk to major grocery stores, movies, restaurants, shops and even student apartments. My apartment is only three minutes away from the university.

Besides enjoying a great city life and night life on weekends and Wednesdays, there is a lot to explore in the wild. Kiwis party on Wednesdays because coincidentally (or not) it is their payday. Last weekend, my friends and I went to see glow worms in Waitomo caves. It is a very unique thing and popular among tourists. I also saw black sand beach for the first time. It didn't occur to me that black sand was a result of volcanic ash until my friend explained it to me. New Zealand has a lot of volcanic craters, many of which are active. I am serious! The last one erupted within this decade. There is also a lot of cultural influence from Maoris (origininal inhabitants) of this "Land of the Long White Clouds". New Zealand is one of the few countries to have preserved its indigenous population their cultural practices and language so well. In fact, every rugby game played by All Blacks (NZ's national rugby team) starts with Haka, a traditional intimidating dance performed by Maoris to intimidate their enemies. During our orientation with IFSA-Butler study abroad programme, we got to be a part of Kapa Haka performance and slept at a marae (a sacred ancestral home of Maoris). It was very special.

My friend Al walking past the billboard. Photo by: Digital Subway

Black Sand Beach that we went to.  Photo by: Digital Subway

I will keep you all posted on my future adventures and life in general here in Aotearoa (New Zealand in Maori). In the meantime, you could check out more photos in my Picasa if you want to.