Snow at Trinity

Ok, so I have decided to write again. And I won't write about Wellesley Student Apartments this time. Enough bad publicity already. Topic change! Life after study abroad in Aotearoa has been hard to adjust. Now, I have to actually do assignments instead of spend the afternoons sun bathing in Albert Park in Auckland, New Zealand. It is hard to get more than five hours of sleep on Tuesday to Thursdays. 

But besides all these, the best thing that happened was THE SNOW!!!! I don't complain about having to deal with two winters consecutively now, one in Southern and the other in Northern Hemisphere. Below are the snow pictures. Enjoy them and I promise I will write again!

Overlooking the Athletics Field from the South Residence Hall. Photo by: Digital Subway

Slippery Walkway outside the South Residence Hall. Photo by: Digital Subway

Overlooking the Parking Lot beside Thomas Residence Hall. Photo by: Digital Subway

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.

Reflecting on Exchange Semester in New Zealand

I have bitched a lot about wellesley student apartments which violated my earlier principle not to write anything bad about anybody on my blog. So I decided instead of saying good things about WSA (which would be a lie of course), I won't say anything. I don't want to use my blog for bitching anyway. Self-talk works much better and has no repercussions. Let's talk something else.

I reflect on my five months I have spent in New Zealand and it seems like I have lived a dramatically different life than I was used to living hitherto. For the first time in my life, I did not have to study to get an A. I was not chasing after anything (besides chicks :D). Grades were secondary for me. Believe it or not, this was a big change for me because I was always used to getting good grades, often the best in my class. I graduated from the best high school of Nepal as a valedictorian. Big deal, you might say. It was big deal in a way at that time. I had a final couple days ago and I walked out proudly with half an hour remaining on the clock. I knew I could have spent some more time trying to recheck my answers or simply spending more time thinking about questions I might not have answered properly. But I didn't care. And this seemingly insignificant activity was symbolic for me. I was in control. For the first time I felt, "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."

How long can we live our lives chasing after a goal? Starting from birth, we are always in this race. To get better toys, we need better grades then to get scholarship and a placement into good college, you need good grades, SAT score, recommendation letters, et cetera. To get good recommendation letters, you have to do what teachers say. Always follow what they tell you to and impress them. Once you are in college, then you need to get good grades yet again if you want to go to Grad school or get a good job. Give us a break.

How wonderful would life be if we could just lie in the Sun on a beautiful day in a park somewhere and read a book of our choice? That would make us happy, healthy and somewhat intelligent too since we are reading . I mostly read non-fiction so reading for me usually entails lots of knowledge. Well this is exactly what I did on numerous days here in New Zealand. All university courses were pass/fail only since I was in NZ for an exchange only. This gave me flexibility to design and lead the life I wanted. I could spend time doing what I desired. I could bury myself in the library reading what I was interested in instead of solving some random engineering problems or thermodynamics equations.

I think you got the idea. I will miss New Zealand for all this.

Why Wellesley Student Apartment sucks

If haven't already, you should read these posts to understand why I am saying that Wellesley Student Apartments suck. 

Wellesley Student Apartments, Auckland: A review

Laundry Nightmare at WSA in Auckland

Now there are more troubles. Guess what? Despite cleaning our apartments to the best of our abilities, the cleanliness inspector failed our apartments. And I can assure you that the apartment was as clean as it could be. She failed us for not wiping off the skirting boards. Really? They are there for a reason: to collect dust, silly. And similar other stupid stuffs. For instance, our windows were clean but she complained it was not clean enough. We wiped all those windows but there was no way we could have wiped outside of the windows. The windows don't open completely.

So, all of us have to pay a fine of 50 dollars each. I'm not kidding. That means our apartment pays 250 bucks. Ridiculous! There's no way any of us are paying that. So we wrote a formal protest letter. Here's how it reads. We're all waiting for their response. I would never ever live in Wellesley Student Apartments again. Even backpacker hostels like XBase hostels have lesser rules.

Formal Protest against Unreasonable Standards used during Inspections

Dear WSA Management,

We are writing to you in a formal protest against unreasonable standards used during inspections.

The contract clearly specifies that:

3.9.1 Residents are expected to keep their bedrooms and apartment common areas tidy and free of safety hazards.

3.9.2 Residents are expected to maintain reasonable hygiene standards and keep bedrooms and apartment common areas clean.

Since our bedrooms and apartment common areas are tidy, free of safety hazards and reasonably hygienic, we do not understand why it failed inspection. We assure you that we spent an entire day cleaning the entirety of our apartment and it undoubtedly meets the outlined sanitary standards in the accommodation contract. In no way is our apartment in breach of rule number 3.9.1 since our apartment was very tidy and there certainly was nothing that posed a threat to anyone’s safety. Our apartment was also not in breach of rule number 3.9.2 since it was certainly in a reasonable hygienic state at the time of the inspection. The state of our apartment at the time of inspection was unquestionably cleaner than its state when we arrived in the beginning of the semester.

This is a formal protest against the seemingly biased and unreasonable standards utilized while conducting these so-called cleanliness inspections. These inspections seem to be more of a way to impose the management’s power and favouritism rather than impartially inspect the rooms for serious infractions that may deem the apartments hygienically unliveable to the next residents.  

Lastly if your intention is to deliberately fail residents in order to collect fines, these intentions will be met with fierce resistance.

If this matter is not resolved soon, we are prepared to appeal to higher authorities as suggested in the contract.

Sincerely,

WSA Residents

RESIDENTIAL RULES – WELLESELEY STUDENT APARTMENTS 2010

3.9 Tidiness and cleanliness

3.9.1 Residents are expected to keep their bedrooms and apartment common areas tidy and free of safety hazards.

3.9.2 Residents are expected to maintain reasonable hygiene standards and keep bedrooms and apartment common areas clean.

3.9.3 Residents are expected to participate in the University accommodation recycling scheme for waste materials.

3.9.4 Residents may not bring additional furniture into University accommodation without the express permission of Accommodation Services management. Any found will be removed and may be reclaimed at the end of the Accommodation Contract.

3.9.5 Communal areas are to be kept tidy and free of unattended Resident personal belongings.

3.9.6 Residents are not permitted to keep bicycles or other large equipment in bedrooms, apartment common areas, corridors or communal areas. Bicycles left in bicycle sheds or racks are left at the owners’ risk.

UNIVERSITY ACCOMMODATION REGULATIONS

3. ROOM INSPECTIONS

The Residential Manager or other authorised staff may enter the Accommodation for the purposes of routine inspection at all reasonable hours of the daytime. Where possible, 24 hours notice of any inspection will be given. In addition, the Residential Manager, delegated staff or other duly authorised persons (including contractors) may enter the Accommodation at any time for any of the following reasons:

1. There is reason to believe a resident is in clear or imminent danger.

2. There have been 2 or more breaches of the Regulations by the Resident.

3. There is a requirement for maintenance on the facilities.

6 COMPLAINTS

6.1 Residents who have complaints should raise them in the first instance with Accommodation Services management. Complaints of a serious nature should be made in writing to Accommodation Services management.

6.2 If the complaint relates to an alleged breach of a regulation by another resident, Accommodation Services management will deal with this in accordance with the Discipline Procedures above.

6.3 If the complaint relates to alleged actions of a resident which do not involve any breach of regulations or any other University policies or procedures Accommodation Services management may refer the matter back to the complainant. In such cases there is an expectation by the University that the two parties work together to resolve their differences and Accommodation Services management may, if requested, act as a mediator.

6.4 If the complaint relates to University accommodation or alleged actions of University accommodation staff, Accommodation Services management will consider the complaint and respond to the complainant.  Accommodation Services management may at any time request that the complaint is detailed in writing.

6.5 If a written complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant, they may contact the senior manager responsible for Accommodation Services. This manager will consider the issue and report back in writing to the complainant with their decision.

6.6 If a complaint under 6.5 above is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant, they may then contact the University Complaints Officer to seek a resolution

Just Before Exams

Classes are over and exams don't start until next week for me. This means I have a lot of time to either study for exams, travel around New Zealand more or just lie in the Sun and spend time at the beach. The first option is just so not-so-study-abroad like. The second option is costly and with all the two week tour of South Island I did (read my earlier posts), no more money left for more travel. So, basically all I have been doing couple past days is lying in the Sun in Albert Park which reminds me of Central Park of New York, especially when it's bright and sunny and everyone is just lying and dozing off.

Sand castle made by anonymous architects. Photo: Digital Subway

 I have also been occasionally checking out the beach, especially when the weather forecasts are friendly. After all, the beach is only 20 minutes away, a simple bus ride. I will let the pictures speak rest of the story. 

Me at the beach in my fancy shirt. Photo by: Jonathon Feinmann

Franky Sowers showing off his acrobatic skills. Photo by: Digital Subway

Franky again. Photo by: Digital Subway

Auckland at sunset from Mission Bay Beach. Photo by: Digital Subway

People just chilling in the Sun in Albert Park. Photo by: Digital Subway

Fun times till exams start. I am going to Bay of Islands next weekend which means more beach time. Cheers. Will keep you all posted.

Wellesley Student Apartments, Auckland: A review

(Disclaimer: This post is a review of Wellesley Student Apartments managed by AUT (Auckland University of Technology) on 8-10 Mount Street, Auckland, New Zealand. Contents of this post is based totally on my stay here from July to October 2010 and any criticism should be directed to me. Although my accommodation was arranged by my study abroad program IFSA-Butler, the views expressed here reflect my personal experiences and should not be taken as a general experience of all study abroad/exchange students.)

Wellesley Student Apartments lies on Mount Street

I will try to keep this post short and sweet, possibly numbered style to make it more readable. 

First of all, the benefits of staying in Wellesley Student Apartments:

1. Close proximity to AUT and University of Auckland. It's only 5 minutes walk at most to UoA and is probably one of the closest university apartments you can find.
2. Five people share an apartment but each get their own bedroom. Nice kitchen, two bathrooms and pretty good living room with a TV with 5-6 channels.
3. Utility costs like water and electricity is included in costs so that you don't have to worry about it.
4. Has its own laundry facilities. I will discuss this more later since laundry facilities are often disappointing
5. Conducts events occassionally to encourage mixing up of residents.

Wellesley Student Apartments, inhabited by almost 650 people.

It looks pretty appealing right. Basically, it offers all you want in a decent apartment. But there are several issues with their management. 

My Living Room in Wellesley Student Apartment.

Problems you may face while staying in Wellesley Student Apartments:

1. WSA Management will treat you as if they have absolute control over you. If your flat gets a violation for being noisy, even if you appeal that you were not there, you would still get a fine. I will elaborate on this later.
2. Internet service provided by Orcon is extremely slow even though when they sell you, they'll tell you that it is broadband. It is the only broadband service you can purchase and use in WSA dorms. You could buy other wireless providers. Internet is so slow that I can never even access my online banking. WSA buys a limited amount of bandwidth and when that is used up, everyone's internet becomes slow. So, if you use 5 GB per month out of your allocated 10 GB and another resident uses 20GB, then everyone's internet gets slow irrespective of how much you used individually. Sucks.
3. Laundry facilities suck. Read my other entry on Laundry Nightmare at Wellesley Student Apartments. More than half of the washers they have are dysfunctional and they have not been repaired since I started living here. As for dryers, they will never dry up your clothes. Many residents walk across the street to Forte Laundromat, a commercial facility to do their laundry. It took me more than two months to find out three secret dyers that dry your clothes, others don't. They're located just as you walk in to the laundry room.
4. There are four elevators/lifts for almost 650 residents of which only a few are operating at any given time. You will waste so much time just waiting for elevators. You cannot use stairs to enter the building even though you could use it to exit. Since it has 14 floors, using stairs is very tiring for residents living higher up. On one weekend, starting from Friday night to Monday morning, only one elevator was functioning for D-H section, for 325 residents and the floor was all filled in puke. Some asshole must have thrown up at night after getting drunk. Residents were forced to use the only elevator. Imagine being in that elevator. The management made no effort to get it cleaned up. It was disgusting.
5. Bedrooms have inadequate lighting for studying. Bedroom has one light bulb while living room has three and even restroom has two. The book-shelf which is immovable lies between the only light-bulb on the wall and my study table. Not everyone wants to buy a table lamp especially if you are staying here for a short time.
6. Apartments do not have balconies. For the amount one pays, one would expect a balcony. WSA's next door neighbour O'Rorke Hall which is residential dorm managed by University of Auckland has really nice balconies and roof-tops.
7. There are lots of exchange students from America living here. I was placed in an apartment with all Americans. Many Americans were also placed in all-American flats which they absolutely hated because they studied abroad to meet other people, not live with all Americans. Where and whom you stay with will have a big role in your living experience. I didn't mind living with all Americans but would have loved to live with people of other nationalities. When I filled my residence preference form, I chose to live with internationals and Kiwis but somehow was placed in all American flat. It's much easier for WSA this way but it misses the whole point of study abroad/exchange.
8. There is no sense of privacy in your flats. Security will bust your apartment after midnight if you have people who do not live there even if you are quiet and no one has complained about it. They will hand you violation ticket and you have to pay fines if you receive three of them. If you want friends come over and just have a casual gathering, you have to register it as a party and has to be over before midnight on weekends and 10:30 on weekdays. If your friend is intoxicated and unable to walk back home, he cannot crash on your couch. Any overnight guest has to be registered beforehand with signatures from all five residents and only one guest can stay for a maximum of one night. After that, you have to pay 20 bucks per night. No extra bedding or anything is provided. Basically, even after paying for your flats, WSA management will keep an eye on what you do inside it, you're never without watchful eyes of Big Brother WSA. It really sucks to be living under so much rules and regulations even though you are now in college.
9. Room inspections before end of semester is really harsh and unreasonable. WSA will expect you to clean everything including toilets, showers, kitchen, windows even if they were dirty when you started living. My bedroom failed because my mattress did not have a protective cover, which they were supposed to give me at the beginning of my residence. I didn't even know I was supposed to have one. The lady conducting inspection is the most rude person and a cruel soul you will ever come across. On more than four occasions, she stopped me from entering the building asking me if I live in WSA. Although it may be justified on grounds of being extra-careful, I genuinely think she has a problem with my face. If your room inspection fails second time, everyone living in the flat gets a fine meaning everyone suffers if there is one messy person living in the apartment who fails to clean/vaccum his bedroom. You think that is fair? Tragedy of the Commons, bro.
10. On one occasion, the inspection lady knocked on a bedroom door and entered without even waiting for a response. I will not quote the name of the resident to protect his identity. That is how WSA management treats your privacy.

My Kitchen in Wellesley Student Apartment.

 I get nightmares about security breaking into my room while I'm sleeping or doing something else. I cannot deal with WSA management anymore. My apartment got three violations for having guests past midnight so I had to pay 50 dollars fine. I tried to talk to security who handed us violation but he said I needed to talk to management. I tried to appeal to management that I was not even present in Auckland let alone apartment during first violation and had just walked in 5 minutes before my third violation. They said I cannot talk to the manager, instead I had to write a formal letter which I did. I was expecting to talk and sort this out but five days later I received a letter from management that said that my case had been talked with security and fines cannot be removed. If I did not pay fines within next three days, more fines would accrue for not paying that fine. I was shocked by their style of unilateral decision making. Their bureaucracy in which security directs you to management and management cites security as basis of their decision shows how they deny you a voice to even appeal against any charge brought against you. Tired of this, I decided to pay fines that I did not deserve. Writing another letter would not only be a waste of my time and energy but would exert additional pressure on environment with waste of paper. I hope they recycled my letter.

My Bedroom in Wellesley Student Apartments

 Personally, I would not recommend anyone living in Wellesley Student Apartments because even though apartments are nice and it is close to the university, management will ruin the experience. Despite being merely caretakers, they will act as if they fucking own WSA. The only person who has been reasonable to me is a guy named Tom. He is really nice. If you have any problem, don't talk to receptionists, talk instead to Tom. Other people will treat you as a potential perpetrator/violator. I had been trying so hard not to write this post for so long because I dislike saying not-so-pleasant things about others, but my study abroad experience was really affected by them. I get nightmares about that evil-faced lady who keeps asking me if I live here or that my apartment is disgusting and unhygienic.

Alternatives. If you planning to study abroad in Auckland and need a place to stay for a semester, there are several alternatives that you may want to read about and do some research before arriving here.

1. International House managed by University of Auckland
2. O'Rorke Hall managed by University of Auckland, whcih is also only five minutes walk to the university
3. Parnell Student Village, which is located in a really nice neighborhood and only 15 minutes away in walking distance. I would recommend staying here because it is more international than WSA which is mostly occupied by Americans. Even Americans living in WSA think they would have loved to stay with people of other nationalities.

If anyone is hurt by any statements expressed here, I offer my apologies and even though it appears as a hate post against WSA Management, it was necessary to say these things so that other people don't have to go through same problems. Please leave your comments/feedbacks/criticisms regarding this post if you have any.