As I was considering studying abroad last
semester, I had no idea to where I wanted to venture. I have never travelled across an entire ocean
and the traveling I have done has only been for a short duration. I have never lived anyplace other than
Denver, Colorado for longer than ten days.
So trying to pick a place to study abroad was a bit daunting. When New Zealand, however, was brought to my
attention by a friend who had recently travelled there, I instantly fell in
love with the idea. New Zealand’s
landscape has everything from mountains to beaches, which is perfect because I
love being outdoors: going hiking, skiing, and biking. The University of Otago also offers a wide
variety of classes many of which are interactive and explore the city of
Dunedin. For example, one of the classes
they offer is an Art History class where we will take field trips on Fridays to
look at art around the city. In New
Zealand, the people also speak English.
Although I speak some Spanish and would love to challenge myself to live
in a place where English is not spoken, I do not feel prepared to take a
college level course in a foreign language.
I also wanted to immerse myself in a culture that I could come to love
and understand. Although this would be possible
if I studied in a non-English speaking country, going to New Zealand will allow
me to gain a deeper understanding of its people, culture, and ways of thinking as
my focus will not be on learning a new language. I will have the opportunity to take a variety
of classes that will allow me to more fully understand the entirety of New
Zealand’s culture.
I expect that my time abroad will be one
of my best memories from college. I will
get to meet new people, learn about new cultures, and experience so many new
things. I anticipate being challenged by
the distance from my family, but making lasting friendships with the others in
my study abroad group. I expect to learn much more about the Maori people and to develop an appreciation for their culture that would be impossible otherwise. Going on a journey such as this one will help to build my awareness of the diversity in our world, I will get to experience first-hand just how different life in this world can be for people. I aim to become more open-minded as I see what spells out success, pride, and happiness for people from a culture different than my own. After studying abroad in New Zealand, I hope to return more enlightened about who I am and how I fit into this world.
