One cultural difference I’ve experienced while being here in New Zealand so far is the overallrelaxation the country abides by in all areas. The US has a very strong hustle culture which priorto coming I didn’t acknowledge much. In many ways here I’ve experienced this country widerelaxing, such as in school, there are many assignments…
Category: New Zealand: TEAN at Otago
Blog Post 2
Something that has really stuck out to me during my time in New Zealand is the strong emphasis on Maori culture. I am taking two Maori courses, one is about culture and society and the other is about song and dance practices. Maori culture is very very prominent in New Zealand, and the people take…
Blog Post #1
Consumerism is an aspect of American culture that has always stood out to me. As a business student, I often am taught about consumerism and its effect on the United States economy as well as the whole world’s economy. Due to a widespread emphasis on shopping, material things, and consumption, American consumerism is a distinguishing…
Pre-departure Blog – University of Otago TEAN
Living in the same country your entire life, you begin to become blind to cultural differences between other cultures. However, when you take a step back, it is easy to identify the cultural ideals that are important to you, and your country. One cultural value in America that has always stuck out to me is…
Blog Post 3
I found that many people in New Zealand viewed Americans, and particularly Floridians, through a stereotypical lens. Several times, when asked where I was from, people would respond by talking about ‘Florida man’, beaches, and uneducated people. Someone also called me ‘swamptrash’ because I was from Florida. I was also asked by a few people…
New Zealand Reflection
My time abroad in New Zealand is one I will never forget. New Zealand is a small, simple, and beautiful place with kind people and many things to do. Life in New Zealand was very similar to how I expected it. While studying abroad, I balanced my school work with traveling and exploring the country…
Pre-Study Abroad Blog Prompt 1
An aspect of American culture that is objectively a general characteristic of people from the United States is being outspoken and loud. This results from the constitutional right of having freedom of speech. Freedom of Speech is a right that has integrated into collective societal behaviors. This often includes protesting, publicly disagreeing with figures of…
Studying in New Zealand
In many ways, New Zealand’s culture is similar to the US. People speak English and are very familiar with American pop-culture. However, there are many small differences that add up and need adjusting to, such as understanding some accents and driving on the other side of the road. The biggest difference for me was the…
A Semester in New Zealand
New Zealand and the US share many traits in common as far as general amenities go. There is a lot of overlap between the music, food, and media. However, they have different attitudes toward many things. The most notable difference to me was their attitude toward consumption and waste. New Zealand does not have the…
A Semester of adventure in New Zealand
As someone who has traveled a significant amount in their life, I did not find many aspects of my host culture incredibly hard to adapt to. That being said, the biggest difference between my host culture and my home culture would have to be the education system. The New Zealand education system is heavily exam-focused,…