I am so excited to take off for New Zealand where I will be studying at the University of Otago in Dunedin! I have traveled internationally quite a bit, so I am not too worried, however, I have never lived in another country for more than about two weeks, so I think this experience will be an excellent chance for me to really immerse myself in another country’s culture, and truly learn what it feels like to live in a country other, than the United States.
Traveling to other countries makes me hyper-vigilant of the cultural differences between my own country and those of the country I am visiting. I wouldn’t say that these differences are either good or bad, but rather unique and inspiring. I can’t wait to travel to New Zealand, Fiji, and Thailand, and learn about their cultures and compare them to my own.
One thing that I am super excited to do, is to go backpacking and camping in New Zealand! I’ve hiked sections of the Appalachian Trail, here on the east coast, but I don’t even think that it will compare to the sights I will see, hiking the trails on the south island in New Zealand. I cannot wait to backpack to empty beaches and camp on snow covered mountains!
Overall, I am just really ecstatic to be able to study abroad in New Zealand! I cannot even picture the adventures that await me there, but I know that they’re going to be amazing ☺
