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…
Category: New Zealand: TEAN at Otago
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,…
Blog Post #2
Kia Ora! My time here in New Zealand has been nothing short of exciting! There has been so many things that have opened my eyes and cultured me in a way I never thought possible. There have also been moments of shock and hurdles to overcome. For the most part, the culture is very similar…
Race and Ethics without Borders
Black people have been creating a way out of no way for centuries. We were brought to America and stripped of our languages, tribes, religious views, and cultures. The way we learned to survive was through community. People who looked like us were the only ones we could trust. We shared stories of grief, perseverance,…
Cultural Confrontation
Since living in New Zealand, I actually have not experienced as much culture shock as I was expecting. New Zealand is quite similar to the United States and is even Americanized in some ways. For example, New Zealanders watch all the same movies, listen to all the same music, and even wear clothing with American…
Otago University New Zealand
Kia Ora from New Zealand! The United States from a political science point of view is a mixture of realist and liberalist. We are realist in the sense that we look out for our own interests and liberalist in the sense that we contribute to the international community through organizations. The United States is also…
After New Zealand
Hello! It has been almost a month since I left New Zealand. I have had time to reflect on my experiences and have discovered its impact on me and my habits. For example, I am way better at cooking meals for myself now and eat more fresh produce. But I also feel my outlook on…
My final goodbye
I am currently sitting on the airplane going from Houston to Newark. What a ride it has been and I am so upset having to leave, but excited about my incredible experience abroad. I have been traveling for over 26 hours and I am exhausted. Yesterday morning, I caught a shuttle to the Dunedin Airport…
Back Stateside
Although it felt surreal to officially be done with my semester abroad (especially finishing in early November), it finally came time to head back to the US and reunite with family and friends. In reflection upon my first blog post, I regret to say that my position has changed in a not-so-great way. I had…
Final month of adventure
What a month! Getting back from my semester break had a hard start. The first week I had three of my papers due so I was very busy and had no time to relax. I was glad that I had the break in Fiji for sure. However, after that week the rest of the month…