CU Abroad – Alison Keggan

This last blog has truly been the most difficult to write- not because of a lack of stories, memories or suggestions, but quite the opposite.  There have been so many things I have wanted to say and quite frankly, just not enough words to fully tell about my time abroad and the readjustment back to American life.  It is hard to believe I have been home nearly a month.  Almost every day, a thought comes to me about New Zealand, whether I am hungry for a Tim-Tam cookie or I am missing the friends I made.  Nonetheless, I have taken much away from studying abroad and part of my heart officially belongs in New Zealand! 

Being at university for four months, there are of course the facts and figures I have learned.  I can tell you about the Resource Management Act of New Zealand, Employment Law, the founding of New Zealand, transaction costs of business, and the list goes on.  Facts and figures, however, were not the reason I went abroad.  I flew thousands of miles to learn about myself, the person you would think I could learn about any day.  Rather, it took the experience of leaving everything familiar behind, armed with two suitcases and a backpack full of stuff.  I learned just how little I could live with, how fully capable I am, and how confident I truly can be. Coming back, one friend described me as more assertive.  I’m not sure that is the word I would use, but when I started my internship earlier this month, I was not one bit nervous about what the job would hold.  Likewise, there have been several other instances in which I have begun to feel nervous about something and that all fades when I think to myself, “Why am I nervous?  I just came back from living halfway around the world!”  From the many Kiwis that I encountered along my journey, I have been reminded of being kind, patient, caring, and more relaxed. 

While I may have developed a new sense of confidence and been reminded of some valuable things, some things have not changed.  For one thing, I can’t wait to travel some more.  Europe next, maybe?  Also, I am looking forward to going back to Cornell and have already very much enjoyed various foods I couldn’t get in New Zealand.  I am also happy to be back in familiarity: when I need something like Neosporin, I don’t have to describe the product to 12 different people to only end up with something similar!  Even though I couldn’t buy Neosporin, my time abroad was absolutely fabulous.  I would suggest certain things though, for anyone considering going abroad:

Ø     Super shuttle is an amazing service for getting to and from the airport!  Their New Zealand website is easy to use and they are way cheaper than taking a taxi.  I know they exist in New Zealand and Australia and think they are other places as well. 

Ø     Pack VERY light when going.  Yes, both of my bags were way over weight coming home even though I really didn’t think I had that much stuff with me!!  One thing that helped me a bit though was bringing a lot of older clothes with me.  As they clothes got too bad to wear, they were tossed away or I donated clothes to the Salvation Army because they had shrunk too much from the dryer.  That definitely left more room for my acquired New Zealand items. 

Ø     Choose housing very carefully.  Reliving the freshman experience in a first year dorm can be a little odd, plus as an upperclassman, you are almost guaranteed to not have classes with any of your dorm-mates.  I would definitely recommend living amongst natives though, since it will give you the full experience. 

Ø     Research transportation in the country you are visiting.  Naked Bus and Intercity bus in New Zealand were both great getting across New Zealand and if I had known about either of these before arriving, I think things would have started much better.

Ø     Give yourself some time before or after your semester to just explore where you are at.  I only had two days from my last final and when I was flying out and would’ve rather had a little longer. 

Ø     However much money you think you will spend, add on a few hundred dollars!  Yes, it’s possible to go through a lot of money and you can’t simply rely on a good exchange rate, because chances are, it will change. 

Ø     Make sure you have a reliable e-mail address.  I was unable to use America on-line in New Zealand and had further problems e-mailing other people with Yahoo accounts.  However, I have had friends who were fine, so just something to keep in the back of your mind. 

Ø     Above all, have an open mind!  (I know, it sounds clichéd).  On my flight to Australia, I watched the movie Yes Man.  During the movie, the main character must say ‘yes’ to everything, which meant he had to do some crazy things.  For me, having an open mind, meant I tried spaghetti for breakfast, rolled down a hill in a human sized hamster ball Zorbing, climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, went luging, and a whole bunch of other exciting things.  Have an open mind and studying abroad will be an unforgettable experience!

Cheers and Aroha Nui!    

It is hard to believe that four months have gone by already.  It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting in the Newark airport holding back tears scared of what lie ahead of me.  It is now time to adjust back to life in the United States.    However, this past week has left me with many happy memories of the country.

Wednesday morning was my last final and one of the better finals that I took. Needless to say, I was pretty ecstatic to be done!  Wednesday and Thursday were spent packing my stuff and cleaning my room and afternoon everyone was done with finals on Thursday, we danced the night away, excited to be done. 

Not wanting to spend my last few days in Palmerston North, Friday morning, my friend Maria and I turned in our dorm room keys and were headed to Maria’s house in Wanganui.  Our hour drive brought us through the country side of New Zealand into the quaint river town.  The first stop was at a small cafe for a lunch of potato wedges.  We then went to the Wanganui museum, following which we stopped to buy bread at the New World supermarket to feed the ducks at Victoria Lake.  Getting out of the car, literally hundreds of ducks came running at us to get the bread we were holding.  We walked around the lake and then went to the winter gardens and the bird aviary.  Our next stop was to a hockey game between two of the local high schools.  It was then home to Maria’s house for a very Kiwi dinner of fish and chips.  We spent the night playing one of my favourite games: Monopoly.  Even more exciting was that the game was the New Zealand version and Lambton Quay was the highest price property, not Park place. 

Saturday morning, I awoke early, a bit nervous about the nearly 26 hours of travel time I had ahead of me.  My first flight was not until nearly 2 pm, so Maria and I went to her younger sister’s net ball game.  As the time neared 11 o’clock, it was time for us to get heading to the airport for my short flight to Auckland.  Saying goodbye was sad, not knowing when I will see Maria again.  Thus, I have enjoyed my time in New Zealand- make sure to read my next blog about the lessons New Zealand has taught me. 

Campus Living, the group that is in charge of housing at Massey held a fun afternoon for international students to experience any last bits of Kiwi culture that they may have missed out on. The afternoon included sausages on bread, feijoas, kiwi fruit, marmite, and other foods to taste. It also included a “cow” milking contest, since New Zealand has a large dairy industry. For entertainment, everyone could partake in a Maori dance style called poi. My favourite though, was the Pavlova eating contest, which I shamelessly “competed” in! Pavlova is a very New Zealand food similar to meringue and very delicious. If interested in experiencing a tasty New Zealand treat, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

> 3 Egg whites

> 1 teaspoon vinegar

> 3 tablespoons cold water

> 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

> 1 cup castor sugar (made by putting granulated sugar in a blender or food chopper)

> 3 teaspoons corn flour

Beat egg whites until stiff, add cold water and beat again. Add castor sugar very gradually while still beating. Slow beater and add vinegar, vanilla, and corn flour. Place on a greased tray and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, then leave to cool in the oven.

When ready to serve, cover top with whipped cream and slices of kiwi fruit.

Wow!  It is hard to believe that it is already the last week of classes.  It feels like I just left home headed on a journey half-way around the world, like I was just moving into my hostel, like I was just sitting through international student orientation, or like I was just excitedly preparing for mid-semester break.  While classes have been different and sometimes I may get frustrated living with “first years,” I have fully enjoyed being in New Zealand.  I feel as if I have a new “home away from home.”  However,   I’ll never forget the morning that I left my real home.  I debated and debated about bringing my winter jacket with me.  I had looked at plenty of weather averages for New Zealand and wondered if I would really need a jacket.  Since it was a two piece jacket, I thought maybe I would have a use for one (never both) of the pieces at some points and decided to bring it.  Not only did my bright pink jacket serve as a blanket and pillow on my flights, it has also kept me warm over the past several weeks.  While time has gone by pretty quickly, the chilly weather is a reminder of just how long I really have been enjoying my time abroad.  When I first arrived in New Zealand, normal dress was shorts, t-shirts, and jandals and once back in the United States, I’ll be able to wear the same.  I’m looking forward to that J

As one of my American friends and I were making hot chocolate the other night, we were joined by a Kiwi friend.  While using the microwave to heat up our milk, the Kiwi asked, “Can you put marshmallows in the microwave?”  Having done it before, my reply was “Yeah!  You can even make S’mores in the microwave.”  I guess I must have thought s’mores were a universal item, but my American friend soon caught on that they weren’t and asked if our Kiwi friend knew what they were.  Not knowing, we began to describe the gooey goodness of a s’more with the graham cracker, the chocolate, and the marshmallow.  One problem though: s’mores can’t exist in New Zealand because graham crackers do not exist in New Zealand!   Needless to say it was fun figuring out how to describe something I have not thought about in any other way than as a graham cracker before.  It was culture shock that I would have never predicted J    

This past week, campus has seen the miracle of life: several baby swans (called cygnets) and two baby coots (below). 

Regardless of the fact I think the weather is freezing, as we head towards winter, the birds seem to find it just lovely

As a college student, of course, I always look forward to breaks: Spring break, Fall break, Winter break!  Anytime that I can have the opportunity to forget about classes for a little bit, to visit with the people I care about, and to experience those things I may have missed while busily studying for exams.  Fortunately, this year I had a two week “Spring Break.”  Okay, so it wasn’t so much a spring break as a fall break, since April on the southern side of the equator is autumn.  Nonetheless, I had two amazing weeks travelling Australia and the south island of New Zealand.  While I would love to tell about everything that I saw, did, ate, and experienced, to do so would take way too much space and thus, this is just some of the highlights. 

My journey began with a mid-morning flight to Auckland, New Zealand and then onto Sydney, Australia.  The first day included walking around Sydney to take in some of the “big-city” sights including various statues, buildings, and parks.  We walked through the many hectares of flowers, trees, and shrubs known as the Royal Botanical Gardens.  Walking through the gardens, I was amazed to see hundreds, if not thousands of Flying Foxes, a type of bat, hanging from the trees!  It was really an amazing sight. 

Being in Sydney, we of course had to visit the famed Opera House.  The Opera House’s unique design, I learned, was the result of a design competition.  Designing the structure without first seeing the Sydney Harbour, Jorn Utzon is considered to have wonderfully captured the essence of the site, allowing visitors to see straight out to the Harbour. 

Situated just across from the Opera House is the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  On Monday afternoon, I experienced Sydney from a new dimension: on top of the Harbour Bridge.  Every day, nearly a hundred people make the climb to the top of the bridge for a spectacular view of the city. 

Having seen quite a bit in Sydney, the next stop on my journey was Brisbane, Australia.  I took a 14 hour overnight train to the Queensland city, where I had trips planned to two animal parks.  I could barely believe it: I was going to visit the Australia Zoo, home of the late Steve Irwin, aka “The Croc Hunter.”  Growing up, I loved watching Animal Planet and seeing the adventures that The Croc Hunter would get into.  Now, I had the chance to sit in the “Crocoseum” and see a live croc-show. 

While in Brisbane, I also went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.  The sanctuary is home to several dozen sleepy koalas.  At the sanctuary, I got to hold one of the Koalas and also to hand food some of the kangaroos.  Both were pretty amazing experiences for me, the animal lover.   

With my time in Australia coming to an end, I was next headed to the South Island of New Zealand.  Arriving in Christchurch, New Zealand felt like Ithaca cold weather after being in Australia for a week.  So I said goodbye to the shorts, t-shirts, and jandals and said hello to my jacket and gloves. 

While in Christchurch, my first stop was the Christchurch Cathedral, which costs nearly $3500 a day to run.  We then made our way to Southern Encounter Aquarium and Kiwi House to see the New Zealand icon, the Kiwi bird!  After seeing the Kiwi, several sharks, some eels, vatious frogs and other wildlife, it was time to learn more about the history of Christchurch at the Canterbury Museum. 

The next stop on my journey was the town of Kaikoura.  Docked in the bay in Kaikoura was a boat known as “Earth Race.”  In 2008, the boat set a world record for travelling around the world in just under 61 days.  It did so, though, with 100% renewable biodiesel.  While I enjoyed seeing Earth Race, my favourite part of Kaikoura was walking out to a seal colony and seeing the beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. 

From Kaikoura, my trip continued on to the town of Nelson.  In Nelson, I enjoyed visiting some neat little shops in the town and also spending a day hiking.  While I’m not certain how accurate it is, I had the chance to hike to a location known as the Centre of New Zealand.  Marked with a big white monument, the location was a popular hiking destination and also a great way to bring my break to a close. 

Refreshed and with many great stories to tell, I am ready to finish the second half of my semester.  Nonetheless, I wonder where the time has gone and worry how quickly my abroad experience will be coming to a close.  However, if the next two months are as exciting as the past two months, I am ready for everything this great adventure called life has to offer! 

While New Zealand is considered an English speaking country, there is a great amount of Maori blended into the language.  It is not uncommon to see signs with Maori names on them or for professors to greet their classes in Maori every morning.  One particular Maori word that I have learned in my “History of New Zealand” class is “Mana.” 

The first day my professor talked about Mana, I will be honest I was not certain how it was spelled. In fact, I have several spelling alternatives in my notebook including Muda, Muna, and Mader.  Thankfully, I later learned that the correct spelling is M-A-N-A. 

Mana is a considered a driving force of Maori society and refers to authority, prestige, reputation, influence, and pride.  What I like in particular about Mana is the way it is believed to be gained.  Mana is increased or decreased based on how one behaves towards other people.  Being a good person, helping others, and cooperating with others are three ways in which Mana can be increased.  What are we doing everyday to increase our Mana?  Are we being kind to others?  Being a team player?  Showing others how much they mean to us? 

Whether we believe we can, or not, each of us has the power to make a difference in someone else’s life.  I like to think the “warm fuzzy” feeling that we get when helping others or knowing that we did the right thing is our Mana increasing! 

Some other words that have come up frequently in classes or while exploring New Zealand include:

Hapu- family

Whanau- extended family (the “wh” is pronounced as an “f”)

Iwi- tribe

Kia Ora- Hi!  Good day, welcome

Aotearoa- “Land of the Long white cloud” Maori name for New Zealand

Parekareka- fun

This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the New Zealand town of Napier.  Napier is Southeast of Palmerston North, in the Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand.  The town is well known for its Art Deco buildings and for the wine grapes grown in the region. 

The Criterion Art Deco Hostel

Looking to the left out into the ocean, our view at the beach included a picturesque island lined with steep cliffs.  The island was Cape Kidnappers, named by Captain Cook during his first voyage to New Zealand due to a quarrel that nearly ended in kidnapping.  The island today draws many visitors who come to see the largest most accessible gannet colony in the world.

Palmerston North, “Palmy,” or “Student City” is a town bustling with youth. A large portion of the population is between the ages of 17 and 25 and the town largely reflects that. Of course, there are many shopping venues (including a K-Mart) and also a multitude of cafes and other hangouts. There is also the Te Manawa, a free attraction combining history, science, and art.

The history part of Te Manawa tells about Maori weaving and also the settlement of the Manawatu district. There was also a featured display about a Palmerston North radio station that had been famous in New Zealand. Moving from the museum area toward the science centre, I was reminded of being in a carnival Fun House. All around were different sizes and shapes of mirrors that were both amusing to look into and interesting to learn about the physics of the reflections. From the museum and science portions of the Te Manawa, the art centre is only a few steps away once you are outside.

The current exhibits at the art gallery portion displayed three areas: photographs that have been featured on the front of the Dominion Post Newspaper, modern art from New Zealand artists, and a section I thought was work of local artists. The photographs featured everything from a lady standing on her front lawn bedecked in pink polyester pants and a beehive hairdo to a flood that had occurred in New Zealand last year. Seeing the photographs and reading the captions told the story of 2008 in New Zealand. The modern art section was rather interesting as well and featured a piece that reminded me of a giant 3-D butterfly cocoon. It was in fact layers of old paint on top of each other until a massive creation was formed that hung from a metal display.

The last section of the art centre featured multiple panels of artwork. There were photographs, watercolours, sketches, and other designs. As I walked upon the panels of work, I imagined the people who had created these pieces. They were all such high quality I figured the artists had to be at least semi-professional. I imagined people in their thirties creating them in hopes that one day their work would be famous and they could quick their “normal” job. My expectation of who created these pieces of art was put aside when I reached the end of the display and there was a sign telling that the work had been from students at a local secondary school.

Needless to say, I was rather impressed by the student work. I held an expectation of who could have created the work, but I was barely even close in my guess. Students several years younger than me had created work I would have expected from people at least several years older than me. Nonetheless, it is so easy to get caught up in our expectations. We have expectations of who could have created a piece of art, of what a beautiful looking plate of food should taste like, or even how much we will enjoy an award winning movie. The truth is expectations do not always meet with reality. For instance, why didn’t I initially think the work I saw was from secondary school students? Perhaps I have never seen student work at such a high calibre. Thus experiences shape expectations. With every new experience, whether studying abroad or anything else, I imagine my expectations will change. That too is an expectation though. And maybe that is the beauty of life: we can’t know something until we have experienced it and only when looking back will we have hopefully learned.