CU Abroad – Alison Keggan

Throughout life, I have considered myself to be many things: friendly, hardworking, motivated, etc. I have also considered myself to be pretty physically fit. However, this weekend, I definitely had that thought tested during a hike through the Ruahine Forest Park. Having been hiking quite a few times before, I didn’t think I had much to worry about this time. I figured I could easily do the hike. The hike was six hours up the mountains of the park and with multiple river crossings and I didn’t even blink an eye when I heard that.

The hike began Saturday morning through a sheep pasture (yes, there are sheep everywhere!) and then across a small stream. Within minutes, we were already ascending the mountain. For quite a while, we continued going up and up the mountain. My legs burned, my heart was pounding, and every breath I took was as if I had just come off a sports field. As I looked around, I wondered if others on the trip were finding this as difficult as I was or if they could tell I thought the trek was hard. Of course, not wanting to show anyone my weaknesses, I pushed on as hard as I could. For a moment, I felt oddly out of place, until I realized there were others on the trip who were having just as much difficulty as I was. Fortunately, I had my friend Katy looking out for me- asking me frequently if I was doing okay and making sure that I had plenty of water.

After several hours, we had reached the mountain peak! We had accomplished our goal and it felt pretty good to see how far we had come. During our hike, we had a strong hiker in both the front and back, while those like me who were a little more fearful stuck in the middle. Kay in front guided the way and would frequently stop to let everyone catch up, while Dave in back made sure everyone was okay. It was interesting to think about how our team operated- frequent stops to let everyone catch up and we encouraged each other through difficult parts of the trek. What a great thing to apply in other situations- ensure everyone on your team is being supported and that they are okay. A few words of encouragement can go a very long way and can get a whole group of eight people up a mountain. And so, on our way down, we followed the same principles!

This weekend, I had the fortunate opportunity to visit New Zealand’s capital, Wellington.  Wellington is approximately an hour and a half from Palmerston North and my friend that I was travelling with and I left mid-morning Saturday.  Upon arriving in Wellington, our first stop was “the Beehive.”  The Beehive is the executive wing of Parliament and is where Parliament conducts much of its business.  

After visiting Parliament, we walked through Wellington to take in some of the sights of the city.  Our next stop was to the Botanical Gardens.  However, in order to get to the Botanical Gardens, we had to take the Wellington Cable Car.  From the cable cars, we could see a great portion of Wellington.  Wandering the botanical gardens, we saw many plants native to New Zealand.  Once we had seen enough of the botanical gardens, we ascended the mountain we were on via the cable car. 

As dinner time was nearing, we headed toward the wharf to look for a restaurant to eat.  We saw several Thai restaurants, but decided we eat enough curry in the dining hall and kept walking.  Quite some time later, and rather famished, we found a place called “The Fisherman’s Table.”  The restaurant was situated right on the water and had a great lookout to see Wellington.  I enjoyed a delicious meal of Blue Warehou, a type of fish that I have never tried before, let alone heard of.  As 8 o’clock neared, a waiter at the restaurant brought a candle to our table in preparation for an event taking place in Wellington that evening.  From 8:30 to 9:30, New Zealand was celebrating “Earth Hour.”  Businesses and individuals in the country were asked to turn off their lights for an hour to show that they care about the environment.  Thus, the restaurant we were at was participating. 

Leaving the restaurant, we came upon a large group of people on the wharf who were celebrating Earth Hour with live music.  We sat down to enjoy the music and the great night in Wellington. 

The next day, our main stop for the day was to Te Papa: The Museum of New Zealand.  The several story museum featured everything from a preserved giant Colossal Squid, to the replications of a bird that once lived in New Zealand called the Moa, to garments common of the Maori, to a display about flooding. 

Our weekend was coming to an end, but before we were headed back to Palmerston North, we managed to sit down for coffee with a friend in Wellington. 

Being interested in politics, the highlight of the weekend was definitely visiting Parliament.  As we toured the Parliament building, I couldn’t help but think of all the political leaders that have walked through that building and the power they have had to affect other’s lives.  Members of Parliament have the power to affect thousands of people’s lives, yet, each of us has that same power.  We can make a difference in someone else’s life by simply smiling as we pass them on the sidewalk, saying thank you to someone who has helped us, or being the listening ear that a friend needs. 

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

Focus on the journey, not the destination.  Joy is not found in finishing an activity but doing it” - Greg Anderson

This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Kapiti Island Nature Reserve.  Kapiti is considered one of New Zealand’s most precious nature reserves.  The island had been settled in the 1800s and faced much destruction.  However, the island is now, for the most part, under the care of the Department of Conservation.  In the past fifteen years, it has been given a chance to regenerate itself and is now home to many species of native New Zealand birds, including the famed Kiwi. 

The Recreation Centre on campus put together the trip to Kapiti and so I had the lovely opportunity tovisit Kapiti and to meet several other Massey students!  From campus, we had about an hour and a half drive down the mainland of New Zealand to the boating club where we would meet our boat.  Once at the boating club, each of us had to have our bags checked for rodents.  Because the island is home to so many birds, it is kept rodent and predator free.  The introduction of just one rodent could potentially wreak havoc for the birds.  While still on land, we loaded onto the boat, which was then pulled out to the water by a tractor.  From the edge of the shore, we had a fifteen minute boat ride to the island. 

Takahe in the bushes

Once on the island, we were greeted by a Takahe.  The Takahe is a type of bird that was once thought to be extinct.  There are only sixteen of them on Kapiti Island and we were very lucky to see one of them.  After an introduction to the island by one of the staff naturalists, we were off on our hike.   Along the hike, we saw all sorts of birds, including several New Zealand robins, some white-faced herons, a Pukeko, some Tui, many New Zealand pigeons, a red crowned parakeet, and my favourite, the mischievous Weka.  The Weka has been described as a “cheeky” bird and is not afraid to get up close to people or to even open up zippers if a bag, for example, is left unattended. 

Our beautiful hike included a path along the coast line and then up one of the mountain peaks of the island.  At the top of the island, we sat to eat our lunches and enjoy the spectacular view that we had.  As the three other people I was with finished our lunches, two other people from our group arrived: Terry, the man who put the day together, along with his wife.  Once they had got there, Terry asked us what trail we had followed to get to the top.  Ironically, Terry and his wife had taken the same path we had and we had all left at the same time.  Terry then proceeded to tell us, “That’s a problem!  You need to enjoy the path you’re taking and not be in such a hurry.”  While I definitely saw some of the most beautiful birds while on our hike, I think Terry’s words carry much meaning behind them. 

 Sometimes we are so set on where we want to be, we forget about the things that really matter.  We set a goal for ourselves and then are so intent on reaching it, we forget about other things in life.  We all want to gain a certain level of education, to land the perfect job, or to make the top salary.  We are so intent on reaching that peak that we don’t necessarily enjoy where we are right now.  As a college student, I’m of course looking forward to graduate school and work.  I take classes that will look good on that graduate school application and work my hardest for top grades in hopes to secure my entrance.  Yet, things may change before I reach that point and what good will it have been if I haven’t taken a class that I enjoyed or done something that wasn’t to reach a larger goal?  I believe in continuous improvement, but always remember, the true joys of reaching a goal are the steps along the way.  Be happy where you are and true success will surely come your way! 

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.

During dinner the other evening, I remarked that I really liked the “American Brownie” I was eating.  “American Brownie” was how the dessert was labelled and I really do not know what the difference between an American brownie and a non-American brownie would be.  I do know one thing however, and that is that I like chocolate!  After told everyone I liked chocolate, my Kiwi friend Maria said I should experience a “Tim-Tam Slam.”  When I asked what a Tim-Tam slam was, Maria just told me we would find out later. 

 After dinner had passed and we had both been studying for a while it was time for Maria and my “Tim-Tam Slam.”  Tim-tams are a type of chocolate cookie popular in New Zealand and Australia.  There are several forms of them, including “Chewy Choc Fudge,” “Chewy Caramel,” and my favourite, “Classic Dark.”  For our Tim-Tam slam, we needed a pack of the chocolate biscuits and hot chocolate.  After our Cadbury brand hot chocolate was made,  Maria then told me to bite off each end of my Tim-Tam, then hold one edge of the Tim-Tam between my teeth.  We then stuck the opposite end of our Tim-Tams into our hot chocolate and began to sip the hot chocolate through the middle of the cookie.  As we did this, the chocolate biscuit became a mass of melted chocolate that we then ate.  

Needless to say, I enjoyed my Tim-Tam slam and all the chocolate that it included.  With chocolate coating my lips I couldn’t help but laugh at both myself and Maria.  I truly had enjoyed the experience of a Tim-Tam slam.  Being at university, it is easy to get caught up in homework, lectures, and projects.   However, being able to find simple pleasures in life always provides an outlet for stress.  I have a favourite quote by Elizabeth Cady Stanton that says, “Live and work, but do not forget to play, to have fun in life, and really enjoy it.”  Eating Tim-Tams with hot chocolate could’ve been a pretty ordinary thing if we sipped out hot chocolate and simply ate our Tim-Tams.  However, our snack was anything but ordinary.  It was a mess, it was fun, and it was entertaining.  Turning the ordinary into something fun or entertaining is a great experience. 

 Turn everything into an experience.  Take a different path walking to class, laugh at the squirrels, ducks, or chipmunks that cross your path, notice something new about a place you visit often.  Whatever you do, do everything with an open heart and have fun.

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” — Lao Tzu

 

On the bus back to Massey, I thought about vehicle breakdowns I have experienced.  Several instances came to mind: In Washington, DC last year, the van we were driving suffered a dead battery; the plane I took to Italy several years ago had an oil leak that delayed take off; at Universal Studios, the King Kong ride broke down leaving my entire family on a car suspended in the air. 

At the age of twenty, I have experienced a number of automobile breakdowns and am pretty certain there will be more to come.  Breakdowns are pretty much inevitable and they can be scary as we wonder what is going to happen.  Sometimes though, they are a chance to “Smell the roses.”  From our breakdown today, I had more time to chat with Katy, to see an area in Palmy that I would have never otherwise stopped at, and to laugh at the humor of the whole situation.   Breakdowns further remind me of the phrase “Carpe Diem-seize the day.”  At the point of breakdown, it doesn’t matter if the bus hasn’t been service in six months but was going into the shop tomorrow.  What matters for the bus and for many matters in life is the here and now.  How do we fix the problem right now?  

In recent years, energy dependence has become a large issue in developed countries. There are worries about how much oil is left in the world and fears about how to power homes and businesses. Throughout the world, many alternative have been introduced and with much success. Located just up from the Manawatu Gorge is the Te Apiti wind farm, providing energy to Palmerston North and the surrounding area.

Through a group entitled Operation Friendship, which coordinates social activities for international students at Massey, I had the opportunity to visit Te Apiti and see the “power of wind.” My afternoon began when nearly 50 international students gathered to meet our Kiwi “hosts.” We piled into their cars and began our journey to the outskirts of town. The wind farm is easily visible from Palmerston North and by my estimate I thought our drive would only take about five minutes. Of course, it was a bit longer than that as we made our way across winding roads through the mountains to the pinnacle where Te Apiti is located.

Te Apiti is the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere and has been characterized in tour books as a “celebration of the wind.” Te Apiti can power 900 homes creating a pretty large impact on the Manawatu area. The wind mills have thus become a sort of symbol for the Manawatu area. The motto for Manawatu is “Young Heart, Easy Living” and pictured behind this phrase, wherever you may find it, is a picture of two wind turbines.

Unfortunately, not everyone appreciates wind farms. On my way to the city library last week, there were several people gathering signatures in protest of the wind farms claiming they can create too much noise and that they ruined the skyline. Even standing right under the turbine I could not hear a thing and in reality, I think the turbines add a nice accent when looking out to the mountains. In fact, the wind farm is beautiful because of the power it provides without using petroleum.

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.

With the beginning of classes, everyone is eager to make small talk with the people they will be seeing in lecture for the next four months. Of course, questions include, where are you from, what are you studying, and where are you staying. The first time I was asked where I was staying by a New Zealander, the conversation went something like this:

Kiwi: “Will you be staying in a flat or in a hostel?”

Me: “Oh, well, umm, I’m actually staying on campus. In a dorm.”

Kiwi: “Oh, o-kaay?”

Little did I know that a hostel is what Kiwis call a dormitory. Life in the Walter Dyer “hostel” has fared me well so far. I have enjoyed getting to know the people on my corridor and living like a full-fledged New Zealand student. While the hostel has been comparable to life in Carl Becker House or Balch Hall at Cornell, certain things are obviously different. Of course like American Universities, all the girls gather around the TV for “Grey’s Anatomy” night to hear about Meredith, Kristina, Izzy, and George’s newest problems at the Seattle hospital. However, looking around the hostel, it becomes apparent I am not in American anymore.

One of the things that intrigues me the most is the window for my room. The window opens rather freely and yet there is no screen on it. Now, this poses two problems. First off, I have seen a rather large population of various insects come through my room. Since most bugs don’t bother me, I’m okay with that. The second problem is the ease with which students can exit through their windows. Called a nation addicted to adrenaline, plastered on all the windows are friendly stickers reminding residents, “All ledges and architectural structures are strictly out of bounds. Failure to comply liable to disciplinary action.” Where in the US we might worry about things being thrown out of the window or bugs entering our rooms, here the worry is that students might just try and scale the building façade or perform some other “daredevil” type activity!

Leaving my room and walking toward the bathrooms, there is a familiar site: a Purell machine just like the ones in many of Cornell’s dining rooms. However, as you get close to the dispenser, there are two signs detailing how to use Purrell and the benefits of its use. To me, this is such a difference from the United States where it seems like we come out of the womb with a fear of germs. I don’t think there is such a fear here. In fact, it is not uncommon to see people bare foot, wherever you happen to be. Go to the dining hall, see someone barefoot. Go to class, see someone barefoot. Go to the supermarket, see someone barefoot. Quite frankly, I would be a little bit worried about contracting some sort of foot “fungus”, but no one else really seems to care.

I will admit I have been spoiled in my prior college housing. I no longer have high speed internet, multiple electrical outlets, or even a shower tall enough for me to fully stand under. While I vaguely miss these things, I have embraced what I would call the New Zealand motto, “No worries.” I am enjoying the idea that shoes are almost always optional or that sand in the hallway is pretty normal. Being someone who would characterize myself as a total Type-A personality, living in “Wally D” has been a wake-up call for me to relax, to be more patient, and to enjoy life. It is a reminder that there is more to university than just classes and a reminder to experience life.