Tag: study abroad

Two Months In New Zealand

Published on by MolayMediaLeave a comment

studying abroad • 6 July 2024 – 6 september 2024

It has been two months since I arrived in New Zealand! What a great time it has been. I have struggled to begin writing this blog because I am uncertain how to properly convey the degree of deep significance this experience now holds for me. I have been fortunate enough to have filled every weekend here with a different and unique adventure that has led me to meet incredible people from far and wide. Each experience has given me the ability to grow in ways I did not foresee as an option before landing in New Zealand. To prevent this blog from dragging on I will begin sharing some of my favorite things about my time here as well as ways in which my perspectives have shifted.

Dunedin!

The University of Otago is the most southern campus in the world, and the weather has not failed to prove this! I arrived here in the Winter and it is fortunately now transitioning to Spring. The days have gotten 120 minutes longer over the past two months and the temperatures have increased marginally. I am looking forward to the coming months for less cold, windy, rainy days and more sun! The ocean waters are pretty cold but have made for some great polar plunges.

Campus life is vibrant and has provided a strong sense of energy flow no matter where you are in the university. There are many small food shops around the campus that have become some of my favorites. To name a few: Poke restaurant on King Street offers the most frequent purchase of the best $6 rice balls! Veggie Boys has the cheapest avocados and eggs and other necessities. The Good Earth Cafe has fantastic hot chocolate and coffee and makes for a wonderful study spot. Lastly, Rob Roy ice cream gives two scoops for $4 ($2.50 US!) and has become a staple in my friend and I’s daily itineraries.

The Botanical Gardens are adjacent to my flat and have allowed for some very peaceful morning walks. As the weather transitions more towards Spring they are beginning to explode with color and good smells. Signal Hill is also next to my flat which makes for hard yet fulfilling trail running and scenery. Mount Cargill, the Pineapple track, and walks along the Peninsula are a short drive away from campus and give you a good mix of beach strolling and hill walking.

The architecture here has a diverse blend of historical sights and buildings with a more modern feel. There are beautiful churches and the train station is stunning. The station is also home to the Saturday farmer’s market that I love. Dunedin is also recognized for having the world’s steepest road!

Some of my favorite moments

It is very strange looking back on the first half of this journey to see the things I have done, almost all of which I did not anticipate to have under my belt at this point. I have dove deep into the outdoor culture that New Zealand has to offer. Whether it be short hikes around Dunedin, or tramps deep into the backcountry of the Southern Alps. I’ve been able to ski at the Remarkables Ski Resort in Queenstown which was brilliant. Skiing down the moment with nothing else on my mind but the current moment in time was surreal. Aside from the stunning views, being able to ski at one of New Zealand’s most well known resorts was one for the books. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting random people on trips, and I now cherish the hour-long conversations I’ve had with them, as it turned out that those conversations were often the first and last. There are too many captivating people in this world! Whether it be late nights with friends playing board games or arbitrary conversations, these are some of the more valuable times. The little experiences don’t compete as far as pictures and videos go with the big trips, but they definitely hold the most weight. Aside from the multitude of weekend trips and incredible adventures, some other favorite moments have come from spending time amongst myself. Being able to write these blogs, journal, navigate my life in the kitchen for the first time, running/gym, shopping, reading and so much more have begun to propel me one step closer into the real world and I so heavily appreciate these things as they happen in real time.

insights

Energy and the way that it operates in my life has become much more prevalent since arriving. I strongly believe in the role that energy plays which can generally be described as what you put out must come back. Karma has become my best and worst friend. It has been so rewarding being around people that share endless energy in the form of desire to get out there and tackle the world. This experience has taught me the power in wielding my energy in such a precise way that yields benefit for myself and for those around me. For example, planning a trip is something that requires energy not only for myself but equally for those around me. The importance of balancing this energy becomes a little more like second nature as each day has passed.

Environment change and uncomfortability have been the second and likely most eye opening part of my time here. I’ve stated in prior blogs that cliches exist for a reason, and this is another one of those times. The simple act of physically changing my scenery has given me such a boost of desire, ambition, and aspiration in the many different facets of my life. Upon day one of arriving I felt such an influx of energy to put towards the areas of my life that I knew needed change, or the areas that had been lacking the proper attention for the many months prior. Forcing myself into the uncomfortable state of flipping my environment on top of itself has pushed me to limits I wouldn’t have recognized otherwise. Witnessing my daily habits adapt into something that was now grounded on reaching my fullest potential each and every day is something that I’ve come to learn is only possible by facing the difficulties and beauties of simply changing my environment.

Travel and its underlying impacts will be something that sticks with me for the rest of my life. I have found so much power that is held from breaking free of a stagnant lifestyle and redirect that energy towards the experiences that come from travel. I have felt as if I am living a constant vacation with a part-time job during the week (both of which I am ironically paying for). My mind has felt so free through the various different aspects of travel. Living life without worrying about the stresses and focusing on the memories is something I hope to never take for granted.

My goal for the remaining several months is paradoxical, but it is to have no goals. To continue letting life take me wherever it it meant to go, that’s it!

Hope you’ve enjoyed, photos and videos below!

The Familiarity of a Stranger

Published on by gwenmorgan323Leave a comment

I grew up in a big family. Christmas was a big deal. Easter was a big deal. Thanksgiving was a big deal. Birthdays, dinners, lunches, brunches, everything was a big deal with lots of people with lots of opinions and lots of noise. I’ve always been surrounded by people. Growing up, I frequently went to sleep-away camp and was left in a cabin with five to seven other girls at a time. College was no different. I was sleeping with roommates in buildings full of people, full of noise, full of community.

For someone like me, loneliness is an unfamiliar emotion.

Five days ago, I began my journey from San Antonio, Texas to Bilbao, Spain. Upon boarding my second flight (a connection from Atlanta to Madrid), I met a lovely 40-something-year-old lady. She was kind, allowing me to stand in front of her in line. Upon chatting, we soon realized we were in seats right next to each other, and I was instantly grateful.

I had felt nothing but bliss up until that point in my seventeen-hour travel day. Boarding my first flight out of Texas I felt excited; excited for the possibilities that were to come from being abroad. I’ve been traveling my whole life, most recently on my own for the first couple of times to and from Denver. The only international trip without my parents was with close friends, which made it easy to navigate and ease any nerves that may have bubbled up from being away from a familiar space.

It is when I sat in the Atlanta airport that I began to feel it.

The idea of an eight-hour flight, left to my own devices, seemed unappealing in a way I can only describe to be apathy. I felt anxious; was I missing something important like a charger? Toothpaste? AirPods? I felt guilty; Did I spend enough time with my family this summer? With my friends? With my pets? I felt intense unease; would I really be able to do this for three months on my own? Would my host family be nice? Would I be able to adjust?

My mind was a cloud of gray, my nails busy picking at my skin as a way to release the nervous tension I could feel bubbling up in the pit of my stomach.

All of that melted away as I followed closely behind Patricía into the narrow isle of seats lining the plane.

We began to talk, the entire conversation in Spanish. With Spanish as my second language, I was automatically grateful to have someone who allowed me to practice during the lengthy flight. Patricía was flying from Atlanta to Madrid and had been for the past couple of months due to her father’s continuous sick spells. Despite this, she maintained the most lovely and positive demeanor I’ve encountered in a while. She told me all about Madrid, Bilbao and other parts of Spain. How the culture was, as reflected in her own eyes, what the people were like, what the food entailed. Her Spanish accent made it difficult to understand certain words at times, along with the noise from the plane, but I found that we were able to communicate at times simply through hand gestures. I offered her some of my snacks, she offered me her eye-mask when it was time to sleep on the plane. We shared commentary, jokes, and even part of my Snoopy blanket throughout the flight, and it felt like I was back home with my tía, her personality comforting and familiar.

When it came close to being time to land, we exchanged contact information, took a selfie together, and said our goodbyes. I was rushing to make my connection, she knew I was anxious, making sure to direct me to the right place, giving me tips on how to navigate the massive airport.

Loneliness is a strange emotion, one easily felt even amid an airport bustling with thousands of people. We all as humans crave connection, it’s natural. We want to be around someone familiar, someone who feels safe. I am forever grateful for having met Patricía, to have had almost a little reminder of home with me on such a long flight was all I could have asked for. It just goes to show that you should be kind to every stranger you meet; you never know how big of an impact it could have on their life. I don’t know if Patricía realized how much of a comfort she was for me on just an eight-hour flight. Perhaps I’ll tell her over a cup of coffee when I get around to hopefully visiting her in Madrid!