I'm going to New Zealand in two weeks.

Post Reply New Topic

I'm super excited to be studying abroad but I know this is gonna be the most difficult thing I've ever done. I think my biggest issue will be having to stay in a group for 3 weeks and basically having very little alone time. There's also the fact that New Zealand is a different country. While the rules of social interaction between US/NZ isn't as drastic as between US/Japan or anything like that, there still might be subtle social no-nos that nobody would even think to warn me about. There will also be a new issue that I haven't had to deal with: representing my country. Especially since I seem to be the only non-liberal in the group and I'm actually relatively patriotic.
Oh and jet lag is a thing too.
So I have a plan for how to deal with *some* of these issues. This plan is not set in stone though and this is the first time I've done anything like this and I don't know what works and what doesn't.
-be really honest about my issues because I'm gonna be living in very close quarters (hostels, planes, buses, etc) with these people so I'm not gonna be able to hide anything anyway.
-talk with the professors and let them know what a meltdown looks like and how they can help, maybe come up with a signal I can use if I become nonverbal
-pack really light to minimize chance of losing anything because executive dysfunction and also because I have a bad shoulder that doesn't like heavy lifting
-make flashcards of my peers' names and faces because I have face blindness and seeing them a few times in class does not equal telling them apart from other people in a crowd
Has anyone else studied abroad? What helped you? Are any of these bad ideas?

I'm excited for you. I hope it goes well for you.

The only no-no I would strongly suggest is not to mention (or get into) any conversations about politics at all. If anyone asks you what you think of the politics of the USA past or present, I suggest you reply with a standard "I'm not really into politics at all, too busy with my studies!"

Will you be in one of the main cities or travelling around a bit?

I don't plan on getting into political arguments though the professors seems to be encouraging it. I have to do a group project on nature and the environment so I'll have to get into conversations about that. I'm gonna try to avoid getting into any heated arguments though.

We'll be going to Auckland, Wellington, and Rotorua, and the surrounding areas.

That's a great itinerary for a two week visit. We are at the beginning of Winter here, though the weather can be very changeable throughout a single day - four seasons in one day is not unusual - so bring a mixture of clothes that you can layer.

I assume you will be landing in Auckland. What area will your accommodation be in? Or if you only know the name of the place, I can tell you the area from that.

I want to move to new Zealand more than anything.

One possible project is to take a trip to a special conservation island which is North of the main Auckland Harbour. The island is famous for its conservation of rare NZ birds and the tuatara - they have to be protected from rats and other predators, so they live on this beautiful island looked after by special staff. The public can visit by boat. It is maintained by the Department of Conservation and they monitor the wellbeing of the inhabitants closely/

The once almost extinct bird the takahe is there, you can see them running around in the distance from the refreshment centre.

The island is called Tiritiri Matangi, you can google it. The boat trip is lovely, not very long, across the sparkling water of the Hauraki Gulf, and the island is green and quiet. http://www.doc.govt.nz/tiritirimatangi

I don't think we'll have time for an all-day trip, unfortunately. Our itinerary is really packed. And I don't feel comfortable giving my location to strangers online, even if nobody knows what I look like.