For my internship abroad, I can loosely call it a two for one deal because I’ll have the chance to explore two major cities of New Zealand – albeit one more briefly than the other. So, I get to essentially live by myself in two settings! Yay. (Note the trepidation in my tone here.) To date, that will be the longest time I’ve been away from my home and the farthest that I’ll have ever been away from anybody! To say I’m scared is a bit of an understatement. The only way that I’ll be able to get over that is to do my best to not feel like I should be there, for starters. While I am incredibly excited to be working at a prestigious medical school (in New Zealand!!!), I’ll probably be wondering why I’m there even until after I arrive.
To make it less scary in my head, I’m trying to think of it as an opportunity for venues previously not considered. This is a chance for me to test my chances of surviving out in the world. Can I handle money on my own? Can I buy groceries on my own? Can I SURVIVE on my own? CAN I? If not, I guess it’ll be a time to learn!
That is one of my main goals to accomplish while there which if accomplished will give me some comfort before I go out into the “real world.” Since I’ll be in the heart of the capital city, I think this will be a good way to somehow experience everything. My focus while I’m there is getting to knowing myself better.
In regards to healthcare, I’m going to see if there will be any opportunities for me to volunteer in healthcare settings as an international student because that is an experience that I would very much like to take back with me and apply to my professional future. Perhaps that will be available through my institution or just something I can do on my own.
On the other hand, I want to take more of an opportunity to explore Asian cultures since this isn’t as available to me at home and I do have a strong interest in the Maori culture since they have the unusual circumstance of growing as a culture but in isolation.
Overall, I want to fulfill my interpretation of living like a local which is to learn more about being myself in new places. I still plan to do my routine of being up early and being productive, exercising semi-regularly, and asking millions of questions.
As for the parts that I’ll feel the need to complain about, I’ll just do what I always do – grin and bear it and make the best of it. After all, nothing is ever as bad as it seems.
No comments:
Post a Comment