Blog 4

Even though I will only be in Wellington for 4 weeks I plan to live as much like a local as I possibly can. A large part of achieving this is doing research before arrival and learning about different aspects of life in New Zealand. This would include a basic understanding of the history of the country and having an idea of some community events or classes available for the month I will be there. For example, yoga classes or farmers markets. Of course, there is no way to fully prepare to live in a country before-hand, most learning will come from just living daily life and interacting with locals.

Since I will be interning at an organization, my daily schedule will consist of riding public transportation to work, then working with the organization until the early evening. I will be staying in an apartment so grocery shopping and cooking meals will be a large part of my nightly routine.  I will be sharing the apartment with four to six other international students, so I hope we can spend some time together. Since I will only be working four days a week, I will have plenty of time to explore the city and plan some excursions. I found a company that offers year-round group surfing lessons and hopefully I will be able to experience a pastime that is important to the culture of New Zealand with locals.

I also hope to make connections with my coworkers at the organization I will be working at. I would be nice to be able to go out with them and see the city from their point of view. It will be different from being a student abroad because it is likely that the people I will be working with will be older, with families and long-standing connections of their own. I’m also excited to explore the city on my own, I am planning to visit the botanical gardens and the Te Papa Tongarewa museum.

Even though I am excited about living in New Zealand for a month on my own, I know there are plenty of opportunities for culture shock and homesickness. I plan to combat these feelings by keeping grounded in a routine and keeping a journaling and meditation practice. I also plan to call and text family and friends back home.

The major things I’m looking forward to in this service learning abroad experience are to gain self-confidence in my own independence, as well as a chance to gain valuable experience in a career-related internship.