It has officially been over a week since I’ve left the familiarity of home to start my adventure abroad in New Zealand and I’m gradually settling in. Getting here was no easy task. I spent the week leading up to my departure frantically packing and repacking the same things during the day, and at night frantically reading other people’s blogs trying to find ways to squash the panic I was feeling over studying abroad. They all said the same thing, the only way to beat it was to actually get on a plane and go abroad. While that advice didn’t really help calm my nerves at the time, I can confirm that it is one hundred percent accurate. During my trip over here I experienced my first ever overnight flight, and let’s just say I’m glad I don’t have to do that again for another four months. Learning how to deal with connecting flights and checking several bags for multiple flights for the first time caused a decent amount of initial stress, but technology is wonderful, and having my parents just a phone call away helped limit my moments of panic to only a handful. After one particularly scary ten minutes in Auckland where I thought I had lost my passport (it was in the one pocket of my purse I could have sworn I never use), I finally boarded my final flight and arrived in my home for the next few months, Dunedin, New Zealand.
My first day in Dunedin didn’t really live up to the hype I had created in my head. I imagined arriving and immediately seeing the sights or bonding with my new roommates (otherwise known as flatmates in NZ). What actually happened was I arrived at my flat around three in the afternoon, called my parents, grabbed a quick sandwich from Subway, and promptly fell asleep for the next twelve hours. I woke up the next day full of energy, ready to explore the city I found myself in. I learned where the closest grocery store was, a vital step in making my new city feel less big, and on the way, I discovered a beautiful botanical garden that could become an amazing outdoor study space for this semester. Later that day I met my flatmates, and found that everyone was just as excited to explore Dunedin as I was. Since then, my week has been full of mapping the city with my flatmates. Our kiwi host even took us on an insider’s tour of the best spots around Dunedin, and his choices did not disappoint. Experiencing some of the places like Tunnel Beach that I had been gushing over pictures of for months at home was surreal. It turns out that pictures really can’t do that place justice but I gave it a shot anyways.
The truth is that while my first week here has been pretty spectacular, it definitely hasn’t gone as smooth as I’d imagined. I knew that coming here there would be parts of the culture that I’d have to get used to, but for some reason I pictured myself taking everything in stride. Shopping for groceries in a new country was a speed bump that I didn’t see coming. In the back of my mind I knew that there wouldn’t be a Target or a Walmart here like I’m used to back home, but still, wandering through the aisles of my local supermarket and not recognizing any brand names was a bit of a shock. Simple things like my usual cereal, Honey Nut Cheerios, were missing. Instead I found myself standing in the cereal aisle for ten minutes staring at a box labeled Uncle Toby’s Cheerios, and wondering who the heck Uncle Toby was, and what happened to the cartoon bee? My trip to the supermarket ended up taking more than twice as long as it usually does at home, but I’m already glad that I carved out the time to get to know the store. I’ve found myself back there once already this week, and had I not taken the time to learn the store, finding food for my simple dinner recipes would have been disastrous. My advice for anyone studying abroad is to learn your local grocery store right away, that way when you go in with a list of items for your week, you’ll be less likely to get frustrated by the lack of certain items of comfort.
My first week here has already had a few ups and downs, but I expected that going in. Keeping myself busy by attending every orientation week activity has done wonders for keeping the homesickness at bay, as well as acclimating me to my university. Stepping out of my comfort zone and agreeing to almost every opportunity to meet new people has been equally exhausting and rewarding, but I’ve already learned that I always regret saying no more than I do saying yes. Next week brings more situations that will take me outside my comfort zone yet again. Classes start, and with that comes the task of learning the education system of a new country. I expect that with each week there will be a new challenge I have to face, but I can already tell with absolute certainty, that my choice to face them by studying abroad is one of the decisions I’ve ever made.
