sammeris-blog

[sammeris-blog]

Diving into the Maori Culture. A few students and I were accepted into the Maori family (whanau) and stayed over night at the Marae this last weekend. Friday afternoon, we started off with a proper Maori handshake, a formal welcome and an international potluck dinner. Us Americans brought a 3 cheese baked mac n cheese.

[sammeris-blog]

Diving into the Maori Culture. A few students and I were accepted into the Maori family (whanau) and stayed over night at the Marae this last weekend. Friday afternoon, we started off with a proper Maori handshake, a formal welcome and an international potluck dinner. Us Americans brought a 3 cheese baked mac n cheese.

[sammeris-blog]

Went shopping with my roommate yesterday. Tip: The Warehouse and Pak n Save charge for grocery bags. After the hop and skip down to the train station and the bus ride back, got all of my groceries back to the apartment safe and sound. Kind of impressed myself because I have milk, 10 kg of potatoes, 4 cans of soup, 4 cans of tuna, relish, salami, hot sauce, tomatoes, 2 pizzas and a bar of chocolate all in that backpack. Not to mention the eggs and a few other items in the box. Note to self: Get the groceries delivered.

[sammeris-blog]

"Oh my goodness, she took a food selfie; no one cares what you eat." Too bad. First bite in New Zealand: egg, spinach, potato frittata. 😊

[sammeris-blog]

New Zealand Awaits

When I was a junior in high school, I hosted a foreign exchange student from Argentina and we had a blast. She and I still keep in contact. Not only did I make a lifelong friend, but I also have a sister. She was a great addition to our family. Luckily, I visited her family over Christmas in her home country, Argentina.

Inspired by her, since then I’ve been interested in studying abroad and I chose New Zealand for its location, the scenery, its culture and people, as well as the opportunities outside of the classroom. I am eager to immerge myself into the Maori culture. The culture and I both share a love for the outdoors and sports (water, extreme, club). New Zealand has the second highest bungy jumping in the southern hemisphere at Nevis Bungy and the highest tandem paragliding flight in Wanaka, NZ. I also look forward to “tramping” the rugged mountains, roaming the glaciers, viewing the volcanoes, relaxing on the beaches. I chose AUT because of its setting in Auckland, the city of Sails. It is ranked the third best city in the world to live in, with easy travel and friendly people. The influences of the native Maori culture, Auckland is also the most multicultural city in the country, offering a variety of traditions and cuisine. I can’t wait to meet new people and eat the new foods.  I’m excited to taste all the different foods that Auckland has to offer.

Of the three universities in Auckland, Auckland University of Technology is ranked in the top 3% of the world’s universities with all the classes I need for the semester. I like how AUT’s learning experiences are in smaller class sizes and mostly interactive. AUT also allows me to take a class that examines the historical changes and the on-going challenges to Maori leadership. While I am in New Zealand I plan on sight seeing the beautiful rolling green hills, volcanoes, and all the other beautiful landscapes. I do realize I will have homework like any other college student; therefore, will be stuck inside the library late hours working on some project to further me in my education. Importantly, I am hoping to find a good study group chatting as we all work together, while solidifying friendships in the process.

I also plan on meeting with a physio therapist to talk about the differences between the profession in the United States and New Zealand and to possibly apply those differences to my work study. I am excited to learn something new, whether it’s the style of teaching or the different culture and way of life of the kiwis.