Arcadia Scotland

My biggest piece of advice when you are abroad would be to keep a list of everything new you have tried. This could be a list on your phone notes app, a physical list in a notebook, or even an album of pictures of the things if you are a visual person. I personally have my list on my notes app on my phone because that was the most convenient for me. Now, you may be asking why. Well…

I find some things are easily overlooked when you are in a new environment, and for me I started to overlook all the new things I have tried because I wasn’t keeping a memory of it. For instance, the weekend before classes started, I went camping in the Catlins with my flatmate and some other people we had met via orientation. For me, camping was a huge new experience, while the others in the group were already experienced. This meant as I was trying new stuff for the first time, they were just going through the ropes. After reflecting on that weekend, I realized I wanted to keep track of my accomplishments—the new things I tried—so I could commemorate them, even if I was the only one who had. Here is how my list started:

• Camping
• Oatmeal

That is what I wanted to remember from that weekend. I am not the most outdoorsy person, which sounds crazy when people realize I chose to go to New Zealand (as it is known for its beautiful scenery and nature). So, for me, camping was the scariest thing I had done. Going off the grid for two days—that was wild! Oatmeal might seem silly, but I tend to stick to what I know. Growing up, we were more of a cereal family, so oatmeal never made its way into my repertoire. Since starting the list, it has given me the chance to put stuff down, and even just reading the list I remember the experiences linked to the new things! More of my list goes:

• Charcuterie board making
• The bus system
• Being away from home for my birthday
• Pad thai
• Tsunami warnings

Some of these may seem silly, like pad thai and charcuterie board making, but they came with wonderful experiences and friendships I’ve made while being here. Even thinking about making charcuterie boards brings back all the giggles I shared with a group of girls I had only recently met. I learned I have a love for cheese and charcuterie boards. Some of my other experiences remind me to live in the moment and take it all in as best as I can, like being away from home for my birthday. My birthday is in July, so I have spent every birthday at home with my family. This year was very different, mainly because I spent my birthday on orientation for the Otago and Wellington students. But, with that, it will be a birthday I will never forget, because I got to spend it seeing a geyser and champagne pools, even go zorbing, and with people who were just happy to celebrate with me. I know I’ll never turn 20 in New Zealand again, so I had to celebrate it fully. Looking at this list, the memories flood back!

These new experiences are going to shape me for the rest of my life, and I want to remember them and the experiences I had with each. Even after a month and a half of being here, there is so much for me to try and do. So, I encourage you while you are abroad to keep some sort of list of all the new things you are trying. No experience is too minor or small, because every single thing you do while you are abroad comes with some great memory that you should remember forever.