Arcadia New Zealand

Elsie Humes, Denison University student, studying at Victoria University of Wellington, shares insights on her study abroad experience here in New Zealand.

Kia Ora! I pretty much love everything about the outdoors so NZ has been the perfect match. I play field hockey at Denison and am studying English and Education. My attitude about being abroad is pretty much "go for it... your life was meant to be lived."

1. Magic does exist. Sure, I always wanted to believe in magic but I never thought I would be able to say with such certainty that it is a real thing. Milford Sound is incredible. It has thousands of waterfalls, but you may never see them. They only run after the rain and then they disappear again. Not convinced? Milford Sound perfectly combines the water from the Tasman sea with the mountains and the sky. If you could experience it’s immensity you would understand how confident I am when I say this earth is filled with magic. 

2. No Wi-Fi is not limiting - it is liberating! When we were on the road Wi-Fi was out of the question and it was rare to have a reliable connection in a hostel. It is hard to put down a phone. I mean how often do you go to look up just one thing, and then find that you are somehow reading a ‘how to meet a celebrity’ page. In those 15 minutes you passed something amazing. So it was such a blessing to not have that distraction. I was able to watch the sun sink behind a mountain, two sheep play and a shooting star because I was looking up. Not to mention successfully reading a road map is incredibly satisfying. 

3. Singing is always a good idea. This may have been our saving grace. When you are with people 24/7 patience can be tested. Singing was our diffuser. Some of my favorite times on the trip were when we just jammed out to Drops of Jupiter. 

4. Your own two feet can get you very far. This is not something new to me, but it was definitely reiterated over the trip. We did one of the 8 New Zealand Great Walks. We made our way down to Stewart Island (as far south in NZ as you can go!) and started our three day trek. The first leg of our trip we did in the dark. We could hear the ocean near-by but all we could really see were the most spectacular stars. The next two days we spent maneuvering through mud puddles. My own two feet took me around 25 miles there. 

5. This world is far too big to see it all, but simultaneously much too small not to try. I want to see as much of this world as I possibly can. I saw so much during those two weeks, but in every place there were a handful of things I wished I could have seen. This is not to say that I was not impressed with what I did fit in though. Ten places in 12 days is not too shabby. I am ready to try and take on that endless journey. 

6. Get to know a local. In Dunedin we spent time with a Kiwi guy who was studying geology. He took us to Sandfly Beach and on a private tour of the geology department. Wanna know what is pretty cool? A couple thousand year old whale carcass that is still being researched. Hands in pockets. At. All. Times. I think it is fair to say that he gave us a totally different experience in Dunedin than most traveling students. 

7. Sunshine fosters joy. There is nothing like having the chills and then the sweet sun wrapping you up. The feeling of sun on closed eyelids is something that will always draw happiness out of me. There were three times on the trip when that feeling was particularly comforting. Once on our kayaking tour in Milford Sound, once sitting in a tree in Queenstown and once at the end of our trek while eating pretzels and hummus. Let the sun keep on shining! 

8. The earth has more energy than we can imagine. I keep on learning about the plates that NZ sits on and I am just blown away by how it all works. The fjords are so crazy and it’s so cool that it is arctic water currents that surround Stewart Island. We sat on these rocks at a beach called Tunnel Beach and just felt the rocks shake as the waves hit them. That takes a lot of mustard! 

9. A free fall makes you want to take on the world. And it makes you want to keep jumping off things. I’m thinking skydiving may be up next…don’t worry I am still too scared to base jump. 

10. I am in control of my own happiness. This is such an important thing to realize. There were times when I was feeling irritated and it was putting a damper on my experience. This was until I realized that I cannot control everything that is going on. In fact, I really have control over only one thing and that is my own darn attitude. So while it is easy to grow impatient it is just as easy to grow a smile. 

11. A moment will never happen again. In my opinion this is one of the most beautiful and tragic things about our lives. There were moments like eating dessert with my parents or jumping off the bridge that I want to relive again and again. But since I can’t, it is all the more reason to enjoy them. It goes the other way too. That terrible moment - it won’t last forever. It also won’t happen again so there is no need to dwell. SEIZE THE DAY! 

12. Fergburger is for all hours of the day. Although I only ate at this legendary burger joint like a civilized person (aka for dinner) there was always a line. I am pretty sure the guys I was traveling with had 5 out of 8 meals there. And they wonder where all their money went… These Ferguson people were pretty smart though. There was an ice cream parlor right next door because naturally after eating a burger the size of your head you need ice cream to confirm that you are indeed full. To feed your soul sometimes you have to just feed your belly.

13. Its ok to slow down. Because I wanted to see so much I typically would be walking at a pretty fast clip, but man sometimes it pays off to walk a little slower. In Akaroa we went on a hike and were moving pretty fast, but when we slowed down we could see and hear the birds. I am still working on this one. Ironically it is a slow process. 

14. Not all learning takes place in a classroom. This became particularly clear to me over my trip. I learned so much about how the fjords were formed from our Kayak guide. In Dunedin, I learned about the evolution of penguins in NZ and what the perfect conditions are to preserve dead insects. I can promise I wouldn’t be in a class that covered that. Talking with people, not just reading textbooks, can expand your mind. This may sound a little counterintuitive, but realizing that exploring is a wonderful teacher made me so excited to be a teacher.