Student Bloggers

The semester is starting to really pick up speed now! I’ve turned in my first few papers and assignments and have already started to prepare for the next round. We also recently were given the timetables for our final exams. My exams are scheduled for the middle of June which is nice because I have plenty of time to study now, but I also have to be careful how I plan out my last few adventures in New Zealand.

I can’t believe that time has gone by so fast and that I only have a little more than two months left here! There is still so much that I want to do! It feels like there is still plenty of time but as impatient as I am, I want to do everything now. I still hope to visit some glow worm caves, go sky diving, visit Hobbiton, do a night hike at Zealandia, visit Te Papa Musuem again and go to the zoo. If you’re planning to come to New Zealand to study abroad, make sure to make a list and start planning as soon as possible to get everything done!

I want to share with you an experience that I had earlier this month however. On April 9th, I attended Hurricane’s 21st birthday while they played the Argentina Jaguares- it was my first rugby game ever! The Hurricanes are the super rugby team of New Zealand. The event was coordinated by Arcadia so I went with my friends from the program.

The game was really intense. Imagine watching american football but it’s three times more aggressive, you can’t pass the ball forward, and no padding whatsoever. I almost felt like I could feel every tackle, block and hit. It was still so much fun though and was an even better game since the Hurricanes won 40-22!

If you ever go to a rugby game and you don’t know anything about the sport like I did, just be sure to know that when people say “Try” they are talking about scoring. Instead of a touchdown, you want your team to make a try. Also, here in New Zealand, the wave is referred to as the Mexican Wave. My friends and I were confused at first; we wondered how we missed this new trend. When we asked Lauren, who is a student at Victoria with us and works for Arcadia, she was confused that we didn’t call it the Mexican Wave. I HAD to look it up after that. Turns out, it’s called the Mexican Wave because it became popularized after being aired on television during the Soccer World Cup in Mexico in 1986.

What was also awesome about the game was that no matter where you sit in the stadium, you have a pretty great view. Obviously the farther up you sit the less detail your eyes will see, but every section is a great one. The stadium is also pretty close from Kelburn campus- about a 20 minute walk.

I’m looking forward to returning to the stadium on June 18 for the All Blacks game against Wales! My friends and I fortunately bought our tickets presale; tickets are going fast now! Until then though I will keep busy with other adventures here in Wellington and more specifically with the mid semester break coming up.

My next blog post will be about adventuring back in the South Island, but also exploring more of the North Island during break!