Student Bloggers

Hey everyone! This is hello from the Bronx, New York from a girl who's filled with nerves and excitement for the coming semester. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by; it seems like I just finished my fall semester at Arcadia and I'm already so close to moving to the other side of the world for almost five months.

I'll be studying abroad at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. I chose New Zealand because of how different it is from any other place that I was considering to study in. How many other places on earth have beaches, deserts, glaciers, and rain forests all within one country? I specifically chose Wellington because of the weather. Wellington is at the southern tip of the north island, so its still a little warmer and its a great access point to the rest of the country. It's the capital city of New Zealand, so it's got a lot going on, but it's also not as populated as Auckland, which is pretty appealing to me. From what I've seen online and heard from other people who've traveled there, Wellington is an awesome place and I can't wait for it to be my home for this next part of my life.

For those of you who have gone, will be, or are abroad, you can sympathize with me with how hard it is to come to terms with leaving everyone back at home- at least for the first time away. Personally, I'm very family-oriented and the idea of not seeing my family every day is a hard one to get used to. But I'll get used to it, just like I did when I first went away to college. There's always an uber amount of apps and different ways to stay in touch, we really just need to find a way to balance your schedule out so that you're not constantly overwhelmed by homesickness.

Besides this, there's so much to get in order before going away. Some of this is packing for three seasons, getting finances in order, planning trips, and seeing friends and family. Packing for this trip is going to be hard. I've already gotten a few things together, but what's difficult is that I need to bring enough clothing with me to last the semester, but not so much that my suitcase is overweight and that I have enough room to bring my souvenirs back with me. Thankfully, one of my sisters has gone abroad and will be a huge help in getting this situation figured out.

It's crazy to think that this is really happening. Needless to say, I'm pretty scared about it because this is my longest and farthest trip ever, but I'm so excited to see what's waiting for me. I think I've made a great decision on where to study and I can't wait to get there. It's going to be one heck of a ride and I'm so ready for it!