Kia ora!
It is crazy to think I’ve been living here in Palmerston North,
New Zealand, for three weeks already! I have already created plenty of fun
memories in Palmy (I haven’t made it outside the city yet!) and I have had plenty
of opportunities to get to know my flatmates. While I have adjusted pretty
well, there are some things that have required adjusting. The biggest change
from the US I have experienced is the weather. With New Zealand in the Southern
Hemisphere, I arrived in the heart of winter. It took a bit of adjusting to
board a plane in 100-degree weather and then get off another plane in 50-degree
weather.
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| Jamie (named after James Cook) was excited for classes to start! |
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| This sign lights up at night and during one of our quests for Pokemon I had to stop and take a picture! |
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| I love how naturally beautiful campus is. |
I am so content with choosing Massey University’s Manawatū campus
as my new home. Palmerston North reminds me so much of Greensboro in so many
ways. It has a bus system that is free to students, campus is a manageable
size, campus is beautiful, and some of the activities are similar! The first
Wednesday of the semester was known as “Club Day,” so for a couple hours all
the clubs gathered in the concourse so people could sign up (sound like fall
kickoff to anyone??). I’m also not missing any of the food trucks from home
either because there are food truck festivals in the town Square!
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| Town is just as beautiful as campus. |
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| The sun setting with the clock tower in the Square (once again we were out catching Pokemon) |
I know everyone who posts becomes an advocate for study abroad,
and that’s exactly how this is ending. DO
IT! You will regret nothing – I’m a solid 3 weeks into living here, 2 weeks
into classes, and 1 week away from my first adventure outside of Palmy. Within
a week, this place felt like home and it’s hard to imagine having to leave in
four months. Don’t be afraid to go somewhere new and unknown and try something
you normally wouldn’t!
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| When it gets dark, the clock tower in the Square lights up and changes colors. Its is probably one of the coolest things about town. |
“All we have to decide is what to do
with the time that is given us.” - J. R. R. Tolkien
Cheers!
Allison Smith
Massey University
Palmerston North, New Zealand
