Alumni Spotlight: Lili Paradi

I chose this program because Lincoln University offered up an ideal best-of-both-worlds: an education where you would feel more like a part of the greater learning community, as well as a chance to do your own thing. Lincoln seemed to provide lots of time off for travel, life, and rest, as well as field trip days, getting us out into the real-world to apply our studies. They also had a really cool list of clubs to join!

Lincoln helped out with everything in settling down, from shuttles between the airport and campus to orientation week. Between my home university and Lincoln University, there was good communication for course selection, life on campus, financial advice and due dates, and getting situated in New Zealand. We had to book flights, and any other travel opportunities, as well as course selection and fee payments.

We were able to choose our own housing situation, but upon applying to live on campus, the accommodation services were always on top of any problems/queries we had. There is the option to either cook your own food in the on-campus flats or to live in a fully-catered residence. Some people even opted for both!

Get off of campus. Lincoln is on the outskirts of the city, which makes it easy to get into Christchurch, but not anywhere else, really. To truly experience New Zealand, find a mode of transportation to get you around the two islands. Whether it is renting/buying a cheap car with friends (See: Backpacking Cars groups on Facebook!), taking the InterCity bus, or looking into travel busses such as the Kiwi Experience or Stray bus, get out and see the world!

Also, YOU have to make an attempt to make local friends. Often, people already from New Zealand do not go out of their way to make friends from people overseas, so you have to be the one to say hi!

I wake up fairly late in the morning - 8 or 9 o'clock usually, to enjoy my morning tea and breakfast over reading a book (such a contrast to back home, where I felt rushed to go to class each morning!). Then I head to my classes, which are usually 1-2 hours long, only about 30 people in a class. They are very interactive classes, so it is easy to stay awake and aware during the lecture! Quite often, classes end before noon, but for some people, they go until 5 pm.

After class, I go for a run outside past the University and the farms or go to the gym with my friends. I head back to the flats to hang out with my flatmates, make dinner and think about the weekend plans. Sometimes, we bake delicious baked goods together, other times we have a few laughs or go out to town (Christchurch). Some of my friends have cars, so we often go out on day trips to Akaroa, Arthur's Pass, Christchurch and beyond! I took part in a few Tramping Club trips, which also happen regularly on weekends and get you out into some rugged wilderness.

My biggest fear was getting stuck at school with no friends, and spending the entire semester on just studying, staying at home and on campus. I made the effort to go out of my way to join clubs, meet people at events and sacrifice a bit of study time to socialize. The work-life balance, I found, was really easy to commit to at Lincoln and in New Zealand. For me, it is easy to get lost in getting good grades at school and not focusing on the experience at hand, but the relaxing 'she'll be alright' attitude of the University, the locals and the people around me allowed me to allow myself time to be alive and enjoy being on an exchange. I find that the University can really stress people out. It is important to maintain a balance between study and your life, even if you are searching for good grades. The memories you will have made, and the new knowledge will come from experiences, not from exams.

Well, alongside being a country completely isolated in the Southern Hemisphere with a +15 hour flight to and from any major country (other than Australia), I have found many ways that I would get stuck here and constantly thought about transferring some credits over to finish my degree here. Even though I did not end up moving here to finish school, I am already planning to come back here - maybe for a Master's perhaps? I find that the warm atmosphere, the relaxed local society and mindset, the opportunity to travel and especially the environment really made it difficult to say goodbye. Although it is a small country, it is likened to Canada and the UK in that it has a vibrant culture, a progressive growing society, a beautiful backdrop of a backyard, and you feel like you get to know everyone! I felt I had the time and opportunity to explore who I am: I had outlets for my hiking hobby, photography, and close enough to the cities to fuel my passion for music and food. Kiwis and travelers alike are kind, generous and giving. I felt at home here!