University of Otago

New Zealand was my greatest adventure. Don't be afraid to take risks! Take a trek on one of the Great Walks, throw yourself off a bridge with a bungee strapped to your feet, drive on the wrong side of the road! Make friends with the Kiwis that live next door or the ones in your classes, because they are awesome people.

I got to walk through botanical gardens just to go to the grocery store! The time you spend there will never be enough, so say yes to as much as you can.

Bring warm clothes! Dunedin is pretty far south and coastal, so while the summers are pleasant 80-85 degrees, winters can be very cold (it can even snow). Also, New Zealand homes lack insulation and do not have central heating, so your jackets, sleeping bag, and heated mattress pad will be your best friends.

Most people have class Monday to Thursday. You might utilize your three day weekends to explore this beautiful country, or you might spend it with friends in Dunedin.

Weekend activities ranged from nights out in downtown Dunedin, to flat dinners, to beach days, to cheering on the local Highlanders rugby team! There's always something to do.

I was pretty apprehensive about living with guys. My flat, like most, was co-ed, and while it took some adjustment, it was a great experience, one that you don't typically get in the US.

My biggest fear was probably getting lost or stranded somewhere! It is always good to be prepared with cash and the number for a cab company when traveling.

On my first trip, I realized how nice and accommodating the Kiwis are and all of my fears dissipated. I also learned that sometimes you just have to go with the flow. My roommate and I were stuck in a small town that had lost power from a storm, and the only open place in town with food was a gas station. So we grabbed some chips and garlic bread, checked in to our powerless hotel and rode out the storm!

The pictures I took were beyond beautiful, but what gives this experience meaning are the moments shared with all of the people I met. When I share my photos with friends, there are always stories that go along with them. The people and the experiences are what give those photos life.

You may see a photo of me holding glacial ice, but I see the 5-hour bus ride that my roommate and I took, to stand in the rain at a glacier! I see our sopping clothes hanging in our powerless hotel room as we eat gas station garlic bread and PB+J sandwiches for dinner for three meals in a row.

But those are the moments worth remembering, the moments that are meaningful.

For me, my favourite moment is when the very shy ones, who seem incredibly anxious when they arrive, rather timid and soft-spoken - when you see those students again a month later and they've blossomed into such a confident and vibrant person. They've found their niche and you know they've made life long friends during their time at Otago.

My māori culture is incredibly important to me, so I would love the opportunity to go on the Tūrangawaewae, Pōkai Whenua as it provides tauira Māori (māori students) the opportunity to travel abroad and explore the connections between indigenous communities and their tertiary institutions. Being able to learn and connect with other indigenous cultures in their homeland would be a humbling experience.

Our company is unique as it is one of the only University residential communities of its kind in Aotearoa.

We interview and select each of our Kiwi Host flatmates and then carefully select compatible international students that will make up the home based on their applications. We strive to make sure that every international student resident of our community feels connected in some way to their Kiwi Host - and I am proud of the care and effort that goes into this process each and every time.

I believe you have to be passionate about the students in order to be successful - passionate about their goals, and passionate about their experience. This job will require you to go above and beyond the average "9-5" and to be successful as a company, you need people that are more than happy to go the extra mile - and I am proud to say the staff at the University of Otago Flats has those people.