A Californian Kiwi

I can't even believe this experience is ending. It has been among the most transformative times in my life. What started out as a trip to study for six months in another country has turned into lifelong relationships spanning the globe, unparalleled research experience, and educational opportunities impossible to find elsewhere. Massey allowed me to connect and work with professors. In my free time, I worked with a particular professor, and we're now working to write up or even publish our research on acoustics in freshwater streams. This relationship from a single study abroad has become a connection that will extend into my scientific career. Classes enabled me to learn about New Zealand's natural and human history from within, spotting birds along the coast with professors as I learned to recognize species by sight and call, visiting the National Museum to learn about New Zealand's role in World War II and ANZAC, and studying early European settlers in the enormous New Zealand section of Massey's library before visiting the Settler's Museum on the South Island to see the settler's artifacts in person (during semester break). Moving beyond academics, living in Palmerston North provided the opportunity to experience New Zealand as a local, making friends with families from town, shopping at the weekly farmers market, going to PAK'nSAVE with your international and local flatmates, and biking along the Manawatu River. My months in New Zealand were spent exploring, learning, and eating feijoas. I wouldn't have it any other way.