ISA Study Abroad in Dunedin, New Zealand

Highlights: The highlight of my trip was this, the ENTIRE trip! I learned so much in the classroom, gaining a more global view of the world, and learning more about my field of study from an international viewpoint. New Zealand’s landscape is arguably the most beautiful and diverse in the world with huge snowcapped mountains, rainforests scattered with waterfalls, beaches lined with cliffs, glaciers miles long, farmland, caves, and more. Some of my favorite memories include bungee jumping, skydiving above the Southern Alps, caving and rappelling down waterfalls deep into a cave to see the glowworms above, kayaking through the fjords, zorbing down a green hill next to sheep, and climbing a mountain. New Zealand offers all of this within a country the size of Colorado! The best highlight of the trip though was the amazing people I met. New Zealanders are a kind people with big hearts, and exploring the country with people from all over the world was definitely a highlight not to be forgotten.

Morning: My mornings consisted of eggs, toast, and a beautiful walk past an old clock tower chiming away, warning me that class was about to start. The mornings were comfortably brisk, and the walks to and from early classes came with free views of green rolling hills dotted with sheep, the morning mists melting away from the hillsides as the afternoon warmth arrived. Dunedin’s University of Otago is New Zealand’s oldest university, a place rich in history and full of fun. I usually enjoyed starting off the day by taking my time strolling to class, soaking in the scenery. I was always amazed at how green of a country New Zealand is, and looking for Frodo hopping down a hillside was one of our many hobbies.

Afternoon: In New Zealand, 4 classes is the normal load for international students like me. Most classes come in two parts, a lecture and a ‘tutorial,’ or a class period dedicated to talking about the previous lecture. I only had to go to classes one or two times a day, so I spent my afternoons at my flat (I lived with a Kiwi host-local New Zealander-and two other international students), or out on the paths, roads, and trails running. If you like running, biking, adventure sports, or the outdoors, New Zealand is the place for you! It was also common to have 3 days a week off of school, and most of us had Fridays off. This meant we had 3 day weekends every week. Road trip time!

Evening: During the evenings I would spend my time hanging out with my friends, going to a local pub to play some pool, hanging out around the flat, or running. Dunedin is situated in a beautiful valley, with the ocean visible from any hillside. There are waterfalls, glow worms, and the steepest road in the world all within walking, biking, or running distance of the city. So I loved exploring every nook and cranny of Dunedin, from Tunnel Beach, a place lined with cliffs and islands off in the distance, to up the peninsula to see the sea lions, yellow eyed penguins, and albatross (the bird with the largest wingspan in the world). Once back to the flat we would cook dinner, enjoy hanging out, and enjoy the best part of student life in New Zealand, practically no homework! The downside to having no homework though is that if you don’t stay caught up with the readings, the tests would be much more difficult than if you read.