An unexpected experience -Sustainability at Lincoln

When I left for New Zealand I had some fears about leaving home and family for such a long period of time, and had no presumptions over what Christchurch and Lincoln area would be like. Now in my last few weeks, I can say that New Zealand will always hold a dear place in my heart for the beauty that it has shown me and for the friends that I have made. As an environmental studies student from California, It was great to learn about how professors in a different part of the world taught sustainability. Lincoln's professors were all very down to earth and willing to help and talk to you. I was impressed with their friendliness and desire to help students succeed. The school and campus itself has a way to go in terms of sustainability. If you come to Lincoln be prepared to devote most of your money to transportation, as you will certainly need to buy either a car or copious amounts of bus tickets to get anywhere remotely close. The bus system is well routed, but as I said before it can get expensive after multiple trips. Christchurch is a beautiful city with a lot of interesting sights considering they are rebuilding from the earthquake, but just know that Lincoln and Christchurch are much farther from each other than you would think, and without a car takes about 45minuets- 1 hour to bus from one to the other. The students at Lincoln were are very friendly, and as an international student expect to interact mostly with other international students unless you take smaller sized classes. As for having fun with friends, there isn't much to do in Lincoln so the fun you have will be what you make it if you find some nice people to hang around and possibly go outside of the town for some adventure. If you come in winter bring rain boots! Overall the south island is beautiful and much different from the north island, so make sure to find friends who will want to go exploring with you over the weekend. Overall a good experience.