Best decision I have ever made.

I have only been living here a couple of weeks, but could not be happier with my decision to move abroad to study in Aotearoa. The faculty during orientation week at VUW welcomed us with open arms and gave us ample opportunities to get to know other international students and explore the city. All the students I have met at VUW have been so friendly and welcoming, but you definitely have to take the first step to build a real friendship. My professors have all been very fun and passionate about what they teach. The school work so far has not proved to be too difficult and the due dates for assignments are few and far between which I feel like has assisted the learning process to be more about the learning and less about the grading. I love living in the city of Wellington and being able to walk to everything I need and explore the cafes and eateries on foot. There is a wonderful bus system as well that has definitely come in handy when you don't want to carry your groceries up huge flights of stairs. The efforts in sustainability here have also been one of my favorite parts of living here as everyone really cares and does their part to reduce their waste. Groceries can be expensive at some supermarkets, so go to the Harbor Farmers Markets every Sunday instead to get cheap produce and then travel to Pak'n'save for the best deals on whatever else you need. My biggest pieces of advice are probably: buy really comfortable shoes (you'll walk a lot), wear a short sleeve under your jacket (its cold but you can be sweaty and places are always warm inside), and bring your own grocery bags. Oh and they don't have drip coffee here- just lattes, americanos, flat whites ect.