Already planning my trip back!

I just want to start off by saying that without TEAN, this experience would have been completely different. My time in New Zealand was absolutely amazing. Hard to describe, but believe me when I say it was the best 5 months of my life. To be completely honest, I was really upset to leave my home university at first; what would I miss, what would my friends do while I was away, which, at first, sounded like a lifetime. As soon as I got to the airport, I knew I had made the right decision.

Dunedin is an incredible college town. Thousands of college students, everything is in walking distance, and all kinds of student deals everywhere. I loved staying there and calling it home. It was easy to travel to the rest of the country, via plane and bus, and my kiwi host was extremely helpful, fun, and was an adventurer himself, so was happy to show us all around. My whole flat (apartment), which consisted of myself, a Canadian girl, another American guy, and my kiwi host, got along perfectly. Uni flats and TEAN really do a great job placing people together. At first, its scary to hear you won't be living with other TEAN students that, by the time you have made it to Dunedin, have made lifelong friends with, but it ends up being a great way to expand the amount of people you meet.

By the time you make it down to Dunedin, TEAN has already brought you on weeks of fantastic, incredible adventures. Exploring Auckland and learning what city life is like, seeing the sites of this popular place, and getting oriented to New Zealand is an indescribable experience, that you'll love! Dinners are planned for you, which is wonderful, and you get to meet and interact with the other TEAN students, and then are given free time to relax, or explore.

Aside from Auckland, the orientation in Fiji was one of my favorite parts of my whole trip. I would go back in a heartbeat. Being on this beautiful island and having nothing to worry about for a week is so enlightening, and such a great way to bond with everybody you are getting to know, all while learning and understanding an entirely different culture.

Overall, TEAN sets up everything, so you have nothing at all to worry about except packing (which is daunting!) and I know it was an excellent decision on my part to travel with them. The staff are so helpful, all the way through to the flights home! I had friends who did a direct exchange, and really struggled with planning and coordination, all of which was taken care of!