While you are studying abroad, I believe it is equally important to travel and explore away from school while pursuing an education abroad. Living in a new country allows you to visit new, exciting places that you would never see otherwise. While I was studying in New Zealand, I learned how to budget my time so I could complete all studying and classwork during the week, leaving my weekends free. With this time, I made it my mission to see as many landmarks across the country as possible. This resulted in countless new memories and experiences I would never have imagined myself having.
My first week in New Zealand, I went to Queenstown. This popular tourist destination was actually the city where bungy jumping was first invented, so naturally I had to give it a try. I wish I could say that I was completely confident and fearlessly leapt off the platform, but I was a nervous mess once I saw how high up I was. Thankfully, I overcame my fears and had a blast plummeting 439 feet! It wasn’t until later that I discovered that this was the 3rd highest bungy jump in the world. It was such an adrenaline rush, and I got to relax and admire the beautiful mountains while I was pulled back up to the platform afterwards.
I think my proudest moment in New Zealand was climbing Roy’s Peak, an intense hike with more than 4000 feet of elevation gain. As someone who’s lived in the Atlantic Coastal Plain her whole life, I had never really hiked uphill before, let alone up an entire mountain. The hike took my friends and I about 8 hours, including picture stops, lunch, and a ton of breaks. The trail was super steep and nonstop uphill, but the views were breathtaking and well worth the blisters that followed. I couldn’t believe it when I made it to the peak and saw how far away the trailhead was. This definitely encouraged me to participate in more hikes and partake in New Zealand’s “tramping” culture.
Studying abroad in New Zealand was one of the best decisions of my life, and if I could give any advice for what to do while you’re in a different country… TRAVEL, TRAVEL, TRAVEL!!! Take advantage of the opportunity to explore a whole new area of the globe! You might end up in unexpected situations, but I am so glad I ventured out of my comfort zone and embraced the abroad aspect of study abroad.