Submitted by Lydia Schlitzkus on the 2018 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences…
As I write this blog post, I am sitting in my dorm room in Christchurch, New Zealand. I am currently almost 9,000 miles from my hometown of Stewartstown, Pennsylvania. That’s a lot of miles, which means a lot of traveling had to occur before I could settle into my “home” for the next five weeks. After three flights and almost thirty-five hours of travel, we arrived in Christchurch! Those thirty-five hours are pretty long, but after a quick shower we headed out to see the great views that New Zealand has to offer! It is beautiful here, and I am not sure that any of the pictures I have taken really do the awe-inspiring landscapes any justice at all! So far, we have visited Sumner Beach which has beautiful views and gorgeous blue water!
We also visited the city of Christchurch since we aren’t staying right in the city, and one of the two dairy farms here at the university! I am sure that I am already forgetting something because everything that I have done has given me a lifelong memory that I am sure I will never forget! Of course with all of this fun comes some adjustment to being almost 9,000 miles from home! It can be hard to be away from my family and friends back home (Kia Ora or Hello, Mom and Dad!), but I know that the experiences that I have made and continue to make my time here worth it! One of my favorite experiences so far is the New World grocery store right by our campus. On the second day in town, a group of us went to pick up some snacks and see what the Kiwis (or local New Zealanders) like to snack on! We discovered many interesting differences from the markets back home. One of the most interesting things I noticed is that the eggs are not refrigerated here, and I have since learned that eggs actually don’t need to be refrigerated. It’s just a practice that Americans have included in their food production! And of course there was plenty of Marmite and Vegemite which is a fan-favorite of the Kiwis, but disappointingly, I don’t really like it! Maybe in a few weeks, I will start to like it!
So far, there have been many ups and downs and twists and turns (sometimes literally on the bus rides through the curvy roads here!), but as my faculty director, Dr. Griffiths, would say that’s what study abroad is all about! I think I’m beginning to look at the world from the bottom up like the Kiwis (since we are at the bottom of the world which is kind of a crazy thought), and gain a new perspective on not just agricultural practices, but also a way of life!
Ma Te Wa (Until We Meet Again)!