Submitted by Riley McCann on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Computer and Information Sciences…
We just returned from Nelson, one of the northern cities on the South Island. While we were there, we taught children of all different ages about Unity, a game development engine. It was an incredible experience that let me see a whole other side of New Zealand. It was nice to be able to teach people computer science in a fun and creative way and see what the children were able to develop with the tools we gave them. I also learned a lot about the differences in our cultures because some of the children spent the days trying to avoid work. They loved to learn, but they have a lot longer school year than we do, and yet, even with a longer school year, they were excited to learn even more about computer science. After we did our teaching, we went sea kayaking, which I have never done before. The things we saw were amazing as always. It was a ton of fun, and I’m sad that this program is coming to an end soon, but I’ll make the most of it while I’m here.