Submitted by Alina Roell on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences…
For being only twenty years old, I like to consider myself a pretty well-seasoned traveler. My first time outside the country was when I was ten and I traveled to France with my family. Since then, my love for travel has only grown. I have been to Italy, Costa Rica, St.Kitts, Canada, Grand Cayman Islands, and Curaçao, as well as several states within the United States. But I have never felt connected to these locations like I do to New Zealand. Although there are some major differences from the United States, I have never felt more at home in another country. Some of the experiences that gave me quite a culture shock was driving on the opposite side of the road, eating vegemite or beans or spaghetti on toast for breakfast, and seeing endless flat plains and hills with hundreds of sheep and cows. The university where I am staying is where I experience all of these aspects combined on a daily basis, yet it still manages to feel like a place of comfort. Even the towns where we have visited so far, everyone has been friendly and welcoming. During my first week, I visited the rebuilt city of Christchurch (devastating earthquakes 10 years ago toppled the entire city) and their renowned botanical gardens and Riverside Market, walked through the bustling Riccarton Market, hiked Bridle Path and rode the gondola down, spent the day in the beach town of Akaroa, and swam in the Pacific Ocean on Sumner Beach.
On top of just exploring the island and all it has to offer, I have also been to the University of Lincoln’s demonstration dairy farm to learn more about international agriculture and how they practice it here in New Zealand. Here, you will never see barns or sheds for animals to take shelter in. The only protection they have is a very tall, neatly trimmed hedge that surrounds the perimeter of their pen, called a “shelter belt”. The animals survive almost solely on grass, whereas in the U.S. we bring our animals silage or grain so that they don’t have to work much for their food. New Zealand cows however, are smaller, leaner, and more efficient than the cows at home because they are constantly moving and grazing on fresh green pasture. I have only been to one dairy farm here so far, but I am eager to learn more about their agricultural practices. With only one week down, I have so much more left to explore and learn while I am here. I am so grateful to be able to go on this program and it has already been an unforgettable first week.
