Submitted by Olivia Boon on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Communication…
This study abroad program has heightened my awareness of my happiness in many ways. I am taking a course in happiness and wellbeing and learning skills to improve my quality of life. Being in New Zealand in the summer promotes happiness, also. The warm climate, tropical environment, and relaxed people provide such a stark contrast to the winter my peers and I left behind on the east coast. The happiness activities we have done as a group have also been life altering.
The most impactful experience I have had so far has been the Twilight Cultural Footprints Tour of Waipoua Forest. My peers and I were led by a Maori guide, Billy Boy. Billy taught us about the importance of the kauri trees and told origin stories about New Zealand. This was accompanied by incredibly moving, traditional Maori song.
The native Maori people consider kauri trees sacred because they are a part of nature, but also because they can grow for thousands of years. We were shown the two largest existing kauri trees. The largest kauri tree is also the third largest tree in the entire world. The second tree was a staggering 3,500 years old. They both exuded such a strong energy and feeling of greater purpose.
This night reminded me that there are issues in the world greater than my own. It also grounded me back in nature. The presence of something so large and ancient reminded me that there are forces in this world beyond those that we see every day. I was so moved to see such a special creation of nature.
Besides my spiritual twilight walk, I have experienced happiness by practicing journaling. As part of our Happiness and Well-being course, my class was tasked with a Happiness Project. This is supposed to be a ten-minute activity practiced every day for the duration of the study abroad program. I chose to journal every day as my happiness practice.
Journaling does not have the same “wow” factor as seeing a 3,500-year-old tree. But, it has a long-term payoff. Through daily journaling, I have been able to reflect on all of my experiences. This has been valuable because so much happens every day. Recording all of my adventures also ensures I will remember them later on. I never want to forget all of the places I have seen and people I have met.
There is such an overload of information when traveling, that I have found it easier to digest my experiences by writing them down. I do not have time during the day to think about what I am feeling and the greater meaning behind my thoughts. It is therapeutic and gratifying to get these thoughts out of my head.
After this program, I want to continue this practice. It is a good way to reflect on my behavior and the events of the day. It is valuable when going through the stimuli of travel, but also during routine life. It is a way to work on myself and think about where I want to go.
