Auckland – Page 2 – GW Blogs from Abroad

Volcanoes, Sheep & Squirrel Food

AdminMarch 5, 2018December 14, 2018

As of today, it has officially been one week since I touched down in the City of Sails: Auckland, New Zealand. Now, a few bruises and many mosquito bites later, it seems remarkable that so much has happened over the course of 7 days. My first tramping trips, tastes of the new city and bonds with the locals and fellow international students alike happened in one large adrenaline rush.

Tramping, or hiking as I naively called it back in the States, was one of my main objectives coming to this mountainous country, and so as soon as I recovered from jet lag I set off to find a trail I could dig my teeth into. The first that came to mind was Mount Eden, a trip the locals treated with nonchalance, but for me was quite striking. Mount Eden is the highest of the almost 50 volcanoes in the Auckland area, and a mere 30 minute walk from my dorm. The hike up this startlingly green crater rewarded me with expansive views of the Auckland skyline, and the Pacific beyond. Over the 15,000 years since the volcano last erupted, the fertile mountain has given rise to leafy forest that gives travelers like me respite from the sun. Pictures don't do justice to the sheer size of the crater, but I hope the image below can give you a concept of the scenery.

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The Final Stretch

AdminFebruary 26, 2018December 14, 2018

By Nora_Wolcott

I began planning my time abroad, really planning in a realistic way, at the end of my Spring 2017 semester. By the end of September I had narrowed down my search to a specific program. These past six months I've spent my time planning every detail of my abroad experience, and after all that time I am finally one night away from my departure date. And somehow, I am suddenly just realizing how many gaps are left in my plans.

For starters, I completely forgot to take the date line into account when planning flights, putting my arrival date only a few days before the start of classes. I registered for an international health insurance plan without checking to see if it was approved by my University, leaving me to switch to a new plan just days before the start of the semester. I hadn't looked into the kind of electronic converters I needed, or what kind of entertainment material would be necessary for the grueling plane ride; for these problems I can thank Amazon Prime for saving me a very frantic airport shopping trip. I put all my belongings and suitcases in a storage unit without fully calculating how much my two small remaining suitcases would hold (thank god for expandable zippers). Also, amid all my extravagant travel plans, my research into bungee jumping and camping trips to the mountains, I neglected to focus on one thing: my schoolwork. In the midst of all this planning, somewhere along the way my actual course load at the University of Auckland was pushed aside, leaving me to scramble to print syllabi and organize schedules at the last minute.

This whole ordeal has, at the very least, been quite a learning experience. My practical learnings range from how to open a bank account in another country, to how to calculate voltage conversion, to how to contact a foreign embassy. However, it is the rather impractical that I enjoy the most: the fact that New Zealanders call flip flops "jandals" (which I first thought was some kind of denim sandal), and the correct way to say goodbye in Maori, "Nga mihi", pronounced (Nah-mihee).

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New Zealand Bucket List

AdminFebruary 23, 2018December 14, 2018

By Nora_Wolcott

As a GW Exchange student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, I’ve spent the past couple months watching my friends embark on their study abroad experiences. Reading the facebook posts, blog entries, and firsthand accounts of their travels has only solidified what I’ve known ever since I was a high schooler applying to college: studying abroad is sure to be one of the landmark moments of my college career. However, so far my 2018 has looked a little different than all of my peers abroad, in that I haven’t been abroad at all. Because New Zealand operates on a yearly schedule opposite to the USA’s, I am actually attending their fall semester, which doesn’t begin until nearly March. Consequently, I’ve spent the past few months staying in DC and working full time, saving up to ensure that this experience is the best it can be.

During my time in DC, spending my hours working in a genetics lab and dog walking, I’ve had a lot of time to think about how I want to spend my semester abroad. So, blog readers, I present to you my official New Zealand Bucket List:

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