It has been a rough 8 hours coming back to Hawaii but I am happy to be home!! In the first week, I have felt this so called reverse culture shock. For one thing, I got out of winter and arrived to Hawaii's hot and humid summer which was a huge shock. But what was most shocking was the traffic back here. On the bright side, I missed my family and friends so much and have since been hanging out with them. Before I sign off one last time, let me give you ten tips on what you should know before you study abroad.
1. Bring a raincoat/winter jacket with you. Personally, I easily get cold but the winters there are much colder than Hawaii. On top of that, if you do travel to the South Island or North of Auckland during the winter season, bring some gloves, warm socks and a hat to keep yourself cozy. 2. The easiest place to create your bank account is at the ASB in the OGGB (Business) building at Uni. Many banks don't take you in unless your staying there for at least a year on your visa but this was the only location that did. 3. If you are curious to see what the final exams will be like before taking your class, here is the website that will show you exams from previous years so you can gauge what you will learn and the difficulty. https://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/exam-papers/ 4. If you would like to see reviews for certain classes, here is the website link for that. Please note that some of the reviews may be outdated, bias or just poking fun at that class so its up to your judgement to determine what information is useful. http://www.studentcoursereview.co.nz/q/new-zealand/university-of-auckland 5. Take advantage of the free gym classes! 6. Don't be afraid to meet people! Make friends on your floor, utilize the study abroad facebook pages and go to lots of events! 7. TAKE THE KAPA HAKA CLASS!!! I promise you that this class that is once a week for three hours was memorable, fun and a unique learning experience. 8. Bring photos from home to decorate your room and buy a plant that you won't kill. It'll make your room a much more brighter and happier place to study in. 9. This is an obvious tip but please be careful when crossing. I've watched so many people jaywalk when its so unnecessary and cars that may not always be aware when you're crossing. 10. DRIVING. So my take on this is that when I first arrived here, the UOA study abroad coordinator gave a story about how a study abroad student and her family died when she drove on the wrong side of the road and collided with another car. That was enough for me to not want to touch the steering wheel. Unless you are very confident with your driving skills and can remember to stay on the left side of the road, I personally would not recommend driving here and especially in the city. Your safety is more important above anything else. Having said that, I hope you guys enjoyed reading my blog! If you ever get a chance, I would recommend studying abroad in New Zealand. Not only was it very different but it reminded me of home a little bit! Overall, I felt safe being in New Zealand and the professors at UOA were top notch!! Cheers! Melissa
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July 2019
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