Let The Adventure Begin

Dear Reader,

Today was officially my first day as a New Zealand student! And yet, I’ve learned so many new things prior to the first day of class. The most obvious thing is the new slang that Kiwis use. It’s true that New Zealand is an english speaking country, but the combination of their accents and heavy use of slang makes it extremely difficult to understand people sometimes. Here’s a short list of new slang words I’ve picked up on:

skux- good looking, cool
kux (opposite of skux)- something lame
chur- cheers
sweet as- all good
lollies- candy
togs- swimsuit
wop wops- the country side
mean- awesome
choice- awesome
keen- eager to do something
dag- someone who is funny
my shout- I’ll buy you something
buggered- exhausted
fizzy drink- pop
dairy- convenient store
spin a yarn- have a conversation

I give credit to those who study abroad in a country that speaks a different language because understanding people here is difficult—and it’s still english!

In my short time here I’ve also met so many new people. I can now say I have friends from California, Oregon, South Dakota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, England, Holland, and New Zealand. It’s really interesting to talk with all these people and learn what it’s like in different parts of the world. And even though we’ve only known each other for a little over a week, it feels like we’ve been friends for much longer. All of us have the same mindset; travel all over New Zealand! We’ve already started planning weekend trips around the country.

Not only are the people cool, but the campus is beautiful. Massey is located right next to the town of Palmerston North. This provides students with lots of things to do; in town you can eat at unique restaurants and go shopping while the campus provides nature walks and open spaces for sports. The weather right now is in the 50s and rainy (it’s the middle of winter here in New Zealand), but everything is green and full of life. Surrounding the campus are sheep and dairy farms that climb up green, hilly pastures. Many of the local Kiwis claim that Massey and Palmerston North are boring areas, but I think it is awesome here. I can’t wait to see the more “exciting” parts of New Zealand.

Another thing I’ve learned is that rugby is a HUGE deal here in New Zealand. There are so many different regional and national rugby teams that it seems like there is always a game to watch. The biggest and most popular team is the All-Blacks. All the shopping centers in town have either posters, rugby balls, or bobble heads with the team name on them. They have a big game coming up in August versus their rivals Australia and of course I had to get tickets. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures to share the experience.

In between all the adventures though, school is still in session. That means attending lectures and discussions and studying in the library when necessary. Right now I have four classes: Rich World, Poor World, Animals and Human Society, Sociology of the Environment, and Equine (Horse) Production. I predict these classes will be a bit different from what I’m used to in Madison, but the subject matter will be so interesting. So now as I finish writing this post, I will have to get ready for bed a bit early- after all it is a school night.

Cheers,

Scott