Hey Western!
I’m currently on exchange at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand and am without a doubt having the best five months of my life. New Zealand is an amazing country, and I am constantly in awe of its beauty everywhere I go. My time here has almost come to an end, and as sad as I am to leave, I know I am going home with so many amazing experiences and memories to look back on.
In terms of the University and the student life, I really did not find it difficult to adjust and found it really similar to Western in terms of class sizes, lecture formats, etc. – I even had a Canadian professor for one course! The students make up a fifth of the population of Dunedin so the city is really catered to us which is great. The Kiwis (New Zealanders) are AWESOME people. They are so friendly and welcoming that I honestly think it would be hard not to feel comfortable here!
Although I’m obviously here for a semester of school, I’ve still managed to do lots of travelling on weekends all over New Zealand and also spent a week in Australia during the mid-semester break. I’ve realized that despite the country’s small size, there really is so much to do and no way to do it all in such a short time!
A few words of advice:
- Prepare yourself for a tough first few days – arriving in a totally new country is difficult, and you’ll probably wonder what you’ve got yourself into, but give yourself time. It gets better quickly, trust me!
- Put yourself out there and meet new people by going to the International Orientation events – remember that everyone is in the same position as you are.
- Challenge yourself to try new things because they make for some of the best memories – for me it was bungee jumping and running my first half marathon, both of which are definitely highlights of my time here.
If you have any questions about anything please don’t hesitate to contact me – I’d love to talk to you about it.
Jenna Small
BMOS & Psychology IV
University of Otago – New Zealand
jsmall6@uwo.ca
