Emerson Kane
Overall Experience
It was so amazing to live and go to school in New Zealand for the last five months. I had never lived outside of the Midwest, and it was exciting to venture out to a place I had never been. The school was much smaller than Iowa State, but the community was very vibrant. I befriended many people from across the world, and many people from New Zealand. I hope to keep these friendships and meet with them again someday. The classes were very interesting and included some cool field trips across the county. I was able to do well in my classes and still able to travel around with friends to see the country. I learned a lot of new information that I think will be helpful in my degree at Iowa State.
Learning experience
The most valuable experience I learned was how to be comfortable in a new environment. I am an extrovert, but I still struggle sometimes when I need to meet and talk with new people. The opportunity to study abroad gave me the opportunity to really see how important it is to reach out to others. You can't always sit back and wait for others to come to you, so you must help yourself get involved. On my first day, I went out on my own and began talking to this group of people at an orientation event. These people became my friend group for the whole semester. We continued to reach out and made more connections between this group of people and others on campus. I was the one who was always inviting new people to join us on our hangouts, which was very impactful and a great way to learn about what is happening in the rest of the world. I am no longer nervous about meeting new people or conversing in new environments. After my semester ended, I continued to travel and went to Japan to visit some of the Iowa State friends I have made over the last few years. Traveling to these different countries has given me some new skills that will be helpful as I continue to work on my Event Planning.
Memorable experience
One of my most memorable experiences was traveling to Auckland with my new friends during our one-week semester break. During this break, we had a chance to tour the movie set where The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were filmed. My trip to New Zealand was the first time I watched these movies. It was so exciting to see these places and experience the legends firsthand. This was one of my favorite experiences because our group decided to dress up in costumes for our tour. We bought long black curly wigs and cut them to make them short, made a cape, and even had elf ears. This is the type of thing I love doing back at Iowa State, so finding people to do this with in New Zealand was great. It was a good experience; our tour guide complimented us on our outfits. We were not the most authentic, but the costumes were fun, and that's all that matters to us. This experience was amazing because it allowed me to truly be myself and take tourist exploration to a new level.
What did you not expect?
The University had us fill out a questionnaire before we arrived so they could match us with flatmates based on the information we provided. Throughout the semester, my flatmates and I never really bonded as I had hoped. At Iowa State, whenever I had a random roommate, I was always able to form a bond with them, so it was a shocker for me when we didn't connect easily because we had shared interests. It seemed like we all did our own thing and didn't really communicate much until we needed to. This experience with my flatmates helped me learn to stick up for myself more, and also taught me that just because you don't talk a lot doesn't necessarily mean that there are problems. I found that my flatmates were still very nice people, even though we didn't have that strong connection. This is an important lesson to learn in your professional life. There may be times when you may not have a close connection with everyone you work with and may not talk constantly to everyone, but you can be able to work together to get things done.
What advice would you give?
My advice is not to spend your whole semester only focusing on the classes. Take the time to do some exploring in the area around you. When you return home to Iowa State, you'll have the time to take more classes and get wrapped up in your schoolwork. In a place like New Zealand, you should take time to explore, even if it can sometimes interfere with your schoolwork. I remember going on a weekend trip the same week two essays were due. I could've stayed home and only focused on the essays, but then I would've missed out on a fantastic weekend experience with my new friends. Throughout the semester, I understood the importance of completing papers and getting good grades, but I also realized I may not get an opportunity like this to be in New Zealand for about 5 months again. While studying abroad, treat everything like you'll never be able to do it again. Try the new experiences, go to the new places, because who knows what it will be like the next time you return. Of course, you should worry about money, but when it comes down to it, you should enjoy your semester abroad. Don't spend your whole time focusing on schoolwork; you'll miss everything in front of you. I met people who didn't go on trips and didn't enjoy themselves because they were so worried about getting the perfect grade. Doing well in school is important, but part of studying abroad is exploring your living environment. Make sure to find that balance between schoolwork and fun. Enjoy yourself because you may not get another experience like this again in your lifetime. Do not make the classwork your sole focus if you study abroad; concentrate on education, but also make sure that you're experiencing whatever the country you're in has to offer.
How has this experience impacted your life?
This experience has allowed me to learn more about my identity. I have lived in the Midwest my whole life, so living in another country for an entire semester allowed me to experience different foods and cultures. It also allowed me to be more independent as I couldn't rely on my family as much because I was so far away. This experience also helped to reinforce my interests in tourism, which was the majority of the classes I took, and makes me want to focus on a career outside of the US after graduation.
How did you learn about this experience?
I first learned about this international opportunity because at the end of freshmen year, I was able to do a three-week study abroad program in France to learn about cathedrals, art, and history. It was through this experience that I learned more about educational opportunities around the world. I was able to use some of my experiences from this program to help me choose the opportunity in New Zealand. I realized that the community I chose with the University of Otago would be something I would enjoy.
International Connections