We landed in Chennai after a couple days of flying, all tired but excited for the journey ahead (importantly, not a journey on a plane). We were greeted by a massive Indian flag in front of the airport, flapping lazily in the soupy warm South Indian air – it was our first proper look at…Continue Reading Unity in Contrasts
It has been one week since I arrived in India with 20 other New Zealand students. We’ve spent the last week exploring Pondicherry and Coimbatore and, as we travel to Mysore, I’ve taken some time to process all that I have seen so far and unpack my first impressions: 1. The chaos One of the…Continue Reading First Impressions: Chaos, Culture and Creativity in India
With all my schoolwork, I haven’t had time to update the blog; somehow, it has become the new year, and so many weeks of school have already passed! I was very nervous about my first school day in a new country. After the first week passed, I was surprised at how enjoyable the teachers and…Continue Reading New Year, New Friends, New Things to Experience!
05/01/2023 – 15/01/2023 It was an uneasy start for our journey to Mexico. After transitioning through multiple places, from Auckland → Sydney → Los Angeles → Mexico City, feeling upside down during three days of “sky life” and experiencing flight delays and baggage problems, etc., we finally arrived in Mexico. For the first week, we…Continue Reading Week 1 – Ciudad de Mexico
Culture shock: Culture shocks tend to be the things we can’t prepare for or foresee experiencing. Before embarking on the journey, I had done research and tried to keep an open mind. I roughly knew what the culture was like, the style of cuisine, and the level of poverty. I knew cows were sacred, dogs…Continue Reading Diversity and Culture shock
How long did it take you to get to India? We took: 1 shuttle taxi from Hamilton to Auckland airport, 1.5 hours 3 flights 1 bus ride from Chennai to Puducherry, 5 hours … which finally took us to Puducherry, India! It was over 45 hours of travelling since leaving Hamilton. A longer trip than expected, with…Continue Reading What my Family has Asked me Since I Arrived
(Being busy has resulted all my posts being belated, but we will pretend this was posted two weeks earlier) It is crazy to think how fast 2022 has gone by, especially as it has officially been my last year at the University of Auckland! Ending the year in Taiwan is not a bad choice. I…Continue Reading Chapter Four: Welcome 2023
Wednesday the 11th marked 7 days in Vietnam! It is so crazy to reflect on the last week and how much we managed to fit into it. Having never been this far from home before, these last few days have shifted my perspective on the world, and every moment has brought me a new experience….Continue Reading Lost in Saigon: My first week in Ho Chi Minh City!
I still had not processed that I was going to Vietnam yet, even after I got on the plane. This would be my first time living and working overseas by myself, which was exciting. The total duration to arrive at the international airport was almost a whole day, but it was fine because I enjoy…Continue Reading First Day in Vietnam
In all honesty, I feel like the older I am, the less excited I get about Christmas. However, this was the first time I would be spending it not in NZ, and away from my family. To help with the being away from home, a secret Santa was organised amongst us PMSA students in Tainan,…Continue Reading Chapter Three: Christmas (feat. concert)