Living in New Zealand last summer was the most incredible and adventurous experience of my life. New Zealanders, or "Kiwis" as they call themselves, will reassure you with 'No worries!' and bid you farewell with 'Cheers, mate!'

If you're a 'Flight of the Concords' fan, you may have been charmed by Kiwi personalities, Bret and Jermaine. New Zealanders are just as fun, kind and enchanting in real life.

Kiwis love the outdoors and extreme sports. I went skydiving and bungee jumping - two things I never thought I'd do. I went 'zorbing' where I was strapped to the inside of a giant inflatable ball and rolled down a hill. Another unique adventure was a 'skywire' ride, where a zip line propelled me in a harnessed chair through a scenic gorge.

Living in Wellington was my favorite part of studying abroad. My apartment was located in the heart of the entertainment district. At night the streets filled with partygoers and an incredible urban energy.

I shared my apartment with three other interns from different places in the U.S. The balcony of our 'flat' had views of the harbor, lively streets and surrounding hillside communities.

I was a short walk from the pier, a grocery store, restaurants and shopping. Wellington became my home in New Zealand. I was so comfortable getting around the city and considered myself a local by the end of my stay.

I traveled about every other weekend and was able to see a lot of the country.  My fellow U.S. interns and I traveled inexpensively by renting cars and staying at hostels and holiday homes.

New Zealand is about the size of Colorado and has a population of about 4.2 million - around the size of Metro Detroit. The country's wide-range of geography includes glaciers, plains, hillsides, mountain ranges, volcanic activity and beach coastlines.

In New Zealand, the Internet is slow and basic cable included 10 TV channels. While it took some getting used to, I was grateful to be less reliant on technology. Most buildings are without a central heating system and laundry dryers are inefficient. I had to allow two days for my clothes to air dry.

While living in New Zealand required small adjustments, it was very similar to life in the U.S. Since it's an English-speaking country, communication was very easy.

My study abroad experience was working as an editorial intern for a community newspaper in Wellington. The greatest part of the job was meeting Kiwi people and learning about their way of life.

Besides the occasional 'accent-barrier' and adapting to the British writing style (i.e., colour instead of color), writing abroad was easier than I expected.

Australearn is an organization that connects college students to internships in Australia and New Zealand. Australearn and the study abroad program work together to match CMU students to internships in the Asia-Pacific.

CMU study abroad also offers semesters abroad at University of Otago in Dunedin, NZ and Cambridge University in Christchruch, NZ. I cannot imagine my life without my study abroad experience.

If you are thinking about studying abroad, my advice is to go for it.

The application deadline for fall term and internships is Feb. 28. For further information, visit http://www.cmich.edu/study_abroad.htm.

Photo by Colleen O'Brien

By Colleen O'Brien

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