Rejoice! The next shipment of exchange students has arrived in Ōtepoti. Filling the UniFlat beds of those who conquered the city before them, this group has got a lot to live up to.
Being heavily involved with Otago University’s outdoor clubs, I find myself widely intertwined with the international student community. It wasn’t long ago that I was meeting the last crop of exchange students, many of whom I grew to love dearly.
Grades are an afterthought for many of these students. Their home universities often only record whether they pass or fail their papers abroad, meaning they have far more time to venture across the motu. Knowing little about New Zealand beyond from our immaculate natural landscapes, they come sprinting off the plane begging for a ride to Milford Sound in search of Lorde herself and Lord of the Rings locations. One of the biggest fears for exchange students is only meeting other exchange students during their time abroad. As a result, being a Kiwi makes you instantly more interesting than most.
When arriving at my friend’s party last sem – mostly filled with international students – I was prepared to b-line it through the crowd until I bumped into someone I knew. Shock! Horror! The second I opened the door, this guy pulled a full 180, abandoning his post mid-game of Rage Cage to greet me in his chippy American accent. “What’s your name? Where are you from?” he said. When I told him I was from Auckland, he replied with a sentence I never thought I’d hear in Dunedin: “Wow! You’re from Auckland! I’ve never met anyone from there. What’s it like?” The adjectives perplexed, baffled, and flabbergasted combined still fail to capture the expression on my face.
I never feel more patriotic than when I am talking to an international student. Suddenly, I’m the representative of the entire nation. It is an absolute honour to share this town with such a wonderful bunch of frothers, acting like a tour guide, and dishing out recommendations for how to spend their limited time here. It feels like recommending your friend a TV Show – except they actually watch it.
But speedrunning life also means speedrunning final few weeks of the semester. A strange period of mourning begins as people savour every last moment they have abroad. But it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.
Exchange students have taught me to say yes more, widened my worldview, and pushed me outside my comfort zone. It’s always worth joining them on their leisure-maxxing exploits. And hey, now I’ve always got a couch to surf when it’s time for my Euro Summer – and you could too.
Recommendations:
Here’s some advice for the new lot of exchange students taking on Ōtepoti this semester.
- Join clubs (duh). Especially one of the outdoor clubs if you are wanting to see some nature and make some friends
- Be a yes man. Go to a gig or event. Find your scene.
- Explore Ōtepoti. It’s easy to underestimate little ol’ Dunedin, especially if you’re coming from a big city. But we’ve got the highest amount of awesomeness per capita in the country (in my opinion).
- Befriend someone with a vehicle. But also, be careful of these roads – especially if you’re not used to driving on the left side of the road.
- Go to Te Oraka or UniPol. They’ve got cheap bikes to buy or rent if you’re looking for a way to get around town.
- Many international students weigh up going to the North Island during their limited time abroad. As an unbiased Aucklander, I’d say go for it – especially if you don’t think you’ll come back to Aotearoa. You can probably give it a miss if you know you’ll be back sometime soon.
- I know UniFlats kicks you out after exams, but stick around NZ for as long as possible. Whether that’s through a road trip or crashing at a friend's place.
Enjoy your time in this beautiful country. You won’t be able to do everything, but you’ll sure get close.
Smell ya later alligator.
