Lauren Lalonde
Spanish
University of Otago, Spring 2019
I’m sure most of you know by now, but if you don’t…surprise I’m in New Zealand! I arrived on Friday (well, actually Thursday if you are in the U.S.), and will be here until the end of June studying at the University of Otago in Dunedin.
So I could go on about how great New Zealand has been so far, how beautiful the city is, my daily views of mountains, and how happy I am that I chose to be here blah blah blah. BUT, I think you all already know that and would forget what I wrote 5 minutes after reading it. So instead, I am going to tell you a story about the first person I met in New Zealand and how it made the beginning of my semester all the more interesting.
The story begins as I am waiting on standby for a flight from Auckland to Dunedin (my original layover in Auckland was 14 hours, and after over 24 hours of traveling I was trying to get on the soonest flight to Dunedin). I anxiously waited as everyone that already had their ticket poured onto the plane, and thought in my head as every straggler approached the gate “there can’t possibly be more room on this plane, there’s no way I’m getting on it.” Much to my surprise, right before they shut the gate they called my name and I boarded minutes before takeoff.
The beginning of the flight was rather uneventful, but then I got a little tap on the shoulder as my next-door neighbor asked if I could let him out so he could use the restroom. Once he got back, we struck up a conversation and I came to find out that this man is from New York but has been living in Dunedin for 40+ years, and was actually on my previous flight as well! Within 5 minutes of us talking, he asked me if I had a ride to my flat from the airport. Now, I know what you are all thinking. “Lauren, you’re not supposed to accept rides from strangers.” But, sometimes you just have to trust your gut, and I had a feeling that this retired professor in a Hawaiian shirt and Birkenstocks with long gray hair was probably not a serial killer.
So anyway, long story short I accepted his offer since my original transportation plan was messed up anyway due to me changing flights. And I’m so glad I did. We got off the plane and he walked over to his friends car and said “we have a damsel in distress.” He didn’t have to say another word before his friend started packing my bags into the car.
That car ride is probably the best way I could’ve seen Dunedin for the first time. They drove me all through the countryside where I saw farms, mountains, cow underpasses, the people “playing farm” on their 10 acre lots with two horses and three sheep (as Joe and Jonathan like to say), and we even stopped at a lookout point so I could catch a beautiful view.
Throughout the plane and car ride Joe shared with me some amazing tips about Dunedin, ranging from where to buy the cheapest veggies to where the most popular student bar in town is. He taught me more about the city in a few hours than I have learned in the days that I have been here so far.
I felt like one of the other New Zealand students moving in with their parents before orientation week, and it was honestly pretty comforting. They took me to pick up my keys, carried all of my luggage for me, and made sure I had everything I needed. Joe and his wife also invited my flatmates and I over for a home cooked meal whenever we want, which really completed the whole adopted child vibe I was feeling. My dad always told me to “never eat spinach with a stranger” growing up, but I feel like Joe and I aren’t strangers anymore…right?
So if this story didn’t make it obvious, I have really enjoyed my first few days here in New Zealand. The people have been extremely friendly, the nature gorgeous, and the city captivating. Hopefully, this story can help restore a bit of your faith in the good of humans that we don’t always hear about.
Oh, the places you will go! But more importantly – Oh, the strangers you will meet!
Thanks for reading friends.
Categories: Australia/New Zealand, Department of Spanish, Arrival, Cooking, Eating, Forming new relationships, Getting around, New setting, Overcoming challenges, Spring.