Well I have arrived and settled into my dorm at my home for the remainder of my time in New Zealand!!
Tawa 8 – Massey University – Palmerston North – New Zealand
What I really like about this campus is that it is open and very green. There are trees and plants spread all throughout. There are hiking trails and picnic tables set up everywhere and there is even a pond with some swans.
Three other students from my TEAN family came with me to this Uni, which is nice to not have to be alone after saying goodbye to the rest of the group.
This first week on campus was crazy busy. It’s O’ Week (orientation week) and has been packed with people moving in throughout the entire week, general orientation sessions about the university, and about getting to know our fellow students (domestic and international). There were a few cool activities that I participated in throughout the week, such as:
- Visiting the Windmill Farm.
On the day of arrival, Massey took all the international students up onto the top of a mountain which has a lot of windmills. They are pretty popular in the area, spreading wide throughout the tops of the mountains. Each windmill can generate enough energy to power 1,000 homes. Wow! It’s nice to know that I’m living in another green country 🙂
- Checking out the Dairy Unit and Sheep Farm.
I learned that Massey University in Palmerston North is the only Veterinary School in all of New Zealand! In fact it’s one of few throughout the Pacific Islands so students from all over the Pacific (and the World!) come here to study! As part of our orientation in the first few days, the new students were taken to both a Dairy Unit and a Sheep Farm that were both owned by Massey. Being on the dairy farm reminded me a lot of home, and it felt nice to get that little comfort being surrounded by the cows.
- Toga Party and Paint Party.
During our ‘O’ Week, the student government here on campus arranged several fun outings for the students to mix and mingle. Two of them that I attended were a Toga Party and a Paint Party. Both events took place in the city (which is about three miles from the school). The Toga Party also included a concert with Savage!
- Burger Fuel.
At some point I heard this place had the best burgers in New Zealand, so I had to go and try it! Each burger is freshly prepared so you can get it ordered to your liking and have the choice of removing some ingredients if you don’t want them. They also have some pretty interesting names for their burgers: Bio Fuel, Peanut Piston, Ford Freakout, Bastard, Burnout, Beetnik GT, Bambina, and many more. For my first Burger Fuel experience I went with the Ford Freakout, which contained beef, bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, relish, and their fresh natural aioli sauce. The burger was delicious!
[Edit note: Burger Fuel is great! However, the best burger in New Zealand is easily Fergburger]
Classes
I’ve already had my first week of classes and they seem like they won’t be too bad. I’m really looking forward to my two Psychology classes (Sports Psychology and Memory & Cognition). My third class will fill a Gen. Ed. requirement I have back home. I’m not one for much reading but hopefully through my Contemporary Literature of Aotearoa New Zealand class I can learn a little more about New Zealand.
I’ve only been in New Zealand for about three weeks now – and I can honestly say I’m completely in love with this country! I’ve really only explored the Palmy city area and the Manawatu Gorge.
I really can’t wait to start traveling around the country a bit more, see the incredible landscape, experience some extreme outdoor activities, and check out a few Lord of the Rings filming sites!
The next place on my list to check out is the Wellington, New Zealand aka the Windy City! There I’ll get to catch up with a few fellow TEAN’ers and see how they’ve been.
‘Til next time! -Brad
Emerson Was Right 