Arcadia offers the option for its students to write a CLC, or co-curricular learning certificate. This is merely proof of my experience abroad that would be useful in future job interviews. Seeing as I only have 2 days left in this glorious country, I thought I would share my CLC with everyone.
Independence
A mere seven months ago, I rang my mom excitedly. "Guess what?" I asked her."I'm going to New Zealand! I had applied only a few weeks prior and decided to study abroad only a couple weeks before that. Everything happened so fast; my nursing major courses are hard to replicate elsewhere and many of my nursing classmates never have the opportunity to study in another country. I have, however, wanted to study abroad since I was twelve years old and I wasn't going to let the possibility of taking summer courses later ruin my dreams now.
As I started packing my bags in June, my nervousness set in. Was I really going to be living in another country, away from my family and friends for four and a half months? I haven't ever been apart for them for so long and have never been this far from home. Did I make the decision to leave too quickly? Should I really be doing this? But that's just silly. Why am I second-guessing this dream? My main fears, however, sprung from my life-long battle with being shy. What if I didn't make friends? Will I get along with my flat mates? The new level of independence I would need to survive in New Zealand terrified me.
When I arrived in Dunedin, I had to become independent immediately. Never before had I needed to figure out so many things on my own: where to buy groceries or clothes or shampoo, where to pay for my linen pack, how to stay warm in the freezing, non-insulated flat, how to open a bank account. I would have to, for the first time, cook for myself every day. For about a week I remained terrified. I felt small and lonely.
A few weeks after moving in, I received letters of support from home, full of love and words of encouragement and, most importantly, recipes. Cooking became easy and even enjoyable. I've made myself some dishes I maybe never would have attempted before and know that I can always just eat some Cadbury chocolate if it doesn't turn out.
One of my flat mates and I worked out a routine; he cooks and I clean about five times a week. We shop together every Wednesday and share the cost of a taxi home when we need to buy potatoes. Over the course of the semester, my confidence and self-help skills continued to blossom. I figured out what to do when I locked myself out of my room. Twice. I managed to take the bus and get off at the right stop. I planned a trip to Milford Sound, found my favorite study spots in the library, and was able to get a hold of a violin to play for the semester and found a trio with which to perform.I took bone carving, flax weaving, and paua jewelry classes with Kiwis and other international students. I leaned about New Zealand, its culture and its people.
Suddenly, my fears disappeared. Dunedin began to feel comfortable, like a real home, and I realized that I have become an independent woman like I never was before. My new-found independence is enlightening, invigorating, and empowering. I have a faith in myself that, before living in New Zealand, I had a hard time finding. I'm confident that I can make the most out of any situation, occupy myself, study hard, and make friends. Now that I have been forced to figure out life on my own, apart from all of the people I love, I know that life at home will be different. No longer will I feel the need to run my plans by someone before I do them; it's up to me to live my life the way I want to. I will no longer be defined by what others think but rather by who I want to be.
