Complete and Utter Happiness Past Review

By Cydnie O (FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES/HUMAN SCIENCES., Indiana University - Bloomington) - abroad from 02/07/2013 to 07/07/2013 with

The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Wellington - Victoria University of Wellington

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

This was the most worthwhile experience of my life. I put myself in so many new and different situations that expanded my life and helped me grow so much. I left the US with anxieties and a lot of nervousness, but got to Wellington and lost all of those feelings. I found extreme happiness and a much more confident sense of self.

Review Photos

The Education Abroad Network: Wellington - Victoria University of Wellington Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	I chose different courses than i would typically take at my home university. This made it exciting to attend new classes. The work load is much different than at home. It is a little scary and intimidating for a course grade to depend only on 2 to 3 assignments and tests, but in the end it wasn't much different than at home. I had to put effort into my classes, but not enough that i had to miss ANYTHING.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	TEAN was extremely helpful in all instances! They were around any time i needed them. Just a text away! We met up with our program administration about monthly, which helped keep us on track and talk about the things we had done and wanted to do!
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived in a cute, college house. Four bedrooms, with a nice kitchen, hang out room, two bathrooms and a laundry room. Couldn't have asked for any more!
* Food:	Food was decent for the most part. I LOVED the cafes and cute little dining places all around Wellington. Food was very similar to the US, aside from the delicious fish n chips and meatpies!
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Living with a Kiwi really helped me feel like a part of the culture. I loved being able to walk around and not totally stick out all of the time. It was really important for me to feel like at home and like i fit in, in NZ, and i definitely felt like i successfully did this!
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	TEAN supplied healthcare through Vic Uni. I went to the doctor a few times with minor issues and was helped immediately, and for free!
* Safety:	I have never felt so safe in a city before! Wellington has an incredible atmosphere that really made me feel safe. I was able to walk by myself at any time of day or night without any worries!
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)	I like to eat out and try a lot of things, so i spent a lot of money on food, coffees, desserts and other things. However, if one does not want these things, it would be easy to live on $50 a week.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	Really depends on what activities i was doing that week!
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Plan out the activities you want to do ahead of time to figure out a general estimate of how much you will be spending. ***Use website like trademe.co.nz and sites like groupon that have awesome deals for sky diving and other great activites!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Other
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	The people, who became my new family. The experiences and planned activities The guidance and help from staff
* What could be improved?	I really don't think there is much to be improved! Maybe one more activity during the semester that included everyone studying in Wellington?
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I was very well informed about most things, however i was a little unprepared for the weather later in the semester (may-july).

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Outright Urbanite A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Samoan Culture
Course Department:	SAMO111
Instructor:	Sailau
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Extremely interesting course, on a subject i was very unfamiliar with. I loved going to class and meeting people from a different culture.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Photographics
Course Department:	DSDN144
Instructor:	Matt Paterson
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Challenging course. Very informative! Helped me to understand cameras and photography when i had very little knowledge on it. Very analytical photography course, but very interesting.
Credit Transfer Issues: