Getting lost

I have had a wonderful first week in Wellington. I have had the experience of buying and making my own food, getting lost in the city at three in the morning, and meeting many nice Kiwis. Kiwis are people from New Zealand, the name Kiwi is not named after the fruit but the indigenous Kiwi bird that can be found only in New Zealand. This week was all about getting acclimated to my new environment and learning how to get around everywhere, which was not easy. The amount of times I got lost can be counted on more than one hand, but each time I got lost it was a learning experience. My campus is also on top of a huge hill so walking back to campus from the city is always a huge hike. The only way I can get back to campus is by taking a huge steep flight of stairs, and then walking up another steep hill. I was not used to being in a big city after growing up in a small town, going to school in a small town, and New Paltz being a small campus.

I had the pleasure of meeting many nice Kiwis. They have been very accommodating to me with helping me know my way around the city and giving me tips in places to check out. I never been in an area where majority of the people saw me as unique because I was an international student who has never been to New Zealand. They are always interested in knowing what my life in The United States is like, and how it compares to New Zealand. When I mention that grandmother came from they see me as a Kiwi with having New Zealand heritage.

My first week has been a big adjustment for me with having to make my own food and using different measurements, such as the usage of the metric system here in New Zealand. I still have no idea what the weather will be like when it is measured in Celsius. Whenever I have to describe the weather to a Kiwi person I always have to say in Fahrenheit at the end. Another adjustment is when I excercise at the gym and all of the weights are in kilograms, so I had no idea how much I was lifting. It is nice with making my own food I can choose what I want to eat, but it is difficult encouraging myself to cook when all I want to sleep after a long day of exploring the city. Despite this being a challenge it is good for me because it will help me in the future when I am living on my own, and I can become more confident in my cooking.IMG_0100 This is Oriental Bay where I got to swim at the beach. It is summer here, so it totally beats the snowy winter back at home.

IMG_0089 This is the view of the city I have from my bedroom window totally worth walking up all those stairs it can’t get any better than this.

My name is Ethan Fogg and I am junior who is double majoring in Sociology and Black Studies. I hope to meet and learn more about my Kiwi family in New Zealand, and study race relations in New Zealand too.

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