Kia Ora! My name is Alena Flocchini, and I am a senior at UM, majoring in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science & Practice. For my Beyond the Classroom Experience, I studied abroad last spring semester in New Zealand, at the Victoria University of Wellington. During my time there, I took classes that supported my major and global theme, including learning about the how global climate change is impacting various biological habitats and how other countries are tackling sustainability issues. I also learned about the colonization of New Zealand, gaining a new perspective on how indigenous Māori communities have been historically displaced and the social, human rights, and environmental implications of that, both past and present.

The friendships I made were truly valuable and close connections that I will cherish for a long time. Most of my friends, interestingly enough, were from all over the globe and only a few actually from New Zealand. Despite that, I still did learn some fun kiwi slang (“sweet as” and “keen” are common words heard in most New Zealander’s daily convos) and Māori phrases (such as “kia ora” which means hello, and “Aotearoa” which is the native word for New Zealand in Te Reo Māori language). Being a pretty “modern” Western society, I found the social culture was pretty easy to fit into for the most part, and my friends could relate over common trends, movies, music, internet memes and the like — although there were certainly less cowboys and bear stories going around than Montana! Wellington and the university I was at both have very global populations. It was fun getting to interact with people on a daily basis from various backgrounds, both New Zealanders and internationals, and the relationships I developed really helped to broaden my view on many topics and social issues that different societies are facing today. 

Beyond my academic studies, I also had the opportunity to travel around New Zealand and explore for myself many of the diverse ecosystems and amazing landmarks the country has to offer. During my last two weeks there, I took a road trip around both the North and South islands of New Zealand, trying to squeeze every ounce of adventure that I could out of my remaining time. This was probably my favorite experience, as I got to check off a few long-time bucket-list items (like going to Hobbiton, swimming with dolphins, and seeing a real live Kiwi bird!) and travel around with a few friends. I even got to hike the famous Fox Glacier — enduring a very nerve-wracking and windy helicopter ride. The blustery wind (Wellington is known as “Windy Welly” for a reason), the extremely twisty-turny narrow roads (and driving on the opposite side of the road!), the long travel times were all made worth it by the truly amazing views and experiences. I mean, some places are just jaw-droopingly gorgeous and I had to pinch myself to believe that I was actually standing on Earth and not in some fantasy world. There’s a reason Narnia, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and so many more movies have been filmed in New Zealand!

To be honest, it was a bit of a struggle for me at the end, leaving New Zealand and all the great friends that I made. Although I was only there 4 1/2 months, the people and places I met were all so wonderful that I did not want to leave. Friends who had been strangers only months before became like family, and it was certainly a teary goodbye with which I departed on my long plane ride back to the states. Certainly, there were some rough moments for me personally, such as stressing about final exams and moments of feeling scared to be so far from my family and everything I am familiar with, but I feel that this experience has helped me gain so much more confidence in myself and prove to myself that I can be okay anywhere in the world; that there are kind people all over the world who will help you out in times of need; that sometimes you need to go beyond your comfort zone to grow; that people are just people, no matter what country or culture; and that the world is truly less foreign and scary than I thought. And I can’t wait for my next adventure!