Kyle Bawot

Almost five months of my life spent in New Zealand are now behind and what do I have show for it? I could catalogue my time in New Zealand with a laundry list of places visited and experiences had, but that would be boring for me. Instead, I am going to try to explain lessons I’ve learned.

The purpose of this post is not to reflect on my overall abroad experience—which I will do soon—but, it is to address a realization that I have come to thanks to a friendly customs agent in LAX.

Queenstown is not a place you want to miss when in NZ. Sitting adjacent to beautiful Lake Wakatipu and framed by the Southern Alps, Queenstown has the charm of a small European alpine village.

This Australia-New Zealand rivalry reminds me of the US-Canada rivalry. The difference is, New Zealand has more to offer then French people and hockey.

I’m officially done with classes and now beginning my final exams. I had a few free weeks—“study” weeks—between the end of classes and my first final, so a couple friends and me decided to hop across the Tasman Sea and see Sydney.

However, none that I’ve seen yet are driven by as much tradition and emotion as the All Black’s Haka. A traditional battle dance, the Maori warriors performed their Haka before their enemy both to show respect acknowledging that those who stand before them are worthy opponents, and to throw down a challenge.

Caught on film - The cutest thing to ever be outside my bedroom window

A tsunami warning has been issued for the Pacific islands that surround the island of Samoa, which just had an earthquake rating a whopping 7.9 on the Richter scale (topping New Zealand’s a few weeks ago). It is not known yet if any tsunami waves had been generated, but a 7.9 has the potential to create a mountainous tsunami.