I sat on the edge of
the plane struggling to breathe. The
freezing air was whipping in my face and the sheer terror of what I was about
to do was finally beginning to sink in.
Then, I was falling, hurtling through space with my eyes wide open. I
could see the cerulean ocean, majestic mountains, patches of farms and blue
lakes. When I sent in my application for Go Global I never anticipated seeing
the world from such a unique perspective.
This is a story of how my exchange to New Zealand opened my eyes.
I was drawn to two little islands at the bottom of the Earth
because of the outdoor opportunities, the kiwi accent, and an intangible voice
that reached into my heart and insisted, “Pick me!” I chose to live in Christchurch, the largest
urban center on the South Island because it was centrally located for
travelling and because I was interested in how the city was recovering from two
massive earthquakes. I was intrigued by
stories of resilience.
On February 22, 2011 at 12:51pm a magnitude 6.3 earthquake
struck Christchurch. Over 180 people
died and much of the city’s infrastructure was destroyed. During my first week in New Zealand I visited
Sumner, an oceanfront suburb of Christchurch severely affected by the
earthquake. On top of the cliffs I could
see houses ripped in half, rooms and furniture taken down with the crumbling
hills. While exploring the city center I
could feel an eerie silence filling empty lots of demolished buildings. Shipping
containers held up buildings that were still collapsing. In the residential red zone, remnants of
family life lay scattered across ten thousand empty houses.
Despite the destruction, the people of Christchurch
demonstrated courage and resourcefulness. The University of Canterbury (where I
studied abroad) is home to the world-famous Student Volunteer Army which
mobilized thousands of students after the earthquakes to contribute to non-life
threatening relief work. A call center
was set up and students shovelled tonnes of silt caused by liquefaction. I took an inspiring class at UC called
Christchurch 101 based around service learning.
We learned what kind of service is helpful, and our end of term project
was establishing a community garden in a local neighbourhood.
Living in Christchurch taught me that a sense of community
can be found in the most unlikely of places.
While attending a world music choir concert, I was spontaneously invited
to a poetry slam. In the sleepy suburb
of New Brighton, everything was closed on a Saturday night except for a café
teeming with 80 ukulele players jamming to old classics. One evening, after chatting with me for half
an hour, a lovely older couple invited me to see their baby goats in the spring.
I am moved by the generosity and kindness pervasive in New
Zealand. This country is probably one of
the last places on Earth where you can hitchhike. The airport loudspeaker warns you to not let
your children play on the escalator. So
many people I met expressed a reverence for the outdoors and an environmental
consciousness.
I spent the last two months of my trip travelling around
both islands. It was during this time
that I decided to go skydiving. I found
myself continually stunned by magnificent landscapes. I hiked in an active volcano zone. I jumped into frigid cold waterfalls. I went eel fishing. But despite all of these adventures, the
lessons of community and resilience I learned while living in Christchurch continue
to resonate. Living in a city struggling
to find its pulse was difficult at times, but taught me about myself and about
life.
The impacts of Go Global are far-reaching - I value certain
things in Canada more, I want to travel more, my concept of education has
widened, and I developed strong friendships. Whether you are contemplating travelling
to a new country for a while, or sitting on the edge of a plane, I hope you keep
your eyes open as you leap head first into a new adventure.
