This is a reflection on my 10-month exchange at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Feel free to read or pass over it as you please.
Looking at my bags packed next to my bed, it's hard to believe that in a few hours I'll be flying over the Tasman Sea. Typically in the past few months this (somewhat chaotically) organised packing would lead me to heading up to the North Island for another kiwi adventure, but this time it's my turn to say goodbye.
Now, I could veer off here into the realm of cliches, along the lines of hundreds before me who have experienced exchanges or study abroad programs and felt moved or changed by their encounters (and rightly so!). The temptation is there, but I'll try to keep my version simple, honest, and relatively cliche free (where possible).
I learned a lot about humility and generosity this year. Aside from the quakes, most of the Kiwis I met are always willing to give someone a hand when they need it; whether it's grabbing someone a beer, giving a hitch-hiker a lift, or helping fix a flat tire. Add into the mix massive national disasters, and it was quite clear that the nation was ready to help in whatever way they could - from sending baked goods down to the emergency workers and volunteers, to donating money towards organisations helping on the ground or with the households. Students dove into the uncertain situation, shovelling silt for neighbours and strangers, rallying together to try to make life a little easier for others around them. Even those who went away, like myself, were drawn in with fundraising and letting those outside the city know what kind of help was needed.
To me, Kiwis have a special kind of persistence. Living on the edge of the Pacific at the mercy of winds and fronts that change the weather almost instantly in some places, with a small population of 4.4 million means that the Kiwis have to be self-sufficient to a degree that many other countries never experience. Yes, they are still affected by the global markets and trade, but when it comes down to it, the are a small group of islands in the vast (not-so-warm-part-of-the) Pacific. After the February earthquake the catchphrase became kia kaha - stay strong. I didn't really understand its depth until a few months later, when I realised how slow the rebuild process was going to be. The paperwork and legal discussions involved in reconstruction is mind-boggling to me, with so many players seemingly caught up in their webs of conditions and obligations, slowing the process to a crawl, leaving the locals waiting for definitive answers. Communities grew stronger and were challenged by these wait times, with some members holding fast, and others deciding to pursue other opportunities elsewhere that would provide a better base and emotional/financial/physical support for them. Nonetheless, there was a quiet determination within Kiwis around the country saying "This will not beat us." This spirit of (not-so) quiet determination and faith resurfaced during the Rugby World Cup and the massive celebrations after the All Blacks' victory in the finals.
Despite the unexpectedly shaky start to my time here, there were many highlights throughout my life at the University of Canterbury and outside of academia. I'm not going to list them here; I don't think that's the point. This was one of the most flexible academic years I've ever had, and it took me a while to learn how to balance having extra time, and figuring out where it was best spent. Some days this was having a quiet day, catching up on reading (school-related or otherwise) and meeting with friends, others it was heading into the community and gardening for a few hours, or even heading off on a 4-day adventure with a group of strangers on a tour bus. It really cemented in my mind how university and life outside of the books connect, particularly in cities like Christchurch that have undergone a natural disaster where it's impossible to isolate the areas of a person's life that has been affected by the quakes.
Today, on my last afternoon here, I took my cousin on a wander around the city centre. The Cashel Street Mall re-opened around a month earlier, but I hadn't had a chance to check it out. Standing in the middle of the tram tracks where I'd last stood on February 20th (two days before the big shake) was eerie. Parking lots took the places of buildings, and familiar store names were now hanging from retrofitted shipping containers instead of traditional storefronts. The area looked good, and it's a great start for the new face of the city, but it's an indication of how far there still is to go. Walking 200m to the edge of the cordon, and peering over the fence is a huge indication of this. There are dozens of buildings waiting to be torn down or reinforced, and the gardens of some of the streets have started to grow wild among the debris around them. The city council is now running walking tours around the edge of Cathedral Square on weekends, letting everyone get a chance to see the city centre's damage firsthand. There will be no shortage of emotions on those walks; it'll be a reminder and an inspiration, bringing back the painful events but offering an area that can be turned into something new. The most important part it seems, is taking it all in, step by step, and deciding where to go next.
So, with my airport shuttle pulling into the drive, I look to Christchurch, to the rest of New Zealand, and the people I've met in the city and around the country, and say thank you. Thanks for teaching me what it means to wait, what it means to be flexible, what it means to be a backpacker, and most of all what it takes to restart.
jacobvanloon
dededos
izzy806
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