For Frodo and Sam, the two adventurous hobbits in the New Line Cinema adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, the New Zealand landscape served as the backdrop for their epic quest.
For Beth Cohen '14, New Zealand became the setting of her own adventure, filled with new experiences and exciting opportunities.
The small Pacific island country served as Cohen's escape from the rigor of Brandeis University's pre-med program and a chance for her to embrace her love of the wild outdoors. Renowned for its stunning landscapes and undeveloped terrain, New Zealand offers opportunities for explorers of all kinds to enjoy the natural setting.
Avoiding the fickle New England weather and disastrous superstorm Sandy, Beth Cohen spent the fall 2012 semester studying abroad in the agreeable New Zealand climate at the Victoria University of Wellington. Located at the southwestern tip of the North Island, the capital city of Wellington allowed Cohen to experience one of the few urban areas in the country, while also enjoying the rural areas that make up most of the landscape.
On July 16, after four days of orientation, Cohen began her four-month dive into the New Zealand curriculum. During her stay at VUW, Cohen lived with four students native to New Zealand in student apartments known as flats. She said that living with people familiar with the culture was "definitely a big help, because there would be things we would learn in class, or that we would hear on the streets, and references about the culture that I wouldn't understand ... and they would help explain it to me."
On an average weekday, Cohen would wake up at 8 a.m. and walk up a large hill to the campus, where she would have class from 9 a.m. until noon. Her courses included a marine biology and environment class, which she said "focused on New Zealand's perspective on environmental science." After her classes finished for the day, she would generally find her way to the Wellington Botanic Garden, hang out with her four New Zealand native flatmates or spend time with the other American students participating in the program. "It was pretty similar to my life at Brandeis, just less going on," she said.
Cohen explained that "most of what I did there was just spend time outside. You go there and go hiking, kayaking and swimming." Her favorite place to explore was Cape Reinga, located at the northernmost tip of the islands where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. "You see these two water bodies colliding and there's a cliff that is supposed to be spiritual for the Maori people," she said. The Maoris, people indigenous to New Zealand, consider this spot to be the place of final departure for their spirit.
Because the seasons are opposite of those in North America, Cohen had her spring break in August and she spent two weeks helping out on a New Zealand farm near Hawke's Bay. After an exciting first day, during which the farmer she was working for managed to get his fingers "stuck in a lawn mower," Cohen was able to focus on getting hands-on experience with New Zealand farming.
She was also able to get involved with the agriculture of Australia after her final exams. "I was done with finals on Halloween, and I didn't really want to come home and sit for three months before Brandeis started," she said. After two extra weeks in New Zealand, which she spent "hanging out and hiking," she traveled to a region known as Queensland, Australia where she worked on an organic farm.
She arrived at the farm at the beginning of their summer, when temperatures "reached about 105 degrees every day." In order to avoid the heat, she woke up early enough to begin the day's work at 6:30 a.m. Her duties included milking the cow, which, she admits, was more difficult than it seemed, and feeding the animals. The farm had "lots of animals, like chickens, ducks and turkeys," who all had to be fed and provided with fresh water and clean cages. "Probably by 10 o'clock it would be scorching hot, so we hung out inside until about four o'clock when we went out and did the same thing," she explained.
While she is on track to complete a double major in Biology and Environmental Studies, Cohen said her study abroad experience allowed her an opportunity to "rethink my plans ... and decide if I would want to continue into pre-veterinary medicine, or choose a different career path." Now, she is "leaning towards something where I can be outdoors. Maybe a wildlife biologist, or some sort of conservation expert."
Although no other students from Brandeis were participating in the program, which was set up through Arcadia University and she found on the approved list of study abroad programs for Brandeis, 15 other students from colleges around the United States were in New Zealand with her. Studying abroad without any other students from Brandeis did not affect her experience, as she "was able to explore independently."
Cohen's advice to other Brandeis students planning to study abroad is to simply do it. "It makes sense because we're already paying Brandeis tuition, so for one semester instead of being in Waltham, it's pretty cool to go out and see the world, learn new things, meet new people and get a new perspective," she said.
She also advises students to plan ahead and apply early. "I started applying winter break sophomore year ... and it allowed me not to have to worry about applications when they're all due and you're in the middle of midterms," she explained.
As she prepares for the second half of her junior year at Brandeis, Cohen affirms that after her time in New Zealand, where "the lifestyle is so laid back and relaxed, I feel very refreshed."