{"id":733,"date":"2024-06-07T15:48:03","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T19:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/?p=733"},"modified":"2024-06-07T15:48:03","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T19:48:03","slug":"thoughts-on-new-zealand-a-time-of-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/2024\/06\/07\/thoughts-on-new-zealand-a-time-of-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts on New Zealand – A time of reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by: Noah Giddings\u00a0 |\u00a0 Fall 2023\"Noah<\/a>
\nIFSA – University of Otago<\/p>\n

What has my time in New Zealand been about? What is the \u2018grand narrative\u2019 I might construct for this time of my life? The main character of my life, what piece of my story will these past few months fill?<\/p>\n

In a word, I have found clarity. Over the past few months, I\u2019ve been able to better appreciate what I value and love. Remove oneself from their familiar surroundings, what remains? Only that which is undeniably me.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>I am happy that I had the chance to step away from my trajectory of life. To look at the course of my life from 10,000 miles away. Given the distance and perspective, I\u2019ve been able to more freely examine my life without the burden of immediate responsibility. Situated atop a metaphorical Mount Cook, I look down onto the coming years and chart out my path clearly.<\/p>\n

When I arrived here in New Zealand, I had only a vague notion for my post-graduation plans and life beyond my degree. Now, after a semester with greater independence and a taste of graduate school, I affirm that the post-graduate trajectory I have charted is the correct one. While my next semester is also abroad, the curriculum and clear academic function will demand a more sanguine bearing. Armed with reflection and careful contemplation, I will dive into the next semester and the ones which follow with a clear vision for myself.\"Noah<\/a><\/p>\n

Besides, New Zealand has reaffirmed the importance of taking time away from academic and professional responsibilities. Amidst the endless shuffle of 21st century life, it would be easy to lose your sense of direction and purpose. Time for yourself, whether in the form of a lazy afternoon or several months exploring an unusual corner of the world, best prepares you the humdrum responsibilities of everyday life. Amidst the Kafkaesque slog of forms, assignments, meetings, et all, invariably we ask: why care? Time for yourself, in whatever form, justifies those ever present exertions. Amidst a pause, we assert ourselves as masters of our own lives. \u201cI proceed\u201d, one exclaims, \u201cnot by momentum, but by agency\u201d. Choose, choose, choose that path for your own life. After three months in New Zealand, I have chosen.<\/p>\n

\"St<\/a>In some ways, my semester in New Zealand has felt like one prolonged send-off party as I embark upon the next era of my life. Once I return from New Zealand, academic research, theses, graduate school, and the like will command my attention. When I return, I will cross that terrifying, but inescapable threshold: adulthood. While a semester\u2019s lark in our Middle [if somewhat Southerly] Earth may perhaps pang pointless, this dalliance has served a vital purpose. As though girding myself in armor for some great battle, New Zealand has armed me with clear direction and a conviction for real life. Fully clad in mail, I stand at the precipice prepared to fight for my life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by: Noah Giddings\u00a0 |\u00a0 Fall 2023 IFSA – University of Otago What has my time in New Zealand been about? What is the \u2018grand narrative\u2019 I might construct for this time of my life? The main character of my … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9196996,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9196996"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=733"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":740,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/733\/revisions\/740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}