Lindisfarne Exchange Program 2012: Alex Floyd

                This summer, I had the pleasure of visiting the north island of New Zealand with my friend John Powell.  John and I had a bit of displeasure with some air traffic delays, and arrived in New Zealand 24 hours later than we had originally planned. We arrived in Auckland early in the morning with just enough time to eat a quick New Zealand breakfast of steak and egg pie.  We took a small plane to Napier which is town near Hastings where Lindisfarne College is located. On the plane with us was a small Maori dance group that had just recently toured the United States and Canada performing traditional native New Zealand dances. When we landed in Napier, we met our respective host families. I stayed with Sam Kirk, a student whom I had hosted in April of last year when he visited MBA on exchange. It was great to see him again, and because of our preexistence friendship the transition from American to Kiwi was an easy one. I started my journey in NZ by attending one of Sam’s rugby matches. While watching, Sam’s father, Wayne, explained to me the cultural significance of rugby in New Zealand. The sport was considered colloquially “the second religion of New Zealand.”  That night I went to the Lindisfarne ball, which is their equivalent to prom. I hadn’t seen a bed in 52 hours but I had fun all the same meeting  dozens of students and teachers of Lindisfarne.

The next day was Sunday. Sam took advantage of the day off to show me around the beautiful region of Hawkes Bay. The agricultural was articulated with rolling and rocky hills with the ocean to the east. Vineyards and farms were alongside the roads.

The next day I started class. Lindisfarne College is very similar to MBA when it comes to traditions and values. In fact many of the quotes that lined the walls of the buildings were the exact same.

While at Lindisfarne, I took History, Media Studies, Physics, Statistics, and

 English. The uniforms were very strict and everyday, I either had to attend chapel or assembly. The experience was very interesting and illuminating, being at a school with such a religious emphasis having never attended a religious school.  The Media Studies class was especially interesting seeing that at the time they were studying manipulation of American media. The teacher seemed excited to have Americans in the class who could answer some of the more specific questions on the subject. The teacher, Mr. Kidd, took us on a field trip to the capital of New Zealand, Wellington, where we learned about the inner workings of a T.V studio. The city was very young and a cool place to be.

After this trip, my host family took me to Rotorua to see the Maori landmarks.   

We then took the family boat out onto lake Taupo, the largest lake in the southern hemisphere.

We then went to school for another week, where I had to give a presentation on Othello for English, and I attended a rugby game.

 The school is substantially smaller than MBA, but has a great campus and a prestigious academic system.

The final week of school came upon us. It was sad to say goodbye to all the friends I had made. They taught me so much about New Zealand culture. I finished up my trip in New Zealand with a week of holidays where I went hunting for hares in cow paddocks with Sam, and went on a fishing trip on lake with him and his father. The Kirks were fantastic hosts, and I owe them so much for graciously putting up with me for a month. I had an amazing journey where I learned a lot about a distant place as well as  a lot about what it is like being an American overseas. The New Zealand people have a sense of national identity and national pride that is unrivaled in any other nation I have visited. Thank you to Mr. Gioia and Warner family for giving me this incredible opportunity that I will never forget.