Lindisfarne College - John Powell

     Upon arrival to the Hastings Airport, I knew I was soon to encounter an entirely new world. As Alex and I approached our host families, jet-lagged and hungry, we tried our best to be cheerful and personable. Tom Nicolle and his parents Patrick and Belinda greeted me with open arms and smiles on their faces. Patrick, a maize farmer by trade, was born in Zimbabwe, but moved to Hastings to start a family. Tom, my host brother, had come to MBA the semester before. He welcomed me and immediately began telling me all the plans their family had arranged for my stay. I was thrilled, yet, in the back of my mind, all I wanted to do was take a nap. When we arrived at the Nicolle’s home, a white brick farm house with blue detailing, I was greeted by Mo and Suzy, the Nicolle’s two dogs. I could not have asked for a better welcome. After unpacking my belongings, as well as a few Tennessee themed gifts for the Nicolles, I ironed my shirt, pants, and blazer for the Lindisfarne Ball. We had some time before the ball, so Tom and I headed to “The Farne,” Lindisfarne’s athletic fields located across the street from the school. The D-Grade rugby squad had a match against St. Paul’s Boy School, and I met many of Tom’s friends as well as multiple teachers and administrators from the school. They were all overwhelmingly kind and never failed to mention how rugby players were tougher then American football players, who wear “all those pads.” We made our way back to the Nicolle’s farm to get ready for the Ball. 

Tom had arranged a partner for me, and we soon made our way to Tom’s friend George’s house. There I first encountered mince pies, and New Zealand’s famous soda, L&P. As we walked toward the school, we passed many Maori children, New Zealand’s indigenous people. The Ball was structured much differently then MBA’s homecoming and prom. All students ate on campus, and took buses to the city hall in downtown Hastings for the dance. The dance was set up very similarly to MBA’s, and a DJ performed as well as a band. Unfortunately for Alex and I, the dance lasted for about 4 hours, and we could not leave until then. We were both extremely tired and longing for our beds. When we finally arrived back at Tom’s, I fell fast asleep, unsure if I would ever wake up. 

On Monday, Tom and I departed for school sporting gray slacks, black socks, black shoes, black belts, white shirts, and blue blazers with the Lindsfarne insignia on the right breast. We met with Mr. Findlay, who had been at MBA during the spring, and he gave us our class schedules and a run through of how the day is structured. We were set to study English, Maths, Media, History, and Physics. 

I found the Media Studies class to be the most enjoyable, in part due to the fact that I had never taken a class similar to it. Mr. Kidd, a body builder turned round bloke, lectured us about how most media comes from the States, but constantly reminded us that the Lord of The Rings trilogy was filmed and produced in New Zealand. On the first weekend, we ventured to Wellington, New Zealand’s capitol city, for a media trip. We filmed, produced, and acted an entire TV show parodying NZ’s most famous sports talk show, The Crowd Goes Wild. We learned about all the difficulties that come along with making the show. 

In regard to sports, Lindisfarne did not offer the range of sports at MBA, but the concentration on the “big three,” rugby, football, and hockey was seen among all grades. The rugby teams, which I was most interested in, were divided by skill level. The first XV (comparable to the varsity), was the top team, and they represented the school in all rugby competitions. Behind them were the second and third XV’s, and then after that was D-Grade. Before all major first XV rugby matches, both the home and away teams performed the Haka, New Zealand’s traditional ritual where the team tries to intimidate the opposing team through chants and synchronized moves. Without a doubt, the Haka is one of the coolest sports rituals around the world. The Kiwis take their rugby seriously, and won the Rugby World Cup in 2011, an amazing feat for a country that has only 5 million inhabitants. 

The boys at Lindisfarne could not have been kinder to Alex and I, and this trip is something that I will never forget. Being able to experience a culture so different than my own, and being blessed with a family that looked after me is truly a gift. This exchange has taught me so much about the world outside of Nashville, and the lessons I learned will lead me on to bigger and better things.