I'm Off to New Zealand!

It's Happening!

Starting in July, I'll be attending Lincoln University on the South Island of New Zealand to study abroad for a semester! I've been thinking about going abroad for a long time, and it took a lot of planning to make it work with my major at UCLA, but it's finally happening! There’ll be plenty more posts in the future, but I figured I'd start recording my adventure with a little bit of background.

It wasn't a hard choice to pick New Zealand as my destination. It’s one of the adventure capitals of the world! Since coming to college I’ve developed a passion for hiking and landscape photography, so I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to see what New Zealand has to offer. I've become pretty obsessed with heading out at early mornings to catch sunrises, and I expect to find some of the best in the world on the South Island.

Sunrise over California's San Gabriel Mountains

My beautiful girlfriend, Jayden, and I catching a sunrise over the Santa Monica Mountain Range

A sunrise I caught with Jayden in Torrey Pines while visiting our friend in San Diego

But I'm also going to learn, and learn I shall!

As a student focusing on agricultural systems, New Zealand is a surprisingly awesome place for me to go. Fun Fact: New Zealand eliminated all agricultural subsidies in the 1980s, making its industry one of the least protected out of all developed nations. Global agriculture needs major changes to meet future food demands without having devastating environmental impacts. I want to learn how market and regulatory forces can change agricultural practices without harming farmers’ interests. New Zealand’s novel situation makes it an extremely valuable case study, and I expect to learn a lot while I'm there.

Why Lincoln?

I picked Lincoln University because it gives me opportunities I haven’t had at UCLA. It’s a small school--less than ⅕ the size of UCLA. It’s located on the South Island’s central east coast, making it a perfect launch pad to explore the whole island. Finally, Lincoln is NZ’s premier land-grant institution and is heavily focused on agriculture, which is something my academic career has lacked. Lincoln’s demographic is going to be a wonderful change of pace.

What you'll be seeing from me

Backpacking: New Zealand's opportunities to venture into the untouched wilderness--"tramping" as they call it--is the envy of the world. Honestly, just check out all there is to see. You’ll hear all about my adventures!

Photography: I'm about to have an unreal opportunity to develope my skills as a photographer, and I'll keep you all updated on my progress :)

Slowing down a bit: HSBC's expat survey found New Zealand's work-life balance to be the second best in the world. I’ve always been a naturally busy bee, so I hope I’ll take on NZ’s laid-back culture and carry it with me into the future. I'm sure I'll learn plenty of lessons and  have tons of stories to share with you all!