I now call myself "
a Kiwi at heart".
I boarded my flight to New Zealand believing I was going there to earn a master's degree. I did not know that, somewhere between the lecture rooms, the windy streets, and the people I would meet, I would find another place to call home....
When I first arrived in Dunedin to begin my degree at the University of Otago, everything felt unfamiliar. It took me almost two weeks just to adjust to the time difference. During those first days, I often found myself awake until late night, wondering what I had gotten myself into. I was thousands of kilometres away from home, about to start a completely new chapter of my life. I still remember moving into my UniFlats and wondering who my flatmates would be. Would we get along? Would living together be awkward? As it turned out, those worries slowly disappeared. We shared meals, stories, and countless ordinary moments that eventually made an unfamiliar place feel comfortable.
There was another little community waiting for me there as well.... Right across from our house was the Water of Leith, where there were always plenty of ducks wandering around. UniFlats did not allow pets, and as someone who had always loved animals, I ended up visiting them almost every day. After a while, they seemed to recognise me. Whenever they saw me, many of them would leave the stream and waddle across the path, expecting that I might have brought them a snack (well, I oftentimes got them a whole bag of wild bird food actually😆). I liked to think that I had become their most favourite one🙈
Living in Dunedin also meant getting to know Castle Street (lol) probably the most famous student street in New Zealand. Before I arrived, I had not heard all the stories about its legendary chaos, packed with students, parties, and an energy unlike anywhere else. Getting to see it for myself felt like something every Otago student had to experience at least once (plus, I lived not far from them😂). It was definitely lively, but beyond all the stories and reputation, it was also just a place where people came together, made friends, and enjoyed student life. For someone who had travelled all the way from Thailand, it eventually became another familiar part of living in Dunedin.
The same thing happened at university. I was nervous about meeting my classmates. Coming from Thailand, I worried about my English, whether I would fit in, and whether I could keep up academically. At first, everyone was just another unfamiliar face. But after countless lectures, group projects, and the occasional drinkies after class, we got to know one another and became good friends. We celebrated each other's achievements, complained about deadlines together, and pushed one another to keep going.
What surprised me most was that my education was not limited to the classroom.
I found myself becoming part of the local community in ways I never expected <3 I joined the public library and spent afternoons surrounded by books, sometimes working on my dissertation there. I started recognising familiar faces around town. The baristas remembered my order. People greeted me as if I belonged there. Those little moments may seem ordinary, but for someone living far from home, they meant everything. As time passed, New Zealand became bigger than just the city where I studied. Through friends and travels, I ended up building connections across the country.
Writing my dissertation was definitely one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced. There were days when stress showed itself physically through repeated breakouts and exhaustion, and I wondered if I had anything left to give. But I kept going, encouraged by friends, flatmates, classmates, and especially by my supervisors, whose patience, guidance, and belief in me helped me reach the finish line.
Outside of university, New Zealand taught me to slow down and appreciate life, while at the same time encouraging me to become more active than I had ever been before. I discovered the simple joy of walking through city centres and bush tracks. Reaching 10,000 steps became my own little daily goal, a wee challenge that gave me an excuse to explore a new street, take the longer route home, or spend another hour outdoors. Those walks also introduced me to something I never expected to care so much about: New Zealand's native birds. I started learning their names and recognising their calls, and it was always a nice surprise to spot a kererū sitting in a tree or hear a tūī singing nearby, very distinctive. I tried skiing for the first time, something I had never imagined doing while growing up in Thailand, and found myself embracing experiences that once felt completely outside my comfort zone. Each new adventure reminded me that studying abroad was not only about earning a qualification, but also about growing into a person I had not yet met.
When I decided to study in New Zealand, my decision was mostly practical. I was looking for somewhere different from Bangkok combining with a good university, a nice environment, and an opportunity to continue my education overseas. At that time, I saw the country simply as the place where I would spend time working towards my master's degree. What I did not expect was how much my daily life would become connected to the people and communities around me. Over time, I got to know the staff at my favourite cafés, and some of the baristas would recognise me and remember my usual order. I built friendships not only with classmates but also with people living in different parts of the country. Through travelling, studying, and everyday interactions, places that were once completely unfamiliar gradually became places where I felt comfortable and at home.
This year marks seventy years of diplomatic relations between Thailand and New Zealand. Governments build friendships through agreements and official visits, but I believe the strongest bridges are built by ordinary people, through classrooms, kind neighbours, conversations, and communities that welcome newcomers until they no longer feel like strangers.
I went to New Zealand for an education. I found friendships, a community, and a second home.
One day, you realise that you did not just leave a part of yourself in the country you visited. You carry a part of that country with you wherever you go.
I suppose that is how, without even noticing it,
I became a Kiwi at heart <3
Ko Aotearoa Tōku Kainga Hou – New Zealand is My New Home🇳🇿❤️ 
My New Zealand Story
I boarded my flight to New Zealand believing I was going there to earn a master's degree. I did not know that, somewhere between the lecture rooms, the windy streets, and the people I would meet, I would find another place to call home....
When I first arrived in Dunedin to begin my degree at the University of Otago, everything felt unfamiliar. It took me almost two weeks just to adjust to the time difference. During those first days, I often found myself awake until late night, wondering what I had gotten myself into. I was thousands of kilometres away from home, about to start a completely new chapter of my life. I still remember moving into my UniFlats and wondering who my flatmates would be. Would we get along? Would living together be awkward? As it turned out, those worries slowly disappeared. We shared meals, stories, and countless ordinary moments that eventually made an unfamiliar place feel comfortable.
There was another little community waiting for me there as well.... Right across from our house was the Water of Leith, where there were always plenty of ducks wandering around. UniFlats did not allow pets, and as someone who had always loved animals, I ended up visiting them almost every day. After a while, they seemed to recognise me. Whenever they saw me, many of them would leave the stream and waddle across the path, expecting that I might have brought them a snack (well, I oftentimes got them a whole bag of wild bird food actually😆). I liked to think that I had become their most favourite one🙈
Living in Dunedin also meant getting to know Castle Street (lol) probably the most famous student street in New Zealand. Before I arrived, I had not heard all the stories about its legendary chaos, packed with students, parties, and an energy unlike anywhere else. Getting to see it for myself felt like something every Otago student had to experience at least once (plus, I lived not far from them😂). It was definitely lively, but beyond all the stories and reputation, it was also just a place where people came together, made friends, and enjoyed student life. For someone who had travelled all the way from Thailand, it eventually became another familiar part of living in Dunedin.
The same thing happened at university. I was nervous about meeting my classmates. Coming from Thailand, I worried about my English, whether I would fit in, and whether I could keep up academically. At first, everyone was just another unfamiliar face. But after countless lectures, group projects, and the occasional drinkies after class, we got to know one another and became good friends. We celebrated each other's achievements, complained about deadlines together, and pushed one another to keep going.
What surprised me most was that my education was not limited to the classroom.
I found myself becoming part of the local community in ways I never expected <3 I joined the public library and spent afternoons surrounded by books, sometimes working on my dissertation there. I started recognising familiar faces around town. The baristas remembered my order. People greeted me as if I belonged there. Those little moments may seem ordinary, but for someone living far from home, they meant everything. As time passed, New Zealand became bigger than just the city where I studied. Through friends and travels, I ended up building connections across the country.
Writing my dissertation was definitely one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced. There were days when stress showed itself physically through repeated breakouts and exhaustion, and I wondered if I had anything left to give. But I kept going, encouraged by friends, flatmates, classmates, and especially by my supervisors, whose patience, guidance, and belief in me helped me reach the finish line.
Outside of university, New Zealand taught me to slow down and appreciate life, while at the same time encouraging me to become more active than I had ever been before. I discovered the simple joy of walking through city centres and bush tracks. Reaching 10,000 steps became my own little daily goal, a wee challenge that gave me an excuse to explore a new street, take the longer route home, or spend another hour outdoors. Those walks also introduced me to something I never expected to care so much about: New Zealand's native birds. I started learning their names and recognising their calls, and it was always a nice surprise to spot a kererū sitting in a tree or hear a tūī singing nearby, very distinctive. I tried skiing for the first time, something I had never imagined doing while growing up in Thailand, and found myself embracing experiences that once felt completely outside my comfort zone. Each new adventure reminded me that studying abroad was not only about earning a qualification, but also about growing into a person I had not yet met.
When I decided to study in New Zealand, my decision was mostly practical. I was looking for somewhere different from Bangkok combining with a good university, a nice environment, and an opportunity to continue my education overseas. At that time, I saw the country simply as the place where I would spend time working towards my master's degree. What I did not expect was how much my daily life would become connected to the people and communities around me. Over time, I got to know the staff at my favourite cafés, and some of the baristas would recognise me and remember my usual order. I built friendships not only with classmates but also with people living in different parts of the country. Through travelling, studying, and everyday interactions, places that were once completely unfamiliar gradually became places where I felt comfortable and at home.
This year marks seventy years of diplomatic relations between Thailand and New Zealand. Governments build friendships through agreements and official visits, but I believe the strongest bridges are built by ordinary people, through classrooms, kind neighbours, conversations, and communities that welcome newcomers until they no longer feel like strangers.
I went to New Zealand for an education. I found friendships, a community, and a second home.
One day, you realise that you did not just leave a part of yourself in the country you visited. You carry a part of that country with you wherever you go.
I suppose that is how, without even noticing it, I became a Kiwi at heart <3
Ko Aotearoa Tōku Kainga Hou – New Zealand is My New Home🇳🇿❤️