I have to start by saying thank you — just having the chance to write about New Zealand means more to me than I can really put into words. It's the place that changed my life, and I've wanted to tell this story for a long time.
Before I started my bachelor's degree, I actually spent some time in Hamilton, studying at the University and living with a host family. Honestly, they made all the difference. They were patient with my shaky English, they walked me around Hamilton until I stopped getting lost, and somewhere along the way they stopped feeling like a host family and just became family. That was my first real taste of how warm New Zealand can be.
When I moved up to Auckland for my degree, I expected to feel nervous. I didn't. From the moment I arrived there was this positive energy I can't quite explain. I got to my dorm at the institute where I studied a day before orientation, and before I knew it, Auckland already felt like home.
I'll be honest with you — I'm not a fast learner. Never have been. So I was so relieved the classes were small. Those little classrooms let me actually keep up, ask questions, and learn properly, and looking back, I think that's a big reason I did as well as I did.
New Zealand also showed me who I am. After my first year, I fell in love with being a barista — something I never saw coming. I kept practicing, and eventually landed a job making coffee and working in the canteen at event center. On top of that, I volunteered as a student presenter, going around raising awareness about crime and dangers like scams. And doing that, over and over, something just clicked: I love helping people. That feeling is what slowly pulled me toward teaching — and now here I am, a lecturer in University.
It wasn't all easy, though. There was a stretch when I went through depression, and it was rough. I couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate, couldn't really function. But the university staff noticed. They actually reached out and sat down with me to talk about what I was going through. The fact that they cared enough to do that is the reason I got back on my feet and finished my degree. I'll never forget it.
On 19 August 2015, I got to take part in Student Asian Voice, celebrating the NZ–ASEAN relationship. I made some great friends there, and believe it or not, we still keep in touch through a Facebook group to this day. I also ended up writing a blog about how volunteering helped me find work in New Zealand.
And right before I graduated, the university took us on a trip that completely opened up my world. We went caving — actually crawling down into the caves — and visited Rotorua. Seeing all of that reminded me there was a whole side of New Zealand I'd never have found sitting in a classroom, and it made me love the country even more.
Honestly, there are too many friendships to count, and every single one carried me through a hard moment at some point. But if I had to pick three:
First, the people at the institute where I studied. They guided me through my hospitality studies and, more than that, helped me figure out who I was.
Second, the local Kiwis — my landlord, my coworkers. They always had my back, and whenever I could, I tried to have theirs too.
And third, the friends I made out in the wider community. New Zealand just makes it easy to find good people. We did everything together — gym sessions, volunteering, work, cricket, rugby, heading out to events on the weekend.
New Zealand changed my life and the way I live it. Not just because of the education — though that mattered — but because of the people, the community, the whole feeling of the place. I've kept every single photo from those years, and I'll carry those moments with me for the rest of my life.
My New Zealand Story
Before I started my bachelor's degree, I actually spent some time in Hamilton, studying at the University and living with a host family. Honestly, they made all the difference. They were patient with my shaky English, they walked me around Hamilton until I stopped getting lost, and somewhere along the way they stopped feeling like a host family and just became family. That was my first real taste of how warm New Zealand can be.
When I moved up to Auckland for my degree, I expected to feel nervous. I didn't. From the moment I arrived there was this positive energy I can't quite explain. I got to my dorm at the institute where I studied a day before orientation, and before I knew it, Auckland already felt like home.
I'll be honest with you — I'm not a fast learner. Never have been. So I was so relieved the classes were small. Those little classrooms let me actually keep up, ask questions, and learn properly, and looking back, I think that's a big reason I did as well as I did.
New Zealand also showed me who I am. After my first year, I fell in love with being a barista — something I never saw coming. I kept practicing, and eventually landed a job making coffee and working in the canteen at event center. On top of that, I volunteered as a student presenter, going around raising awareness about crime and dangers like scams. And doing that, over and over, something just clicked: I love helping people. That feeling is what slowly pulled me toward teaching — and now here I am, a lecturer in University.
It wasn't all easy, though. There was a stretch when I went through depression, and it was rough. I couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate, couldn't really function. But the university staff noticed. They actually reached out and sat down with me to talk about what I was going through. The fact that they cared enough to do that is the reason I got back on my feet and finished my degree. I'll never forget it.
On 19 August 2015, I got to take part in Student Asian Voice, celebrating the NZ–ASEAN relationship. I made some great friends there, and believe it or not, we still keep in touch through a Facebook group to this day. I also ended up writing a blog about how volunteering helped me find work in New Zealand.
And right before I graduated, the university took us on a trip that completely opened up my world. We went caving — actually crawling down into the caves — and visited Rotorua. Seeing all of that reminded me there was a whole side of New Zealand I'd never have found sitting in a classroom, and it made me love the country even more.
Honestly, there are too many friendships to count, and every single one carried me through a hard moment at some point. But if I had to pick three:
First, the people at the institute where I studied. They guided me through my hospitality studies and, more than that, helped me figure out who I was.
Second, the local Kiwis — my landlord, my coworkers. They always had my back, and whenever I could, I tried to have theirs too.
And third, the friends I made out in the wider community. New Zealand just makes it easy to find good people. We did everything together — gym sessions, volunteering, work, cricket, rugby, heading out to events on the weekend.
New Zealand changed my life and the way I live it. Not just because of the education — though that mattered — but because of the people, the community, the whole feeling of the place. I've kept every single photo from those years, and I'll carry those moments with me for the rest of my life.