Hi Y'all
So i was thinking of doing a we compare and contrast on all things 'kiwi' and all things 'US' in this post. As part of my study abroad experience i have to bash the key board any way. Therefore in no particular order i will give you ladies and lads a few bullet point style remarks. Thanks for tuning in.
Number 1: Coming for the smallest Uni in New Zealand you get to know a lot of students and staff. Coming to a university of 30 odd thousand you soon realise that there is no point in trying to make friends with everybody. Walking down the the main strip at 10 to, is a bit of a battle but you do get get accustom to it.
Number 2. Mexican Food ('Mexican Tucker') is 'on point' (Great). you have the dodgy (maybe not safe) places and you have the places that are great value for the $ as in Chipotle. New Zealand only really specialises in indian curries, Thai, Chinese, Brit/US food, Italian food, and fast-food aka fish & Chips.
Number 3. Culture: With the size of the US, or even CO for that matter there are huge range of cultures and perspectives. Many people like to be heard and can be seen on campus yelling or expressing their freedom of speech. I guess as a New Zealander we don't have as many people that are as open and opinionated as may Americans. Personally i don't mind it and passers by can choose to listen or ignore.
Number 4. Bulk buying is key: If you want to get great value for money you buy in bulk and get huge savings. It is great for families that have room to stock pile toilet paper and body wash and cans of food.
Number 5: People are genuine and nice just like in the land of the long white cloud. Some people maybe more reserved just because of the size of the university and the amount of crazy people. Everyone that i have meet so far at CSU have been extremely nice and that is including my lectures. The only difference to Lincoln is that on average the class sizes are much bigger so if you email your lecturer you will generally get a response from the TA(teaching assistant).
Number 6. As far as the Uni goes it operates much the same as Lincoln apart from the Final Exams here have much less weighting on them. My highest weighting for my final is only 25% of my total grade. Many classes have a we device called an Iclicker and you set it up and vote instantly in class to 'grab' participation points (so if you are not in class and on task you will miss out).
Point Number 7: Altitude can really be pretty intense so all you can do for the first 4 weeks is take it easy (try not to sprint 2.5miles) and apparently you have to drink more than you would at sea level.
Point 8 would be to make the most of American 'footy' and get amongst the US sporting culture. Try the local beers (which fort collins in famous for). Also get out into the front range and the national parks . The tramping is a lot different to NZ but still pretty magical.
Get to know some US slang (that means not calling your mates or people you meet GC's). You must also support the Denver Broncos because they are at the moment 6-0. No one cares about Rugby its all about 'US Footy' so get amongst that!
Thanks for tuning in.
**If anyone wants to add comments feel free to add to theses points**Cheers
