By Abi Evans

As my exchange semester draws to a close, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of gratitude for all that this experience has brought me.  The lessons I’ve learnt, the friendships I’ve built, and the memories I’ve made, will be cherished forever. 

When reflecting on the highlights of this experience, it is so hard to narrow them down to just a few key stories.  Ultimately, even the mundane of schoolwork and endless assignments can be seen through rose coloured lenses when on exchange.  Being able to take classes I would have never had the opportunity to at home, and being taught by some incredible lecturers with so much wisdom and life experience to impart has been incredible.  Furthermore, the connections created within my classes have made the craziness of some of our experiences even better.  Field trips have been a key element in many of my classes, and coincidently happen to have been a key source of the aforementioned craziness.  Each field trip it seemed, was inescapable without copious amounts of laughter and intriguing stories to tell.  From a trip helping with ecosystem restoration on Mauna Kea, that was sprinkled with a little bit of our teacher’s hilarious storytelling that echoed over the landscape, to spontaneously jumping into an unexpected waterfall in the name of ‘geomorphic analysis’, as well as tiptoeing along a bridge against oncoming 110km traffic to briefly analyse rock formations.  Each and every teacher, classmate, and lesson has been influential in many delightful and unexpected ways. 

Then comes the days of exploring and adventure. Hawai’i naturally boasts many gorgeous scenes, from volcanoes, to beaches, to waterfalls, and of course all the incredible wildlife that inhabits it.  At every opportunity whether that be spring break, long weekends, or even a well-placed weekend trip, my friends and I have managed to venture both near and far, from exploring the ins and outs of the Big Island where we live, to travelling over to the other islands when we had the chance as well.  My roommate and I both agree that one of our favourites of these adventures was a perfect day spent in Kaua`i.  The day was filled with beach hopping, sunbathing, swimming, drinking good coffee, and blasting music as we fit 8 girls into a soccer mum people mover, driving from place to place.  But the best part of that day was getting directed to a little beach that a friend we made told us about.  It was a STEEP, basically vertical hike down to a little pocket beach covered in rock pools, with breathtaking cliffs on either side, and the cutest little lighthouse at the end.  We made it there for sunset, with some partially cold but absolutely delicious tacos for a picnic dinner.  Built a fire, played music, chatted and star gazed late into the night, with a few shooting stars, as well as countless giant frogs that had a tendency to chase us if we put a foot in the wrong direction.  Overall, it was one of those evenings that create the sort of bonds you cherish for life. 

Despite all the amazing core memory making over the semester, it has probably been the simple joys that have brought me the most happiness.  Like the way that spotting a sea turtle still makes me just as happy the 100^th time, as it did the first time I ever saw one.  Or the way the girl who works at the dining hall sandwich bar remembers my order without fail. Or the way random friendly half smiles have transitioned into full-fledged conversations with the early morning faces I see at the gym.  It is these moments I think, of watching daily rhythms, and passing happenings unfurl into the pockets of community I have built here, that have taught me the most.  Mostly they’ve reminded me of gratitude, and the small things I often take for granted back home.  I have loved everything (well almost everything) here, but I have truly loved the reminder to value the little things, and what being intentionally grateful can do for you.

Even within the building of community that happens in the small day to day routines you set up in a new environment, there are naturally things you may compare or miss from home.  However, my experience with this has been one of appreciation rather than sadness or homesickness.  This is because a few years ago before I started Uni I lived in England for a couple years.  The life you can build in a couple years vs a few months tends to differ a little in the strength of the connections and routines created.  When I first moved back home, I didn’t have the best experience and missed everything that I had back in the UK, I didn’t feel I was coming home to a place that I was excited about necessarily.  However, in the last few years, the community that I have created within the Waikato is much stronger now than it ever was before.  So, this time, whenever I missed elements or people from home.  It was truly a lovely thing to feel, not for a lack of what I have here, but with a gratefulness of heart that I’ve learned to foster and build.  This is a lesson I am truly grateful for.  I hold the quote “the grass is greener where you water it” close when I think of this, as it really is the truth.

So, for all the lessons, the laughter, and the connections I have had in Hawai`i, I could not hold more appreciation.   There has been so much invaluable information I have learnt from my classes, and even more so from sharing and having many heavy conversations with my friends, that come from many different places and backgrounds.  But even more so, the shifts that this experience has placed on my outlook on life, and worldview, would definitely be my biggest take home.  While some of my classes may have shifted my career path slightly, this experience as a whole, has shifted my worldview, and the way in which I navigate my life.  So, with that being said, if anyone was ever on the fence about an exchange, I would 1000% always say, just go for it!