By William Malone

My exchange to ASU in Arizona, USA has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have met so many amazing people, travelled around the southwest of the USA, and gotten a completely different education experience to New Zealand. 

Some of the highlights of my trip include, seeing the Grand Canyon. Myself and some friends road tripped through the desert to see the canyon at sunset, and it was breathtaking; the size of it cannot be shown from a photo. We stayed in a cabin in the woods and made some great memories. Another highlight would be experiencing a different climate to what I am used to. The temperature when I arrived was 45° celsius, which was a huge shock to the system. There were nights I would step outside at 11pm, pitch black, and the temperature is 35°, which was hotter than any New Zealand summer day. Additionally, the weather during this time (Monsoon season) can only be described as crazy. There were lightning storms very frequently, and even something called a haboob, a dust storm that looks like a wall of dust. The first time I experienced this felt like something out of this world. It rained for the first time since I got there, and this massive brown storm slowly started getting closer and closer. I was playing soccer at the time and lighting started striking around us, while the storm approached us. That night was one of the best experiences of the trip. Another highlight includes doing hackathons. I haven’t participated in any hackathons back home, and did two of them while here. I met some great people doing so, and to be able to create a product in 24 hours was really exciting and gave me a great sense of accomplishment. Lastly, I loved being so immersed in the community and experience. I am in the halls of residence, on campus and being so close to everyone and everything was amazing. I have always wanted to study in America, and this gave me such a sense of belonging, and I feel that I had the perfect exchange experience.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was finding a balance between education and experience. I had to turn down some trips and other experiences because of my studies, as my courses are fairly full-on. It has been difficult because I want to do well in school, but I also came on this exchange to explore America. Another challenge I faced was spending money and budgeting. 

The exchange has taught me so much about myself and has helped me grow and be more confident. I wanted to challenge myself, and have benefited so much from this. I have found my passions and know exactly where I want my career to go. I have also worked on my social skills and have learned so much about different cultures.

I feel that the many skills I have developed and the experiences I have gained will help me so much in the future. There is so much opportunity, connections, and knowledge to be found out there. I have an urge to continue to explore the world as well as keep on learning and growing.