By: Max Johnson

What a bloody mission! Thursday January 8th of 2026, I departed from Auckland on a journey to the United States, 13 hours to Dallas, a 5-hour layover, a tummy full of Chick Fil-a and another 2-hour flight to Wilmington, oh and certainly no sleep, Crikey!! By the time I had landed in Wilmington it was 5pm, and still a bloody Thursday!! Despite the long haul I had made it with all my luggage and most of my sanity.

The following day was orientation, where I was greeted by other exchange students who had arrived for the same semester as I had. A pretty diverse range of people, many from all over Europe, South America and Asia. One thing you’ll notice being from New Zealand is that you must slow down your talking, we talk very quickly back home so don’t be surprised if you’re caught repeating yourself.

Come Monday, we’re beginning classes, my first class was ‘White Collar Crime’ which was taught in a smaller classroom, no tutorials like Waikato so you find yourself engaging with the professors more frequently. The people here are very friendly, don’t be afraid to introduce yourself and talk to strangers, you’re only here for so long so go make a fool of yourself!

The food here is something to get used to, they have a dining hall set up which you scan to enter and pretty much eat as much as you need, depending on your preference and how much you eat will dictate you plan whether you get a limited block plan (I got a 125 swipes) or a bronze, silver or gold plan that gives you unlimited swipes and some other perks. You can also buy food from walmart and cook which I found nice to escape repetitive dining hall meals. In terms of accommodation, I stayed in an on campus apartment, living with 2 other guys, giving you a room to yourself, a shared bathroom between 2, laundry, cooking and living space.

Keeping yourself busy is very important, this is a beach town so going to the beach is always good fun, they have a survivor club here which is a parody of the actual tv show “survivor”. Watching this made me realise how crazy the Americans can be. Basketball games and baseball games are great, there seems to always be some sort of sport on. The recreation centre is grand, heaps of facilities for fitness and sport activity, it’s also a great way to meet new people.

On the last weekend of January we got a snowstorm, I spoke to some bloke, and he said he hasn’t seen snow like this since 1989. As a result, they closed classes for the following Monday and Tuesday, so I’d spent most of the day building snowmen, having snowball fights and crying with laughter having banter with some of the internationals.

Heading towards late February we had spring break, after a few weeks of planning we had chosen Puerto Rico for spring break, about a 3.5 hour flight from the capital of North Carolina. This place was unreal, heaps of culture and so much to do because the Island is relatively big, including full beach days, visiting the Culebra island on a Ferry that makes you realise why the tickets were 6 dollars, the only rainforest in the US forest system El Yunque, and the castle in the Old San Juan, it’s also great if you’re trying to escape the 21+ laws of the US.

The experiences here half way through have been unforgettable; the people, the culture, activities and truly a journey of growth that I had underestimated prior to leaving. I look forward to the second half of the semester, and I’m even more incentivised to make the most of it!