Omg sheep! :D

[collidingwithme]

I'm going to the University of Canterbury in New Zealand for my Student Exchange Programme in Feb 2012! 8D I am shocked that I could get a place in, actually, because there was only 1 place available for student in my course. (The news came 1 day after I decided to give up hopes on it, lol.) But omgosh, I'm gonna burst into fizzy bubbles now! X

Comments

[joandsarah]

I know nothing much about NZ, except they have lots of sheep... and I won't even mention the joke they have about them and sheep. 8/
They also have lovely scenery and I'd love to go over for a holiday someday-if we ever have the money.

I'm pretty sure free public library’s and safe tap water would be all over NZ. As well as normal supermarkets and rice. I've only ever talked online to one other mum from there and that was at least seven years ago now. They probably eat similarly to how we do ~which is normal I guess. Err normal for me anyway.
I have no idea on the racist and hierarchical side of things. I don't think they would be anymore than any other place. I always thought they we're rather proud of their native culture.

[collidingwithme]

Hahaha, sheep is probably the first thing people think of when NZ is mentioned.

Oh yea, I did more research on Christchurch and it was one of the top 10 travel destination from Australia! :) Makes me look forward to going there just to sightsee.

And I read that Christchurch has one of the purest water in the world, so I don't have to worry about anything, haha. And fresh air. Many, many pedestrians. Good transport system. (But reading too many good things about the place makes me worry if it's perhaps too good to be true or if my research is complete enough. :P) I'm afraid that I'll have to eat huge chunks of meat daily for my meals, actually, because that's the impression we I have of western food. XD

I forgot where I read that bit about them having such prejudices, though. :\ But, eh, I just wanna know what to expect. :)

[joandsarah]

^ 'Huge chunks of meat' lol poor Ning. It's okay, you can get food every which way you like over here and I'm sure NZ is the same. Some people do eat that way even for breakfast. I have known farmers who eat steak for breakfast. I also know vegetarians ~my brother-in-law and one of my friends~ and most places cater for those as well.
Again I can only talk for here, but we also have restaurants from a wide variety of cultures.

[collidingwithme]

Eep, I feel so embarrassed about my wrong ideas now, haha! I don't know... I remember Nicole telling me that rice is only a side dish for them and it kinda left a deep impression in my brain, lol.

But now that I wikied and saw that NZ has a pretty large percentage of Asians (~12), I'm pretty confident that they would have my kind of food too. (Yea, I'm very picky about food. :P)

[nimi4]

That is wonderful, congratulations!! :D You must be so excited

[collidingwithme]

HEY NIMI! :D Thanks! I'm real excited about this now, and after seeing so many beautiful pictures of Christchurch, I can't wait! X)

Hehe, I guess I have too many weird ideas. :P (But, um, that's what they sell here as "western food". Mentioning these words make me think of fish & chips or beef steaks immediately, lol. As in, the main dish is the meat itself, hence "huge chunk of meat". XD omg, I'm ridiculous. And my big sis fed me stories like you guys think that only anorexic people eat tofu, which is my absolute favourite food. Is that true? D:) I forgot you guys have lots of vegetarians too!

I was contemplating between staying in the on-campus apartment, which will entail me cooking my own food, or homestay, which provides all 3 meals (which my parents prefers, as it feels safer).

Hahaha, I'm nervous about not having my rice. :P Rice is like the main staple we eat in a normal meal.

[nimi4]

:D

[collidingwithme]

Wow, tofu can be a meat substitute? 8D I never imagined it. (I wish I could have a meal at your house someday, hehe. I would love to see what dishes your mum comes up with.) lol, now I wonder where my big sis, who travelled quite a lot, got her stories from. Her friends, maybe? XD

Oh yea, now that I remembered, the "stereotypical" Western meal has lots of potatoes and bread too. (We have this phrase in a Chinese dialect that literally meant something like "potato-eater" but actually used to describe someone who isn't a Westerner but behaves like one or speaks only English. LOL!)

Yea, the more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards the homestay idea. The apartment idea pulls me only because it makes me feel more independent, hahaha!

[scribal_goddess]

Um... I don't know? I eat rice at our school caf, but the internationals at school tell me that everything is different overseas.
Congratulations!Have lots of fun out there!

[collidingwithme]

Really? Now I'm pretty surprised (and happy, haha). :D Well, I didn't dare to assume that things overseas are going to be similar to what I have back home.

Thanks a lot! I'm sure it'll be a real big adventure for me! ^^