Our Journey Ends by Francesca

                                                        Our Journey Ends

Group Photo outside of the Lincoln University Library

                            And so our journey in New Zealand comes to an end … or does it?

Throughout this past month, we have all learned and grown so much. As Dr. Griffiths and Susan warned us back in December, we will not be coming back home the same person we were when we left. Of course, we are returning a little tanner (or sunburned for some) and a lot of us with tattoos or piercings, but it’s not just a physical change. Not only have we learned more about agriculture and sustainability but we have also learned so much about ourselves. Each farmer left us with life lessons and messages that really resonated with us. One of the farmers, Scott McFadden, who we even recommended write a book to house all his inspirational messages, reminded us to “make each day a good day, have a good laugh because you gotta keep yourself going.” And that’s exactly what we are doing.

Each visit to the various farms and excursions brought new people with new perspectives. Not only were the farmers sharing important life lessons with us but so were the others we met along like way, like our bus drivers, guides on various excursions, as well as those we met around us. In particular, our guide (a female scientist) at the International Antarctic Center was one of the most eye-opening speakers. At the beginning of our visit, she gave us an introduction talking about Antarctica and its relation to space exploration. She also discussed a lot about climate change and how it is already negatively affecting the planet, especially Antarctica. As she continued her talk, she casually mentioned that the scientists she works with are already looking into transportation to the nearest planet for our inevitable move from Earth in the foreseeable future. I remember looking over at my classmates, eyes wide in disbelief of what she had just told us. We continued on our tour of the Antarctic Center, learning more and more about this mysterious continent not yet fully explored. At the end of our tour, she left us with a message that really left us to ruminate while we devoured our bagged lunches. Her parting words were to “Do as much as you can. Travel, explore the world, go for those out of the ordinary once in a lifetime experiences, just get out there while you can, before you’re tied down by responsibilities, jobs, or relationships and family”. She was such an inspiration to many of us and those words of advice sparked a whole new way of thinking and discussion between ourselves and each other. Especially for those of us who are seniors, that reminder was exactly what we needed to guide our post-graduate plans in the right direction. Being a part of this study abroad program was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am sure everyone else on this trip would agree.

As sad as we are to leave, we are reminding ourselves to enjoy each moment as we go through life, bringing our new perspectives with us. This morning at our final breakfast in the dining hall, later while packing and weighing our luggage, waving goodbye to friends leaving early, at our final lunch, and as we pile onto the bus calling out our roll call numbers for one last time, in each moment, we are taking it all in.

Now we are continuing our journey as we travel home, through the Christchurch airport, to Auckland, to Houston, then finally back to Philidelphia as we depart to our separate places. The values and lessons I have learned will always stick with me as I journey on through the rest of my life.

As the New Zealand Māori say, Mā te wā (Until we meet again)

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