Where did you study abroad?
I studied abroad with TEAN at Victoria University of Wellington in the spring of 2016. After months of looking at different schools and cities across Australia and New Zealand, I found that Wellington was just my dream city. It’s a small, quirky capital city that’s right on the water and surrounded by mountains. Plus, it’s in the center of the country, which gave me easy access to anywhere else I’d want to visit – what more could I ask for? VUW offered classes I wanted to take and it was really different in size and atmosphere from the small school I attended back in the States, so it seemed like the perfect challenge!

What inspired you to move back to Wellington after graduation?
There were a lot of factors that encouraged me to head back after I finished school. As I started my senior year of college, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do next and I really had no idea but, in my head, New Zealand was the thing I kept coming back to. I’d always wanted to travel more and I wasn’t quite ready to go to grad school or settle down somewhere and get a 9 to 5 job, so I decided to go for it. Ten days after graduation, I was on a plane back to Wellington.

What advice can you give to a recent graduate who is thinking about making a similar move?
Read up on what it’s like to move and live abroad in whatever country you want to go to. Studying abroad somewhere is really different from working and living there, so it’s important you know what you’re getting yourself into! I read a lot of blog posts and the entirety of Moon’s “Living Abroad in New Zealand” guide so I could learn about employee rights, visa options, housing regulations, work culture and everything I may not have thought about while studying abroad.

What do you love about Wellington and what makes it a great place to study abroad?
Wellington has a little bit of everything! Great food and shopping, awesome (usually free) museums and festivals, cool walks, hikes, beaches and parks, and it’s right in the center of New Zealand, so you can easily travel anywhere in or out of the country! It’s also stunningly beautiful – seriously, I could walk along the waterfront everyday and never get sick of it.

Where do you like to take out of town visitors when they visit for the first time?
My first stop would usually be Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand. It’s huge, completely free and will teach you anything you’ve ever wanted to know about the country. Another staple would be the cable car, since it’s in literally every brochure or book written about the city and there’s a cool little light show in the tunnels that no one tells you about. Finally, I’d bring them to Kaffee Eis for some gelato and coffee, because it’s to-die-for and I just discovered that they only have locations in Wellington Central, which is unfortunate for the rest of the country.

Tell us a little about what you do at TEAN?
I currently work on our New Zealand and Thailand programs. My role as team lead and Program Manager is to make sure everything on these programs is running smoothly working with our team. It includes everything from making sure students have pre-departure information on time to making sure they submit all of the items they need to study abroad (i.e. transcripts, courses, contracts, arrival details, payments, visa confirmations).

Where did you study abroad?
I studied with TEAN in Melbourne, Australia at Deakin University. It’s a more traditional campus, just outside the city but being able to live in the city and commute gave me the best of both worlds. Honestly, Melbourne has something for everyone – think sporting events, art, music, theatre, comedy, laneway cafes/restaurants/bars, shopping, the list goes on. Melbourne is consistently ranked as one of the world’s most liveable cities, so why wouldn’t you choose to study there? If you’re looking for a Melbourne equivalent in New Zealand, check out Wellington known as the coolest little capital in the world. It’s a smaller city, but that makes it an easy city to get around by foot. It’s a very accessible city for study abroad students.

What brought you back to Melbourne to live and work after graduation?
When I graduated, I knew I wanted to return to Australia. My time studying abroad had given me that exposure to living abroad and I wanted to spend more time there as a professional. For my career, It was great to gain work experience at a university abroad. I’m so glad I went down this path or I might not have ended up at TEAN today!

Packing for study abroad is always a challenge and popular topic, as a frequent flyer – what insider tips do you have for someone packing for the semester?
I’ve become pretty good at packing light over the years since there have been so many times earlier on where I’ve overpacked. I took half of my closet and never touched the majority of it. You will hear the advice – pack everything you think you’ll need then take half of it – and it’s so true. My other advice is to pack articles of clothing you can mix and match to create different outfits to help reduce items. Also try to keep the shoe situation under control, they take up a lot of room. Bring a couple pairs that are super versatile (and comfortable).

If you were going to study abroad tomorrow on a TEAN program where would you go?
I’m biased, but I would study on one of our New Zealand programs. Since working with our TEAN New Zealand students, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to New Zealand a few times and have visited all program locations. I’ve also done some traveling in the South Island. I would love the idea of going for a full semester, joining a tramping club on campus and getting out into the beauty of New Zealand in my free time!