Living in the Future: Saying “Yes” to the Unexpected in New Zealand
SA: University of Otago
Sophia, one of the Semester Abroad Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during the Fall 2025 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.
Just in the past weekend alone, I’ve accomplished two things I never expected would be a part of my abroad journey: reading at a New Zealand slam poetry competition and running my first ever 5k race.
These events, though random, though extreme, encompass just a few of the “firsts” I’ve found as a study abroad student at the University of Otago. The transliteration of the University’s name in te reo Māori is Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, which means a “place of many firsts,” and it’s lived up to its name. As a current junior at Penn, I thought a lot of my college firsts were already set in stone––my first friends, my first midterms, my first nights going out. But now I have new opportunities to make abroad (and college) firsts at Otago. I’ve experienced my first flatmates in off-campus housing, my first rugby game, my first time being so far away from home for longer than a month, among many other things.
The bittersweet beauty of this experience lies in the brevity. The first half of my time abroad has slipped out of my fingers, and only two months remain. I feel a great urgency to maximize my experience and take advantage of every opportunity to explore possible. When I was hesitant about planning a trip to the alpine hot springs of the Copland Track because of the 13-hour roundtrip drive involved, my flatmate lovingly berated me:
“Sophia, don’t be ridiculous. When are we ever going to be in New Zealand again?”
This kind of existentialist approach to the abroad experience motivates me every day. I don’t know the next time I’ll be in New Zealand, or even in the Southern Hemisphere, again. All the friends I’ve made here come from varying geographical hometowns, ranging from Wellington to Vancouver and from New Jersey to SoCal, so who knows when I’ll see them again once I board the plane home. Of course, there’s always social media and texting to stay connected, but the importance of the experience is now.
At Penn, time hovers over our shoulders, revs with the traffic on Walnut and Spruce, and speed-walks down Locust to make it to class on time. Perhaps I’m carrying the fast-paced nature of Penn with me on my abroad journey. However, here on the South Island, I already have the gift of time. I’m sixteen hours ahead of my friends and family on the East Coast. My early Monday mornings are their cozy Sunday afternoons. Staying connected across these time zones usually requires mental math and late night willpower. But this abstract notion of living in the “future” reminds me that I have the luxury of enjoying each moment as it passes. Why rush through these important moments abroad? Just relax, slow down, and revel in the experience.
These past two months in New Zealand have taught me to do exactly that. During my mid-semester break, I went road tripping around the South Island. I saw the beautiful fjords and waterfalls of Milford Sound on a (very rainy) boat ride. I participated in adventure tourism in Queenstown by luging and skiing. Along the West Coast, I hiked through the very humid and wet Alex Knob Track just for a view of the Franz Josef Glacier. The combination of high elevation and cold temperatures turned the rain to snow halfway up the trail. Even though the weather was miserable, I was elated. How often do you hike in a coastal rainforest during a snow flurry just for a glimpse of a glacier? I drove through Arthur’s pass, a breathtaking valley cradled by mountains, and reveled in the glacial blue of Lake Tekapo. The steep white peaks of Mt. Cook National Park just exhales majesty. The sheer variety of beauty I could experience in this country in just a week was unreal.
The weekend after I got back from mid-sem break, I signed up to not only participate in the NZ Young Writers Fest Otago Poetry Slam Champs but also run a 5k in the Dunedin Marathon Race. I don’t consider myself either a slam poet or a runner, but this one weekend proved that I’m both.
As a poet and spoken word artist, I’m comfortable with my words remaining on a page, but I also get to control how my words are read and perceived in a communal, supportive space. At the beginning of the semester, I submitted my poem “Sturgeon Moon Sonnet” to the University Student Association’s Poetry Comp on a whim. My poem won runner-up and was displayed in the Central Library for the duration of the Uni’s Art Week. Having my poem displayed felt comfortable and safe, but performing my poems in a competitive slam setting really scared me. This Slam Championship presented a rare chance to perform my poems outside the U.S. I knew I had to sign up. As I sat in the audience, waiting for my turn to perform, I felt twisted with fear. But the moment I was on stage, I felt powerful and in control, like the audience was my close confidante in my juicy story-telling. Even though I didn’t advance to the next round, taking this step felt empowering.
Similarly, running the 5k proved to me that if I set my mind to it, I could run and finish a race. During these past two months in Dunedin, I started casually running for the first time on the trail near my house. These short runs motivated me to sign up for the 5k. Once race day rolled around, crossing the finish line myself and then getting to cheer on my other friends as they finished their own races filled me with so much joy. This race hopefully opens the door for me to continue running at Penn and even in a half marathon in Philly this spring.
These accomplishments may seem small, but to me, they are defining moments of my abroad experiences. They represent the moments where I relinquished my fear and relished the joy of the moment. Slam poetry and running a 5k weren’t on my bucket list when I decided to come to New Zealand, but I’m so glad I leaned into the discomfort and said “yes.”
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