My STEP signature project consisted of a month long study abroad program in New Zealand. The program focused on sustaining not only the environment, but also sustaining human society as a whole. Once in New Zealand, we traveled to a different city on the South Island every two to three days. Along the way, we saw countless amazing sites all while learning about sustainability.
Visiting New Zealand enlightened me in many different ways and caused me to ponder and think about things I would not have otherwise thought of. Reflecting back on the trip, I feel a little smaller and perhaps even more unaware than I was prior to taking the trip. Traveling anywhere leaves me with a feeling of being small. Half way across the world on a small continent there is entire different world with a different culture, people, and way of life. America has many of its own issues, especially with the most recent presidential election. It is easy to get caught up in America’s drama and forget about the rest of the world; New Zealand, however, has problems of its own. The country is constantly trying to figure out how to balance tourism and sustainability while still making a profit. Kiwis are also trying to figure out how to make the Maori and the European settlers happy so that everyone can live in harmony. I think realizing all of this helps me make connections on a broader sale; everyone is fighting their own battles in life and you are not the only one with issues or problems to solve.
Although I learned so much on the trip, I left feeling a little more unaware. I met some people from the Netherlands and from London who were also traveling around New Zealand. I was surprised to learn how much they knew about American politics. In addition to knowing politics, they also told us that they learned English in their schools from an early age. I begin to think about how I know nothing about other countries politics and don’t know any other languages (aside from the 3 years of Spanish I took in high school). In order to be a global citizen, I think it is important to be aware of what is going on not only in your home country, but abroad as well and I plan to do this now that I am home.
The program has impacted me in several ways, but the most notable impacts include my value for uninterrupted human interaction and attitude towards the idea that one person can make a difference. Throughout the program, the time spent using technology was extremely minimal; our essays were handwritten and we did not use the internet to complete any of our assignments. When we were out and about, we had to rely on discussions and interaction with one another to better understand concepts and draw conclusions. I believe this strengthened my listening and conversation skills. In the real world, how you interact with people and relate to them is ultimately what helps you build connections, interview well, and land a job. The importance of these skills are often forgotten due to constantly evolving technology. This trip, however, helped remind me of the importance of these skills and why they should be valued. The lack of technology also helped me build close relationships with others on the trip and I know that I have made many friends in New Zealand that I will continue to be friends with back in Columbus.
The program also helped shape my opinion that one person can make a difference. Regarding sustainability, I sometimes do not recycle or turn off the lights because such a small action simply cannot make that significant of a difference in such a large world. I have come to learn, however, that the small things do add up and one person can make a difference. Elm Wildlife tours helped me come to this realization. An article about the tours discussed how Elm Wildlife tours set an example for other tourist companies who then began to follow suit. This caused me to start to thing that even if what I am doing may seem like a small contribution, if it is truly something I believe in I will begin to influence others. When lots of people are doing a small act, it becomes a movement.
Here, I would like to mention a few of the highlights of the trip that contributed to my shifts in perspective and view of the world. First, seeing such amazing views increased my desire to work towards protecting the planet. Milford sound was one of the most incredible stops. Another notable stop was the glow worm caves; we took a ferry to an island at night (every star in the sky and the milky way could be seen) and then went into a cave on a tiny boat. The entire cave was illuminated by tiny blue lights (the glow worms) and I truly believe I will never see anything else like it in my entire life. Meeting the Maori, the native tribe of New Zealand, was also a humbling experience. It was cool to see how after all these years, the Maori are still such a big part of New Zealand and the New Zealand culture. This tie to cultural roots is not something often seen in America.
I am beyond thankful for all the lessons and experiences my trip to New Zealand has left me with. I have returned to America feeling refreshed and inspired. There are so many amazing and beautiful things to see in this world, and working hard to that I will be able to experience more of these things is something I definitely want to do. I also plan to take what I learned about sustainability and implement it into my everyday life. Sustainability is an extremely complex topic and covers not only the environment, but human society as well. What it means to be sustainable is a concept that is constantly changing in society and it is important to not only stay educated on the topic, but to help educate and inform others as well. Academically, I am a business major and hope to one day work for a company with sustainability as one of its top priorities. I am now considering picking up a minor in EEDS as well.
Without STEP, I may not have been able to embark on this life-changing experience.