My Exchange at The University of Hawai’i at Manoa
My exchange was one of the best experiences I have had in my life! After being locked inside for the last few years due to COVID, it felt so refreshing and exciting to live in another country.
I found out about the exchange program through my brother as we were both going to go on an exchange at the same time however due to a few complications, my exchange ended up happening one year after his. While flying into Honolulu, I was so excited as the view from out the window was unreal. I landed a couple weeks before the semester started and stayed with some distant family who lived on the island and all the people there were really nice.
Our accommodation, while not the fanciest, was roomy enough to fit four people. However, the appliances were not the best as our oven didn’t work the whole semester and there would be bugs sometimes. The campus was really easy to navigate and it was covered in greenery which is a completely different vibe than Auckland University which I really enjoyed. The only downside was that my main building was on the complete opposite side of the campus from my dorm which meant I had to walk really far to each of my classes.
The courses at the university were very thought-provoking and interesting. The lecturers encouraged more engagement from the students instead of just lecturing which I really enjoyed. They were also much more relatable and made the content relevant and entertaining. The work life balance was also really nice as I was able to get good grades while also being able to go out and enjoy my life on the island and go explore. Even though I had to take extra classes, I still managed to get good grades and go out and enjoy myself.
Hawai’i was such a beautiful place and all of the people there were really nice and accommodating. It was nice having the campus so close to the beach as I could go to my classes and then meet up with my friends after to go surf or play beach volleyball. I also really enjoyed travelling to other islands through the long weekends and holidays. The cost of living surprisingly was worse than Auckland as grocery prices and other everyday essentials were pretty expensive, especially considering the exchange rate. The cheapest loaf of bread we could find was $5 USD!
Our group did many extracurricular activities such as travelling to other islands and going hiking. We also surfed a lot down in Waikiki and I continued this hobby back in New Zealand as I have begun to surf on the west coast of Auckland. We also attended almost every NCAA volleyball game as the UH team was really good and ranked #1 in the country at one point. Once the season was over, we would go down to the beach and play ourselves.
Life on campus was really chill, and I am really grateful that I ended up with the roommates that I got, as they ended up being some of my best friends for the semester. We would often invite friends around and hang out at our place or go around and visit friends who lived off campus. It was nice living in the dorms and being around the other students as I stayed at home for my first 2 years of university and didn’t get to meet many people. However, on campus I would always randomly bump into friends and have a good chat with them. Most of the time I would cook for myself as the food prices of eating out was quite expensive. Sometimes my friends would have spare meal swipes at the end of the week so I would go with them to the cafeteria and each as much food as I could. When we would go on road trips and go camping, we were always on the hunt for the best local food and did our best to try and support local food businesses.
My highlight of the trip would definitely be the friends I made throughout the semester as we grew really close. They were from all different countries such as Norway, France, Australia, Canada, USA, Singapore, Korea and more. It was fun to learn about their different cultures and also share parts of my culture with them. Never would I have thought I would have got this close to people I only met at the start of the year. We would hang out almost every day and plan weekend trips to other islands such as Kauai and Maui which were definitely highlights of my trip. Some of my best memories on these trips include cliff jumping, surfing and the car rides throughout the islands. Other than that, I will never forget the late nights out we had having fun with people who were complete strangers living on the other side of the world a couple of months ago.
One of the biggest challenges was saying goodbye as we went from hanging out every day to not seeing each other, probably for a few years. It will be hard to stay in contact with them as everyone moves back to their busy lives. A major challenge of living in Hawai’i was the cost of living as the prices of the food were really high. Transport was also an issue sometimes as none of us had a car so we would either have to catch a bus which was never on time, catch an uber which was expensive or rent a car which would usually lead us to travel really far away. Carrying groceries home was a difficulty as the grocery store was not close and we had a lot of food. I also found it challenging to get close with a lot of the local and domestic students as most of my friend group were also international students.
My advice to anyone going on an exchange is to go out and try to make as many friends as possible. It is a great opportunity to learn a lot about what is outside of New Zealand and gives you the opportunity to find someone to stay with when you travel overseas. I would also suggest trying to go at it alone as it is a big risk but you will force yourself to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people and try different things.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
Some of the highlights of my academic experience was the balance between schooling and outside life. I felt as if the amount of time I had in class and studying allowed me to learn a lot and get good grades while also giving me time to go out and have fun. I also really enjoyed the lecture styles as they encouraged more opinions from the classes and made the content very relatable to us as young people and entertaining and engaging. I feel as if this is something that I haven’t experienced at the University of Auckland.
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
I would recommend trying surfing at Moku down by Waikiki as that was a fun thing a lot of international students did in the first few weeks. I would also recommend going to the volleyball games and looking out for Loius Sakanoko because he is a beast. Fof food, I would recommend going to Foodlands and eating the poke there as we concluded that it was the best on the island. Body surfing on the north shore at Waimea bay was also fun and going up to Haleiwa on the north shore was also one of our favourite things to do. Some good hikes to do were Koko head and some of the ridge trails.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
I would recommend attending the social and orientation events at the start of the semester as that is where I made a lot of friends.
I would also suggest applying for Frear Hall accommodation as that is the only one with A/C.
Finally I would also suggest not worrying too much on study as I did in the first half of the semester due to the classes being a bit easier than at UOA.
How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?
I think I budgeted around 15k for my exchange however I am not sure if I went over or if I was under. I would consider saving up as much as possible and don’t be afraid to spend money on trips as money comes back but memories don’t and you will regret not going.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
I think a major takeaway I took from my exchange is how big the world is and that there is so much going on outside of New Zealand. It has really inspired me to get out of New Zealand and travel and work outside the country.
Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?
After our semester, me and some friends traveled to San Francisco and LA however the weather was a complete switch up and a lot of us got sick straight away due to the cold.
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