from Thames, New Zealand

by Geraldine (August 7, 2005)

I was lucky to be chosen for this trip to NZ. At  this moment I'm in New Zealand and, as Eloi said, NZ is really different from France and especially school and landscapes!

First of all it's freezing!! Of course it's winter and because of clouds it rains a lot... but we are lucky today because it's a sunny day :) ( around 16 degrees).

Most of the culture is English culture but also American ... The first impression when I arrived in NZ was : it's like the USA (=> for mall, food and also the shape of the houses, they're all made of wood).

The first difficulty for me was the language because they have a horrible New Zealand accent ... it's really hard to understand them (especially teenagers and elderly people). But the worst is when all teenagers speak to you at the same time in slang ...  it's impossible

to understand and it is at this moment that you feel lost !

According to me the first two weeks were the hardest, and two months is too short to understand all the conversations and speak English very well ...

But thanx to this exchange, understanding the English accent will be really really easy now!! :)

I really enjoy my trip but the separation from the family and the French culture is difficult at the beginning.

Note for French students who are going to NZ next year : ... DON’T BRING APPLES TO NZ !! (= 200 dollars fine) I had one, so ... don't make the same mistake as me, it's not fun ... :/

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