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Danya Rumore from Sandpoint, Idaho received a 2008 Fulbright US Graduate Award to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Science in Environmental Management, specialising in environmental management and sustainability in New Zealand, at the University of Auckland.
As my airplane climbs into the sky, into the brilliant New Zealand sky that never ceases to astound me with its clarity and depth, I close my eyes and reflect on the wonder of life. Two years ago, when I was a dreamy undergraduate environmental science student at Oregon State University, not even I would have imagined that my life would take me to New Zealand. I would hardly have believed that I would be here now, living in Auckland and feeling more at home in New Zealand than in the US. Even last year at the very beginning of ‘My New Zealand Adventure’ (as I fondly refer to my Fulbright experience), I would not have predicted that ten months abroad would so drastically change my life, that a self-declared ‘mountain ragamuffin’ like myself would find her home in the city of Auckland, her voice in Geography, and her vocabulary so drastically altered by Kiwi lingo. My many months in New Zealand have taught me innumerable life lessons, particularly: don’t predict the future, just be open to the exciting opportunities that come your way. Ascending farther into the Southern Hemisphere sky, soaring from my newfound home toward my homeland, I open my eyes and look fondly down upon the fantastically verdant hills around Auckland, the majestic North Island coastline, and the seemingly endless Pacific Ocean. As I look down upon the beauty of the natural world below me, I find great joy in the hope that this year in New Zealand has reinvigorated within me a hope for a socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable future. My ten months studying environmental management and working within the School of Geography, Geology and Environmental Science at the University of Auckland has not only bolstered my passion for sustainability, but has inspired me and empowered me with a flood of new ideas, skills, and opportunities. Although my two semesters as a Fulbright grantee passed so quickly, I now realize how much I have learned, how much my perspective has broadened, and how much I have personally grown in the less than a year that I have been abroad. Being a Fulbrighter in New Zealand has been a truly magical experience.
Every part of my experience – from involvement with Fulbright New
Zealand (wine, cheese, and intellectually stimulating conversation with
highly interesting people... what else could you want?) to participation
in my academic program (field trips to gorgeous places like the Bay of
Islands and Lake Taupo included) to working with the local community and
university clubs (especially stream restoration in the pouring Auckland
rain) – has been fabulous in its own way. My Fulbright year has not
been without its challenges, ranging from adjusting to living in the city
to having my laptop stolen from my flat, yet every challenge has been
a chance to grow and learn and has provided new opportunities... such
as the ‘opportunity’ to get a new laptop. I now realize that
every challenge was really just the beginning of a new adventure. As I close my eyes again, I think back on glorious days mountaineering
on snow-capped Mt Ruapehu, tramping the magnificent Kepler Track, body
boarding on the near-to-desolate black sand beaches just outside of Auckland,
and blackwater rafting in the Waitomo glow-worm caves. I reflect on innumerable
thought-provoking and inspiring conversations with fellow Fulbrighters,
colleagues and professors, and political leaders from around the world.
I recall ‘heaps’ (to use a little kiwi lingo) of insightful
seminars, speakers, meetings, and academic conferences, all of which have
opened my eyes and mind to the wonderful work that is being done worldwide
around issues related to sustainability. Most of all, I think fondly of
all of the new friends, acquaintances, and contacts that I have made over
the last ten months and I realize that out of all of the wonderful aspects
of my Fulbrighting experience, this may very well be the most valuable. As my plane continues to fly away from New Zealand, I find great joy in the knowledge that, with the support of the University of Auckland Fulbright Scholarship, I will soon be returning to Auckland to continue my studies and my life in New Zealand. Following my passionate interest in sustainable food systems, economic geography, and sustainable communities, I will return to Auckland in 2009 to complete my Master of Science in Geography and to study how certain New Zealand communities, as part of the greater ‘Transition Initiative’, are seeking to create more sustainable community food economies. Not only am I excited about my upcoming Masters research and the opportunity to work with various communities throughout the North and South Islands, I am excited to continue my exploration of New Zealand’s society, politics, and her breathtaking landscape. As I often tell my friends and family, my experience in New Zealand and my involvement with Fulbright has been a veritable fairy tale, and this is a fairy tale that I am not ready to end.
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