Haere rā!

Even when it comes to say goodbye, the Maori language keeps surprising me. I decided to search how to say goodbye in Maori, and I discovered that there are many words to say it, they change according to the situation, e.g if the person stays or leaves. But, anyway, let’s get to the point now. The time to say goodbye has arrived. After a long semester, full of cold and dark mornings, the classes about New Zealand have come to an end. In the beginning of the semester, I have to confess that I was a bit worried. Having to wake up early in the morning and to take a long journey to Mainz seemed to me a bit tiring. But although my expectations were not very optimistic, the classes were always so interesting that the tiredness suddenly disappeared. On Monday nights, instead of being worried about waking up early, I’ve felt excited about the next topic that we would discuss the next day. The interesting subjects turned something that was supposed to be a hard task into a very easy one. I didn’t know much about New Zealand before, but I fell in love with the country, without even noticing it. Learning about its culture, its history, about Maori traditions, made me really want to visit the country. I don’t know how many times I wondered in class, how it would be to see its beautiful landscapes, to eat its traditional food, to enjoy its nature, in other words, to have the chance to experience all those things that our professor Geoffrey told us about so passionately. I want to thank you, professor Geoffrey, for making my semester so interesting. I just feel sorry for those that next semester will not have the chance to learn about such an wonderful country. Haere rā and kia ora in your new journey!