Once again…

The worst time of the semester is about to start: preparing and studying for exams! Not necessarily my favourite activity — and I’m sure a lot of people share these thoughts. Nevertheless, none of us can skip this rather unpleasant part so I guess it’s time to start revising for the upcoming tests. Here is my first brief review in terms of one of my favourite cultural studies courses:

When I signed up for this course, I kind of knew it couldn’t disappoint me since I’ve never really heard about anything related to New Zealand (apart from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, of course!) before. The only thing I was actually aware of was its beautiful landscape — that’s it, really. Now that I look back at the the summer term, I’m very satisfied with my choice.

Every Tuesday, Geoffrey introduced us to several issues such as New Zealand’s history, language and culture. It was really interesting to learn about the Maori’s traditional customs and language which is unfortunately on the brink of becoming extinct. The Kiwi’s education system made me slightly jealous as the pupils don’t really have to write any exams. Then again, it’s such a pity that no second language is taught at school — apart from some Maori.

It was particularly great to get familiar with current issues such as New Zealand’s flag referendum, the housing problems or the Christchurch earthquakes. I think it’s important to include these sad aspects, otherwise you can never truly learn about a country’s cultural history.