Recap

The semester will be over soon and as well the course “New Zealand studies”. The consequence is that the last blog post will be a reflection on the course.

I chose this course because I really want to learn more about the country New Zealand after visiting it in 2012 for 7 weeks. The task to write blogposts and comments sounded quite annoying at first but after the first one I enjoyed to write about a topic that I have chosen myself and it was fun.

Besides, it was always interesting and informative to read the blog posts of my fellow students. Articles about the culture of New Zealand, Maori culture, earthquakes, John Key and so on aroused my interest.

The covered issues in the course were well chosen and it was a pleasure to listen to a real New Zealander. Personal experience by the fellow students who have also had the chance to visit this beautiful country completed the topics and encouraged discussions.

The formative impression that I take along with me out of the course is that New Zealand is a “normal” country besides beautiful landscapes and very kind inhabitants. It has problems like every other country. A president who is often to be found in the gutter press, a high unemployment or a modern society that has problems to include the natives.

All in all I can say I really liked the course and I would definitely recommend it. One aspect that was missing for me and would be nice to add would be a kind of introduction that shows the beauty of New Zealand. Throughout the course, the focus is on New Zealand’s culture or often on political topics. For someone who hasn’t had the chance to visit New Zealand and gain an impression of the beautiful landscapes it could create a false impression of this country.

New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries of the world and this could have been showed more clearly. But this is just an idea.

But in the end I really enjoyed this course and am very pleased with chosen it.