Hi

 I’m CL from Shanghai, China. I have been living in New Zealand for one year.  As an overseas student,，I gonna share with you guys my feel and experience . Looking back to my life in NZ, it is an uneasy mix of homesickness and growth.  If I have to give it one word,it should be a trip of getting “independence”.

The first skill I’ve got is being a good cook. When I was in China, I used to order food online by 24-hour take-out Apps with plenty options. It is much quicker and cheaper. I was kind of like a sofa-potato, addicted to yummy and healthy takeaway food and never went into kitchen before. But in NZ, when I miss the flavor of hometown, I could only rely on my own hands. You might think Hamilton also has a lot of Chinese restaurants. However, to be honest, most of them are in Sichuan style and not that authentic. As a Shanghai girl, it’s too spicy. So, I gradually deleted the take-out Apps and tried to use the recipe Apps. One year of intensive training passed, now, I’m a good cook.

Also, in terms of other housing skills, I have become more independent . Most Chinese cities are in a fast-pace life，my life was very full with entertainment in China. But when I came to New Zealand, the pace quite slowed down. At first, I enjoyed the simple and relaxing lifestyle,while after roughly two months, I was getting nervous, because I had a lot of free time with nothing to do. So I realized I needed to better plan my schedule. Studying, socializing, fitness, break time… In order to make me more independent, my mother gave me a year’s living expense at a time to force me arrange my cost. I felt I was very rich, but then I overspent for the first month. So I started to manage my money and look for part-time jobs…

I used 20 years to shout at myself to be independent and responsible and I made it in only one year in New Zealand, Recent life is keeping reminding me the importance of “independence”. I love NZ, looking forward to meeting more surprises here!