Waving to strangers

Being closer to hobbits is just one of the reasons Chinese student Meiqi Sun loves studying in New Zealand.

“Many people in many family chose to study abroad, in the US or England, so I wanted to study somewhere new,” she says.

I came to New Zealand after seeing some of my professor’s videos on YouTube - he is very good. I knew that New Zealanders are very friendly and that it is safer to stay here than in other countries. Also, I am a big fan of hobbits.

“I am in a homestay, so I Skyped my parents and showed them my host family’s house. My homestay family are very friendly and show me around Otago. We've been to lots of places together, such as St Clair, Doctor’s Point, Moeraki Boulders, Oamaru and Middlemarch.

“People are easy to get along with here. My homestay mum says hello to all her neighbours, and the people who are exercising or walk past me on my way home say hello to me too.

“It encouraged me a lot, so I started to wave back one day. In my country, I say hello to my neighbours but not to strangers because everyone is too busy and too shy to say hi.

"I also really appreciate my friends, who not only help me with my English but also encourage me to keep going all the time. I feel so lucky to meet all of them here."

Meiqi Sun, China, Bachelor of Psychology