I’ve loved sharing with you all the adventures I’ve been having away from The Old Convent, but really, my favorite part about life in New Zealand is often the things that happen in my day-to-day life here. What separates CCSP from other study abroad programs is the concept of ‘doing life together’ that it embodies. Rather than students living in dormitories and staff driving in each day, we all live under one roof. Doing life together is about living in community with those around you. We eat meals together, do chores together, garden together, fellowship together. Doing life together involves so much more, though.
It involves Pictionary study breaks and late night conversations in the lounge and dance parties in the kitchen. It involves biking to town together and double dutching before class and homemaking sessions. (Homemaking sessions are great! Each week, we have a homemaking session in which we learn practical tools to help us in everyday life. So far we’ve had bike repair, gardening, and this weeks’ natural remedies.) It also involves epic birthday parties. CCSP loves to celebrate birthdays. This week, the twins had a birthday. We had a ninja themed birthday party in which we stole chocolate granola hidden around the convent, ate some of their favorite and least favorite foods (I got straight vegemite. Nasty.), bobbed for apples, and ate chocolate with goggles on while being sprayed by the garden hose. It was pretty grand. The people you meet the first day at the airport quickly become like family.
Yes, yes you do.
As much as I could continue to rave about all the great things that come with living in community together, I want to share a little bit about how the class structure is unique too. CCSP flies in guest professors to teach each course, so classes run quite differently from the States. Each week, we only have one course. We attend class 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night Monday thru Friday. At the end of the week, a test or essay concludes the course. Each course is taken for a total of two weeks during the semester, so, for example, I’ve already taken 2 weeks of Sustainable Community Development, so I’m done with that course. This past week, I had took God and Nature I, and will conclude that 4-credit course later in the semester with God and Nature II. The workload is no heavier than that at home, but it is all in one course rather than 4 or 5. Best part: no homework on the weekends. But that aside, the courses I’ve taken thus far have challenged the way I think and the lifestyle I live and it has made me really consider what it means to be a good steward of God’s call on humanity.
I feel as though I’ve really found my place here at CCSP and I personally think I have made the best decision ever! CCSP is a really great opportunity to make the most of your experience abroad with its integration with the local community and “doing life together” mentality. If you have any questions about CCSP or life in New Zealand in general, I’d love to chat with you!
Until the next adventure,
Bryce