Preparation seminar in New Zealand

Everyone spent the first five days in New Zealand together at an On Arrival Camp in Papamoa Beach (a suburb of Tauranga) in the northern part of the New Zealand North Island. In addition to the 40 Germans I already knew from the preparation seminar in Germany, I met fellow volunteers from Finland, the USA, the UK, and Denmark.

The goal of the New Zealand seminar is to prepare the volunteers specifically for the upcoming year. While the German seminar focused more on general personal and socio-political topics related to the volunteer service, the first days in the host country covered specific country-related topics. We had sessions about our projects, driving on the left side of the road, culture shock in the host country, conflict resolution, and behavior in emergencies in the host country, as well as many organizational points. Additionally, we learned a few words in Te Reo Māori (the language of the indigenous people of New Zealand) as well as some Kiwi slang words. There was also a team-building challenge and an opportunity to meet our contacts at the hosting organization. Furthermore, we had a day to explore the place Mount Maunganui and its namesake, the extinct volcano.

However, I couldn't truly enjoy the second seminar either, as I was hit by another wave of illness, including a fever, after the flight. I was so much happier when I finally felt a bit better on the last evening and could spend a wonderful farewell evening with the others before we really went into the project and thus to my new home for a year.