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New HOS Jamie Steckart shares his first impressions of New Zealand

I left Qatar -where the temperatures can reach 122 °F- on July 5th. Rain in this small country is an afterthought, and all drinking water is processed from the desalinization of sea water. There were times when I felt like I was on the set of a Star Wars movie filming a scene on Tatooine, half-expecting to see landspeeders zooming past as I traveled to work.

Other times my drive required using the force to guide my car home.

After a short stay in Wisconsin, I arrived in New Zealand to begin another new adventure in my life. New Zealand proved to be the polar opposite of Doha: 50 °F versus 122 °F. Wet and humid versus dry and dusty. Kodachrome versus monochrome.

The planet Earth amazes me. So many places hold such diversity. I often wonder when I travel, do pieces of the places I stay embed themselves into my essence? Is there a part of me that is dry and dusty? Because I lived in a monochrome environment, do I have access to that filter when the need arises? Have I learned lessons from the desert that have permanently changed the course of my life? Will New Zealand have that same subtle impact on my subconscious way of carrying my life forward?

I think we underestimate how the natural world influences our very soul. Is a well traveled person more in tune with the rythms of the Earth, or does it take a long-term residence in one place to hear any pattern?

Until then, I will shed my thobe and don my rain gear because the beats of New Zealand are orchestrated by the wind, the waves, and the rain.

Ready to embark on the educational journey of a lifetime?

A passion for travel. A strong academic record. And the desire to improve the world as you experience it. If this sounds like you, you just might be our ideal candidate! Start your application with a five-minute inquiry form - you never know where you might end up.

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Ready to embark on the educational journey of a lifetime?

A passion for travel. A strong academic record. And the desire to improve the world as you experience it. If this sounds like you, you just might be our ideal candidate! Start your application with a five-minute inquiry form - you never know where you might end up.

It all starts here.

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