By: Connor Glasset, Secondary Education Major/Global Studies Minor, Champlain College
Kia ora!
The Champlain College family stretches far and wide. This is especially true here in Auckland. Two members of the Board of Trustees, either past or present, live in New Zealand part time throughout the year with their spouses.
Emily Morrow was a Trustee in the past. Now, she and her husband, Paul, live in Devonport, just across the harbor from Auckland. Both Emily and Paul wanted all of the Champlain Abroad Students to feel at home in Auckland and very graciously invited us over for a family style dinner.
Seth, Kate, Emmalee and I hitched a ride to the Morrow’s with Jessica Tweed. Jess is a current AUT student who will be studying at Champlain in the Fall Semester of 2016. The others caught the 4:30 ferry and were picked up at the dock by Emily. We all gathered in one of the sitting rooms in the Morrow’s quaint bungalow for a before dinner discussion. Emily posed a few questions to us to check in on how we were doing, how we were finding Auckland, and how well we were adjusting to life in New Zealand. We went around the room and shared our experiences, instantly feeling like we were home and talking with our relatives.
Emily and Paul left us to our own devices for a few minutes while they put the finishing touches on the delicious smelling dinner that scented the home, welcoming us from the minute we arrived. Then, it was time to eat. They pulled out all the stops; no small task, considering they were feeding 10 college students who hadn’t eaten much all day in anticipation of a good home-cooked meal. There was roast chicken and gravy, rice, apricot chutney and salad when the service began. Before long there was nothing more than a counter full of dirty dishes. But the meal didn’t stop there. For dessert, Emily and Paul offered us freshly made quince compote, out of the fruit harvested from a neighbor’s tree, with whipped cream. When I was sure there couldn’t be anymore, Emily brought out two massive bars of Whittaker’s Chocolate to accompany the dessert. Needless to say, they didn’t last long!
After dinner, we reconvened in the same cozy sitting room and talked as we did before, only this time we all had full bellies. We must have chatted for another hour before we realized that we had to leave to catch the 8:15 ferry back to Auckland.
For even the most adventurous of people, traveling halfway across the world and living more or less on your own for five months can be a little intimidating. However, Champlain Study Abroad Students to Auckland can find solace in knowing that they have people here that care about them and are only ever a phone call away.
Thank you for that, Emily and Paul, we all sincerely appreciate it. We can’t wait to meet up in Vermont, in September, for the next ‘family’ dinner.
APPLY NOW FOR YOUR INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHAMPLAIN ABROAD!
