rotary scholars' guide to life in dunedin

A few months back at our Scholars' Conference in Wellington we discussed putting together some kind of permanent internet-accessible advice for Scholars studying at our respective universities. Here are some notes on navigating your way to Dunedin, and a few thoughts on cool stuff to do once you're here.

Start early because a lot of pieces of paper depend on other pieces of paper.

Stuff like your scholarship acceptance form, biographical data form, and housing form have to be in one month after you get that letter from Rotary confirming that, yes, you have indeed received a chunk of money to study overseas for a year.

Here's what I did to apply for a Master's programme in public health. If you're doing postgraduate work, you'll probably want to interact with two groups of people

1. Research and International Office. Go to the University of Otago website and check out the section for International Students. This will tell you everything you need to know about applying, but you will still be confused. This is normal. Just download the application form, fill it in, and send it back to them.
2. Department of your choice. It's a good idea to get in touch with someone before you show up on their doorstep. Find an email on the website and try to establish a dialogue. I eventually had to ring them as well to clarify some issues. If you do this it will be an ungodly hour wherever you're calling from, and you will understand only one of every two words emanating from their mouth. My department had a separate application which I had to fill out. The people at Research and International had not heard of this application and did not know I needed to complete it. Figure out whether you should send in this application separately to the department or with your application to the Research and International Office. You may also need to get in touch with someone if you're doing research. Find out if you need to develop a research proposal or get funding for your project.

It may seem presumptive, but with your application say that if you are accepted, the Rotary Foundation and the visa people require information... guarantee of accomodation, tuition fees paid when you arrive not in advance, tuition estimate, and such. Saves a bit going back and forth.

Hopefully the university and / or your department will send a letter offering you admission, hopefully with all the information you need to send in to Rotary and to apply for a visa. They may not tell you, but you will have to pay a $72 fee for being accepted ad eundem statum because you have no New Zealand high school or university qualifications. It's OK if the tuition estimate the university gives you is not exact. Mine was larger than the estimate. When I sent in my first report and cost confirmation forms back in May, I told them my tuition was more than anticipated, and they gave me the balance when I received my second cheque a few weeks later. I'm not sure what happens if your tuition is less than you estimated. I don't think you can include other costs associated with your courses such as supplies, transport to block courses and such.

You then have to send an email or a letter to the university confirming your acceptance.

A few months later they will send you a registration package. You will have to complete forms about which courses you want to take and such. Make sure you submit another photocopy of your birth certificate as they request. Even if you've already sent one in with your previous application form. They told me I didn't have to, and when I arrived in Dunedin I hadn't been registered because they said they didn't have proof of citizenship, so I had to go through more rigamarole. Have your enrolment package sent to the Student Info Centre at the university. You can pick it up when you arrive in Dunedin and complete your enrolment then.

Term 1 runs from the end of February to the middle of June, with a one week mid-semester break at the end of March. Mid-year break is in June and runs for two weeks after the end of exams (I had four weeks because my exams were over early). Term 2 runs from the beginning of July to the end of October, with a one week mid-semester break at the end of August.

I got my ticket from the Rotary International Travel Service (RITS). RITS gives you three options... I used option 1 (RITS buys and arranges) and have had no problems. Give yourself at least two weeks before classes start to find a flat and get yourself sorted. If you've never lived on your own before, or if it's your first time overseas, consider arriving more than two weeks beforehand. As for the return date, travel agencies can't book more than a few months in advance. You will need to rebook your date of departure sometime after August. For now just choose a random date.

This is a good thing.

Once you have all the pieces of paper you can send them in and get a visa. The NZ consulate in Canada accepted my Letter of Financial Guarantee from Rotary as "proof of adequate finances." The RITS itinerary is sufficient as "proof of round-trip transportation to and from New Zealand." I didn't need to submit the form "Financial Undertaking for a Student" or send in any other "proof of personal finances."

Submit all this stuff to your Scholarships Co-ordinator at Rotary Foundation in Evanston, Illinois. Nine months before you leave you have to submit your alternate study institutions form. Two months before you leave you have to submit a photocopy of your letter of admission to Otago, tuition cost information, photocopies of your passport and visa, the Rotary medical certificate, the Rotary insurance certificate, and the RITS travel form.

Go to a meeting at your sponsor club and do a presentation about yourself (who you are and what you're planning to do in New Zealand). These are usually 20 minutes with 5-10 minutes for questions afterwards. Get a feel for how Rotary meetings work, because they're similar everywhere in the world. Get a feel for what it's like to give a speech at a Rotary meeting and start thinking about your presentations in New Zealand. It's not necessary to have a full-on speech written out before you arrive in New Zealand, but you can pull together any useful information about your city, region, or country. Ask your sponsor counsellor about Rotary.

Call, email, or write to your host counsellor to establish a relationship before you arrive in New Zealand. Ask them about their family and ask for a scanned or digital photo if they have one. Do the same for yourself. I am lucky to have a wonderful host counsellor.

You will need to arrange for a Rotarian pick you up at the airport and host you for a few days while you get settled in, find a flat, move in, and get over jet-lag. This will probably be your host counsellor.

Go to District Conference and Scholars Conference.

The big question is how much to pack. I brought one big backpack, one daypack on the plane, and my guitar. Bring more than just two shirts and two pairs of pants, because you will get bored of wearing them, but don't bring your entire wardrobe. Bring warm clothes because it gets cold and damp in Dunedin. You will probably end up buying some clothes here anyway. Toiletries and such you can buy here. Don't bother bringing household supplies like bed linen, pots and pans, utensils and such. Your flatmates will probably bring stuff from their parents' basements so things will be sweet. Don't bother with school books. Don't get a youth hostel pass, rail pass, bus pass.

Tramping gear. If you're into the outdoors, you'll be wondering what kind of gear to bring. If you don't have gear, don't worry about it since you can easily borrow, buy, or rent gear in Dunedin. Join the tramping club and you can have free access to all sorts of gear like stoves, billies, tent flies, ice axes, crampons, and climbing gear (except ropes). Most tramping is wet, so bring clothes that keep you dry or that dry quickly. Standard gear is polypropylene long underwear with nylon shorts and a polypropylene undershirt, paired with tramping boots, socks, gaiters, and a waterproof breathable jacket. Polyprops are easy to buy at Kathmandu or Bivouac... and in true Kiwi style usually come in brightly striped colours. Pack liners are essential (snag one of those big plastic bags they have at airports to protect rucksacks). Pack covers are useful but not essential. If you're worried about space and weight, leave your tent at home. You will spend most nights in huts, and otherwise can borrow a tent fly from the tramping club. If you're planning to do heaps of tramping consider buying an annual hut pass when you arrive. Likewise I'd leave your stove at home. Don't bother with filtration systems or water purification tablets since giardia is rare or non-existent except in built up areas, and there's not much else in the water. Don't need a compass unless you're planning to do some off-track bush-bashing, and if so, you can always borrow one from the tramping club. Bring your Swiss army knife of course. Thermarest if you have one, otherwise you can get a cheap foamie here. Warm 3 or 4 season sleeping bag. Sleeping bag liner if you have one.

Visit the doctor and dentist. Talk to people about New Zealand and do some reading. Collect banners from your sponsor club, and some stuff for presentations. Say goodbye to your family and friends. Get excited.

This is also a good thing. You will be tired and disoriented. You will meet friendly people you don't know and be whisked off to their home in Dunedin. They will make you stay up until 9pm so that your body starts to adjust to local time. You will then wake up around 2am because your body is on wackadoo time.

The university runs a fabulous program. Get a map early on in the game. The north of the city is Opoho and North East Valley - good areas, quieter, includes residential homes, good for grad students, not too far if you don't mind the 30 minute walk (5-10 minute cycle) to varsity. Watch out for dodgy flats with mold. Lists of available flats are posted every day. A van from the housing office goes around town in the morning and afternoon so you can check out flats you're interested in. People don't necessarily flat with their friends, they just look for flatmates each fall... it's all pretty informal. Ask if you can stay with your host counselor for the first few days or weeks while you find a place to stay. Honest, it's not as scary as it seems. As for the utilities. For phone you pay a connection fee and a bond (deposit that you get back at the end of the year). Each month you pay for regular service and long distance calls. There is no charge for local calls. Each flat usually has one flat shared among all the flatmates. Some people get a cell phone as well. You can set up a PIN for each flatmate so that long distance charges are automatically divided by person on the bill. For power (hot water, electricity) you also pay a connection fee and bond, and a bi-monthly fee. There is no central heating; instead you use small baseboard heaters that you plug into the wall. My flat had some random furniture lying around so fortunately I didn't need to buy a bed, desk, chair, or dresser. There are some cheap student furniture stores around. Your host counsellor or club may also have furniture they could loan you for the year. I think most flats share cooking, grocery shopping, and cleaning. Because of this, some flats will refuse to accept vegetarians or vegans, while others (like my flat) are completely vegan.

Stop by the international student office a few days after you arrive. They offer three days of international student orientation before school starts. Try to go on some tours of the libraries. Pick up your enrolment package at the Student Information Centre. Complete course approval... this involves lining up to have people review your choice of courses, make sure you have the prerequisites, and make sure you don't have any timetable clashes. Get your student ID. Visit Clubs and Socs to check out clubs. Wait until after classes start to buy textbooks. Pay your tuition (domestic fees)... I don't know of anyone who's had to pay a tuition deposit before arriving in Dunedin.

Can't get a student account unless you're a NZ resident. Get an EFTPOS card (debit card). Can use credit cards or EFTPOS cards at ATMS and in most stores. Avoid paying for too many transactions by getting cash advances whenever you pay by EFTPOS at a store.

Always ask for student discounts. The main business district is around George Street. Here you will find clothing, tramping gear, music, hairdressers, and such. Kathmandu has clothes and some gear. Bivouac has some clothes and more gear. If you join the tramping club you will get 12.5% discount at Bivouac at any time. Bivouac also holds a gear buy around March... one night only for tramping club members to pick up gear, with a 25% discount. Kathmandu always has 50% off sales, so never buy at the regular price. Kathmandu also gives free Summit Club cards to students, giving you another 10% discount. More gear at R&R Sports. Cycle Surgery has stuff for bikes. The Warehouse is a good department store for things like bed linens and clothes hangers.

This is the official reason you have come to New Zealand. A necessary evil, in my opinion. Learn lots and do well, but don't let it suck up all your time. Most book learning can be done back home.

Keep in touch with your sponsor district by mail, email, website, or phone calls. Attend Rotary meetings at your host club and make an effort to get to know people. Doing the 10-15 presentations required by Rotary may seem a bit daunting, but this number is flexible. You will get involved in other Rotary events, and as time goes on clubs in other areas of Dunedin and Otago will ask you to speak. After three months or so you should send in your first report (plus tuition receipts and confirmation of costs form) to your scholarships co-ordinator in Evanston. Give copies of your report to counsellors, club presidents, and district governors in your sponsor and host districts. After Rotary receives your report they will send you your second scholarship payment. At some point you'll attend a Scholars' Conference for all Scholars studying in New Zealand, and a District Conference for District 9980.

The two official reasons you're in NZ are to study and to be an ambassador of goodwill... but there is much more to living in Dunedin. The funds you're given will support a comfortable (not posh) lifestyle. The university website has some estimates on the cost of living in Dunedin. I pay NZ$60 per week for my flat, which is insanely cheap when I convert it to Canadian funds. There's heaps to do in and around Dunedin. Check out the Otago Museum and the Art Gallery. Day walks to Mt Cargill, Signal Hill, Swampy, the Organ Pipes, and such (good book for this is "From Sea to Silverpeaks"). Tunnel Beach. Plenty of pubs and a few dance clubs. Recreation Services offers courses and trips, and rent gear. Moana Pool on Stuart Street. Public library and Dunedin Visitors' Centre in the Octagon. I believe there is a bus system because I've nearly been run over a few times while cycling around town, but have never used them. Most students don't own a car. Lights and helmets are mandatory for cyclists. Cycle on the left side of the road. Balancing Rotary and school and social life and staying healthy can be hard, but definitely not impossible. Make sure you stay in touch with people back home. Heaps of good tramping to be done outside of Dunedin. I've got a copy of the Lonely Planet guide to tramping in NZ. The official Bible for the South Island is Moir's Guide (two volumes, one for the north half of the South Island, the other for the south half). Join the tramping club, and once you have a feel for the country you can start planning your own trips. Tramps can range from easy to virtually impossible. Rainforests, mountains, volcanoes, flat plains, beaches...whatever you're into, it's here.

Rotary says you have to return after nine months, after your classes are finished. Most people stay a few months extra to travel around and this does not seem to be an issue. I'm going home just before Christmas. Make sure you book your return ticket early if you're leaving at peak holiday times. 

One of the returned Kiwis who was at the Scholars' Conference in Wellington recommended that we buy a Lonely Planet guide to wherever we're from and treat it as a foreign country.

Apparently we do 8-10 speeches at home. Need to submit a second report and scholarship evaluation form.