Swedish student studies here

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 513, 23 November 1993, Page 13

Swedish student studies here

by

Shelly

Shearsby

Swedish exchange student Cecilia Aspenheim has been in New Zealand for four months and is attending Ruapehu College. During her time in New Zealand Cecilia has been from Auckland to Wellington, New Plymouth to Napier. Activities she has done so far are skiing with the College, visiting Waitomo Caves, Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World in Auckland and also the Kiwi House. Before Cecilia leaves New Zealand in July next year she hopes to go to the top of the North Island and down to the South Island with other exchange students from this area. Cecilia' s impression of New Zealand so far is that it is very hilly and a bit exotic because of some of the trees that are grown here.

"New Zealand is a very beautiful country and the people are very relaxed and friendly. People here have an easy-going attitude and they don't worry too much", said Cecilia. Cecilia is staying in Raetihi with her host parents Mr and Mrs McLean. She likes both Raetihi and Ohakune even though she feels that they are different. "Ohakune is different to Raetihi. Ohakune is built for tourists and Raetihi is a really relaxed town. I like both places," Cecilia said. Cecilia would like to try different sports before she returns to Sweden as the only sport she has tried is golf. She likes acting and playing the horn. When Cecilia returns home to Sweden she will go back to school for two years and then possibly university. She has to make up

one year at school in Sweden which she doesn' t mind even though she will be a year older than the rest of the class. Cecilia thinks that school work is easier in New Zealand than it is in Sweden. Cecilia comes from the south of Sweden in Vaxtorp which is a small village about the size of Ohakune and is only 20-minutes from the big city. When Cecilia returns home her family may have moved to nearby Laholm. On Sunday 19 December Cecilia' s parents, brother and two sisters will be coming to New Zealand for two-and-a-half weeks and are hoping to spend a few days with her. Cecilia feels that sometimes a year can seem to drag on but other times it seems to fly. "Being an exchange stu-

dent can be hard. Being from another country you are outside the culture and you have to make the effort to adjust and try to fit in", she said.