Every year, Motueka High School hosts exchange students from around the world, who stay from a few weeks to a full year in Motueka. The Guardian will be running interviews from some of these students, to explore their reasons for coming to New Zealand, and the experiences they have had here.
Hey, my name is Anna Kahmann. I am 16 years old, and I live in Osnabrück in Germany, but go to a boarding school on the small Island Spiekeroog in Germany. I was here for five months.
What drew you to New Zealand?
My school in Germany currently has a sailing trip for my class for seven months. But I didn’t want to sail that long and decided to do something else. After a talk with my organisation, I decided to come to New Zealand. Because the unique nature is something you just have to experience.
What has been your favourite experience here?
There have been a lot of great experiences I’ve had in my time in New Zealand. But if I had to choose one thing, I think it would be my skydive, because it was amazing to see Motueka from the sky.
What is one of the biggest differences between Motueka and your home town?
I think people are totally different. In Germany everyone is always stressed and unfriendly, and here everyone is relaxed and considerate.
What is something that has differed from your expectations (for better or for worse)?
I thought five months would be longer. But it’s actually a good sign that time went by so quickly. I’ll miss Motueka and all the people I’ve met.
What is a food that you’ve learned to love in NZ, and what is a food that you’ve missed from back home?
In New Zealand I learned to love pies and Tim Tams; I will definitely miss them in Germany. From Germany I miss typical bread and buns, and schnitzel.
Is there something else you’ve really missed from home, beyond friends and family?
I will miss our DM, that’s our retail store. It’s a lot better than the Chemist Warehouse.
What are you going to miss about life in New Zealand?
I think I’ll miss the friendliness of the people here and the sunny weather.
How have you changed, or what have you learned, since you’ve been here?
I think I’ve learned a lot of social skills. For example, approaching people who don’t speak your native language.
What’s one of the first things you’ll do when you return home?
I’ll be the first to get a pretzel from the bakery and hug my family and friends.
What will you be doing next year and beyond upon returning to your home country?
I’m going back to school as normal and enjoying time with my friends.
