During my study abroad experience, I want to do more than just travel to a cool new place.  I want to become a part of one.  I chose the University of Otago mainly due to the location, home to a variety of mountain ranges, glaciers, and tons of national parks. I am excited for the amazing nearby hiking and the wildlife in New Zealand. My personal travels have brought me trekking in Peru, hiking in Yosemite National Park, and sand surfing through the Negev Desert in Israel.  But those experiences only warmed me up for what is to come.    

Growing up in Miami, I am used to going to the beach. But I have always wished to get more time in the mountains.  I go to Northwestern University in Chicago. On my beautiful campus, I spend much time on Lake Michigan going on long walks and bike rides. But in the wintertime, it is harder to get outside with temperatures dipping below 0 Fahrenheit. 

As an environmental engineering major, University of Otago offers me a unique opportunity to take classes intertwined with field work and case studies in the natural setting. This will inspire me further as an environmental engineer by showing my how people prioritize and conserve natural resources. 

I am already a Kiwi Ambassador – there are at least 10 people I know who will be visiting me in New Zealand. I love to write and will be taking my GoPro to document all of my amazing travels.  At Northwestern, I participate in many outdoor and environmental clubs. My Miami friends are also avid outdoors people.  We are constantly going swimming, diving, biking or kayaking.  Through my blog I will inspire others to experience New Zealand. 

During my time in New Zealand I plan to fully take advantage of the outdoor and adventurer lifestyle. At school, I enjoy kayaking and rock-climbing with friends. Over breaks, I go scuba diving and snow skiing. For my 18^th birthday, I went skydiving to take my adventuring out into the high skies.  Bunge jumping in New Zealand will be my next extreme adventure!

But what will make New Zealand the most special is the people.   One my closest friends is a Kiwi and she always tell me about its friendly vibe. I enjoy exploring local markets and restaurants.  I look forward to living not only with other international students but with Kiwis.   Having a local, friendly energy is important to me.  I frequently attend music festivals and what I love most is the easy friendship and banter among strangers.   In New Zealand I know I will make many lifelong friends.

The New Zealand travel scholarship will be appreciated. Flying from the U.S. to Dunedin is extremely expensive. It will result in me having fewer resources to spend on adventures. The scholarship will allow me experience New Zealand at its max and explore the entire country.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.