After returning from our 10 day road trip around the south island, I FINALLY got to go back to school this week. Coming from an American school system, it is crazy to have a three month Christmas vacation. For many Universities back home, their first day of spring break was my first day of school. As most of you know, this is because of the horrible earthquake that rocked Christchurch on Feb. 22, a tragedy that continues to be a part of our life everyday even as the aftershocks begin to fade.
On my first day of classes, the most important thing that every professor covered was earthquake protocol. Drop-Cover-Hold on. Drop-Cover-Hold on. Drop-cover-Hold on. This procedure was repeated in every class, just another example of how Lincoln Uni’s number one concern is for its student’s safety. They also made sure to remind us that there were resources around campus that could help anyone deal with the stress and anxiety of the quake. Lincoln Uni is taking very good care of its students as well as those who have displaced and relocated here for the time being.
My first class, Animal Science 272, Dairy Systems, is going to be great! Throughout the semester I am going to learn about how and why the New Zealand dairy system works. Over here in NZ, most of the dairy farms run Frisians and Jerseys on pasture and very minimal supplements. Although they do not give the volume of milk that’s required from US cows, dairies in New Zealand are very profitable, especially right now when milk prices are at $8 per Kg Milk Solids. Although there are a few dairies that milk all year long to supply milk to New Zealand, the majority of dairies have a synchronized breeding program so that they calve and dry up at the same time to match the lactation curve with the pasture growth curve. While this system is very different from the ones I’ve seen back home, it works amazingly here.
My next class is Management 203, Agriculture systems and Sustainability. This class, which is traditionally made up of about 40% international students, is going to give me a spectacular overview of New Zealand agriculture and the problems it may face in regards to sustainability. So far, this class has focused on looking at the deer and dairy industries to give us a bit of background on the industries, but we will also look at international markets, water rights, land tenure and various other subjects to make this a very well rounded “paper”. (Kiwi’s often call classes “papers”.)
With two animal science focused classes, I also chose to balance it out a bit by taking a marketing class, which I already know I’m going to enjoy. The professor, Dr. Sharon Forbes, is a wonderful lady with a passion for students and her field. She has traveled around the world and then returned to New Zealand because Canterbury is the only place she could call home. Her class, Consumer Behavior, is full of real life examples and constant interactions between the students and the professor. Add in the fact that she has a red tint to her hair, and it’s easy to see that this is going to be a fun and practical class.
The last class that I am signed up for this semester, Plant Science 204, Plant Production Systems, is likely going to be the most challenging class for me because I have no background in plants outside of my work in the wheat genetics lab at CSU. In the coarse schedule (which Americans would call a syllabus) following a list of 70 plant names it says “Students who cannot identify at least half of these plants will probably fail.” So yes, I am very worried about this class especially after my first lab in which we were let out in a field and asked to match the marked plants with a description of the plant and its name. As you can imagine, descriptions using words such as sheath, ligule, and auricles were like a foreign language. I was having so much trouble with it because of my non-plant background that at the end of the class, the professor felt sorry for me and gave me the paper with his key.
All and all, this is going to be a very educational semester, but it’s also going to be a blast. Lincoln Uni is full of wonderful professors and staff that have a passion for what they do. Add in the typical Kiwi attitude of helping others and it’s easy to tell that the next ten weeks of classes are going to be one of the most inviting opportunities to learn.
All I can say now is…. Let the Knowledge Flow! I’m Ready!
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