Student returns from New Zealand

Devon Pelkey at Fox Glacier, N.Z.

Water circles down the drain counter-clockwise; people speak English, but with accents and unfamiliar expressions; Christmas is in the summer; and students wear uniforms to school.

If going on exchange for a year is about experiencing another culture, then Devon Pelkey's year-long stay in New Zealand should be considered a resounding success.

Pelkey, a junior at Sisters High School, returned December 27, after spending nearly a full year in New Zealand as a participant in the Youth for Understanding (YFU) student exchange program.

He began researching the idea of going on exchange near the end of his freshman year.

"I wanted to share my culture with the people of New Zealand, and now that I'm back, share the New Zealand culture back here," he said.

Pelkey chose New Zealand for a number of reasons.

"I wanted to get going right away so I wouldn't spend my senior year away, so I picked an English speaking country," he said. "My father had been to New Zealand about 10 years ago and recommended it as well."

Not everything went smoothly for Pelkey during his stay.

The first two months of his adventure were spent on a farm near the town of Helensville with the Baker family.

Inexplicably, Pelkey was moved on short notice to Whangarei for six weeks. Ultimately, YFU sent him to Auckland, where he stayed with two different families, the Smiths and the Behersings.

Despite those troubles, Pelkey found the people of New Zealand to be genuinely friendly, helpful, and fun loving.

"People would go out of their way to help me whenever I needed it," he said.

Pelkey spent the bulk of his school time at a school known as MacLean's College with a student population of 2,000.

The school was divided into seven "houses" each of which bore the name of a famous New Zealander, including Sir Edmund Hillary, conqueror of Everest, and Olympic distance runner Peter Snell.

"School was quite strict," he said. "Uniforms were mandatory and had certain requirements including no white socks and no T-shirts under the uniform shirt."

In class, teachers lectured and students listened.

"No visiting was allowed during class time," he said.

Exams for classes counted for up to 75 percent of the grade for the class, so it was important to study, according to Pelkey.

"School wasn't unbearable, but it made going to the beach that much more enjoyable," said Pelkey with a smile. "We did a lot of sun-bathing."

One of the cultural differences Pelkey had to adjust to was dinner.

"Everyone eats dinner together as a family," he said. "If someone is a bit late, everyone waits."

He also had to learn the "signal" for if he wanted seconds during a meal.

"If you want seconds, you put your knife and fork on your plate pointing toward each other," he explained. "But if you are finished you put them parallel to one another."

In addition to playing basketball, where he was a team captain, Pelkey was introduced to the popular games of cricket and rugby.

"My teammates did a good job of protecting me in rugby, which I appreciated," he said.

In cricket, he was taught to pitch and came to appreciate the skill involved in playing the game.

About two months into his stay, Pelkey had his biggest battle with homesickness.

"It hit me one day that none of the relationships I had with anyone were more than a few weeks old, which shook me," he said. "It's hard when everything is new and unfamiliar."

But it was his "mates" that helped him through any lonely times.

"My friends and school mates treated me great," he said. "The people were the best."

Pelkey said that returning home made him realize how much he had changed through the experience of living abroad.

"I felt separated at first when I came back," he said. "I think I changed more than the people who stayed here."

He is returning to familiar routines now and says, "things are fitting back together." He played his first basketball game just five days after returning to school.

Pelkey encourages people of all ages to travel, but especially students.

"Being on exchange makes you look outside your little circle," he said. "It gives you more of a worldwide view, beyond what America chooses for you."