Hi friends! It has been a long time since my last article. These couple of months have been a mixture of excitement, uncertainty, and many others. It is almost my eighth month in my PhD period and around nine months living in Auckland as an international student. My first year is almost over. So, how has my life as an international student in New Zealand been so far?
First-Year Life as International Student
My first few months in a new country
For anyone who has not known me yet, my name is Rianita, but many people call me Tata. I am from Indonesia. Currently, I am living in New Zealand, pursuing a doctoral degree as an international student in education at the University of Auckland. My arrival was at the end of the Autumn. I remember the vibrant blue sky, contrasting with the golden brown of falling leaves. The air was fresh and pretty chill. I was so excited to do small things, as simple as grocery shopping. I live in a shared apartment with two other Indonesian students.

Talking about groceries, I stopped converting the currency from NZ$ to IDR a few months ago. In the first few weeks, I did that. It made me feel slightly anxious when I bought things. For example, the price of one kilogram of rice is between 2-4 dollars, around 20k-40k IDR. The higher price is fruit. One piece of avocado is around one dollar (back home, I can get one kilogram or pick from the garden). The dining out price is as cheap as ten dollars and can be over twenty dollars, which means at least almost 100k IDR. So, I stopped converting and just managed my finances based on my scholarship allowance of NZ$.
Living in Auckland these past few months has changed my transportation choice. In Indonesia, I love to go by Grab or GoJek (online driver platforms for bikes and cars). Here, I walk almost everywhere. It started to just one kilometre. Now I can walk over three kilometres. If too far, there are buses, trains, and boats. There are Über cars and electric scooters too. Take your choices. Should I write articles on transportation, groceries, and shopping in Auckland?
Family is not only blood-related
Thanks to my flatmates, Ayes and Marsha, for finding our accommodation and helping me settle down. From random chats in our WhatsApp group (although we live in the same apartment), planning trips (mostly rescheduled and ended with unscheduled ones), and trying to find Halal restaurants in Auckland, thank you for the midnight surprise for my birthday! Then, thank you for Kak Prima and Thu as my PhD fighter-fellows. We can do that, girls! As of now, I can call all of them my extended family here.
I am finding family far away from my home country. But the greatest thanks are from my loved ones back home: my mom, brothers, father, and others. We might be separated by distance but not by communication. We have chats and calls almost daily. Thank you for your support, trust, and understanding. I love you all. Send many hugs and kisses from Auckland. I hope one day they can visit Auckland, too. I know my mom will love nature. She loves flowers, and I can find many pretty flowers here. My niece loves the playground. Guess what? Auckland has so many playgrounds for children.

Academic Update as An International Student
PhD student life update
As a PhD student, I don’t have many compulsory courses. So far, I only enrolled and completed two courses: Academic Integrity and Writing Research Report. The first one focuses on integrity within an academic context. You can read more in the article Embracing Academic Integrity: Lessons from my first PhD Course. The other one is about academic writing.
Based on my English screening qualification (as an international student in Auckland, I must take this), I must improve my writing and listening skills. Listening can be improved by listening to the radio or attending speaking gatherings with locals. As for writing, the course has been helping me improve my technical writing and critical thinking. Thank you to Ian Fookes, my tutor in the course. I am happy with the decent final grade as well.
I have a work desk assigned as a PhD student. But I rarely use it. My favourite working space is in my bedroom apartment or library. I studied outdoors a few times. When the weather was great, it was awesome. I will explore more learning spaces and use my desk more often. I can work well in the early morning at the office. But, I tend to lose focus in the afternoon. More exploration is needed for learning focus!


PhD research update
Research is my main concern as a PhD student (or candidate). My research journey is not as smooth as my personal settlement. I started it fluctuated and roughed by changing my research topic at the third meeting with my supervisors. I cannot develop my research idea well. Then, I also found challenges in developing critical thinking and writing. Alhamdulillah, the academic writing course is really helpful, and so does both of my supervisors, Marek and Kiri. Gradually, I am on the path to sharpening my research focus and telling a story about it in my research proposal. At the same time, I am quite nervous about the end of the first year, which will be coming soon.
At the end of my first year, I needed to submit two documents: a research proposal and a significant piece of writing, both limited to 5,000 words each. My next deadline to submit to my supervisor is the second week of February 2025, and the next meeting will be the week after. So far, I am writing the introduction and research methodology, weaving theories, analysis and personal stories. One of the supervisors said to make your research live through the story. He said it’s not only about what I am saying but how I am saying it.
Final Words
Finally, my first year as an international student in Auckland has been exciting yet challenging so far. I know I will have more challenges in the future. But I can only do my best and pray, right? So, can you tell me about your story as a student or international student? Do you have any memorable memories? Last, what topics do you want me to share about next time? Thank you for reading, and see you in the next article!