New arrival

Hi. Are you new in a school? Are you worried about having to start over again, learn new things like customs, languages and even religions! Well in Mapua I went through this and much more! So listen up for my experiences.

Imagine losing everybody - all of your friends. Yes, that's what happened to me. But don't worry it won't be for long. There are always people who will get along with you even if you don't want them to! I mean when I got into Mapua it was only a matter of a couple of days until I had a load of friends. Everybody was so understanding and helpful it was impossible not to make friends!

One of the major problems for me was that most people had a different accent so it was hard to understand what they were saying. But luckily not everybody had a different accent. I soon learnt that there were a wide variety of accents and languages within the school. (including about 7 British people in my class alone!) I still got asked and still am asked to say some words that others find amusing like majestic for example. Eventually (in my case a week) you get used to it and people stop doing it, but until then just hold on!

Imagine not having a house of your own yet and waiting while your mum and dad are finding "the right one". Well here are some of my experiences about this.
I had to live in a rented house by the beach. Living by the beach has it's advantages like driftwood, sand and interesting wildlife. But the prospect of having to live there for 2 months without any of my stuff wasn't pleasing at all. Nooooooo! How am I going to survive without the x-box, computer or books to keep me going! That's how it felt at the beginning and it still felt the same 2 months later. It nearly made coming to N.Z not worth it. (I said nearly!) But I overcame it and here I am now.

Another major problem at school was having to learn all those difficult new customs and languages but eventually you'll get into the swing of things like I did so don't worry!

Another problem was that I didn't have most of my school stuff. I spent half my time worrying about not having the right stuff. This can be a real downer for some people but all you've got to do is stop worrying and check the night before that you've done everything you needed to. This is a great way to succeed as a new arrival!
Another thing you really need to get on top of is homework. In Mapua all I had to do was a Maths Mate sheet and I was struggling just with doing that so I understand how you feel.

Now you understand about being a new arrival don't be scared. Act just like you would at your old school and you will be fine. Thanks for checking out my story and good luck!

Written by Will Simpson
(One of our new arrivals at the end of Term 2)