The Interview

Nearly half a month ago, I was fortunate enough to meet a young woman named Bex in the city of Auckland. Bex was living in a dorm apartment complex across from our accommodation University Hall. To her credit, I would not have been able to write this blog if she had never shouted out her window at myself and a few others on the second day we arrived in Auckland. Her confidence in doing so lends her outgoing personality observed in speaking with her. Most of our conversations were carried out with us standing under her window yelling back and forth to one another. However, one day Bex was walking back to her apartment as we were heading into town and I saw that as a perfect opportunity to gain her insights about New Zealand and sports in general (the picture below is the approximate spot where we finally talked face to face).

Bex is a sophomore studying Biology at the University of Auckland and is currently enrolled in summer classes. She is from a suburb just outside of Auckland which name has escaped me since the rather informal interview took place. She is an only child who was engaged in sport and physical activity early on in her life but did not pursue it much as she aged. In primary school Bex played netball and said she tried cricket for a short period of time before a strong disinterest in the sport overcame her. When I asked her about rugby, she said her dad played up until he hit the club level and often watched it with him at home. Bex definitely made it clear that she was not an avid fan of the sport, however, she understood its place in New Zealand culture. She believes many see it as an integral part of the development of young boys in the country, which I thought was very interesting due to the debate over whether or not sport builds character that we touched on in lecture. I regrettably did not raise that discussion with Bex in the moment, but also can see how that may have offended or embarrassed her in a way at that point in time. Regardless, Bex was a very likeable and happy individual that I am very glad I had the chance to speak with.

Blog Entry 3