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Enjoying Diversity and Doing Research in New Zealand

Ethan Uong | July 19, 2010

Photo of Ethan Uong
A composite image of Uong on Rangitoto Island.

On the night of June 20, 2010 I knew my life wasn't going to be the same for a few months.  I knew that something tickled my twinkle and I couldn’t rest.

The following day, I embarked on a brand-new journey to find myself lost in a beautiful country, New Zealand, and furthermore a sight-seeing city, Auckland.  When I went through customs at the Auckland International Airport, it struck me that I would actually be living here for nine weeks. 

I especially took note of the diversity of the people immediately when I got to the central city.  I saw people of color mingling together, groups of English-learning students conversing with one another and restaurants ranging from kabob to fish n' chips.  It didn't take me long to realize that this city (or country) prospered from many different cultures.

There also were some slang words that I thought were interesting.  I remembered asking a local resident for a bathroom and getting a shrug. Apparently, the term "toilet" is often used here. But I was especially impressed with how friendly the locals are.  They are extremely laid back and never seem to get tired of my asking the same question: "Where am I?" 

Photo of Ethan Uong
A postcard from the Hauraki Gulf Islands, designed by Uong.

Auckland has an aesthetically pleasing layout, which mostly reminds me of New York City. The traffic infrastructure is also excellent. There are traffic lights and people actually obey them, though jaywalking is also a common thing.  It gets cold at night and I always find the ground and streets wet in the morning.  The weather is always unpredictable.  It could rain for a few seconds and then you will see the bright sun just to acknowledge that you will not see it for another few minutes.

Meanwhile, my proposed project at the University of Auckland examines unreinforced masonry structures.  The test that I am involved in deals with unreinforced masonry buildings.  This type of structure posts a threat in an earthquake or any sort of seismic activity.  The wall and bearings of such structures are weak against lateral loads.  The objective of this test is to understand further the reaction of the masonry elements under lateral force.  The test will provide information on the response of the peels and parapets and perhaps suggest a seismic retrofit solution.  My duty includes setting an archive to be stored in a database for the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation, preparing the experimentation and sensor locations, and recording data for simulation.  I will learn data documentation, NeesCentral, web-based centralized data repository for managing, sharing, storing and publishing data, and field instrumentation.

Ultimately, for the first week and a half, I can honestly say it has already been an awesome journey.  Perhaps the next time I stop to chat with a local I will not ask "that" question.  On the contrary, I will let him know that "I'm in New Zealand!"

Ethan UongEnjoying Diversity and Doing Research in New Zealand
Ethan Uong
Wendy FongGetting to Know China
Wendy Fong
Serena ChangLearning to Be on Your Own and Enjoying Exotic Cuisine in Malaysia
Serena Chang

China map

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