Student struggles to cope abroad

Dubai: Life as a student in New Zealand can be demanding academically and lonely at times, an Emirati woman has told Gulf News.

Like Asma Al Yamahi, pharmacist Rania Hassan, 29, is a postgraduate student at the University of Auckland.

And like Asma, Rania said lecturers have questioned whether she is suitable for the course she is taking. She said she was taken aback at the contents of one e-mail an academic sent her.

Big shock

"He said: 'You're not suitable for this course.' I was shocked when I received his e-mail. It was a very big shock to me. I don't think it's the wrong course - I have already passed the first semester with an excellent grade," she said.

Rania, who comes from Al Ain and is the eldest of five children, misses her parents and other family members, describing herself as "severely homesick."

"My country is very, very far away. I want my parents - last year I saw them four times only - and I don't have many very close friends. In our culture you are used to being with your family," she told Gulf News by telephone from Auckland.

Safety

"I do not go out too much. I study at home or use the internet, so my life is just at the university or at home. However, during the day I feel safe outside and I think the people here are quite nice."

A pharmacist with a bachelor's degree from Ajman University, Rania works as an inspector for the Ministry of Health in Abu Dhabi, and is studying for a master's degree in pharmacology on a scholarship from the ministry. She arrived in New Zealand a year ago and is due to stay for another year.

"It is a new country with a new system and a new language. Everything is strange and new although I think I fit in easily - my English is not too bad," said Rania, who is single.