Two Hemispheres, One World

From my view of Auckland from the 18^th floor of the hotel, it is sometimes difficult to believe that we are actually over 7,000 miles away from home. Leading American-based Fortune 500 firms, such as Deloitte, AIG, SAP, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers, who own massive towers, dominate the city skyline shared with the famous Auckland Sky Tower. Down below, it is almost impossible to wander through this alluring city and not notice an American presence. Burger King, Subway, and Starbucks are scattered around every street corner. However, one aspect that has continuously surprised me along this trip, whether we are in Auckland, Wellington or Rotorua, is the relative depth of knowledge the locals seem to have of America and its characteristics.

Although I am from Baltimore, MD, I always respond with “Washington, D.C.” when I am asked where I am from during our visit. I simply selected a location closest to my home, a place I assume the locals would possibly have some idea of its location in the United States. I initially never expected any follow-up questions to my response, simply because I thought the United States is just so far away. Imagine my surprise when I have received follow-up replies such as: “Is that the home of the Wizards NBA team?” or “Heard the flowers are beautiful there in spring, almost as beautiful as those Yellowstone National Park” or “That’s south of Philadelphia, right?” The depth of knowledge made me ponder why I did not know nearly as much about New Zealand before this trip as they did about the United States.

I possess a high interest in rugby and was planning to interview a local about sporting culture but little did I know that that person would actually approach me. I was browsing for an All Blacks jersey when a shopkeeper approached me. He immediately asked if I was American and I responded, “yes,” and asked how he knew. He replied that I was looking at a basketball-style All Blacks jersey and that the “only [people]” who prefer that style were Americans. I asked him if there were any other American sports he preferred and he gave me a short “no.” “Not even American NFL football?” I asked. He replied, “No way, that game is for [cowards]. Not enough hitting and jawing.” Maintaining an open mind, I did not take offense and surprisingly even found myself agreeing with some of his points as he proceeded to describe why rugby was “better.” Being a NFL super-fan, I asked if he knew of Jarryd Hayne, an ex-rugby star who was the first rugby player to make an NFL roster for the San Francisco 49ers. He replied “Of course! He always gave us a lot of trouble in the World Cup!”

 Our conversation quickly turned to an in-depth discussion about how the NFL was actually influencing rugby in New Zealand. From better-concentrated, high-protein meal plans, to sleeping patterns, and even down to what kind of gel is used on the player’s hands, all of these being things I discovered were recently adapted by the New Zealand rugby teams. I asked him on the flip side if Jarryd Hayne had brought anything to the NFL and he said “hitting form” and ball carrying security, the former posing a serious issue in the NFL because of high concussion rates. After almost 30 minutes had passed, I unfortunately had to cut short our didactic conversation in order to attend dinner.

My biggest takeaway from our conversation was not as much discussing “NFL vs. rugby” but rather realizing the mutualistic relationship potentially shared between the two sports. Rugby player conditioning had improved from the adoption of an NFL diet, while Jarryd Hayne had helped reduce the number of concussions. A previous pluralistic relationship, which had seen the individual growth of the two sports on opposite hemispheres, was now slowly starting to become multicultural. The sporting practices were mixing and melding as they learn from one another in order to optimize player performance.     

During our visit with Damon Salesa, a professor at the University of Auckland, we learned that many Pacific Islanders “love the United States,” for example, noting that it is “very honorable [for many] to serve” in the Military. Their overall “love” or “patriotism” could potentially explain their interest in the culture but I have realized over the past 2 weeks that simply knowing facts about another place is not as useful if that information is not shared to build relationships. The knowledge that I have gained from this study abroad, whether it relates to the people, culture, history or places, are all experiences I intend to share back in the United States in order to advance attention and appreciation. In the words of our guide from the Te Papa Tongarewa museum: we visit New Zealand not “representing the United States” but rather “are the United States.”