Englishman in New Mexico: International Orientation

I have now been at the University of New Mexico for almost a week, although it feels like it has been far longer! There has been so much going on that the honeymoon period is already over and classes have now started. However, the fact that it was so fleeting has not diminished my orientation experience at all!

The first full day here, a Wednesday, involved sorting out loads of forms and documents, but once the boring stuff was over, the fun began! That evening involved eating 'S'mores', an American treat consisting of an oversize marshmallow sandwiched between some biscuits, with chocolate to boot. Hardly a healthy start to my stay in New Mexico! Here I met my first few international students, and had the opportunity to exhibit my semi-legendary table tennis skills against both international and local students. Compared with Virginia, New Mexico appears to be much less exposed to European visitors, as within the first twenty-four hours, my southern English accent was mistaken for both Australian and German, and I was once asked whether my accent was 'real', much to my amusement.

Old Town Albuquerque

On the Thursday, all the internationals gathered for a trip into Albuquerque, which was my first proper opportunity to see the city. Here I met a multitude of people from all over the world, making a marked difference from the familiar assortment of foreigners I am used to in the UK, consisting mostly of Europeans, Indians and East Asians. I quickly made friends with two boys from Japan, an Azerbaijani, a Colombian and a Bolivian, and soon afterwards I met a Tunisian, an Indian and a Kyrgyzstani too. Several of us played football in a city park for a while, although we soon found that running after a ball was significantly hotter than just standing in the sun! (N.B. For purposes of clarity, I use the word 'football' in place of 'soccer' on the grounds that it is the term used almost everywhere in the world apart from the USA).

We also took the time to explore the Museum of Art and History, much of which contained interesting and thought-provoking depictions of New Mexico and the American West, although I am not much of an art buff, and the modern section was definitely less inspiring. On the other hand, the Explora! Science Centre was a lot of fun - several of us spent time playing with an impressive marble run and an interactive fountain, and I had the chance to ride a bicycle backwards across a tightrope - something I have never done before and doubt I will again!

Riding a bicycle backwards across a tightrope

My new friends and I went to the gym in the evening, where a variety of activities were on offer for free, including dodgeball and climbing. The following morning provided less spectacular activities, as it was mostly talks and paperwork again, but the afternoon more than made up for it. Albuquerque is situated beside the Sandia mountains, which rise 1,500 metres above the city, making for an impressive backdrop. The university had arranged a trip up to the top in the cable car. This was a noteworthy journey in itself because the Sandia Peak Tramway boasts of being 'the world's longest aerial tramway'; it is 2.7 miles long with a 1.5 mile single span, and at one point it is 300 metres off the ground. Needless to say, the view from the top was breathtaking, as I could see Albuquerque in its entirety, with the Rio Grande snaking across the landscape and distant peaks and mesas up to fifty miles away. A clear view from the summit can include 11,000 square miles of the New Mexican landscape, so it was definitely an experience that will be hard to forget.

On the 1.5 mile single span of the tramway

Albuquerque from the summit of Sandia Peak

Colorado Chipmunk

On the smaller scale, the summit also provided me with a sight of my first ever chipmunk, so that was another cause for excitement. I went on to spot two more, as the group went on a short hike from the cable car to a mountain cabin further along the ridge. My hopes of seeing a wolf or bear were unrealised, although an encounter with an aggressive bear might have slightly spoiled my day! All too soon, it was time to leave the mountain and we returned to the cable car for the fifteen minute ride back to the base.

Overlooking the city

View south along the Sandia ridge

On top of the world with Achraf, from Tunisia

The Sandia mountains are named after the Spanish word for watermelon, owing to the reddish colour they give off at sunset. Unfortunately, I was unable to witness this because the evening provided further entertainment, as it entailed 'Friday Night Live', a sort of elaborate freshers' fair. This meant I had plenty of free food and a wander around stands advertising every imaginable club or society. Towards the end, a couple of friends and I queued up to play a game of laser tag, which was on offer for some reason! In the hour or so we spent waiting to play, we were able to get to know a few Americans in addition to the many internationals we had already befriended.

The arrival of the weekend did not put an end to the activities, as there was an extensive international picnic on campus, allowing even more opportunity to socialise with a mixture of people from all over the world. At the picnic, a group of us made a plan to play a football match that evening, and this saw, by my reckoning, twelve of the most average footballers from nine countries compete for nothing more than pride over the space of about two hours! The high altitude (Albuquerque is at 1,600 metres) and a general lack of fitness made breathing difficult and it was certainly a challenge to keep chasing after the ball. We eventually finished once it became too dark to see the ball, with the final score 17-9: Bangladesh, Germany, India, Tunisia, the UK and the USA triumphed over Azerbaijan, Japan (x2), South Korea and the USA (x2).