Roaring twenties
New Zealand Listener|June 4 - 10, 2022
The young adults of "generation Covid" are finally moving on with their lives, two years after the pandemic threw their plans into disarray.
REBECCA ZHONG
Roaring twenties

NIKITA KENT, 23

Nikita Kent: “I am now 23, but I still feel like I’m 21 – like my character development has been frozen by two years.”

Before the pandemic began, Nikita Kent had her future well mapped out. In February 2020, she was based in Tokyo and about to catch a flight to Zhenjiang, China, to study Mandarin. After that, she planned to pursue her master’s in one of the world’s major cities.

As global concerns grew about the Covid outbreak in China, Kent decided to head back to Aotearoa. With limited options available, she quickly enrolled in a computer science course at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). “Thankfully, the AUT admin staff were quick and let me enroll with really short notice.”

After five years of being away from home, she had little choice but to move back in with her parents.

While grateful she has been able to build on “hard skills” over the past two years, she is immensely relieved that New Zealand’s borders are now open again. She is due to fly back to Japan this month, where she will be studying for a master’s

in economics at the University of Tokyo on a full academic scholarship.

Kent is fi rm in her belief that “there’s so much you can learn and do while you’re young, mobile and have no dependants”. She feels, however, that she has already missed out on much of that potential growth.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView all
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024