Mrs Bediako, who is originally from Ghana, was one of 51 new New Zealanders welcomed at a citizenship ceremony at the Dunedin Centre yesterday afternoon.
The city was beautiful but compared to her native Ghana, Dunedin was "very quiet", she said.
"In Ghana, it’s very loud in the street and you can just say ‘hi’, ‘hello’, get on with [people], chat with them.
"I sometimes wonder, ‘where is everybody?’
"People are very individual, they keep to themselves."
She came from Ghana with her husband after he was offered a job in Dunedin.
Although she had difficulties adjusting to the new environment, her love for nature helped her appreciate Dunedin.
"It has lots of trees, hills, the beautiful valleys, the flowers.
"I like nature so it’s really cool to see that.
"In the cities [in Ghana], you only see high-rise buildings."
Her husband Dominic Agyei and daughter Jeanine Agyei joined her for the ceremony.
She was grateful for the generosity of her church and neighbours in Dunedin who helped her and her family settle in.
"They helped us to feel welcome and feel at home, and encouraged us when things have been challenging."
Mrs Bediako had not ventured out of Dunedin yet, but hoped to visit Queenstown.
New citizens
Alya Syahira Binti Ahmad Zamri (Malaysia), Hamam Khayro Aldouss (Syria), Ghazal Hamam Aldouss (Syria), Chaymaa Hamam Aldouss (Syria), Nader Hamam Aldouss (Syria), Ammar Hamam Aldouss (Lebanon), Asala Abdel Raouf Alnajem (Syria), Mudassir Anwar (Pakistan), Muhammed Wajih Hasan (Malaysia), Muhammed Sameer Hasan (Pakistan), Afshan Rani (Pakistan), Ellen Asare Bediako (Ghana), Arun Ashok Kumar Madathiparambil (India), Jessica Marie Atencio Barder (Malaysia), Frederico Botafogo (Brazil), Daniel Charles Burgess (United Kingdom) Janes Olavides Castro (Philippines), Vasily Veroy Castro (Philippines), Randall Noah Olavides Castro (Philippines), Theodore Ilgaz Celik (Turkey), Robyn Iserline Christian (Fiji), Terence Duffield (United Kingdom), Huda Fatima Mazharuddin (Saudi Arabia), Moira Sofía Fortin Cornejo (Chile), Elizabeth Gertrude Gordon (Northern Ireland), Robert Joseph Gordon (Northern Ireland), Sagar Gulati (India), Paidamoyo Natasha Gwavava (Zimbabwe), Sean Hamilton Howarth (South Africa), Amit Issac Ingle (India), Jessica Hannah Jones (England), Kuldeep Rajendrabhai Kadam (India), Krisztian Kormos (Hungary), Arvin Garcia Lazaro (Philippines), Charmzl Shenery Isle Santos Lazaro (Philippines), Louiz Arvhinson Wyte Santos Lazaro (Philippines), Neone Annishton Lyte Santos Lazaro (Singapore), Greigh Scotson Bryte Santos Lazaro (Singapore), Sinead Mary Linwood (United Kingdom), Joanne Marie O’Neill (United Kingdom), Khununya Papakkho (Thailand), Ricardo Magno Santos Antunes (Brazil), Frances Marie Schack (Canada), Ernest Eberhard Schack (Canada), Kimberly Lynn Shoebridge (United States), Andrew Robert Syme (Scotland), Massimiliana Urbano (Italy), Ben Thomas Weber (United States), Janette Salinas Wilson (Philippines), Mohamad Amer Jamal Aldin Zaza (Syria), Jamal Aldin Zaza (Syria).
