Opera in the Ocean

Whew!! What a week it has been! Already it is Monday night and as I reflect back on the week, it feels like we did something every day!

This was the first week that we had full control of the classroom. What a thrill that was! This is what we have been working so hard for. Seeing the expectant faces of each child, every morning proves to be a more overwhelming joy than I could have ever imagined. They do not see me as a student teacher; I am the teacher (if co-teacher was in their vocabulary, I’m sure that’s what I would be too). I am the all knowing, the all loving, and the all-powerful. They pushed the boundaries at first, but we have all fallen into our groove. I cannot wait to have my own classroom and I know that Chris is just as thrilled.

That brings me to our next exciting news; we have been approved for our working holiday scheme visas!!! Yay!! It is a huge weight off our shoulders and now we can plan accordingly (a.k.a. when will we run out of money and have to go back to the US!! ;) ) We are clear to stay and work (anything except “permanent positions”) until November 2013! Wow! It is a lot to process and a lot to plan, but we are up for the challenge and, of course, the adventure. (As a side note, I am so glad that I have my best friend by my side for this <3 )

So, back to the little things- which is really what makes the big things so great!

On Wednesday, we went to the opera with a woman who works with me in the classroom as an aid. It was a Mozart piece that was also a comedy. They did a marvelous job! Luckily, the words that were in Italian (most of them) were projected above the stage so we could understand the story!

I was afraid to use the flash! 

On Thursday, (Thanksgiving apparently!) we had a delectable dinner with my CT and her family. It was actually very funny. I didn’t even remember it was Thanksgiving; obviously, no one celebrates here. The students were all working diligently when my CT gives me this mortified look as she entered the room. Puzzled and a bit scared, I go over to her. She puts her hands on my shoulders and says, “It’s Thanksgiving!” She had invited us to dinner, not considering the holiday. Much to her relief, we had forgotten as well. She was fearful that we assumed she was making us a traditional dinner. I couldn’t have asked for a better dinner that night though. She is quite the cook! Although it does wrench my heart a little to know that our families in the states are feasting on turkey in snowy Montana and delving into pumpkin pie at Uncle B & Aunt T’s in Colorado, we did enjoy our non-traditional (non-existent) holiday. We certainly have so much to be thankful for and this just humbles us into remembering those things every day.

Sunday was spent at the beach!! (After planning for the next week of course!) Our delightful host family lead the way to Waimarama Beach where we met up with a friend of the family and their kids. We didn’t swim- apparently we need to invest in some wetsuits… seriously, that was the norm! But sitting on the hot white sand way exceptionally relaxing. Ahhhhh. After a sit in the sun, we had a lovely barbeque followed by some hokey pokey ice cream. You see, hokey pokey is a flavor here- sort of like toffee. The hokey tokey is the dance!!!

We had fun on the flying fox! 

NZ has the best playground equipment! 

Bare Island in the distance 

The BBQ! 

I have been taking many pictures of the little creatures I find all around. I’ve spent so much time crouched in the bushed snapping hundreds of pictures of these fascinating animals!

Off to another week of full control! I have the Kapa Haka festival to go to tomorrow and I am so excited! What a unique cultural experience! 

Happy (late) Thanksgiving to all of you back home! We are truly appreciative of the support you have all shown. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends, we would not be here without you. We know that there are mixed feelings about the distance separating us, but know our love and gratitude are only amplified by the miles (or kilometers!).

We love you!! 

When America Sneezes…

Somehow, I neglected my blogging duties last week! Between bouts of sickness, class preparation, and generally enjoying this little island, I just didn’t do it.

I’ll begin with the election (because, yes, it’s been that long since I posted an update). I was amazed to see how involved NZ was in the election. It consumed every news channel and pub alike- of course I was watching the news, not at the pub! In the weeks leading up to it, I had parents, teachers, and random people asking me about my political beliefs and position. Turns out I know more about our system than I even realized (no doubt thanks to Dad’s help in that silly online political science class!) One wise soul said, “Well you know, when America sneezes, the whole world catches a cold.” What happens in America trickles down and affects places like little ol’ NZ. I don’t know if that’s necessarily a good thing, but it certainly is interesting. No one here was particularly overjoyed or devastated by the results, they just like to see what will happen. Chris and I are not very political however, (much to the dismay of many of you) we are pleased with what happened.

Onward and upward! Chris and I have both been afflicted with a certain nasty tummy bug that took each of us out for a couple days. Yuck! However, while I was sick I borrowed a movie from the little girls, The Pirates! Band of Misfits. From the achingly amusing Pirate Captain, I’ve adopted a new favorite quote, “It’s only impossible if you stop to think about it.” Ah, the joys of sickness. If you haven’t seen it you should- you must. Steph and Justin, I think you would be particularly keen on it.

How could any sickness withstand a giant card from the kiddos?!?! 

Last weekend, my CT’s parents, V & B, took us on a lovely drive up to lake Tutira. Unfortunately, the lake had a rather unpleasant toxic algal bloom so we drove back down the road a few km to the White Pine Bush Scenic Reserve for a tramp through the bush. Tramping is kiwi for hiking. We started with a magnificent picnic complete with a veggie tray, pikelets (little pancake-like deliciousness), hummus, herb bread, hard-boiled eggs, and so much more!! They are too good to us! After lunch, we meandered along the mossy path for about an hour and a half, mesmerized by the grandeur of the unfamiliar flora.

B showing off a large fern unraveling

This is a HUGE tree

Admiring the canopy  

Our adventure loop  

Enjoying our sushi on the beach!! 

            I need to tell you about the sushi here. It is amazing. Not only is it relatively inexpensive, but it is also fast and delectable! It follows in the fashion of ‘take away’ style restaurants here- you go in, grab a set of tongs and a plastic to-go box then proceed down the line and pick and choose which individual rolls you want!  Ranging anywhere from NZD$1 -$2.50, it ends up being much less expensive than in the US. I love it!!!! It is my go-to meal when we’re out and about. As a Friday lunch ritual, a group of us from the school goes to the same sushi place- it’s the only place I’m a regular already!  

In other news:

            We applied for Working Holiday Scheme visas and have ‘been approved for consideration’- whatever that means. We’ve sent in our medical paperwork and they will hopefully let us know what they think soon! Essentially, this provides us with a 12-month visa and the capability to take on part-time work. Fingers crossed!!

            I mailed our paperwork while Chris was sick, and I decided to take a walk to the beach since I was down that way. I soaked up the beautiful afternoon whilst the salty breeze churned with the harsh rays of sunshine. Taking off my shoes, the smooth rocks seemed to effortlessly massage my sore Friday-feet. Reality snuck back into my peaceful state as a piece of glass grazed my foot. Bah! I decided I’d better put some shoes on and get back home to my sick man. 


At the nearest bench I assessed the wound, realized it was bleeding more than I thought, and fashioned a plaster (kiwi for bandage) out of a napkin (from the sushi place of course) and some “thank you for sharing in our special day” stickers. Naturally, that’s what was in my bag. It did the trick until I got back home!  

Pretty purple poppy on my way into town 

I got some good pictures before wounding myself! 

When you underestimate how close the wave will come...

Chris and I had a fun date night out for drinks and dessert!

Polly got a haircut!

Before

After! 

            The next two-three weeks we are in full control of the class. Finally, we are the teachers! We just aren’t paid for it! We are so ready and very excited to completely plan and edify these young, lithe minds. =D Here we go!

Morning view from school 

A wayward beach bee 

CRAZY passion fruit flower! 

Until next time!

K & C

Zumba at the Disco

I can’t believe it’s already Monday evening here! I don’t know where the week went, but I can recollect what happened:

On Tuesday I went to my first Kiwi Zumba class. Now, I was corrected countless times because here it is pronounced z-UM-buh, whereas the US says it zoom-buh. Big difference! I had a lovely time dancing with these exuberant ladies- including my CT and a couple moms. The instructor is my CT’s sister-in-law and a mom of one of our little boys. She was a marvelous instructor and man was I sore the next day. I will certainly be back next week!

The rest of the week was full of teaching and beautiful little children! Chris and I are both delving into the thick of teaching. It is such a wonderful (and slightly terrifying) feeling to have so much control in the classroom. We are that much closer to being done with college and onto careers! Our plan, as of now, is to apply for a visa that will grant us a longer stay and the ability to work part-time. Once (if) we find full time jobs, we will apply for a different visa. If none of that works out, we’ll head back stateside and look for work (probably in Oregon). We are very flexible though and really just want to be in the classroom!!

We finished off the week with a Halloween themed disco (just a dance) at the school. Normally, the disco wouldn’t be Halloween themed- it just so happened to fall close to the holiday. In NZ, no one really cares about Halloween- only two students in the entire school come to school dressed up. It is a relatively new concept and hardly commercial. Kids in the States were telling me what there costumes were before I left whereas students here didn’t even remember it was this week! A very interesting thing to witness. The girls we live with went trick-or-treating for the first time this year and were only out for half an hour. It was actually quite refreshing to see that it wasn’t so commercialized. The kiddos did have fun at the disco though! The juniors (Years 1-3) had their dance first and I had a blast dancing with my little ones. Life is good when hopping around in a circle while holding hands is the greatest dance move. 

Ah! And those little smiles that lit up when the smoke machine came on- just fantastic! The seniors (Years 4-6) had the later slot and were not as fun to dance with- apparently you stop being cool as a teacher by that point. It was still a lovely time and a blast to see all of the costumes. As for our costumes, we didn't have much to work with... so I am a cat (with giraffe ears) and Chris is a goblin construction worker who was bit by a vampire... naturally. 

This Sunday morning I went with my CT to the Hastings farmer’s market(just south of Napier).It is always exciting to get to explore a new place and fresh produce makes it even better! It was a nice little trip and I will certainly be getting some garden-fresh fruits and veggies next time we go!

We are already off to another busy week with athletics day (similar to field day with things like high jump, long jump…) just ahead and lessons piling up!

The little surprises make 107 steps completely worth it =)

I'd like to think they are popping their heads over the fence to say 'hello'

Enjoy your week! 

*If you click on the pictures it will bring up a slide show and you can look at bigger images*