Relaxing Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone! It's Boxing Day in NZ, which makes it Christmas in the States, and since Boxing Day is a national holiday here, we are now in "holiday mode" on both sides of the world, which is a nice thought.

J and I had a lovely, relaxing Christmas Day yesterday. We slept in and lazed around, then J played his video games and I read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which I've been meaning to read for years. I also worked on an art project I've been planning for awhile, which I will post about when I've finished. Then we played our new board game (Codenames) in the afternoon, followed by more time when we each enjoyed relaxing in our own ways.

Then, in the evening, I read out loud to J while he crocheted, which is something we've enjoyed from time to time for years.

J is making a lovely, brightly coloured dishcloth. Between the ones Grandma Verschelden has given us (Thanks, Grandma!) and the ones J has made, we have quite a beautiful collection.

We're reading Stiletto, which is the sequel to The Rook, which is one of our favourite books. I read the whole book in about a day when we got it a month or two ago, and now we're enjoying it together.

You may have noticed my adorable, cuddly companion who was keeping us company while we read. He is J's wonderful Christmas present to me, and we've named him Enzo, after a character in a book. Red pandas are my very favourite animal, and when we went to the zoo a long time ago, I saw these lovely plush ones on the way out and was very impressed. J remembered for all these months and went and got me one, which is very sweet. It's a perfect gift, because it's something I will get lots of entertainment from, but would never buy for myself. I get a surprising amount of satisfaction from having a soft, squeezy something to cuddle while I read, and Enzo is just perfect for that! Plus, look how totally adorable he is!

Well, after a cloudy and surprisingly chilly Christmas Day, we now have a hot and sunny Boxing Day, so we're off to the beach! Merry Christmas, everyone!

A Hilarious Gift from an Unexpected Visitor

A couple months ago, I was sitting on the couch, looking out over our beautiful view, and I noticed something brown and tan out on the deck. I first assumed it was a leaf, but immediately ruled that out, as the enthusiastic wind does not allow such things to rest on our deck. Actually, the more I looked at it, the more I thought it looked like a small toy giraffe. I ruled this out as well, because our deck is about 12-15 feet off the ground (depending on the side) and there is no way a toy could have ended up on it. (I know how inaccessible it is, having unsuccessfully tried every possible way of getting onto it one time when I locked myself out of the house). I then decided it must be a seashell from my hanging seashell display outside. I was contented with this for about two minutes, but couldn't get over how much it looked like a giraffe, so I actually got up off the couch (despite being very cozy and comfortable) and went out to get it.

It was a little toy giraffe. 

The only explanation I could think of was that one of the neighbour children threw it onto our deck from their deck, which is about 10 feet away (being on the other half of our duplex). I still found this highly improbable, but it was the clear winner over spontaneous generation, which was my second-best hypothesis.

I therefore went over to the neighbours' house, knocked on the door, and awkwardly asked them if they'd thrown this adorable little giraffe onto our deck. After an impressively short pause for them to wrap their heads around this, everyone in the house confirmed that they'd never seen it before. They agreed that it was fairly impossible that it had ended up on our deck. Then the mom had a crazy and awesome hypothesis: there are Kaka (native NZ parrots) living in the mountain bike park next to our house, and one of them could have dropped it there. Kaka are very mischievous and love to steal things, so one picking one up just for the fun of it would not be out of the question. Still... really? A Kaka dropped a giraffe on our deck?

Given the lack of other options, J and I dubiously accepted this one, and I have smiled at the mystery every time I've walked by the little giraffe, which has joined other adorable oddities on my bookshelf.

Then yesterday, I was sitting on the couch reading, and I look up to see...

... a Kaka! On our deck! 

(Sorry for the non-zoomed in picture. I didn't want to scare it away by getting up to get my camera, so I used my phone.)

I called for J, who came out in time to see it. The Kaka obviously heard me, because it whipped its head around and looked at me, but didn't fly away. We got to watch it for a few minutes before it flew away, and it was very exciting.

The giraffe and I have decided to believe that it was that Kaka who brought it to our deck. I hope it comes to visit again!

If you'd like to read more about Kaka, please see my post from our visit to Zealandia here and scroll down to the part about Kaka.

Kiwi-ism are Creeping In

Well, it's been a year and a half since my last post about Kiwi language, if you don't count my wildly entertaining rant on the use of the word "tea."

Two things prompted this post:
1) A coworker pointed out something as "so American" that I never would have labeled as such, indicating to me that both Kiwi and American things have become normal to me such that I'm starting to mix them up.
2) I have noticed both J and I using Kiwi phrases, but always after the fact, as at the time they're so natural that I don't think about them.

I have therefore complied a list of some words I don't think I've written about yet, and a bit about how they've come to my attention

Cornflour - Cornstarch
~~ We use this for the very important task of making delightful gloop. While it's not very exciting, it makes the list because I saw "cornstarch" on a recipe the other day and thought, "That's odd. I wonder where they call it that." Obviously that shift has been made fairly decisively.

Take the piss - Make fun of/Not taking seriously
~~ I shocked myself by using this today, referring to a toddler who totally disrupted a lovely singing session by belting out only loosely musical sounds so loudly that no one could hear the actual song. I remarked to another teacher, "But he was really trying! He wasn't taking the piss or anything, that's just how he was singing the song!" While I hear this often, I believe that was the first time it entered my own utterances. Also, it occurs to me now that it might be rather rude, and not the sort of thing teachers tend to say while teaching, given that it has the word "piss" in it. Sometimes those subtleties are lost on foreigners like myself. I'll have to find out.

Twink - White-out
~~ I learned this in both directions - If a person asks me for twink, she receives the same blankly confused look that I earn when I ask for white-out. But I mostly remember to say twink now, so that's good.

Hottie - Hot water bottle
~~ My introduction to this word came via my friend Paula. I was staying at her house, and about to tuck myself into her spare bed, when she said, "Would you like a hottie?" My brain proceeded to frantically jump around, trying to land on a logical conclusion that was not an attractive man, as I was quite determined to believe that that's not what she meant. It wasn't. As this was also my first experience with a hot water bottle, it turned out rather well!

Bach - beach house or vacation home
~~ I still find this one strange, because it sounds like the shortened form of "bachelor," or even "bachelor pad" since it's usually clear that we're talking about a house. Perhaps if I am ever rich enough to have one, someone will explain to me why they're called that.

OTT - Over The Top
~~ I hesitate to include this, because the way the English language is evolving, it's very possible that this is now commonly used in the States, along with TMI and OMG. I am not a fan of abbreviations, but I do like saying that things are "over the top." We say that in the States, right?

Judder Bar - Speed Bump
~ There is a large sign warning of judder bars in the parking lot by our grocery store, and it always makes me happy, because "judder" is such a good word for what happens to you when you go over one as big as the ones there are.

Stink - Bad/A pity
~~ As in, "You have to work all weekend? Stink!"
~~ As in, "I told him I couldn't go, but then I felt a bit stink."

Lollies - Candy
~~ I have managed to incorporate this into the language I use with children, but still say candy around adults, to the vast amusement of my colleagues. Also, apparently American accents are particularly noticeable on words like "candy" and must, therefore, be imitated whenever possible.

Chuffed - Proud
Puffed - Out of breath
~~ At the Pak'n'Save grocery store in New Plymouth, there was a big sign that showed their mascot, the stick man, going running. It said, "Voted least expensive NZ grocery store two years running. We're puffed, but chuffed." It always made me laugh, both because of the terrible pun and because I love the world "chuffed."
~~ Note - I wrote this under "chuffed" and then realized that I don't think Americans say "puffed" to mean "out of breath" either, so it really needed both. The distinction is getting harder to see!

Partner - Romantic Partner, no connection to gender or sexual orientation or commitment level
~~ In the States, I mostly heard "partner" used to mean a same-sex romantic partner. Here, if you use that interpretation (which we did at first), you will think that an astonishing percentage of the population is gay. Quite amusing, but not accurate.
~~ I love this word, because it implies no specification beyond, "I am choosing to be in a romantic relationship with this person." You can say it about your husband/wife, or your new girlfriend/boyfriend, or your life-partner, or whoever you choose. And that's what I love. You get to choose who your "partner" is, and it's actually no one else's business.

Shout - Pay for
~~ My boss came in one morning and said, "I'm going to shout morning tea. What would you like?" I stared at her blankly, trying to decide if I was meant to be choosing something to yell while she yelled "morning tea," or if I would be permitted to say that I'd quite like for her not to shout at all. Fortunately, she realized the reason behind my confusion, and explained that "my shout" is the equivalent of "it's on me." Which made much more sense.

Cot - Crib
~~ I just learned this the other day, because my friends Christophe and Anaïs were telling me about a cot they'd just bought. The more they described it, the more it was clearly a crib, and when I mentioned this, I learned that apparently in NZ, a crib is called a cot.
~~ Two interesting ideas then popped into my head:
~~~~~ 1) I'd just learned Kiwi English from two French people. Well done, you two!
~~~~~ 2) I wonder how many conversations I've had with teachers and parents, during which we both used the word "cot" and I was talking about something totally different than they were!

Happy Holidays
~~ This is the one I mentioned at the beginning as having been pointed out to me as an "Americanism." An American parent wrote it on a card for the teachers, and our manager said, "Oh, that's so American!" I was surprised by this, having (I suppose) assumed that people say it here. But it makes sense that they don't, because here a "holiday" is what we would call a "vacation." I tried to explain this a fellow American, but got all confused myself, because Christmas and New Years are still "holidays," but they wouldn't clump them together and say "Happy Holidays," perhaps because it is too similar to what you say to someone when they go on vacation. Anyway, when people have been giving out those sorts of wishes at the (multitude of) Christmas Parties I've been to lately, they just say, "Have a good Christmas." Now that I've done all this thinking about it, I feel a bit bad for New Years, which gets completely left out of the well-wishing. Hmmm.

Well, that was rather longer than I anticipated it being. Can you tell how much I love language? It's just so much fun!

If you can't get enough of language either, and you'd like to read some of my older posts about Kiwi language, click on the links below.
June 2014 Post
January 2014 Post
October 2013 Post
September 2013 Post
Also, bonus - The Tea Post

It's funny for me to look back and see the things that were new and different back then. It's hard to imagine that I didn't always know and use some of those words and phrases!

Wellington Waterfront

Before we moved here, when we'd just come to visit, the waterfront was my favourite place in Wellington, Even though I now know many other lovely things about this city, I still adore the fact that it's wrapped around a harbour, so it has a staggering amount of waterfront, just perfect for me to stroll along.

See? More coastline that you even know what to do with! The part of the waterfront where we've done lots of walking is on the west side of the harbour, mostly starting just south of the square-ish protrusion, and curving around and towards the pointy bit just to the east of that. There is, obviously, much more to explore, but we've got lots of time.

My friend Christophe and I have been meeting in the café at the city library every week to hang out and chat. Now that is has warmed up and we're having some beautiful sunny days, we've started meeting at the library (which is right on the coast) and then taking a walk along the waterfront, which is really nice. It can be nice in the winter as well, but the wind blowing off the water is intense and frigid, and that's hard to overlook. I'm looking forward to a summer of lovely afternoon walks!

I actually remembered to bring my camera on our walk last week, so I thought I'd share some pictures that would help you to see why I love walking around the harbour so much.

The waterfront is a popular place, and can be very busy. Fortunately, they've put in very wide pedestrian paths most of the way along, so you don't feel too crowded.

Christophe showed me the trails on Mount Victoria that he jogs every week. They were lovely to walk on, but he's got to be very committed to jog them, because some are intensely steep on the way up!

This is looking back the way we'd come, towards the middle of the central business district.

I love pictures framed by foliage.

It was quite a warm day, and we kept having to take our jackets off and then put them back on, because it was hot in the sun and cool in the shade.

It would be very cool to live up on that hill, with amazing views of the harbour. The only thing our own beautiful view lacks is a water feature.

This is my favourite picture I've taken in a while! I love the colour of the water, and I don't know what it is about rocks in water, but I find it stunning.

Christophe and I had a great time on our stroll. Sitting in the café to catch up is lovely, and I have no complaints about that, but on days when you can have the same interesting chat but also enjoy the natural world, that's just about perfect!

Impromptu Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. I love that it is about being together and eating delicious food, rather than about presents. I love getting together with the Verscheldens and spending days playing all kinds of games and catching up with everyone. Unfortunately, even if Thanksgiving was a holiday that is celebrated in NZ, which it's not, it wouldn't be the same to celebrate it without the big gathering with my family. It is not surprising, therefore, that neither J nor I noticed that Thanksgiving was coming this year. We have been (and this might sound familiar, but it continues to be true) very wrapped up in business and stress at our jobs, and it didn't even occur to us that it was going to be Thanksgiving, especially since it's just a normal Thursday at work for us here.

I was so utterly not aware that when a new parent at work asked what I was doing Thursday, I responded that I'd be doing all the normal things I always do. She then asked if I liked Thanksgiving, and I enthusiastically responded that I absolutely love it and it's my favourite holiday, then left plenty of space for a thoroughly awkward silence before capping off the embarrassment of the situation by exclaiming, with rapidly disintegrating enthusiasm, "Thursday! Thanksgiving! Yes! Thursday! No, I'm not doing anything at all." This kindhearted parent, who had lived in New York City for five years and fallen in love with Thanksgiving, seemed heartbroken that this poor, lost American who loved Thanksgiving hadn't managed to do anything about it. She generously invited me to the Thanksgiving dinner they were having at her work, which is a meteorology office. Apparently, they have about 10 Americans working there, which is crazy, because I haven't met that many in the whole time I've been here. Who knew that Americans were so into the weather? 

Anyway, I was actually at home feeling quite sick on Thursday, so I couldn't go to the lunch, but when I went back to work on Friday, she showed me pictures and told me all about it, and seemed genuinely upset at my total lack of Thanksgiving. I tried to tell her that while I miss getting together with my family, to me holidays are just another day, and I really wasn't upset about Thanksgiving in particular, but I don't think that she bought it. I think she thought I was trying to be brave, but that's only because she doesn't know me very well yet. She'll soon learn that I'm willing to bemoan my fate when necessary.

Despite my lack of trauma at missing Thanksgiving, I was actually touched by how kind and generous this mother was, especially when she insisted that we plan ahead next year and organize it so I can come to their celebration. This is a mother I've only known for a couple of weeks, and it is amazing how she is reaching out and trying to help.

With this in mind, I realized that it would probably make her happy to know that I did something for Thanksgiving, and decided to throw something together. I was still not feeling great, and have injured my neck (a bulging disc hitting a nerve) so I was not inclined to spend the day in the kitchen, but J and I decided to just have whatever Thanksgiving-y food we could get at the grocery store, and call it Thanksgiving dinner.

Our first Thanksgiving in NZ, we discovered that cranberry sauce doesn't exist in NZ, which is not too traumatic, as neither of us are huge fans, so we didn't even look this year. J sent me to the store with instructions to buy a box of pre-made stuffing, which he informed me was called dressing in NZ. After a fruitless search, I asked an employee, who showed me the salad dressings. When I explained what I wanted, he said, "Oh, you mean stuffing?" So much for our bilingualism. Unfortunately, even the "pre-made" stuffing required more work than I was willing to invest, but then I brilliantly found a rotisserie chicken that came with stuffing inside! J was not in the mood for mashed potatoes, so we went with corn, and so completed our meal. Not exactly the thanksgiving feast one would usually expect, but it was actually delicious, and I don't think I've ever eaten a rotisserie chicken in my life, so... now I have. And let me tell you, they are much more delicious than I thought! 

We even did the wishbone!

J won, as I believe he always does.

We have also discovered that pumpkin pies, or even the ingredients to make pumpkin pies, are not easily accessible in NZ. I looked for any kind of sweet pie at all (instead of the meat pies they have here), and turned up nothing, and so I got an assortment of pastries. Actually, the white ones had apple pie-like filling in them, so that kind of counts!

Following a lunch that turned out to be both delicious and entertaining, as we got quite a laugh out of our pretend Thanksgiving food, I Skyped with some friends and family, and then curled up on the couch with my neck propped up (to try to get pressure off the discs), and watched silly TV shows. Which, I think might actually be part of Thanksgiving as well. I know it wasn't American Football I was watching, but I still think it counts. And it was nice and relaxing, and I was thankful for the time to do it, so all of that counts, too. And J played video games, for which he is always truly thankful.

And the best part of the story is, I can go back to work tomorrow and tell that mother that I had a lovely, relaxing Thanksgiving with my husband. I'm hoping that will bring a smile to her face.

Natural Disaster Update and Botanic Gardens Pictures

You'd think that a severe earthquake and its many significant aftershocks, along with a tsunami warning, would be a quite sufficient serving of natural disasters for one week, but you'd be wrong. The tsunami threat passed, fortunately, but an intense storm moved in, pouring down so intensely that large areas of Wellington and the surrounding areas flooded. Most everything was closed on Monday, due to the need to asses earthquake damage, and then many places, including schools, that opened back up on Tuesday were promptly closed again due to flooding. Many people had to leave work early even if their jobs didn't close, because the roads were closing as the flood waters rose, and they needed to get home before they lost the ability to do so.

Fortunately for us, my work, although way further downhill than our house, is still up high enough not to have to deal with flooding, and since it is all uphill to our house from there, I had no problem getting to and from work. J's building was closed until Thursday, and by then the flooding was done. There are still people who haven't been able to return to their homes, either due to earthquake or flood damage. Notably, a tall building near parliament had a central structural beam shattered, and it is at high risk of collapsing onto neighbouring buildings, so everyone who lives or works nearby has to stay away. I am so thankful that we are lucky enough to continue to be largely unaffected.

In other news, I had parent-teacher conferences after work every day this week, a meeting after them on Thursday, and then a work event after them on Friday night. Everything went well, but it was a truly exhausting and emotionally draining week, even aside from dealing with natural disasters, which took their toll on everyone, whether we were directly affected or not.

In light of this, today's post will consist largely of the pictures from J's and my most recent stroll through the Botanic Gardens. You can admire them and appreciate them with little need for comment from me, which is perfect, as the commenting (read "thinking") areas of my brain are in need of rest.

Someone built a lovely little fort in the "fairy garden" section. I will have to take my children to visit it.

I always think of my dad, who love irises, when I pass this area.

Hard to tell, but these are actually different colours of poppies. I didn't even know they came in colours other than red.

I find trees with entirely horizontal branches fascinating.

New Zealand has some truly amazing vine arrangements going on.

The rose garden has yet to come into its full glory this spring, but I did love this yellow-peach blossom.

We're Safe after the Earthquake

Hey, some of you have been emailing or messaging asking if we're okay after the severe earthquakes around New Zealand in the middle of the night last night. Yes, we are fine. We're safe, and we clearly got off easy, as even people on our street had thing break as they were thrown off shelves, but we have no damage at all.

I was sleeping (like a normal person at midnight) and was shocked out of bed by a huge, bucking jolt, followed by J running in from his office (where he was unwisely staying up late) saying that it was an earthquake and trying to decide if we should drop, cover, and hold, or run outside. After a bit of indecision, another big jolt made us decide that our house, perched as it is on the side of a steep hill, was not the safest place, so we hurried outside. Just as we did, however, it started calming down. We probably should have stayed outside longer, but I went back to bed and fell asleep in about half a second. J said that the many aftershocks, some severe, throughout the rest of the night kept him up, but I slept straight through all the rest.

The earthquake originated on the South Island, and unfortunately did quite a lot of damage down there, including two deaths, which is horribly tragic. If you'd like to read more details of the national effects or see videos, click here for a live news feed.

Wellington, being quite close to the South Island, got quite a bit of damage as well. We were warned not to go anywhere near the central business district today, as there was a tsunami warning and quite a bit of damage to some buildings. I just read an update that parts of downtown are still blocked off.

Both J's and my jobs are closed today, as are many things in or near the central business district. We are now hearing that we will be having winds up to 140kph (87mph), which is "severe gale force" this evening and tomorrow morning, but Wellington is used to high winds, so I'm hoping that everything will withstand that just fine. (Side note, a rolling, wavy-type earthquake just rolled past us as I was typing this, but it was really kind of soothing, compared with the others. It was probably an geological apology of some sort).

In sum, I feel awful for the damage that has been done to many places, and the negative effects this will have on people's lives, but I am thankful that J and I, as well as our friends, are safe. Please don't worry about us, as we are fine.

Bhakti Lounge Festival of Sweet

A few weeks ago, our friend Harry invited J and I to go to Soul Feast, a Sunday night event at the Bhakti Lounge. They do yoga, then chanting meditation, then have a big meal. Harry has been going every week for a while, as he plays his violin with the musicians during the chanting meditation. They also have a lunch restaurant in the centre city where he's taken J for lunch, and J said that the food, which is all vegan, was delicious! I'll go anywhere for good food, and the singing sounded interesting, so off we went. (We didn't go for the yoga part, just to be clear).

The Bhakti Lounge is a Hindu establishment, and the chant that is repeated over and over is about Krishina and Rama, two very important deities. At first, the chanting was like in this picture - everyone sitting on cushions and singing a slow, melodic chant. One of the musicians would sing the chant through, and then we'd sing it back, and it was very soothing. Then there was a bit of a break for a speaker, then we did it again, and this time everyone stood up, and the chant started out slow, but got faster and faster, and eventually many people were swaying, clapping, dancing, and even jumping around to the music. I was delighted by the joy and positivity pouring out of everyone, and the music was very beautiful and energizing.

After the chanting, Harry, J, and I had dinner together.

All the food was organic and vegan, and it was delicious. I particularly liked the soup, which was smooth and very nutty, and the tea, which was both fruity and spiced. I had several cups!

A few weeks later, Harry told me that the Soul Feast was going to be extra special that week, because it was the Festival of Sweets. He said that people were going to work all week to make a hill of sweets, because the festival originated on a sacred hill in India.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was truly impressed at what I found. It's hard to tell in the picture, but this is one huge hill of sweets! We did the chanting and dancing around it, ending up in quite a swirling, twirling dance all around it, before we settled down to eating.

The base is green grated coconut, and on top is every kind of sweet! Cookies, sweet rice, shortbread, fudge, lassi, nut clusters, marzipan, cake, pastries, sweet muffins, caramel bars, and I don't even know what else! 

A friend of Harry's explained that the blue cookies are the face of Krishina.

I was particularly impressed by the large roses, which were made out of pastry and apple slices.

It was really lovely to experience this celebration with lots of nice people, and to share in Harry's enjoyment of this community that he's found. Also, I can't complain about the quantity of sweets I got to eat!

Te Tumu Herenga Waka Marae

After nearly a year working at Victoria University of Wellington, I finally managed to make it to the new staff Pōwhiri. They hold them a few times a year, but since my whole team basically started at the same time, and we can't all call in relievers and head off for a morning, we have had to take turns, and it was finally my turn last week. 

As part of of its commitment to ensuring that Māori students feel comfortable, connected, and supported, Victoria University has built its own marae and wharenui on the Kelburn campus. 

The open space in front of the building is the marae, where the initial introduction part of the pōwhiri takes place. Historically, pōwhiri often took place in a situation where it was not certain whether the manuhiri (guests) came in peace, or to challenge or fight the tāngata whenua (people of that tribe), and so the initial engagement happened outside, in the realm of Tūmatauenga (guardian of war). While pōwhiri are now exclusively peaceful welcoming ceremonies, they still begin outside, with statements of intention from both parties, before progressing inside the wharenui (carved house) where the rest of the ceremony and purpose of the meeting is conducted, in the realm of Rongomātāne (guardian of peace). 

In this particular case, all the new staff were the manuhiri, and the higher-up bosses, including the Vice Chancellor and all kinds of important people, were the tāngata whenua. This pōwhiri welcomed us onto the marae and made us a part of the tāngata whenua of Victoria University.

This is the peak of the roof of the entryway area, on which you can see the name of the marae: Te Tumu Herenga Waka Marae. This means "The Hitching Post for Canoes," which reflects the multi-tribal nature of this marae and wharenui. Typically, they are linked to one iwi (tribe), but this one represents all the faculty, staff, and students at the university, which is quite unique, in my experience. 

On the inside of the wharenui, you can see the continuation of the tahuhu down the peak, which represents the spine, and the painted roro coming down along the roof from it represent the ribs. All of this is to represent the body of a tipuna (ancestor), which would usually be an actual person from the iwi, but in this case is a mythical ancestor.

The walls of the wharenui are covered with poupou, which are carvings of people that tell the history of the iwi. The poupou in this marae tell lots of different stories, largely related to the value of education, which is appropriate. The designs on this face represent moko, which are traditional Māori tattoos. 

On either side of the poupou are tukutuku panels, which are woven patterns that can represent a wide variety of ideas, although I know next to nothing about how to understand what they mean.

This is another type of traditional carving, and I would say that this type is even more common in my experience. Interestingly, this one is holding a religious book with a cross on it. Many Māori were very interested in Christianity when the European settlers came, although I don't know what particular figure or story this poupou is representing. 

I have been to a couple wharenui, but it is always a special and meaningful experience, and this was no exception. I am glad to have made this connection to the community at Victoria University, and to have spent time in a building that is truly a work of art.

Nature According to my Children

I was hoping to have good news for you by this point, but this week was still very stressful for me at work, and J has yet to be well enough to return to work, but is still managing to be stressed out at all the work he is not getting done while he's home being sick. He was better on Tuesday, and we felt optimistic. However, he plummeted back into serious stomach upset on Wednesday, and has been feeling awful ever since. He went back to the doctor, and we're expecting results of some lab tests on Monday, which will hopefully give us guidance as to how to fix this. It has been 11 days since he originally got sick, which is a long time to not be able to put much into your stomach. I am feeling somewhat healthier, although still tired, but I'm doing a better job of being J's nurse/helper, which I like to think is making him feel a least a bit better.

In other news, a few weeks ago my Head Teacher and I presented at a university conference on Early Childhood Education, called Rainbow in my Head. It was for educators and parents, and covered a range of topics about children, development, education, etc. We had presented at a Reggio Emilia evening a few months before that, and some of the people who attended asked us if we would consider presenting at Rainbow in my Head as well, and so we did. 

Our presentation centered around leadership, and how children can become leaders of their own learning, specifically when given time and space to connect with nature. Both my Head Teacher and I find that nature-based programming provides authenticity and meaning that empower children to take the lead, make informed decisions, and become experts in the world around them. We chose to call our presentation "Voices of Leaderful Learning" and to largely let the children tell their own story. (Side note: Neither of us like the word "leaderful," but it was the word chosen by the broader group when we started an extended self-review as a whole team on how to support children in leading their own learning). 

I don't feel that I should put our whole presentation on my blog, as it was a team effort and our team research, goals, and conclusions are not mine alone to make public, but I thought I could share some of the children's voices. They are not nearly as inspiring without the accompanying pictures, but it's what I have.

So these are three- and four-year-olds, and the quotes are from a variety of conversations, some during our weekly visits to the Botanic Gardens, some at our centre (Whare Kea). Some are from impromptu conversations throughout the day, some as a result of specific questions as we tried to understand their blossoming knowledge and the connections they're making. So here goes.

While she and I were working in our garden:

“When I grow up, I might grow into a gardener. Because I’m very good at taking care of my dahlias.” 

                     

Examining a tree at the Botanic Gardens, which had blue and green moss on it, as well as sap:

“See the blue stuff? That’s how the fairies make dust.”

“What’s the yellow stuff?”

“That’s sap. It’s a trees blood. This tree is sick… the green stuff is from the fairies, and its for helping the trees grow big and strong.”

Wandering through the Botanic Gardens:

“Emma, look! Look at this place on the tree! You can see the sap! The tree is bleeding… Maybe a really big stick came falling down and it thwacked the tree!”

Playing outside at Whare Kea, wrapped up in a hammock hanging in a tree:

“Look, I’m in my chrysalis so I can turn into a butterfly! A monarch butterfly!”

Gets up and flaps his wings:

“Someone found me and is taking me over to the Bug Hotel.”

(Our Bug Hotel is a safe haven for all insects we find, so that we can admire them and learn about them while remembering that they're living creatures and we have to be careful not to hurt them. I constructed it with the children out of a pallet we dismantled, and it's filled with sticks and bark and bamboo and leaves and all kinds of things to make a bug feel at home.)

Outside at Whare Kea, she is wearing butterfly-print leggings, on which a real butterfly landed:

“There’s a butterfly on my leg. Maybe it’s talking to his friends. Maybe he thinks I’m a tree.”

A group of children lay down quietly on the grass at the Botanic Gardens:

“We’re just looking up at the treetops.”

We observed a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, and cared for it until it flew away:

“Butterflies like juice from oranges and bananas… They drink it with their tongues. Their tongues look like a really long pipe.”
(It was a good thing that he knew this, because none of the teachers did, and we didn't have any flowers, and the poor butterfly would have gone hungry without his expertise).

We saw a large bumble bee on the path in the Botanic Gardens:

“I think her has a ripped wing, so she’s crawling to her home.”

“You know, you can’t use cellotape on wings.”
(Cellotape is Scotch tape).

We moved said bumblebee off the path so she wouldn't get stepped on, and then continued our walk. On the way back, we stopped to check on her, and found her in the same place, waving a front leg:

“She remembers that we are nice to move her and we’re her friends.” 

“I think she’s doing like a wave with her leg!”

“I think she’s saying, 'Thank you!'”

Walking along a bush path in the Botanic Gardens, we heard a Tūī (a NZ bird):

“That Tūī is talking to me!” (whistles back.)“He said, ‘Hello’ to me and I said, ‘Hello’ to him!”

Observing the trees at the Botanic Gardens:

“Look at the trees, they’re all tied up in knots. It happened in the storm a couple of years ago.”

We asked, 'What do you know about nature?'

“It’s outside. It is green or brown or grey. I saw a Monarch butterfly today and it was flying high in the sky.”

“Flowers grow up… and leaves come out again. It’s bees and flies.”

“We have dead nature on the table. It’s a little bit dead, like the bumble bee. We have it so we can pick it up. You don’t pick up the bumble bees cause those ones will sting you, that’s why you pick up bugs on leaves.” (We have a nature table in our room, and it is a bit of a running joke that the most popular things that the children find and bring to the table are dead insects. We have taught them that if they want to pick up live insects, they need to use a leaf, both to keep themselves safe and to avoid squishing the insects. We have also encouraged them to be careful with bees, because even if they are dead, if their stingers are intact, they can hurt.)

“It’s all the trees. I think there’s so many trees. When I was a baby I learnt about nature and I learnt about statues.” (My best guess is that he's connecting the various lovely statues in the Botanic Gardens with his experience of nature, although I'm not sure).

“The Earth. Nature has lots of trees and butterflies.”

“That’s a path that I found. Sometimes we get to choose where we go. I like going that way because it’s where we spotted that tree that I thought broke and Dom thought it got cut.” (The children often get to choose which of many circuitous routes through the Botanic Gardens we take).

“My favourite thing in nature is the sky. I really love nature and they’re pretty awesome. Nature means you need some water.”

“Nature is something you need to learn about. You need to look for plants and birds because they might bite you.” 

We asked, 'How do we look after nature?'

“We water it.”

“The rain waters it.”

“You don’t shoot down trees.”

“You have to stop doing bad stuff to nature like putting it down and sawing it down.”

“By not cutting trees. We should recycle the paper."
(We have been reading The Lorax quite a bit - it's one of my favourites - and I have recently purchased a fancy new recycling bin, and the children are very passionate about protecting trees by not letting them get cut down, and by recycling paper).

"We need to pick things up off the ground, not things off the trees, otherwise they die.” (Our children love collecting beautiful things from nature, and making sure to not break pieces off living plants as been an ongoing conversation and growing understanding of plants as living creatures that deserve respect. This particular child is a staunch defender of all plants).

“There’s lots of kinds of nature. When you go outside there is nature waiting by themselves. Nature stays still. Except if the wind blows.”

(This may be my favourite quote).

Hopefully these few excerpts from our presentation give you at least a little bit of a sense of how confident and empowered these children are. They are connected with their place in the world and the nature around them, and when that becomes part of their sense of self, it gives them a strong place to stand as they reach out and learn more about the world. It is inspiring to be a part of it, and I'm excited to see what they will tell us and teach us as my team has more time to delve more deeply into nature-based programming and empowerment.

Rough Week

This week has been a rough one for J and me. We are both not feeling well and had stressful weeks at work, which is never a good combination.

I have been fighting a sinus infection for a month and a half, trying everything at my disposal to get rid of it without antibiotics, as I have had to take them so many times for sinus infections that I am getting very worried about antibiotic resistance, and they have even not worked several times in the past. But I ran out of other options and was feeling worse than ever, so antibiotics won out this week, and now my sinuses are slowly improving while the rest of me compensates by flaring up with all kinds of antibiotic side-effects, although I should be thankful that they are not as bad this time as they sometimes are.

Sadly, I am in perfect condition compared to poor J, who has had a violently upset stomach since Wednesday, and who I had to take to the hospital yesterday for IV fluids, as he couldn't even keep water down. A day in a busy hospital was not helpful for either of our psyches, but I was impressed by how calmly J dealt with it all, despite how sick he was. Fortunately, J has perked up a bit since his hospital stay and actually kept some soup down last night, so that's very encouraging. He will probably have to have most of this week off work to rest and recuperate, and I'm just hoping that the recuperation starts soon so he can maybe even enjoy a quiet day at home, rather than just being miserable.

J's job is continuing to be stressful, and although he is trying his best, it is a difficult situation for him and the chronic stress does nothing positive for his health. My job is usually quite positive and rewarding, but some recent changes have made for some interpersonal conflict that produces tension. While none of it directly involves me, and while my professional relationships remain positive, the tension between others really gets to me. I am sure that it will resolve itself as we settled into the new system, but that doesn't feel immensely comforting as it's happening. In addition, I found out that my child who speak French is leaving next month, which means I won't have anyone to speak French with at work, which is so disappointing, as I was loving that!

Well, that was a lot of complaining to do all at once! It's just felt like one thing after another this week, but I am sure next week will be much better.

To end on a positive note, did you know that NZ has the best French Toast in the whole world? Here they put bacon and friend bananas on it (along with syrup, of course). I thought it sounded like a strange combination at first, but it has become one of my favourite meals ever. I don't actually remember when or where I took this picture, but I stumbled across it and remembered that I definitely have a responsibility to share this delicious news with everyone I know. So, if you're ever in NZ, please make sure to eat the French Toast!

Visiting Taranaki

Unbelievably, it has been almost a year since we moved to Wellington. It doesn't seem possible that we've been away from Taranaki for that long, but it's true. J and I both wanted to visit our Taranaki jobs and friends, so we headed back on Thursday and Friday of this week.

Every time we take a road trip, I love looking out the window along the Kapiti Coast at the gorgeous  ocean and Kapiti Island off shore. Unfortunately, it's hard to get reasonable pictures out the window, but this time I managed one.

The road goes right along the ocean, with hills on the other side, and I love it!

The Kapiti Coast is on the way to Whanganui, which is about 2 1/2 hours from our house. We stopped there and I had lunch with Kirsten and J had lunch with Jonny, and then I got to stop by and see Belinda at work, all of which was lovely. Then we continued the 2 more hours to New Plymouth. I was struck again by how funny it was that we lived in New Plymouth, but neither of us actually worked there. I was in Bell Block and J was in Stratford - hence, we were going to visit Taranaki (the region) rather than New Plymouth, as our lives were a bit spread out.

Anyway, we got to New Plymouth and checked into our B&B, which had a lovely lounge for us to relax in a bit after our drive. It was run by a lovely elderly couple who were delighted to share that they'd actually been to Kansas.

It also had gorgeous views! I hadn't really thought about houses having views in New Plymouth, as it is very flat compared to Wellington, but obviously some do, and I so enjoyed looking out.

We met our friends Rachel and Stu at Sushi Ninja for dinner. We had tried to think of our favourite Taranaki restaurant and not come up with much, and then as soon as Rachel suggested Sushi Ninja, we both went, "Oh yeah! That's our favourite!" Well done, Rachel. Plus, they've upped their game since we moved and are now serving sashimi in paua shells! How cool!

Also, I believe I mentioned last week how I could eat dumplings forever - these only increased that desire. And I love that they're served over their own fire to keep them hot!

After dinner, as we walked to the car, we saw this display and were reminded of one of our hilarious moments in New Plymouth. J asked me to pick something up at "some healthy stuff store" downtown, and said it was the one with a girl in a bikini on it...

... I thought and thought, but could only remember a healthy stuff store with a picture of the glass being shattered by a big guy getting knocked down. We had something of an argument about it, as both of us were so convinced we were right...

... so we eventually drove down to see that... they're both there. Right there together on the same building, but he managed to only see one, and I managed to only see the other! 

This story makes me laugh so hard, because J and I almost never, ever display such stereotypically gender-specific behaviour, but in this case, we fit ourselves so perfectly into "guy-brain" and "girl-brain" boxes. Hahaha!

(Also, notice J laughing at me as I ran into the street to take this picture. He was entertained, but not enough to run around like a crazy person taking pictures like I was. Which is more typical behaviour for us.)

Another funny little thing - when we woke up in the morning and I checked out the view (after the storm overnight), the B&B owners had put up an American flag in our honour! What a lovely touch.

Friday was all about connecting with people at Puketapu Kindergarten and Puketapu School, which was both glorious and sad. From the moment I got there, from the first big hug from a child who is easily twice as tall as when I left, it felt like coming home. The teachers, the parents, the children, the place itself all said, "We love you and you belong here" and I wanted to stay forever! When my wonderful, loving friend Nate looked up and me and said, "I don't ever want you to leave" I thought my heart might actually jump right out of me and stay. It was so wonderful to see everyone, and so amazing to still feel like part of the tight-knit, supportive community of the kindergarten and school. I do totally love where I am now, and am lucky to be able to say that, but the children at Whare Kea come there because their parents are at the university, so then when they go to school, they go to ones spread out all over the big city, which is a totally different feeling than them all going right next door to "our" school. That is one of the things I miss the most. At Puketapu I could stay close to children and families even as they moved on, but here I don't have that same connection. I also know that there are huge benefits that I completely love about where I am now, but that's hard to see while being delightfully overwhelmed by love and connections back there.

At the end of the day, I had the honour of wearing the korowai that the children and teachers had made. A korowai is a cloak, woven with feathers, that is one of the strongest symbols of honour, prestige, respect, etc. in Māori culture. Plus, this one was woven with the love and creativity and energy of people I love, so it's even more special. They thanked me for visiting and wished me well, and it felt amazing. (My face does not look like I thought it was amazing, but that's because the universe has made a rule that all candid shots of me must be awkward.)

J had a good time on Friday, too. He visited his work, and the SPCA, where he did a lot of volunteering when we lived there. Being back in Taranaki really made us both miss Holly as well, and J went and visited the dog park we always took her to, which he reports was both healthy and sad. 

We both pulled ourselves away with some difficulty. I don't know if we'll ever end up living in Taranaki again, but it will always have a very special place in both of our hearts. And we'll definitely be visiting!