New Year, New Job, New Language, New Bike

Well, as this title indicates, lots of changes are in the works in 2019. Be prepared for both excitement and nerves!

The big news is that I have accepted a new job at Te Puna Reo o Ngā Kākano. It is a private early childhood centre with a strong focus on Māori language and culture. They have currently committed to speaking only Māori in the mornings, and a mix of Māori and English in the afternoons, with the plan of increasing the Māori-only sessions gradually. What this means for me is that I will be able to immerse myself in the language and finally get over the last hump towards fluency. I have been studying for years, and have a strong knowledge of the language, but feel that I've gone as far as I can go without taking the plunge and getting into an immersion environment. So here goes!

I will be the Head Teacher of the Puāwai and Pihi programmes, which are for preschoolers and toddlers, respectively. Being in a leadership role is also a big step for me, because while I tend to take the lead on many individual things, I have not had a leadership position in NZ yet. Becoming a leader while getting my head around functioning fully in the context of Māori language and culture will be a big challenge, but one that I am eager to take on. The centre has a strong focus on connecting with and being guardians of the natural world, which are some of the tenets of Māori culture that resonate most strongly with me, so that is exciting. If you'd like to see more about Te Puna Reo o Ngā Kākano (or Te Puna Reo for short), you can click here to access their website. There is a lovely video at the bottom of the home page that explains the programme better than I can - a few years old, but beautiful and still applicable today.

This has been a very hard decision to make, as I am heartbroken to be leaving the children, families and teachers with whom I currently get to work, but I decided that this is what I have to do to keep growing and challenging myself. I have been overwhelmed by the supportive and heartfelt reactions from everyone as I've told them my plans to leave. Everyone there knows my passion for Māori language and culture, and seem genuinely happy that I've found a way to further pursue it, which makes me feel really understood and valued. I'm glad that Te Puna Reo is not too far away, so I can visit often.

Speaking of location, Te Puna Reo is two kilometers further away than my current job, and adds another big hill on the way home. Upon reflection, and in response to my ever-escalating knee pain, I've decided that I can't expect myself to add so much energy expenditure to my already physically exhausting days. So... I've decided to convert my bicycle into an electric bicycle! That way I'll be able to still get plenty of exercise each day, but also have enough support to keep it manageable. I don't have much personal experience with electric bicycles, but have many friends who love them, and I love that you can set them to various levels of "assisted pedaling" so I can tailor it to how much help I need on a given day. Plus, it's just so very many hills, it seems only fair to get a bit of a boost, especially at the end.

So, that's my news! I start at Te Puno Reo in mid February, so I have a few more weeks to enjoy with my children, and I'm making the most of every minute! I'll go visit Sorenne, Amy and Doug for a week after my last day, and then come back ready to launch into all the excitement and challenge of the next adventure! Wish me luck!

Brisbane Part 3: Good times

I am very excited as I write this, because I've just bought tickets for another visit to Brisbane, so I can enjoy remembering the good times from last year while eagerly anticipating more in the near future. I feel very lucky.

This post is comprised of the pictures I took that didn't fit into the categories of the previous posts, and is my favourite by far. We loved being there with Amy, Doug, and Sorenne, and only wish we lived closer to each other so it could happen more often.

Sorenne and J have not seen each other since Sorenne was 2 1/2, but they instantly bonded over their shared love of Minecraft. While we were there, J managed to find a way for us to play together while we're in our different countries, so we've been doing that some as well since we've been home. And people say video games never bring people together. 

Amy and I went on a beautiful walk near Kangaroo Point, offering lovely views along the river. Brisbane is such a beautiful city!

We also found some very adorable Guinea pigs (although of course not nearly as cute as Kazul and Roxim) who actually live on the back of a boat, and just come to shore from time to time. This one was my favourite.

One night, we decided to have dinner at Eat Street Northshore, a container market.

It was very cool, with some lovely little shops and many different types of food in the containers.

There was this beautiful covered area in the middle with lovely hanging lights. I'm sure it would have become even more striking as it got dark, but I also like to go to bed early, so I'll never know.

Sorenne and I got very beautiful henna from the fastest henna artists I've ever met in my life. Also, they added glitter when it was still wet, making it more fun during that stage. What a good idea!

This is what it looked like the next day. It turned out quite well, and even lasted through Sorenne's swim day at school, so that's a good recommendation.

We went for a walk near the market after dinner and got to enjoy the sunset across the river and behind the cityscape. It was gorgeous.

We also found a pretty entertaining playground item - entertaining partially for the swinging potential and partially because Sorenne was determined to climb up and use it by herself, rather than letting J give her a boost. Hilarity ensued. 

Speaking of hilarity, Sorenne and I discovered a rather funny poster, which she immediately made into true laugh out loud material.

We didn't manage to get to Australia quite in time for American Thanksgiving, but we decided to stretch it and have one anyway. I contributed the green beans, and Doug did the rest, and it was all delicious!

This is a vast improvement over the lazy efforts J and I made a couple years ago to have a Thanksgiving. Thank goodness for friends who can help balance out your ineptitude.

We were also very lucky to get to go to art class with Sorenne and witness the final touches being put on her most recent amazing painting. 

She is a mind-blowing artist, and can create stunning sculptures and drawings as well as paintings. J and I got to do some painting as well, and were reminded that, thankfully, talent is not required for creativity to be enjoyable.

Thanks so much to Amy, Doug, and Sorenne for hosting us, and we can't wait to come again!