About time

So I have now been in Auckland for two and a half weeks. What have I been doing? Why didn't I do this earlier? What do I want to remember and relay to all of you?

First, I am having an amazing time! I am living with a family; Rob, Jan, Nate, and Katie. I live with two other girls from my trip, Corinne and Laura (an orphan we adopted.) The three of us live above the garage in our own flat. Jan is an amazing cook and an even better mom. She has certain ways of doing things that always seem to be the best way. I clean the dishes almost every night, yes mom I have actually taken a liking to the simple down time of washes the pots and pans. Jan is not just there to cook, she is another mother, gave me medicine when I didn't feel well, scolds me when I don't separate my lights from my dark, and gives me amazing advice.

Rob is trouble. He jokes. He has the best laugh I have ever heard. Rob likes cars, American cars, Ford's. Rob and I like to tease each other, luckily for me I have had good training from my 5 siblings and I am sometimes able to hold my own.

Nathan and Katie try to help me not look like such an American. They give little tips on how to fit in. They never laugh too hard when I walk out the door with my sneakers, blue jeans, backpack, and fluorescent rain jacket. I stick out like a sore thumb.

Classes. Classes are classes. I enjoy them but I'm always itching to get out and into the city. However, they challenge the way I look at the cultures prevalent in New Zealand. English, Samoan, Maori, Tongan, Asian, Indian and especially American. Auckland is a city of immigrants, with Chinese products filling the stores, and American tv shows airing on the tele.

My classroom of year 3 and 4 students is vibrant. Artwork clutters the walls, shoes fill large plastic bins, ukuleles sit in the corners waiting to be played. I have a new fan group consisting of 10 eight year olds. They show me the rules of the playground, feed the chickens, and plant seeds in the gardens. Talking in the same tone, about the same things, at the same volume I did at that age. The boys love to run and to cause mischief. For the first time in my life I am called first when picking groups to play t-ball, both teams cheer me on as I hitting the ball off of the tee and they scream even louder when I finally make it to a base, I think they are going easy on me. They never wear shoes. They walk into the classroom in the morning, put their shoes in a bin, and do not put them on again until they leave to go home. This might not be as strange to me if they were inside all day but they are not. The layout of the school is something I have only ever seen in Summer Heights High, everything except the actual classroom is outside. This includes hallways, lockers, and the place the kids eat lunch. The school day goes from 9-3. I arrive at 8:30 so that I can have ukelele lessons. at 10:50 there is a half an hour tea time. It is the best thing ever. The kids grab a snack and the teachers meet in the staff room for tea, cookies, fresh fruit, and a nice break. It is a nice way to break up the day, let the kids get their energy out, and gives teachers the ability to freshen up with a fresh cup of coffee.

Rugby World Cup posters litter the school. Each school in New Zealand has adopted a second team. My school adopted USA. When my kids asked me what I knew about rugby I had to admit to them that I knew very little. They taught me about the scrum, the goals, the penalties, and all the rules. They prepared me for Eden Park. I am fortunate enough that I got tickets to go to the Australia-Ireland game and I am still in shock. It was amazing. I don't think I can describe to you the feeling of being in the stadium, surrounded by seas of green with islands of yellow. Luckily I was warned by my host dad: "In New Zealand we cheer for two teams, the All Blacks and anyone that plays against Australia." He was right. Kiwis booed while the Australian roster played on the jumbo tron displaying ex-All Blacks and New Zealand players. The fans were reminded me of Sabres fans during the Stanley Cup. Luckily Ireland played an amazing game and got the upset by beating Australia 15 to 6. The stadium went crazy. Running out of Eden Park, the fans in green sang Irish songs throughout the streets and on the busses. The excitement lasted the entire night, and I know that I will never forget that game. What an amazing experience.

Romping around Auckland I try to gather as much information on sites, mountains, and activities as I can. We went to Devonport on our first day, exhausting but helped a lot with the jet lag. I thought it was an amazing view until I went to dinner at the sky tower. Then I climbed Mt. Eden and realized that no matter where I go I will always be taken aback by what lies ahead of me. Sailboats racing in the bay, trees with large tangled branches for climbing, and volcanoes. There is so much to do and I feel as if I will not have enough time to do it. Kayaking along the harbor, climbing all of the volcanoes, hiking up Rangitoto