GO THE ALL BLACKSSS!!!

These past few weeks have been crazy! Papers, trips, homework, and rain, a lot of rain. After traveling to the Bay of Islands and seeing Cape Reigna and 90 mile beach, it was time to book more trips! What I love about Auckland is that you can go from city life to complete wildlife in a matter of minutes. I saw the black sands of Piha beach on the western coast of the city. The coastline and city are separated by the Waitakere Mountain Range. The remoteness reminded me of home.

Rangitoto is the very large symmetrical shield volcano in the harbor. They are very strict on what you bring to the island because they are trying to keep its natural habitat. After a long trek battling oncoming rain, we made it to the top of the volcano and were rewarded with a breathtaking 360 degree view. Rangitoto is such a prominent figure in Auckland, it was so cool to actually be on the volcano and see the city from its prospective.

I was able to go to another island this week. Only this time I was driven around while tasting wine!  The wine tour on Waiheke taught me one very important lesson, I will never be able to keep up with my mother. The island was gorgeous and the vineyard we went to were all so different. After the tour we had to take a 50 minute ferry back to Auckland. Because it is labour day weekend there were a lot of people on the ferry and the five of us ended up sitting in the front row facing the rest of toe passengers. I quickly fell asleep and when I awoke I found that the four other girls had also fallen asleep. As I made eye contact with one of the older members on the wine tour I immediately started laughing at the sight of us. While we were passed out he had been drinking steadily with his wife, we looked like such amateurs. I am glad we were able to give everyone a good laugh.

Tonight is a pivotal point in New Zealand's history. My host dad explained that the country in on the verge of either an economic boom or a severe economic recession. This will be determined by the outcome of tonight's Rugby World Cup finals where the All Blacks will be playing against France. Not only is it a huge deal that they are in the finals, but its even better that they are playing France. These two teams have history. In 2007 France kicked NZ out of the quarter finals with a call as controversial as no goal and wide right. France scored a try off of a forward pass to win the game. Not only do the two teams have history, the two countries do.  In 1985 the French sunk the Rainbow Warrior while it was docked in the Auckland Harbor, killing one man. NZ was protesting France's nuclear testing in the middle of the Pacific. With that said, GO THE ALL BLACKS!

Tonight will be an amazing night and I can't believe that I am here to witness it all! I am so lucky and I will be cheering loudly!!!

GO ALL BLACKSSSSS!!!

When in Rome?

So the past week and a half has been absolutely amazing. I rode a bike along Tamaki Drive, the eastern coast south of Auckland (if that isn't confusing). We rode along to Mission Bay. It is gorgeous, however, I found out that it is an artificial beach. The sand is taken from a beach further north and brought down so that the beach front owners and tourists can enjoy it. The beach where they take the sand from has had an increase in the amount of beached whales. This is believed to be due to the dredging and changes to the ocean floor that impact the whale's migration pattern.

 I returned to Devonport, this time I climbed North Head. It is the smaller of the two points there. I walked in tunnels built in World War II, they were very scary. Upon rounding every corner I found I was prepared to scream. When we reached the top I could see Rangitoto from a new viewpoint, and although it was hazy, it is still magnificent. Saturday races took place, so I was able to see approximately 90 keel boats sail by with their spinnaker up. We also 'found' a beach. It reminded of The Hatch in Oregon because there were so many kite boarders.

While enjoying all of this play, there was a paper looming that brought me back to reality. Although writing the paper wasn't quite as fun as romping around Auckland, the pouring rain made it easier to write. The research that I did for this essay was very valuable on the trip we went on this weekend. We went to Omaha Marae where we learned about war techniques, musical intruments, and traditional songs and games. I felt truly welcomed to this Marae and learned not only about the traditions of their culture but also about their current lives and passions. B's powerpoint on the deep sea oil drilling was truly eye-opening as it made me realize the importance of being aware. Sleeping in the Marae with my whole group and waking up at 6am to watch the sunrise put my life in perspective. I am so lucky to be here. As I watched the colors of the sky slowly change, I thought "this is the prettiest place on earth." Little did I know that the days ahead would supply me with enough gorgeous views, landscapes, and beaches to make it an impossible feat to pick just one.

All Day I Dream About School

This was for an assignment I had to do for class: "take a picture that represents your classroom and write about it"

            Before I came to New Zealand I knew that I loved working with kids, but I was never able to explain why I loved it so much. When asked, I would typically respond with a story about how a child surprised me or how they put a smile on my face. After only being here a short time I can now respond with a reason, it is the little things. It’s what a child does when no one is looking, or when they feel completely comfortable in their surroundings. In my classroom children are recognized, not just seen as another student but as an individual with their own talents and quirks.

            As a student I enjoyed school. I liked being the line leader, reading aloud in class, and feeding the fish. Although these are minute tasks, they made me feel like I was important and that some one believed in me. As a teacher, seeing the satisfaction of others rewards me.  Watching little toes stick out of holes in socks, hearing “good morning miss” 28 times in ten minutes, talking to kids individually and finding out something I did not know about that student before. It amazes me. I found that I assume that all of the kids have the same circumstances outside of the classroom, but they do not. I found out yesterday that Claire is the 6^th of ten children, and that Tofi lost his dad three months ago.  Spending a moment to learn who each kid really is and how they work always amazes me. The one that causes mischief just wants a little more attention, while the one sitting quietly beside him is the one who really needs it. While working on art projects I sat next to Chris, a student that needs more focus and a little extra time to complete his work. I handed him the glue and told him what I thought of his work. I enjoyed sitting and talking to him and I didn’t realize how much that meant to him until he came to me at the end of the day and said “Miss, I really liked that you helped me with my art project today, thank you.”  That is the joy of working with kids.