Rotorua Top 10

We just got back from a little side trip to Rotorua.

It was such a great break....especially because we finished all of our class work and assignments, aka I am completely finished with school.....even though I don't graduate until December (or April, or August....whenever I decide to really).

Anyway, here are the pics! Enjoy, mom!

We went to a sheep show. It was highly entertaining, and they did a great job of making us laugh. Yes, I am petting a little baby lamb. Yes, the black sheep in the background is nipping my bottom. You can imagine my surprise right after this picture was taken....haha wasn't expecting that.

We got to experience a traditional kiwi activity: Zorbing.

Think hamster balls rolling down a hill.....it is super weird, but turned out to actually be quite fun! We had low expectations, so it was a great surprise to find it so enjoyable.

And we got to race the other girls.....we definitely won :)

Next stop: Te Puia. It is a Maori National Park type place. Funny how they compared everything to Yellowstone. I can't lie, it was hard to get super excited and seemed a little anti-climatic when Yellowstone is in your backyard back home. This stuff was weak compared to home. But, nevertheless it was fun to see (and smell) and hear the Maori legends that go along with the views.

We stopped by a few lakes to take in the beauty and splendor of New Zealand. This part of New Zealand was the weirdest for me. IT IS SO MUCH LIKE IDAHO! Take out the ferns, and you have a complete replica of home. It felt so weird. I couldn't help but to compare the two. Made me miss home. Must be the volcanic rocks or the pine trees and mountains. Whatever it is, it sure made me miss good old ID!

Christine decided to propose.

Classic Rotorua. This was the first "downtown" building, built by the Maori when they first got here.

The best part of the trip: Black Water Rafting.

This was AMAZING! So much fun! I think it is my favorite activity I've done since being here. Which is saying something, because I've done A LOT.

The group. Even James went with us, which made the trip hilarious as he sang his songs and told us his scary stories as we made our way through the caves!

In case you don't know what black water rafting is, here it is in a nutshell:

You take these little inner tube things and float down water in a cave to see glow worms.

Glow worms, which are actually not alive, they are just maggot poo.

But spectacular nonetheless!

Here is the catch:

There are numerous waterfalls you have to jump off of. And when I say jump off of, I mean they make you stand with your back facing where you want to land, stick your bum through your tube, lean backwards and jump out far so you don't hit rocks, landing on your tube (and you're supposed to float). Yikes. This part was quite hilarious haha

But hey, we all did it! And it turned out to be a very fun adventure!

So technically, this is not in Rotorua. We stopped by Hamilton to go the the temple! This was so nice. I love that every temple is the same and feels the same, despite what country you are in. It is a little bit of home.

Now, off to the northland for a week!

Advice from Elder Busche

I love this talk. It has been a source of comfort to me during many experiences I've gone through. Today, I had an overwhelming feeling of sadness as I thought of leaving New Zealand. Tears came to my eyes as we were driving the countryside to get back home to Auckland. How can I just leave and possibly never return to a place and people that I have grown to love so much? Will I remember them in the way they deserve? Will I remember their kindness and charity? Or the love they unconditionally show me? How can I leave something that feels so good?

I guess there are other adventures waiting for me.

"And finally, when you are compelled to give up something or when things that are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know that this is your lesson to be learned right now. But know also that, as you are learning this lesson, God wants to give you something better."

I have never learned so much, loved so much, or felt so much than what I have here. This place has really changed me. I am a completely different person now than I was 3 months ago. How could it not change me? I have done things I never thought I would do, I have eaten things I never thought I would eat, and I have hugged, kissed and grown to love children I never thought I would meet. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to come to New Zealand and learn among the children of God here.

proof

Here are pictures, like I promised, mom!

The non-swimmers

I wasn't kidding about the food.

She walked around and around piling on more....

This was after we all dished up....still plenty left

Can you find me? Not too hard to pick out haha

I won't lie, I felt like a celebrity because they mauled me to take a picture every .433364 seconds

Just a little traffic patrol on a Thursday afternoon

My wonderful mentor, Niu Auva'a

I miss them! They are so innocent. And funny!

I can't believe the things they gave me. Sylvester's mom came in and brought me a beautiful handcrafted necklace, earrings, and bracelet from Samoa.

Pevaiai gave me a princess notebook.

Genosha gave me some jewels.

Everyone attacked me with hugs and kisses (I think I might have lice now....)

But my heart is happy and I know I will never forget these beautiful children.

Luse asked if she could cry when I leave.

I told her yes.

Here's to April 8th. Room 12's assembly (each class is in charge of a Friday assembly. Room 12's happens to be the day I leave, so I am going to pop in and say one final farewell).

This is why I teach

An Emotional Week

It probably all started when I spent my lunch duty time on Tuesday talking to a student about Michael Jackson's death. She was still in mourning.

Then Wednesday came along.

Wednesdays = Morning Tea

aka: someone brings a lot of food, and we eat.

Only this time, it was a special morning tea in honor of us - the BYU girls.

The school staff presented us with lots of gifts and a thank you card requesting that we keep in contact. They treat us so well! I can't believe how lucky I am.

Then it was my associate teacher's turn. She presented me with a very nice bone necklace in the shape of a hook. The hook is a Maori symbol which means safe travels over water and in the future. It is a very nice and meaningful gift. She put it over my head, and then sang a Samoan farewell song with Mrs. Schwalgar (the junior Samoan teacher). During the song, they both teared up.

So did I.

Since when was I the crying type?

Since never.

It was very weird....and embarrassing. Although I don't think anyone saw.

It was just so beautiful and I love their deep, raspy, Samoan voices.

Then we had a special Senior Assembly where they honored Nancy and I (because we worked with the seniors) and gave us lots of praise and love. Room 12 then presented me with a beautiful tapa cloth they made for me without me knowing, where they all signed their names. I was so overwhelmed with love for them.

Then they came up, one by one, to tell me (in front of everyone) why they love me and that they are going to miss me and their favorite part about having me here.

Talk about self esteem boost.

It only made me love them even more.

This only added to the cascade of handmade cards and notes that have been pouring in over the entire week.

Honestly, I have a stack of homemade cards and "treasures" from my students sitting in the corner of my room right now. They are so precious.

Now it is Thursday.

My last day.

Today was so joyful!

We started off doing real school work, but ended up reading my favorite children's book which I gave to the class. Afterwards, they spent about an hour asking me questions ranging from "Have you ever been to San Francisco?" to "How old are your mom and dad" (yeah, sorry mom...they all know now).

I even wrote down my email address for them so they could write me more sweet nothings. Oh boy.

The best part of all today: Shared Lunch.

They all brought in TONS of food (literally....it was a Samoan celebration) for lunch and we gathered around to eat in honor of....me! It was so flattering and I know it is very special to do for someone, so I feel honored. They had a little celebration for me! They sang me songs, cooked me some delicious Samoan food and piled heaps of the food on a plate and handed it to me, expecting me to clean the plate and go back for even more.

All I can say is, ouch. I ate so much.

How could I not? Everyone wanted me to try what they brought. Times that by 24 and....you get the picture.

It was such a sweet gesture for them to do for me and food is how they celebrate. It was very generous and I was very very grateful. They are so genuine in what they do. Mrs. Auva'a especially.

We ended the day outside taking pictures. You'd think these kids had never seen a camera before....oh, they probably haven't. (Side note: I asked today how many had a computer/laptop in their homes.....less than half the class raised their hands.)

But I really do love these kids. I have seen them grow so much, even in the 6 weeks I was with them. They are so bright and lovable.

I'm going to miss them.

Room 12 took a part of my heart.

Reader Discretion Advised

Between the hours of 11:20am-12:00pm today, Room 12 had a reliever. She will remain nameless. She showed up because Mrs. Auva'a had to meet with the reading specialist for 40 minutes to talk about STAR testing. By law, they have to hire a reliever (even though I am there to take over the class). No big deal, right?

Wrong.

This reliever was Satan.

Really though.

She was AWFUL.

Within the first three minutes she had kids running laps because they were talking.

Now, I was supposed to just have control over the class, but she didn't really like that idea for some reason and decided to manage them herself. She told me that my class was one of the worst in the school so she was going to be strict and manage them from the beginning so they would behave.

Like I said, she had them running laps.

We had buddy reading right at 11:20-11:45. So basically our work was cut out for us. We walked to the Assembly Hall to meet with room 1, and maybe we were a little loud (nothing worse than usual). BUT, it wasn't good enough for miss. So she had them running laps until they didn't talk anymore. The girls ran 6 laps and the boys 4. Poor guys. Any teacher knows that running is never a form of punishment.....

We get inside, quieter than I've ever heard them and she leans over to me and says, "Never tell them they did a great job or they did excellent or they take it as there is no room for improvement." She goes on to yell at them and say it was good, but not great. They should do better next time. They are naughty naughty kids.

We had a jolly time reading, get back to class with about ten minutes to go until Mrs. Auva'a gets back. I was all set up to do maths, but she wanted to do the Samoan reading instead. That's fine. Except for this:

In front of the entire class she yells at Emmanuel "Why are you so slow? Oh that's right, he's special."

WHAT? Are you kidding me? This is ridiculous. And now you are treating my kids like this. MY KIDS! I am so angry at this point....it gets better:

"Stop talking or you'll stand up and be shamed"

Did she really just say that? Who is this lady? Obviously she doesn't like kids/isn't hired for a reason.

She asks a question to the class. One kid squeals as he puts his hand up:

"Stand up, put your hands on your head.....who can tell me why he is standing? Yes, he was talking. Don't talk. Just stand there."

Another kid tries to answer her question of why he is standing.....without his hand raised.

"You! Stand up too. Put your hand on your head. I can't believe this. You boys are naughty. Learn to not talk. Use your brain."

I felt like this was out of some horror movie or something. No wonder all of the kids wrote me love letters after she was gone telling me how much they love that I smile at them and am nice to them.

Rugby: Blues vs. Hurricanes

Last night, we joined in with every other Kiwi and went to the Blues game. I must admit, I love rugby. I didn't really understand it at first, but once Natalie showed up with her trusty rugby guide, I feel very knowledgeable in the sport. It intrigues me, really. And, it isn't much like American football (well, it is similar...but not as similar as people lead you believe).

We got free Blues flags when we entered the stadium! Mom, you can tell dad to be so proud of us as we were there over an hour early. I know to be a true Gardner, you must be at any sporting event so early that even the concessions haven't opened up yet.

We were there so early because yesterday was our day of little miracles. We got to the skytower and had no plans for after, except for the game later that night. So we literally hopped on the first bus we saw (smart I know) and took a little joy ride to Parnell Road. Once we got there, we wandered around to a park to just sit and soak up the sun. Don't worry, we only got approached by one car of boys trying to get us to come with them. I thought about it for a second, but his Lebron jersey he was sporting was so last year, so I decided I shouldn't be seen with someone like him. Instead, we decided to try our luck again and hop on the next bus. We really should get an iTouch or something because these bus rides create many adventures as we don't know where we are going. Like I said, it was the day of miracles. Someone doesn't want us to get lost, I guess!

We got back to Britomart station, which was good because we kind of know this place. Now how to get to Eden Park for the game? I don't know. BUT, I do see some people wearing lots of Blue. And even two guys wearing Blues jerseys. This could lead somewhere. Why not follow them?

Yes, we followed them.

To the train station, where we got a free ride to the Stadium!

We must be living right!

Our seats were on row 6. ROW SIX. Yes, as in six rows from the bottom. How did we score these tickets? Miracles, I tell ya.

Oh hey there dad! Glad to see you could make it to the game!

I know these are blurry, but it just shows how close we were. We were right by where they come out. I'm standing up, but no zooming in....this was how close we were! (Too bad I didn't know anyone's names....)

Complete with fire to introduce the home team (and cheerleaders/dancers....I was assured by many people around us that this was NOT a traditional Kiwi thing....this is what they took from America. For some reason they really didn't want me to think they came up with having cheerleaders haha).

We had a moment of silence for the people in Christchurch and Japan.

This was "green cleats." Wish I knew his name....He's an All Black, and favourite player of the fans.

Natalie came with us too, but she didn't want to get in a picture....party pooper

No, I don't just post dumb looking pictures of myself for fun. I was trying to get this picture for Vicky. The Hurricane player in the background is one of her favourites because he is LDS. Well, used to be at least. He was in their ward in Wellington. (The Butters are big Hurricanes fans because they lived in Wellington for so long.)

Here is a better picture of him. His name is Ma'a Nonu. This was his 100th game. He is an All Black as well. People here go crazy for their Rugby. Seriously, it divides the country just as much as it unites it. The All Blacks are the saving grace because everyone likes them. But there was a diehard Hurricane fan sitting behind us and she was fighting the whole time with her husband who is a Blues fan. People came early early to the game (surprisingly we were not the first people there) and they talk about it at school (well if they win they talk about it) and at church. I think I am a fan.

Skytower

Yesterday we went on top of the skytower to see ALL of Auckland. It was a phenomenal 360 view of the city of sails. I loved recognizing all of the landmarks (thanks to the coast to coast walk) and seeing how narrow this city really is.

My camera was having problems (it was too bright outside) so my pictures didn't turn out too great. But I knew you would want proof, mom, so I put them up anyway.

I need taller friends. I tried to get an angle looking straight down standing on the glass, but it didn't quite work out as planned.

The squatting picture just isn't as cool...

We ate up at the top in a fancy fancy restaurant. I don't think I have ever eaten at a place so nice. We had a three course meal and sat on the rotating floor so we spun around the skytower as we ate and saw every view. All I can say is the food was delicious! Mom, you would have loved it. I had fresh fruit, salmon, these nice veggies (I know the fries in the background throw off the picture....some people don't like veggies I guess), and then this peanut/cherry dessert thing. Oh my, it was so good it took us three hours! But well worth the money (50 bucks a plate....ouch....at least the program paid for it).

I can't thank you enough Mom for raising us to eat what is served. Because of this, I am not a picky eater. I can't even tell you how much some of the girls complained because they don't like ANYTHING. I swear, they are not happy unless it is white bread with creamy peanut butter or corn and not foreign zucchini. Let's just say they didn't get their moneys worth....

c'est la vie